Chapter 10 (1) - A Depressed Kendo Player Possesses a Bastard Aristocrat

“Phew…”Exhausted from the long lecture, I let out a sigh as I stepped out of the classroom. By the time all the classes were over, it was already evening.

…This is so tiring.

The classes are too difficult.

Back in my old life, I was practically forced to drop out of high school and focus only on training. I didn't even finish middle school.

It would be weirder if I was able to easily keep up with the theories and education of a different world.

I’ve been trying my best to make use of Raiden’s memories and cram as much as I can…

But the bigger problem was something else entirely.

‘What the hell, why are they all staring at me like that…’

Every class, the students stared at me like I was crazy.

No, it wasn’t just the students.

The professor teaching the class, the assistant on the side, even the janitor sitting in the corner.

Everyone’s eyes were on me.

Their reactions were generally like this:

At first, they were surprised to see me reappear.

But soon after, they were shocked that I was quietly listening to the class.

‘Well… I understand being surprised…’

If it were the original Raiden, he would have walked into class reeking of alcohol,

challenged the professor, and hit on the girls around him.

It must be fascinating for them to see that guy just quietly listening to the class.

“Sigh…”

It was a day that consumed a lot of my mental energy. Sᴇaʀᴄh the NʘvᴇlFirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Of course, compared to the daily life I lived in my previous life, this is heaven, but still.

As I was organizing my thoughts and heading to the dormitory,

I spotted someone in the distance.

“…”

At the sight of him, I stopped in my tracks.

It was a young boy.

A gentle impression with kind eyes.

Shining golden hair and eyes.

The boy, whose appearance looked as if it were crafted by the hands of God, was walking through the Academy plaza.

‘…Allen Reinhardt.’

The protagonist of this world.

The new hero, inheriting the legacy of the first hero, Ash.

The boy loved by the Goddess of Joy.

I stared at him, recalling the many titles that described Allen.

As expected of the protagonist, many people were gathered around the boy.

The Empire’s second princess and the daughter of Duke Roben.

The chosen Saintess of this generation.

And lastly, the student who held the top position in the first year.

“…”

…Somehow, they all seem to be women.

It’s not really an important issue, I guess.

He’s the type to get along with everyone, regardless of gender.

Unlike me, he’s a being who receives a lot of love and happiness.

‘What if I had possessed Allen instead of Raiden…’

Instead of this body that is hated and wary of others.

If I had possessed a body that is loved by everyone.

Wouldn’t I have been able to move toward the happiness I dreamed of much faster?

“…No, no.”

It was a useless desire.

I’ve already received an unbelievable miracle, and I’m having these thoughts.

Just how messed up of a person am I?

Even the desire for happiness is too much for me.

What right do I have?

To wish for anything more?

It seems I’ve become too accustomed to this small peace that the status window has gifted me.

“Phew…”

I clenched my fists, sharpening my mind that had become lax.

Compulsion and anxiety gripped me once more.

Don’t loosen up.

An opportunity has come to me too.

Don’t ruin things with useless desires and jealousy.

Just like my father taught me.

Without a single mistake, do it perfectly.

“…”

While I was momentarily lost in the swamp of my thoughts,

The saintess next to Allen nudged him and pointed in my direction.

It seems I was staring for too long.

I quickly turned away and left the spot.

.

.

.

That night.

“Hmm… Young Masterrr…”

With Rachel’s sleep talking from the next room as background music, I was training my body.

Simple push-ups.

In my previous life, I could easily do 100 and move on to the next exercise.

But with Raiden’s body, which had the miraculous stats of E rank in Strength and E+ rank in Stamina, it seemed my limit was 10 push-ups at a time.

I had no choice but to create my own routine of 10 reps followed by a break and repeat.

At least, thanks to the consistent muscle stimulation over the past two weeks, I could feel my strength gradually increasing.

I didn’t want to do exercises I did to death in my previous life in this life too…

But I needed to have at least a minimum level of strength to survive in this story.

In the original story, Reynolds Academy was embroiled in a ridiculous amount of incidents.

Countless villains go on a rampage to eliminate the new hero of the era, ‘Allen Reinhardt.’

Sometimes, even high-ranking demons make a direct appearance.

In short, it was a complete mess.

I had to prepare my body and mind to at least survive in this torrent.

“Phew… Huff…”

After several hours of exercising,

a mechanical sound suddenly rang in my ears.

-Ding!

[Strength rank has increased by 1. Current rank: E+]

[Stamina rank has increased by 1. Current rank: D-]

“Finally…”

As expected, with low ranks, I could see results in a short amount of time.

E+ was about the strength of someone slightly weaker than the average person.

If I repeated this routine for about two months, I should be able to reach an average D rank without much difficulty.

Of course, from B rank onwards, ranking up becomes incredibly difficult, taking years.

“Phew… I’ll stop here for today…”

My arms are sore.

It’s ridiculous how sore they are after doing just a few.

I massaged my screaming arms and got up to take a shower.

At that moment.

-Ding!

[Main Quest appeared!]

The notification rang in my ears once more, and the status window popped up.

A main quest.

There shouldn’t be any events happening right now, right?

I tilted my head and tapped the blue window in front of me.

-Ding!

[Main Quest]

Title: Power Up

Description: Go to the designated location.

[Map attached: Click for details]

Reward: ??????

Penalty for failure: None

[Time limit: 3 days]

“What is this…”

Suddenly, it’s telling me to go to a designated location without any context.

Moreover, the reward is marked with question marks, and there’s no penalty for failure.

Is there a reason for this?

The quests I’ve received so far have all been a kind of ‘guideline’ telling me how to act and where to go.

If this quest is telling me to go somewhere…

“Huh?”

I let out a sound of surprise as I checked the attached map.

The location marked on the map looked familiar.

The ‘Forest of Deep Time’, located near the Academy.

“The Forest of Deep Time…”

This appeared in the original story as well.

The ‘Forest of Deep Time’ appeared to be an ordinary forest on the surface.

But if you follow a hidden path, it leads visitors to a hidden ruin.

A ruin left behind by the ‘Gods of Three Emotions,’ who are known to have the second highest divinity among all the gods.

It was an opportunity that Allen stumbled upon while entering the forest for mental training.

Allen obtained the sword known as the strongest in the world from there…

It was basically an episode that made the overpowered protagonist even more overpowered.

‘But it’s telling me to go there…?’

Isn’t this the protagonist’s opportunity?

Why am I getting this?

“Hmm…”

After a moment of contemplation on whether I should go or not,

I decided to go.

It’s possible that it’s not the ruin and leads to somewhere else.

Even if it is the ruin, according to my memory, there’s more to obtain from there than just ‘that sword.’

“Should I go tomorrow?”

The time limit is 3 days, and if it’s really the ruin, it won’t take that long.

It should be fine to move right after classes tomorrow.

“Well… I should take a shower for now.”