First of All, I’m Drinking - Chapter 57

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 57

 

“We need even one more strong person. I’m asking you.”

 

“…But why are you telling me this now? I haven’t even taken the first screening yet.”

 

“Because I’m confident that Asel will receive a high score.”

 

Bael winked.

 

“I trust my instincts, you see.”

 

“There you are!”

 

With a booming shout, a muscular man strode toward us with heavy steps.

 

Without needing to check, it was Joseph.

 

“You were hiding among the crowd, so it took me a while to find you, commoner.”

 

“I wasn’t particularly hiding.”

 

“Let’s see how long you can keep running your mouth like that.”

 

The guy glared at me with menacing eyes gleaming fiercely.

 

Joseph de Folcy.

 

Though he was somewhat rude, at a glance his skills seemed reasonably decent.

 

This guy could probably be useful if handled well.

 

‘He’d be perfect for using and then discarding when convenient.’

 

I asked while hiding a wicked smile.

 

“About that team thing. Wouldn’t three people be more advantageous than two?”

 

“Hmm… I suppose that would be the case?”

 

I looked at Joseph.

 

“Did you hear that?”

 

“What are you talking about.”

 

“How about we forget what happened earlier and get on the same boat? Let’s form a team with us for the main exam.”

 

“A team?”

 

I relayed exactly what I had heard from Bael.

 

Joseph’s reaction was consistent.

 

“Hmph! A team with a mere commoner! Do you think I’d accept such nonsense!”

 

Ding-

 

Before I knew it, my number appeared on the screen with a notification sound.

 

[Swordsmanship Department 176]

 

Next to it, [Swordsmanship Department 177] was also written.

 

Since he was right behind me when we lined up, 177 must be Joseph’s number.

 

“When I win, I’ll cut off your limbs and display them in front of our family’s main gate.”

 

Joseph left behind those murderous words and passed by me, crossing through the people gathered in the auditorium.

 

Bael, who didn’t understand what was happening, looked troubled.

 

I followed Joseph toward the platform.

 

“Good luck.”

 

Bael raised his fist toward me in encouragement.

 

Kise, who had been standing silently in the corner, was yawning with a face that showed no trace of tension.

 

Once all 10 test-takers including us had climbed onto the platform, a short-haired woman who appeared to be the proctor explained the rules.

 

“Now, please stand in front of the crystal orb under your respective numbers. The method is simple. When I give the signal, please strike the crystal orb in front of you with all your might. Whether it’s weapons or magic, anything is fine.”

 

The proctor extended her left arm to point at the screen.

 

“Once all 10 of you finish the test, your scores will appear on the screen you see in front. Only the top 10 percent at the end of the first screening can take the main exam.”

 

Top 10 percent.

 

That’s definitely not an easy number to achieve.

 

Only then did traces of tension appear on the test-takers’ faces.

 

Of course, Joseph was the exception.

 

“Top 10 percent, huh. There’s no way I wouldn’t make it in.”

 

Joseph confidently gripped his massive greatsword and took his stance.

 

I also drew my sword from my waist.

 

It was an ordinary iron sword I had casually picked up from the cathedral.

 

‘I’ll go lightly for now.’

 

I closed my eyes while gripping the sword handle, ready to strike down.

 

If I wanted to, getting the highest score would be simple.

 

But I shouldn’t do that.

 

My purpose was ultimately to infiltrate the school and identify Baal’s agent who would be lurking inside.

 

For that, I needed to move stealthily.

 

‘I mustn’t stand out too much.’

 

That meant I needed to appropriately hide my abilities so people’s attention wouldn’t focus on me.

 

There was also this reason behind why I was bothering to form a team with other test-takers.

 

Even when achieving the same accomplishment, doing it as a team rather than alone would disperse attention.

 

Those guys would do the work, and I would just quietly blend in.

 

“Please begin.”

 

With the proctor’s instruction, I heard the sounds of people attacking their crystal orbs on both sides.

 

I should adjust the power to about 3-star level.

 

I let aura flow throughout my body.

 

Blue energy enveloped my entire body, emitting radiance.

 

Feeling the tremendous power rising within me, I struck down at the crystal orb.

 

KWAAAAANG-!

 

A tremendous roar that shook the entire area.

 

I hadn’t even used my full strength.

 

Worried that I might get an unexpectedly high score, I slightly reduced my power at the moment of final impact.

 

Even so, it was a sound similar in magnitude to the axe-wielding girl who had received the highest score a few minutes ago.

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

The people gathered in the auditorium were staring blankly at the screen with their mouths agape.

 

I slowly raised my gaze upward.

 

The scores of the test-takers who had just taken the exam were displayed in a row.

 

Among them, a particularly eye-catching sequence of large numbers.

 

[Swordsmanship Department 176 – 1,128,035]

 

The ranking board had also been updated according to the newly calculated scores.

 

[1st Place Swordsmanship Department 137 – 1,230,941]

 

[2nd Place Swordsmanship Department 176 – 1,128,035]

 

[3rd Place Swordsmanship Department 31 – 772,940]

 

I let out a deflated sound and chuckled softly.

 

‘I almost caused big trouble if I had hit just a little harder.’

 

I nearly broke the first-place record.

 

Still, with this level of score, I surely won’t fail the first screening.

 

WAAAAAAH!

 

Suddenly, thunderous cheers shook the auditorium.

 

“What was that just now! Are you insane?”

 

“O-over a million points…”

 

“Who the hell is that bastard! Does anyone recognize his face?”

 

“One thing’s for sure, I’m screwed for admission.”

 

Some expressed admiration, some despair, some longing, some jealousy.

 

The voices of people displaying all sorts of reactions.

 

I couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

 

The average level of the test-takers was significantly lower than I had expected.

 

‘If I got over a million points with that kind of strike, what are those guys with lower scores even doing?’

 

It’s the transfer exam for one of the world’s top 3 academies, after all.

 

No, thinking about it again, maybe it was only natural.

 

The renowned geniuses would have already passed the entrance exam and be studying diligently.

 

Being at the transfer exam site itself meant we were all rejects who had been filtered out once.

 

“You….”

 

I turned to look beside me.

 

Joseph was staring at me with wide eyes, frozen in shock.

 

“You, you commoner bastard….”

 

I checked Joseph’s score.

 

[Swordsmanship Department 177 – 761,332]

 

It wasn’t a bad score.

 

Looking at the rankings, Joseph’s number was currently registered in 4th place.

 

Of course, compared to 1.1 million points, it was nowhere close, and Joseph himself seemed to know this as his face was shrouded in deep defeat.

 

“…Kuk!”

 

Joseph bit his lips in frustration.

 

“You remember our promise, right?”

 

I approached Joseph with a grin.

 

Joseph was glaring at me with a look that could kill.

 

“Grit your teeth tight.”

 

As I pulled my arm back and took a stance to hit him, Joseph squeezed his eyes shut.

 

This guy was pretending to be fine on the outside, but cold sweat was streaming down his temples.

 

“Heh.”

 

I chuckled softly and just tapped Joseph’s cheek lightly before leaving.

 

Showing mercy like this would be far more humiliating for him than actually hitting him.

 

“Krrgh! That bastard!”

 

Leaving Joseph’s curses behind, I came down from the platform.

 

With each step I took, I could feel people being wary of me.

 

The only person who approached me to talk was Bael.

 

“I knew you were strong, but… this is beyond imagination.”

 

Bael looked very surprised and flustered.

 

“Asel wouldn’t need a team. You could easily pass on your own.”

 

“Having Count Ernst’s information would make passing even easier.”

 

“That’s exactly what I wanted to say. I’ll provide information about the main exam, so please lend me your strength, Asel.”

 

“Let’s do that.”

 

Bael spoke with a faint smile.

 

“How about we meet for a meal after the application period ends in a week? I know a good restaurant nearby.”

 

Setting the appointment for a week later instead of today suggested he planned to gather information about other applicants in the meantime.

 

“Sounds good. I’ll be going first today.”

 

“You’re truly composed. I’ll check out the remaining applicants before leaving.”

 

I headed toward the door.

 

Kise was leaning against the wall near the door with his arms crossed.

 

Kise smirked slightly.

 

“I saw that. Pretty impressive, wasn’t it?”

 

“Impressive, my ass.”

 

“About 3-star level aura… You held back quite a bit, didn’t you?”

 

“There’s nothing good about standing out unnecessarily.”

 

I chatted with Kise as we went down the stairs.

 

Using my power after so long had made me hungry.

 

The Imperial City had many delicious restaurants, so I should have a spoonful of hot stew.

 

“Hey.”

 

As we turned the corner, a girl with blue ponytail hair blocked our way.

 

A large axe was strapped to her back.

 

It was the current 1st place holder herself – Swordsmanship Department 137, who had scored 1.2 million points.

 

“I watched you take the test.”

 

She spoke to me.

 

Her voice itself was pleasant, but she lowered it unnaturally, as if trying to appear intimidating.

 

“You didn’t attack the crystal orb with your full strength.”

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“Don’t make excuses. I clearly saw you pull back your strength at the moment of impact.”

 

Sharp eyes.

 

It seemed her overwhelming 1st place skill wasn’t just a trick.

 

“Not giving your best effort is deception toward other participants. Is that it? That you could easily crush these kinds of guys even without trying your hardest?”

 

“Haah….”

 

I irritably ran my hand through my hair.

 

“So. What do you want to say?”

 

“My name is Irin. Irin Kramer.”

 

“You’re not just trying to exchange names right now.”

 

“Let’s have a match in the main exam.”

 

All that talk about deception toward other participants was just chatter – this seemed to be her real point.

 

“I’m from the northern warrior tribes. Our people live by hunting monsters in the Void Snowfield. Even among them, I was particularly strong. I’ve crushed countless monster heads with this axe.”

 

Irin stroked the axe blade with an excited expression as if recalling memories.

 

“No one my age had hunted more monsters than me. Then suddenly I had this thought. I was getting tired of monsters. From now on, I wanted to hunt people.”

 

Is this crazy bitch insane?

 

“You’re my first prey! I want to crush your head!”

 

Irin confidently pointed her index finger at my forehead.

 

I irritably pressed my palm to my forehead.

 

“I’m genuinely curious – what exactly made you think that way?”

 

“There’s no moment when excitement surges more than when hunting strong prey.”

 

“You’re just a crazy pleasure killer.”

 

Kise held his stomach and burst out laughing.

 

“Puhahahaha! Maybe Asel gives off pheromones that attract crazy people?”

 

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

 

Seeing this psychopath casually taking the transfer exam made me seriously question this school’s reputation.

 

“Haah, whatever. Do as you please. Whether you hunt or shit on the street, it’s none of my business.”

 

The best strategy with crazy people is to avoid them.

 

We passed by Irin and continued down the stairs.

 

As our steps crossed, Irin grinned and said,

 

“See you in the main exam.”

 

‘Fuck off.’

 

Surely not all the current students are like this.

 

I began to seriously worry about the children who would be attending this school.

 

* * *

 

A week later.

 

A restaurant in the Imperial City.

 

“This way, Asel.”

 

Even though I wasn’t late for our appointment, Bael had arrived first and was already seated.

 

His black suit matched very well with Bael’s blonde hair.

 

“You came early.”

 

“Asel is the core of our team, so I couldn’t make you wait.”

 

I sat across from Bael.

 

As soon as he sat down, Bael got straight to the point.

 

“I had my attendant gather information on all the candidates for a week. Let me first tell you about the people we need to be wary of.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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