“Ah.”
I felt like I could somewhat understand the frustration of that actor whose plans always went wrong.
Of course, the voice wasn’t Han Taepyeong’s. Their genders were different to begin with.
The penthouse had a duplex structure. The voice had come from the railing by the second-floor window.
“Hey there~”
Marie Caulfield grinned from the second-floor railing.
Her hair was dripping wet. A cigarette dangled from her lips.
A bathrobe and a wine glass in hand…
“What the… Are you some washed-up Hollywood actress?”
The remark slipped out naturally.
A messy 17-year-old looking so at ease—it was so absurd that it caught me completely off guard. Could she be on her second life too?
“Anyway, Miss Caulfield. I’m sure you have a lot to say, but let me ask first. Why are you here? This is trespassing. Even I can’t just turn a blind eye to that.”
“Me? Trespassing? Ha-ha-ha. Look at this dumbass scrambling to survive.”
As soon as Marie Caulfield opened her mouth, the rich scent of wine wafted over.
She was drunk.
Very drunk.
No matter how much of a piece of trash Marie Caulfield was, she wasn’t the type to just get drunk and lounge around in someone else’s home. That meant…
“Why are you here?”
At her question, I confidently pulled out the excuse I had prepared.
“Me? I came to clean before the residents move in.”
“Clean? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.”
“Hahaha.”
“You little shit, get over here.”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Marie Caulfield stomped down the stairs from the second floor.
“Knew it wouldn’t work.”
I sprinted toward the elevator. Damn penthouse was ridiculously huge, so it took a while.
“Hey, stop right there~ I’ll pound you into meat paste, yeah?”
The drunken murderer behind me was shouting at the top of her lungs. The genre of this game was changing way too fast…!
[Lucy… watch out!]
Along with Lucy’s warning, activated once more.
A crimson trajectory aimed straight for my neck.
So she was trying to twist my head off first, huh…? I dodged the trajectory by rolling to the floor.
I made it to the elevator.
“Huh?”
Marie Caulfield tilted her head, stretching her hand toward me.
“Why can’t I grab you?”
Her words came from more than five meters away.
It sounded like typical drunken nonsense… but it wasn’t.
Marie Caulfield could actually twist my neck even from that distance.
“That’s a secret~”
I rushed into the elevator and hammered the button.
Whirrrrr… The automatic doors moved agonizingly slow, as if they were taking their last breath.
Beyond the closing doors, the sixth-ranked student was steadily approaching, blue mana flickering in her hands.
To my surprise—
This time, the trajectory expanded into a crimson plane, filling the entire elevator.
She wasn’t planning to let me go.
I threw out my hands and shouted.
“Wait! Think this through! This is your house! Are you seriously gonna fire that off?”
“Yeah. Because… I’m totally… chill right now.”
I knew very well how strong Marie Caulfield was. She was a tutorial-stage opponent, after all.
She couldn’t bring down a whole building. But she could definitely drop an elevator.
What to do? Was this another Dead End route caused by the hell Difficulty?
As my mind raced, my hand gripped Lucy. What the hell was I supposed to do with a bulletless revolver?
“Let’s eat…!”
I shoved into Lucy. When all else fails, create a variable.
[Lucy… chomp chomp chomp chomp!]
[Lucy… low blood sugar resolved!]
[Lucy has acquired a new trait.]
[A new trait has manifested.]
And then—
Like a joke, Marie Caulfield tripped forward.
Her right foot tangled with her left, as if someone had pulled a prank on her.
“@#$^$@*?”
Faceplanting, she let out an inhuman noise, like one of Cthulhu’s minions.
That pitiful sight was the last thing I saw before the elevator doors finally shut.
“First floor. Get me to the first floor, fast.”
I gave a voice command before slumping to the floor. I had learned something today.
Just because I could see a trajectory didn’t mean I could dodge it.
“She’s nothing like Ahn Eunho…”
[Lucy… amazing!]
[Lucy… more!]
I stared at Lucy.
Marie Caulfield’s sudden fall was way too convenient.
That meant an actual variable had been created.
I’d figure out what had changed later.
“Anyway, where’s my place?”
In <Superhuman Chronicles>, that penthouse had always been the battlefield.
Because I had always played as Han Taepyeong.
“Wait, hold on.”
More importantly—
Why the hell was Marie Caulfield in Han Taepyeong’s penthouse?
“Is this a bug?”
…
…
My place was Unit 202.
The complete opposite end of the building from the penthouse, which said everything about my current standing.
“Not bad.”
Compared to the penthouse, it was nothing. But still, 32 pyeong with two rooms. *105 sqm
“Big houses just mean more cleaning. Too much of a hassle.”
Well, except for that, bigger was always better…
“Damn, that was close.”
Lying on the bed, I turned my gaze to Lucy.
Suddenly, her detailed stats became visible.
[Attribute: Unique/ Malevolent Spirit]
[Description: This firearm has become the dwelling of a wicked spirit. The spirit has wandered the world, bound to this gun.]
[Unique Traits]
- Can’t Find the Target ▶ Assists the user’s aim.
- Possessed! ▶ The malevolent spirit Lucy resides in this gun. Even if discarded, it will return. Terrifying!
- Dignity of a Veteran! ▶ Deals triple damage to spirit-type entities.
- Spirit’s Alchemy ▶ Imbues bullets with mystic energy. Increases damage and penetration.
“Damn, that’s terrifying!”
Most of it was useful, except for <Possessed by an Evil Spirit!>. In the first place, when it comes to weapon options, the more, the better.
“It’s not just useful… It’s downright broken.”
Especially against spirit-type opponents, this granted an overwhelming advantage.
“So that’s why the fakes collapsed so helplessly. Since they were something akin to spirits.”
A standard threefold damage multiplier.
It was only natural they fell.
“Even if I get expelled, my future’s secure. I could start a ghost-busting business.”
Of course, my primary goal is to avoid expulsion in the first place…
But what exactly was the trait that made Marie Caulfield fall earlier?
[New Trait Discovered!]
[Evil Spirit’s Luck! (new)]
▶ Occasionally, a fortune bonus is applied. Standard threefold luck enhancement.
“Three times?”
I thrashed on my bed in shock. Three times the luck? Does that mean it triples my base stat?
Even I, who prided myself on knowing everything about Superhuman Chronicles, couldn’t comprehend such an ability.
Reading further, I realized the explanation didn’t stop there.
[This trait is passive and cannot be activated at will.]
[Warning! The luck increased by this trait causes misfortune and predicaments for others.]
Hmm… predicaments, huh…
I recalled Marie Caulfield tumbling over. Could it be that my luck worked in this kind of way?
Rather than benefiting me directly, it seemed to spread misfortune to others.
Twisted, in a way.
Fitting for an evil spirit.
[Lucy… lol!]
[Lucy… scary!]
No matter how strong someone is, if their luck runs out, openings are bound to appear.
On a bad day, a 1% chance of missing could happen three times in a row. That’s probability for you.
[Lucy… hates math!]
[Lucy… hates math!]
Saying it twice?
Leaving the trembling Lucy behind, I started making a plan.
“This comes first, obviously.”
They say, Know thyself.
I need to assess my strengths and weaknesses properly through training.
“Lucy. First off, training.”
[Lucy… training?]
[Lucy… objects!]
Dragging along the whining, unmotivated evil spirit, I headed to the dormitory’s makeshift training area.
“By now, my status window should be open, right?”
Exciting!
…
…
“Not exciting at all.”
That was my honest impression after checking the status window.
[<Necromancer’s Eye> has analyzed the target.]
[Understanding of the target is extremely high.]
<Name: Kim Seungtae>
- Magic Power: 0.0
- Strength: 0.8
- Agility: 0.9
- Endurance: 0.7
- Luck: 2.5
- Mental Strength: 1.7
- Spirit Energy: 2.9 (Unique Stat)
“Oh, come on.”
Just reading those numbers made my vision go dark.
The average stat for a normal adult was 1.0.
In other words, Cadet Kim Seungtae wasn’t just failing to be a strongman—he wasn’t even average.
How did I even get admitted?
“…Should I just postpone training?”
[Lucy… agrees!]
My motivation hit rock bottom, but seeing Lucy agree actually snapped me back to my senses.
No way am I living like some lazy evil spirit!
Sure, my weaknesses were obvious, but I had strengths too. Spirit Energy and Luck were well above average.
With 2.9 and 2.5, respectively.
Spirit Energy was unique to me, so comparisons were meaningless, but having high Luck was certainly reassuring.
You can’t train luck.
Have you ever heard of someone improving their luck by standing under a waterfall?
Or increasing it by hitting a scarecrow thousands of times?
Impossible.
Luck can only be raised through extremely limited means, but it applies to an incredibly wide range of things.
Whether using a bow, wielding a sword, cooking, or even sorting recyclables, it helps with everything.
It’s like a foundational stat.
And with my Evil Spirit’s Luck massively boosting it, it’s practically a two-for-one deal.
Feeling much better, I continued my analysis.
“Now, let’s check my traits…”
[Unique Traits]
- Hell Difficulty Clear Perk ▶ You have cleared Hell Difficulty! You receive additional experience and proficiency bonuses.
- Necromancer’s Eye ▶ Sees what is normally unseen.
- Spirit Energy Receptive Body ▶ You have a special constitution. You cannot generate magic power but can absorb and store spirit energy. When fully charged, traits are unlocked.
(Currently at 70% spirit energy.)
- Master of the Necromantic Workshop ▶ You hold authority over all resources and relics within the Necromantic Workshop.
This part was quite solid.
Comparable to Han Taepyeong, who had an easy early game.
The description of Necromancer’s Eye was vague, but vague traits often had the most versatility. The “sees through” part sounded promising.
The Hell Difficulty Clear Perk was another trait to look forward to. Experience-related perks always caused issues in games.
They’re so efficient that they constantly get nerfed into the ground. Then they get buffed again… and nerfed again…
An endless cycle.
Which means… it’s a busted trait.
“Time to test it out.”
I stepped into the center of the training room.
Well, “training room” was a bit of an exaggeration—it was just a vast green space.
A so-called holographic training facility.
A place where one could fight simulated monsters.
The training room’s AI identified me.
[Identity. Confirmed. Cadet Kim Seungtae.]
[Ranking. Confirmed. 1.1.1.1. Place.]
[Please select. Difficulty level.]
As a veteran of Superhuman Chronicles, my evaluation of 17-year-old Cadet Kim Seungtae was…
“The easiest course.”
Final verdict: Bottom-tier overall.
It was too early to rely solely on my traits. Even Han Taepyeong, loaded with overpowered traits, still struggled in Superhuman Chronicles.
I may have defeated Ahn Eunhoon by accident, but that was seriously just a fluke.
And as for knocking down Marie Caulfield…
She fell over on her own.
[Confirmed. Beginning simulation for 1.1.1.1. Place ranking.]
“Why do you keep emphasizing my rank?”
As the training began, the green space transformed into marble. A hologram.
Then, weak monsters started appearing. Also holograms.
“What am I even doing on my first day of school?”
[Lucy… agrees!]
[Lucy… demands laziness!]
Sighing, I loaded a training round into my weapon.
One of the hologram monsters circled me cautiously.
Then—
Kraaah!
It lunged.
(Continued in the next chapter)
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