Chapter 24 - Darkmtl
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Chapter 24

Meanwhile, at that moment.

After leaving the Dean’s Office, Ulan returned the cloak to the guard who had stopped him earlier. Just as he was about to head to the dormitory.

“Hi. Do you have a moment?”

Someone blocked his path.

A neatly ironed uniform. A young man with ash-colored hair and a friendly demeanor. But something caught Ulan’s attention.

‘A purple tie.’

That meant he was a third-year.

As Ulan was recalling the information he had stored in his head, the young man smiled and extended his hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Mond Parcheka, an executive of the Arsen Student Council.”

“Ulan.”

He was about to shake hands.

But when Ulan extended his hand, Mond quickly pulled his hand back.

What? Didn’t he just offer to shake hands?

Ulan tilted his head in confusion. Then Mond spoke again with a smile.

“I heard you passed the entrance exam with the top score. Is that true?”

“It just happened that way.”

“Wow, so it’s true. That’s amazing.”

After exchanging a few trivial words.

Mond revealed the reason for his visit.

“The reason I came today is to inform you about tomorrow’s entrance ceremony.”

“Entrance ceremony?”

“Yeah, the Arsen Student Council gives a welcoming speech to the new students every year at the entrance ceremony. And there’s a tradition where the top scorer gives a response speech as the representative of the new students.”

After finishing his explanation, he handed something over.

A document in a paper envelope.

“This is the speech the Student Council will give tomorrow. You can use this as a reference to write your response.”

The white paper was densely filled with writing.

As Ulan stared at it, Mond burst into a hearty laugh.

“Haha, don’t feel pressured. It’s just a regular speech and response. Just think of it as giving a few words in front of the students.”

After a brief encouragement.

Mond turned around.

“Well, I’ve delivered the message, so I’ll take my leave now. See you at the entrance ceremony tomorrow!”

Mond quickly disappeared.

Ulan watched him go and thought.

‘What a strange guy.’

And for good reason.

Mond had smiled throughout the conversation, but his eyes hadn’t smiled at all.

Moreover, there was no hint of goodwill in his eyes. Rather, it felt closer to disgust. Just like Professor Dirck he had seen yesterday.

‘And a speech, huh?’

He didn’t know what a welcoming speech or a response speech was, but he knew what a speech was.

Back in the grasslands, before a hunt or a large-scale battle, they often gave speeches to boost the morale of the warriors.

‘But…’

That was a battlefield speech.

It must be different from a speech at an entrance ceremony.

Perhaps that’s why?

Even though he had received the script in advance, he had no idea how to write the response.

As he pondered and walked.

“Huh?”

A suitable person to ask for help came into view.

Unlike the other students chatting in groups, a girl with black hair was sitting alone in the shade.

It was Noa.

The sunny weather was perfect.

Noa had been eagerly waiting for the morning to come.

There was only one reason.

Because today was the first morning after moving into the dormitory.

‘The morning before the entrance ceremony.’

Students were gradually gathering in the plaza.

Out of curiosity about the new environment. And to see the classmates they would be attending the academy with.

Noa had the same intention.

Because she had a goal.

‘First, I need to make friends.’

Before coming to this world.

Noa had failed at school life.

Of course, it wasn’t her fault. She just stayed in the corner of the classroom and unfortunately caught the attention of some bullies.

After that, hell began.

A painful memory she didn’t even want to recall.

She concluded that the reason was because she hadn’t made friends properly at the beginning of the semester.

Thus, with that memory becoming a trauma, Noa became obsessed with the idea that she had to make friends no matter what.

‘So I thought I’d get close to my roommate first…’

She thought she could become friends much faster with someone sharing the same room.

But Noa’s expectations were wrong.

『Don’t talk to me casually.』

Belkina Rudishant.

The daughter of the Marquis Rudishant and Noa’s roommate. With her apple-red hair, she glared at Noa with disgust and said.

『Don’t even come near me. And you should cut that ominous hair of yours. The curse might spread.』

There were two reasons for the disgust.

The fact that she was from a barbarian tribe. And the other was because of Noa’s hair color.

Hair as black as the night sky.

In the Empire, there’s a superstition that such hair brings misfortune and death.

Noa sighed.

‘…Should I dye it?’

But it didn’t seem like Belkina’s attitude would change even if she did.

Although she failed at the first step, Noa didn’t give up. She thought she could still make friends in the plaza. Not everyone in the dormitory would be like that.

But even that went wrong.

“Hey…”

“Let’s go somewhere else to talk.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Students avoided her as soon as she tried to talk.

Some even moved away. As if they didn’t want to be in the same space as Noa.

And as a result.

Noa didn’t make a single friend. Everyone avoided her.

“Sigh.”

A heavy sigh escaped.

Sitting in the corner, Noa blankly stared at the sunny plaza. Unlike the shade she was in, it was a bright and warm place.

The boundary between light and shadow. Today, that line felt especially clear. Noa looked at the boundary with a gloomy face.

‘What did I do wrong…’

As she tried to swallow her sorrow.

She heard some students’ voices.

“Hey, don’t look at her.”

“What if the curse spreads?”

“This is so annoying.”

“Why did someone like that even get accepted?”

The disdainful glances directed at Noa.

A line had already been drawn between them.

This was a very bad sign.

Once a line is drawn, no one wants to cross it.

Even if someone outside the line is being bullied, everyone just watches from the other side.

Just like in her previous world.

‘Am I doomed here too?’

All sorts of negative thoughts swirled in her head.

The gloomy emotions wrapped around her body.

The sorrowful feelings weighed heavily on her shoulders, and Noa’s eyes gradually lost focus.

As she buried her face in her knees.

Thud!

Suddenly, a heavy footstep was heard.

The plaza fell silent in an instant. The footsteps grew closer. Reflexively raising her head, she saw footsteps approaching.

Footsteps crossing the boundary.

There was no hesitation in his advance.

As Noa realized who the owner of the footsteps was, a familiar voice reached her ears.

“Noa.”

Crimson hair and bright red eyes.

A man with a muscular upper body. The person she could rely on the most here. It was Ulan.

“Why are you there?”

“Ah, well, um…”

She was too flustered to speak properly.

Noa bit her lip slightly. Then, avoiding Ulan’s gaze, she answered.

“Just… I feel comfortable here… Ah!”

But she couldn’t finish her sentence.

Ulan suddenly grabbed her wrist. Pulled by his strong force, her body lifted up.

“Come with me. I have something to say.”

She was suddenly dangling in the air.

Flustered, Noa tried to break free, but it was futile. His strength was comparable to that of a giant.

Meanwhile, Ulan strode forward. Towards the plaza. As they walked, Noa heard whispers.

“By the way, did you hear about that?”

“That barbarian destroyed a golem with his bare hands.”

“What? R-really?!”

“And in the Great Duel, he sent all his opponents to the hospital. The most injured one had to recover for two months, they say.”

Mainly stories about Ulan.

As the stories spread, the students gradually distanced themselves from Ulan. But the protagonist of the stories didn’t care and kept walking.

Shortly after.

They arrived in the middle of the plaza.

“Why here of all places…”

“It gets the most sunlight here.”

A very simple reason.

Then Ulan was about to get to the point of bringing Noa here. But Noa’s question came first.

“By the way, weren’t you called to the Dean’s Office earlier? With Delia Arpen.”

“I was.”

“Why were you called?”

“To get permission to walk around without clothes.”

“…What?”

What is he talking about?

As Noa looked at him in disbelief, Ulan explained everything. From what happened during the special exam to what happened in the Dean’s Office.

After a while, when the explanation was over.

Noa exclaimed in surprise.

“Y-you said they granted your wish?! And Dean Diplyn herself?!”

“Yeah.”

Hearing his overly blunt answer, Noa hurriedly recalled her previous memories.

‘Was there such an event?’

She didn’t remember anything like that.

As far as she knew, Diplyn wasn’t a significant figure in the academy. She only appeared briefly as the mentor of the Star Witch, Delia, but that was it.

‘Or is it a variable caused by Ulan’s enrollment?’

That was likely the case.

Then there was nothing Noa could do.

Variables are just variables.

And since he had already used his wish, it was probably just a one-time event.

As she was organizing her thoughts.

Something caught Noa’s eye. The paper envelope Ulan was holding.

“Huh? What’s that?”

“That’s why I called you.”

Ulan explained what had happened with Mond.

After a while, when the explanation was over, Noa nodded. She seemed to understand roughly.

‘Ah, it’s the entrance ceremony event.’

This was an event Noa knew about.

A hidden event that only occurs when a commoner enters the academy with the top score.

However, the conditions for triggering it were quite strict, so Noa had never experienced it herself. She had only seen it on strategy forums.

‘The turning point where you clash with the current Student Council.’

The current Student Council of Arsen Academy is composed of children from prestigious noble families.

As nobles with high pride, if a commoner shows superior performance, they will try to sabotage them.

‘…How childish.’

They’re really childish.

Instead of trying to win with skill.

Anyway, if it follows the scenario she knows, the Student Council’s interference will start with the speech.

‘They’ll probably give a completely different speech from the one they handed to Ulan.’

And the interference will continue.

When the response speech starts, they’ll deliberately create a chaotic atmosphere.

In other words, the Student Council’s goal is to humiliate him in front of classmates and professors.

‘But if you handle it well…’

If you don’t fall for the Student Council’s tricks and finish the response speech smoothly, you’ll get a reward.

You’ll catch the eye of the next Student Council President and be invited to the new Student Council next year.

‘And there was also a treasure you could only get by becoming a member of the Student Council.’

She couldn’t remember exactly what the treasure was, but it was an opportunity.

Noa was fired up.

“Alright. I’ll help you.”

“Really?”

“Of course! Ulan and I are friends, right?”

She emphasized the word “friends.”

Ulan smiled and said.

“Thanks for the help.”

“Sure! Just trust me.”

Noa answered confidently.

As a gamer of <Chronicles of Arsen Continent> and a Korean liberal arts student, she vowed to flatten the noses of those Student Council jerks.

Noa made that resolution.

And so, the two worked on the script until evening.

The next day.

The morning of the entrance ceremony.

As soon as the dormitory curfew was lifted, Noa went to find Ulan. It was for a final rehearsal before the entrance ceremony started.

“Good morning. I am Ulan Bator, the representative of the new students at Arsen. I sincerely thank the professors and seniors for their hospitality.”

With Noa in front of him.

Ulan read the response speech with a serious face.

“Although our origins and statuses may differ, as we stand at a new starting point, we will strive to build camaraderie and dedicate ourselves to our studies.”

As he smoothly continued the speech.

Suddenly, Ulan stopped.

“Huh? Why did you stop?”

“I only memorized up to here.”

“What?”

“Beyond this, I couldn’t memorize.”

“…”

Hearing that.

Noa realized something.

Ulan was a blockhead.

She had forgotten for a moment while focusing on writing the script. But there was no need to worry.

“W-well, it’s okay. You can just hold the script and read it!”

“That sounds good.”

Of course, holding the script was allowed.

But she couldn’t relax just yet.

“And this is just in case…”

“…?”

“If you can’t read the script for some reason, just say ‘Nice to meet you, let’s get along well.'”

“Why…”

“It’s foresight.”

If you don’t want to explain, just say it’s foresight. As Noa expected, Ulan calmly accepted the advice.

“Got it. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Hearing his reply, Noa felt relieved.

Good, that’s insurance.

Now all Noa had to do was watch how the Student Council would act.

Her anxious gaze turned to Ulan.

Shortly after.

The entrance ceremony of Arsen Academy began.

Chapter 8. Let’s Get Along


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The Academy’s Barbarian

The Academy’s Barbarian

아카데미의 야만용사
Score 9.6
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2021 Native Language: Korean
Arsene Academy – the best educational institution on the continent. A place that’s famous for nurturing many talented people. A warrior from a barbarian tribe enters the academy.

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