How could I possibly earn the title of “that son of a bitch, a real thug!”?
How could I single-handedly disgrace my family’s name and become the subject of pointing fingers?
How could I ensure that the moment I graduate from the academy and enter society, newspapers would splash the headline:
“We Expose Yang Woobin, the Eldest Son of a Prestigious Family!”?
“Sir, we’ve arrived.”
My life was on the line, so I was completely absorbed in meticulously planning my scheme when I realized I had already reached : my destination.
“Ah, thank you for the ride. Have a good day.”
I bowed politely to the driver, opened the door, and got out of the taxi.
Wait a minute, if I’m going to live as a thug, shouldn’t I skip the pleasantries?
This is harder than I thought. From now on, I should just get out like a thug.
After seriously reflecting on what I needed to improve, I turned away from the road and faced forward.
A pathway stretched out before me, leading towards the towering mountain peak, shrouded in thick fog.
Even though it was a clear day with bright sunshine and not a single cloud in the sky, the dense fog that hung heavily from the very beginning of the entrance was obviously out of place, yet no one passing by seemed to find it strange.
This foggy mountain had been standing here in this state for a very long time.
“I thought it looked mysterious on the monitor, but seeing it in person is just absurd.”
The Foggy Mountain Path, the only entrance one must pass through to enter the academy.
I couldn’t afford to be idly admiring the view, not when I was burning with vengeance. I stopped my musings and stepped forward into the entrance, where I couldn’t see an inch ahead.
Whoosh-!
The moment I entered the path, I felt a pressure all over my body.
The heavy, oppressive fog was pressing down on me.
With each step, I felt a resistance as if I were underwater, but for a superhuman like me, this level of resistance was manageable.
This was the academy’s first test: the Fog of Pressure.
A path that a superhuman could pass through, but an ordinary person never could.
This fog was the reason there were no guards at the entrance.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Walking and walking along the path in the impenetrable fog, I eventually reached the mountain peak.
Whooosh-!
Just like at the entrance, the fog dissipated as soon as I reached the summit, and my vision cleared. Only then could I finally see it.
A colossal tower stood on the foggy mountain peak, piercing through the clouds and soaring to an unseen height.
This tower was “Daepcheon Academy.”
True to its name, which meant “Stepping on the Sky,” this enormous tower, seemingly piercing the heavens, was one of only ten official superhuman training institutions in the entire world and the main setting for the early to mid-game of “Reversed Hero’s Tales.”
“Wow.”
Even though my life’s purpose had become revenge, I couldn’t help but be amazed when I saw Daepcheon Academy with my own eyes, something I had only seen on a monitor before.
It fills my vision and then some when you see it in person. Well, it has to be this big to be called an academy.
This massive structure, also known as a tower, was not built by humans.
It appeared when rifts opened across the world during a past calamity, and the tower served as an outpost for the monsters of disaster.
However, 108 heroes drove out the monsters from the tower after countless sacrifices, efforts, and battles.
Thus, the tower, once belonging to the monsters, became the property of humanity and was transformed into an academy for training superhumans in the modern era.
It makes sense that it would be so large, considering it was used as an outpost by monsters who invaded to conquer the world.
And what’s even more astonishing is that this tower, which already seems to pierce the sky and fills the field of vision and then some, is not its actual size.
“The actual size is much bigger than this…”
[The entrance ceremony will begin shortly. New students, please enter quickly and take your assigned seats. Repeating, the entrance ceremony will begin shortly, so new students, please…]
“Ah!”
Has it already gotten that late? No wonder there’s no one around even though it’s the entrance day.
I swallowed my admiration for seeing the academy in person and quickly ran towards the tower’s entrance.
X
“Greetings, new students. My name is Go Yeoryeong, and I will be serving as the principal of Daepcheon Academy starting this year.”
On the stage of a large auditorium, a red-haired woman wearing a black robe introduced herself as Go Yeoryeong.
The moment she introduced her position and name, the hall began to buzz with excitement.
Because there was no one in the world who didn’t know her name.
The superhuman who rose to the highest position among those of common birth, a hero of the Great War respected by all, the only person with the reputation and ability to discipline anyone, regardless of their family background.
That was Go Yeoryeong, and her unexpected appearance caused the audience to stir.
However, the murmuring of the new students didn’t last long.
Thud.
Go Yeoryeong, who had been watching the new students whispering for a moment, lifted one foot and lightly lowered it.
The mana wave that spread from her toe pressured everyone in the hall.
A person who could silence over a thousand superhumans with just a light stomp was Go Yeoryeong, the principal of Daepcheon Academy.
Looking down at the completely frozen rookies, Go Yeoryeong continued to speak.
“It doesn’t matter what kind of life you lived outside, or what position you held. This Daepcheon Academy values humans solely on their abilities.
Do not boast because you were born into a prestigious family, and do not cower because you inherited the blood of commoners.”
It was a straightforward way of speaking that made the new students from prestigious families frown and the new students from common backgrounds feel uplifted.
“Welcome to Daepcheon Academy. That’s all I have to say. Now then.”
That was all the speech Go Yeoryeong had prepared.
She then stepped down from the stage and walked out.
As everyone in the hall was thinking, ‘Could the principal’s address really end this quickly?’, a crackling sound came from the speakers, followed by an announcement.
[Shortly, we will begin the Daepcheon Academy entrance evaluation. It will begin in 5 seconds, so new students, please prepare yourselves.]
“Huh, uh? Entrance evaluation? What’s that! I didn’t hear anything about that!”
“I heard the atmosphere of Daepcheon changed when the principal changed, but it changed this much!”
“P-prepare? What kind of evaluation requires preparation? Should we prepare for battle?”
The new students from prestigious families, who knew about Daepcheon Academy, were flustered and didn’t know what to do with the sudden entrance evaluation.
Rather, the new students from common backgrounds, who had no information and could judge the situation as it unfolded, were better able to cope with the situation.
[5.4.3.2.1]
Amidst the confusion, the countdown ended.
[The entrance evaluation will now begin. Please be careful of motion sickness.]
With a brief announcement, all the new students in the hall were enveloped in light.
Whoosh-
And when the light disappeared, no one was left in the auditorium.
X
Entrance Evaluation.
The prologue and tutorial section of “Reversed Hero’s Tales,” where players learn how to play the game.
The special feature of this entrance evaluation was that players moved the protagonist to complete the evaluation, and their starting point varied depending on the score and grade they received.
You had to get a perfect score here and start at the top to be considered a pro…
Memories of being the first player of “Reversed Hero’s Tales” to receive a perfect score in the entrance evaluation part came flooding back.
But that was only possible because the playable character was the protagonist. I wasn’t as strong or special as that guy, so aiming for the top was impossible.
I can only try to control it if I pass the damage threshold first.
“And I wasn’t planning on getting a good score in the first place.”
I was planning to live as the worst thug in this academy.
But a thug getting a high score, a high grade, and moving up to an advanced class? It didn’t fit at all.
“I have to be as lazy as possible here. It has to be obvious to anyone that I’m slacking off.”
Even if I used all my knowledge as a pro to take the entrance evaluation, the score I could get now wouldn’t be that high.
“Let’s aim for last place. Ah, but I have to check that first.”
Thinking that it was better to go all the way to the worst rather than being mediocre, I decided to check just one thing in this entrance evaluation and then finish it.
X
“Is everyone ready?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Good. Then I’ll brief you on the operation again. According to the prophecy, a hero will appear there.
Our goal is to confirm whether that guy and if we get the chance, to kill the hero. Fulfill your mission as scouts. And don’t tarnish my name.”
exists.
“Yes! Hobbes-sama!”
Hobbes the Mana Eater.
She, whom humans called a monster of disaster and a mid-level demon, watched the Daepcheon Academy entrance evaluation unfolding beyond the rift and licked her purple lips with her red tongue with a sinister grin.