I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 74



73 – Transcended. Not a business card.

“.”

Charrk!

The balisong danced wildly along Clara’s pale fingers.

The girl, who shook off the blood on the blade with a spin, clenched her palm to form a shape with a snap!

She swiftly thrust it out.

There was no mercy in her hands.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Clara pushed the blade into the opponent’s vital point.

She mercilessly pulled the trigger without even glancing at those trying to enter the tunnel.

“Krkrkrk!”

The opponent hurriedly covered the hole in his neck, blood foam dripping from his lips.

Despite dropping her weapon to the ground, she had no time to care.

Using the pistol the girl was holding as a blunt weapon whack! She finished it off with a strike.

After that, she leaped back.

You rat-like wench!

Boom!!! The spot where Clara had been standing was smashed by the brute’s fist.

The brutes, each equipped with a solid prosthetic arm, seemed to be the beastman brothers Rohan had mentioned.

Hmm, only these two left…

Clara paid no heed to the curses and pressure spewed by the criminals.

In a place where there was no need to show social grace, she closed her ears and mouth.

She only needed to accept the information she needed.

Click!

The girl landed on the tunnel and confirmed that the beastman brothers’ prosthetic arms had transformed into guns.

There was no reason to be surprised.

Clara soared like a butterfly without stopping.

Whirrr!!! Rat-a-tat-tat!!!

Dodging the bullets pouring from the two machine guns like a squirrel.

She checked the remaining magic power and read the battle situation.

Should I use Arachne one more time? But then the magic power…

The cleanup was taking longer than expected.

Even though she knew she shouldn’t add impatience to the battle, the girl was contemplating.

Rohan is fighting the leader inside the tunnel.

Of course, Rohan will win. But Clara wants to lend a hand for a victory without wounds.

The reason it takes time is simple.

Each enemy is not bad in skill. They were on a different level from the humans they met during their first job with Rohan.

The atmosphere of being morally corrupt was consistent, but each individual showed the strength that made them realize they had been eating knife rice in the shadows.

Even if it was possible to kill in one blow, the number of over ten enemies charging madly made it not easy.

Ssshhh…!

The machine gun attached to the brother’s prosthetic arm couldn’t withstand the overheating and stopped.

Even if he manipulated his arm, it only made clicking metal sounds, as if all the bullets had been consumed.

Tak!

Clara seized the opportunity and closed the distance in an instant.

The girl’s path, having cut down all the swarming minions, regained its freedom.

“Damn! This b*tch is so fast!”

“Just hold on until we reload!”

The brothers, startled, used their sturdy prosthetic arms as shields.

Clara infused magic into her blade to sever their lifelines in one strike.

At the moment the girl pressed the accelerator to bring the fight to a conclusion,

Fwoosh!

An arrow tore through the flow and fell to the ground with a thud.

“…?”

A sudden short arrow flew from the tunnel.

It was a familiar weapon to the brothers guarding the Doberman, but there was a sense of alienation as it contained not a speck of magic.

“Could it be the boss…?”

The brother watched warily as a figure walked out of the tunnel.

Clara also stopped her aggressive thrust and looked that way.

“Not even a toy. What use is this crossbow?”

The voice of the figure walking out. Clara’s expression brightened.

In contrast, the brother was appalled.

Rohan slung the used sword over his back, holding a crossbow, the spoils of war, in one hand.

In the other hand, he was dragging the corpse of the Doberman.

“Clara. Good job.”

“Oh, you too, brother…! Are your wounds okay?”

As Rohan joined, the Bulldog brothers were quickly dealt with.

They were destined to be dealt with by Clara from the start, but with Rohan joining, the process became even smoother.

“Just a scratch.”

Seeing part of Rohan’s shirt stained red, Clara bit her lip.

Fortunately, none of the arrows had hit directly. All the wounds were from grazes.

“What about you, Clara?”

“Uh, I’m fine…”

Rohan smiled with relief at the girl who showed off her borrowed clothes, saying they were fine.

Had even a second passed since then?

Notification windows popped up in front of him.

[The quest has been completed.]

[You have received your reward.]

The shimmering void caught his attention, urging him to take out the random point pouch, the quest reward.

But Rohan was more curious about another reward.

‘Transcendence? How is it granted?’

With curiosity, he scanned the shimmering void for another clue.

“!”

As if telling him not to be impatient, the notification window appeared at the right moment.

[The first transcendence shines.]

Flash!!! A light burst before his eyes.

And Rohan faced a place that was both unfamiliar and familiar.

It wasn’t near the tunnel where the corpses were piled up.

‘Here…’

Somewhere where flames and blades whirled in fragments.

They reflected Rohan’s image all at once, claiming to be the mirror of karma.

“!”

Reflected in all directions, his own image. Standing in place, Rohan feels it.

It was the satisfaction of discovering something he had desperately sought all his life.

Is it right to describe this resonance purely as emotion?

A realization that his soul was enriched.

The fullness that filled his heart was impossible to describe accurately with words.

Crack!

It shatters. It follows the providence.

As the brief observation ends, the space flows down.

The original world came into Rohan’s view.

[When using Weakness Grant, there is a low chance of applying a debuff. The level of the debuff shares the level of Weakness Grant.]

[The shop skill refresh time is accelerated.]

[The caster is not affected by the flames of the Celestial Holy Judgment Sword.]

Amazing.

Rohan tasted the overflowing energy as he clenched and unclenched his fist.

He read the notification window.

Enhancement of physical abilities and magic power in transcendence is a basic option. In addition, it simultaneously grows unique skills.

Since he had three unique skills, the growth range was also tremendous.

…

Transcendence is proof that I have been a mere name card and a hollow character until now.

The transcendence with a maximum of six.

Now, one has been achieved. The means and directions to become stronger have expanded.

“Oppa.”

“Ah, yes?”

Clara’s voice pierced his ears.

As Rohan came to his senses and shifted his gaze, the girl asked.

“Oppa. What do we do now?”

“I have something in mind.”

Rohan approached the discarded Doberman’s corpse. He rummaged through it and found an antique leather pouch.

What he pulled out were two pitch-black coins.

From noble mtl dot com

There was no time to loot each scattered corpse one by one, but this had to be found for the future.

‘One more would have been needed in the end.’

To take the first step towards Doberman’s grand dream and goal, at least three of these coins were needed.

Some called this a ‘baptism,’ while others referred to this piece of metal as ‘grace.’

Those who collected these had various names for them.

The exact name of the item was Judas’s silver coin. Though it was black, that was its name.

‘Good.’

It was a pity that there was no time to pickpocket each wallet one by one.

Rohan checked the time on his smartphone and headed towards the tunnel filled with vehicles.

Behind him, Clara followed closely.

Rohan approached in the black sedan, now transformed into an open-top car by Claras trap.

He started the engine with the stolen car key and briefly checked the weapons piled in the trunk.

“The front’s a bit crumpled, but it’s fine. Get in.”

“Oppa. You can actually drive…?”

“Of course. We’ll just take this to the entrance. Let’s go for a drive.”

“A, a drive…!”

Rohan, already in the drivers seat, tapped the passenger seat, and the girl scrambled in.

He turned on the seat warmer and pulled out of the tunnel.

“It might be a bit chilly without the roof and windows.”

“I’m warm, so it’s okay! Let’s go quickly!”

Clara, as if boasting, showed off the coat of Rohan’s that she was wearing.

Rohan smiled contentedly at her cuteness, then checked the time.

Theyre coming soon.

He wanted to rescue Sion quickly too. That was urgent, for sure.

But separate from that.

There was the natural disaster that occurred in Abyss City if he failed to kill Dover within the time limit.

If things went as planned, a small dimensional rift would soon open nearby. Dozens of monsters would pour out.

Monsters are always hungry, so they’d come ravenously, drawn by the smell of blood. He’d just leave the cleanup of the corpses and the messy situation to those creatures.

If I get caught well, so be it.

Itd be quite annoying to give a convincing testimony after being caught, but it wasn’t something he was worried about.

Vrooom!!!

Having finished his thoughts, Rohan stepped on the accelerator.

Ziiing!!!

Just as Rohan hid the car near the ruins and was about to get out, a message arrived.

Once again, there was a red exclamation mark attached.

[Elysium Security Agency: Today 01:55 / Confirmation of small dimensional rift occurrence / Refrain from going out / Report to the Security Agency if a monster is found]

‘Good.’

His memory was not wrong. Moreover, it had been detected after quite some time had passed.

Satisfied with the ideal and satisfactory result, Rohan moved with Clara.

“The location shown in the message. It’s near where we just were.”

“Really!?”

“Luck is on our side. Things always go well when I’m with Clara.”

“R-Really?”

Talking with Clara, who was startled by the message, they delved deeper inside.

This area should be regularly cleaned by Zion.

Traces of battles and remains of unusable monsters were commonly seen.

As they delved deeper.

Clara, sensing something, quickly turned her gaze to one side.

Rohan marveled at the girl’s senses and stopped walking.

“Oppa. Just now, from up there, the magic…”

“Yeah. I know. That’s where Sion will be.”

The building where Sion and the elf elders would be.

There are eyes watching us from there. It’s a type of observational skill.

‘Shall we try it.’

The elf elders are from the old Tigrova, where lineage was prioritized over power.

It’s not about ability. They are people who sat in the political world by virtue of their inherited bloodline.

They are a clan with little to no combat experience, and being fearful, their defenses against intruders are thorough.

Therefore, if we can just get inside, half the battle is won.

So Rohan kept pondering.

How to get into that building, should he break through like in Abyss City, enduring hardships.

He pondered. He deliberated. He worried.

As he spent time stacking up thoughts, his anguish bore fruit.

Rohan’s answer came from an impossible direction in the game.

“Clara.”

“Yes!”

“From now on, just move according to the atmosphere. If it seems ambiguous, just stay behind me.”

“…?”

Rohan, who asked the girl with a puzzled face to maintain a blank expression.

He strode towards the building.

The surrounding magic was so turbulent that it seemed something might spill out at any moment.

Rohan, undeterred, spoke with a confident demeanor.

It was essential to show disdain and a high-handed attitude towards the opponent.

“Grand Elder Levin Maxwell!”

His resounding voice echoed through the ruins.

“Come out immediately and heed the command of the Reflux Praise Society!”

Rohan displayed the black coin he had taken from the Doberman.

The path chosen as the breakthrough for this quest.

It was an impersonation.