“Are you going to register for the rankings?”
“Come with me.”
Glory and Eve had gone to search for the Hero Party’s assassin, and Rebecca was in the middle of magic training.
“Alright. In that case, I’ll measure my own ranking too.”
So I decided to bring Ran along.
At this point, I had grown strong.
Not even comparable to my past self.
Back then, I had survived only by crying through desperate clown tricks with nothing but 『World Forgery』.
Now, I was the owner of a [National Treasure], with two level-9 abilities, a level-8 ability, high [Stats], and more abilities besides.
Even the weapons contained in 『Armory of the Celestial Soldier』 each counted toward my combat power.
The result was this:
< Total Combat Power: 401,227 >
‘Four hundred thousand.’
Fairly high.
‘On Hard Mode, even final development doesn’t easily break 400k.’
In the final chapter, anything over 350k earned applause from the community.
‘And I’m already 400k, and I’m only on Main Story 4.’
I imagined going [Offline].
The community would freak at my numbers.
These days, maybe the System⧉ was just working smoothly—no hotfixes.
“Let’s go, Ran.”
“Yes.”
That afternoon, Ran and I boarded an airship.
Even conservatively, my ranking had to be [Grandmaster]-tier (999↑), so to check it, we headed for the Empire’s Temple of the System⧉.
It was crowded—it was the weekend.
“I’m curious, Professor, about your rank.”
“So am I.”
“We’re not the only ones. The cadets have been wondering for ages. Professors from other countries who came to your lectures also wanted to know.”
If I’d registered earlier, I’d have gotten no small amount of benefits from the Hiaka royal family.
“What rank do you think I’ll be?”
“Well... don’t you think you’ll at least make it into the top 999? That would mean one more [Grandmaster] in Hiaka, and people will lose their minds.”
Ran was speculating.
Indeed. Rankings were public to everyone.
“Interesting. What if I’m in the top 500?”
“You’re thirty-one this year. At thirty-one, making top 500 would be historic. The Empire’s love calls would flood in, and Hiaka Academy would probably appoint you Chief Professor immediately.”
Strong fighters here lived past 130 years on average. Age and level correlated in this world.
That’s why Eve and Glory, being that powerful in their early twenties, were absurd monsters.
If they lived to 140... rank 1 and 2 would be guaranteed, leaving rank 3 hopelessly behind.
‘When you put it that way, I’m the same.’
The title [Professor of Heroics] fit.
Among abnormal monstrous cadets, I had to become an abnormal monstrous professor.
“And if I break into the top 200?”
“In recent decades, only one person reached top 200 in their thirties.”
“The Cross Constellation†?”
“Correct. And right after he emerged, the Empire suddenly started ranting about ‘religious conflict’ and invaded Kreutz territory with three Constellations.”
In simpler terms, it was like America finding oil and suddenly delivering democracy.
“Want to see?”
Ran used a [Crystal Orb] to show me. Three Constellations, like jet fighters or gods, cutting through the sky, radiating overwhelming pressure as they invaded Kreutz.
“How did the Cross Constellation† survive?”
“No one knows. Officially, the church declared the conflict resolved, the Empire claimed to have acknowledged it, and they all withdrew....”
“No one believed it.”
“Exactly.”
In any case, he’d narrowly avoided abduction.
– For the happiness of Kreutz, the Virgin Church, and the international community, I will devote myself.
In the interview, the beautiful long-haired Cross Constellation† clenched his fist tearfully.
Again, he was a man.
“The Cross Constellation† was rank 197 at age thirty, then finally reached 32nd at thirty-nine and became a Constellation. So, Professor, if you’re in the top 200, something similar might happen.”
I nodded. That would be a headache in its own right.
“And if I’m in the top 100?”
“That I don’t know. I always evaluate by precedent.”
“And top 50?”
“No idea.”
“Single digits?”
“......”
Ran turned to me with a flat look.
“If you make single digits, I’ll buy you soft-fluffy cream bread every day.”
Well then.
I suddenly wanted 9th place.
Anyway, the airship soon landed in the Empire, and Ran and I headed for the Temple of the System⧉.
And there, in front of the temple, we ran into—of all things—the Three Idiots.
“Eh? Assistant Ran! Professor Dante!”
Hwaru jumped up cheerfully, waving. Forte and Dominic bowed their heads.
“The Empire is small indeed. What are you doing here?”
“Forte’s been training and had some breakthroughs, so he came to register for the rankings!? We tagged along to hang out!”
Forte smiled awkwardly.
“Nothing much, but... I made it to [Platinum] rank.”
Oh.
That was impressive.
[Platinum] was below Emerald–Diamond–Master–Grandmaster, sure.
But that was only because I stood at the center of this world’s narrative—where even a stray dog could be Master rank.
Platinum was still excellent: top 10% of all fighters.
Considering his age, he was elite.
“Congratulations. Your father must be pleased.”
“Thank you.”
Dominic piped up beside him.
“Hmm. And what brings you here, Professor?”
“I came to register my ranking.”
Their faces lit up instantly.
“Ah, so you’re finally registering!”
“Whoa, whoa! I’ve been dying to know! Back when you fought Professor Toxin, you were so strong...!”
“Heh... Did you know? Among Totems, there’s one called the [Ranking Totem]. And I, Dominic, as a human totem...”
...In short, they wanted to tag along.
Normally, I’d refuse. But with these three? Not so bad.
“Come.”
“Yes!!”
Suddenly, I was dragging them along into my pre-booked VIP measurement room.
Ranking measurement was very simple. The System⧉ handled it.
No tricks, no luck, no gimmicks.
The VIP room was a massive spherical chamber.
Standing in the center, my body began to float.
< ⧉ Would you like to measure your ranking? >
Yes.
< ⧉ Measuring. >
A shaft of light fell from above, engulfing me.
It felt like cold water flowing through my veins, spreading from my crown, circulating down through my heart, all the way to my toes.
‘What will it be.’
I’d been curious. I figured maybe around rank 220–250.
After all, I was an assassin, specialized in raids, sieges, multi-target fights.
Weak in one-on-one duels.
Honestly, if I had to face Department Head Shaman Kreutz in a straight duel, I wouldn’t win. At best, top-100.
But the result stunned me.
< ⧉ Individual [Dante Hiakapo] ranking is [Rank 1]. >
...Huh?
***
For a moment, my mind went blank.
Rank 1?
With only 400k combat power?
‘What the hell is this?’
I asked the System⧉ energy surrounding me.
And then details appeared.
< ⧉ Measured Total Combat Power: 3,314,252 >
What the fuck.
Insane.
Who has 3.3 million combat power?
What is this, Dragon Ball?
< ⧉ Actualized Value: 401,227 >
< ⧉ Latent Value: 2,913,025 >
Latent value...?
Ah!
‘Abraxas!’
The true body of this vessel—the god of illusions, Abraxas—had total combat power of 2.91 million!
For some reason, it was latent, hidden.
The 400k I had now was what I’d scraped together myself from zero.
But the System had caught both values!
‘Strange... Abraxas was ranked 3rd decades ago, and back then he was around 900k....’
How was I supposed to process this?
‘More than that—’
Ran’s words came back to me. The Cross Constellation† had been rank 200 at thirty, then got hit with “religious conflict” by the Empire.
Of course, my footing now was far stronger than his then, so that wouldn’t happen.
But still—
‘This is a true crisis...’
Rank 1. Sure, fine.
But I didn’t even know how to access that 2.9 million. I couldn’t use it.
And the moment the rank “1” leaked to the public, I’d be abducted.
My existence as a [Taboo] would be exposed, just like when Agion saw through me.
I’d get dragged into catastrophe, burning precious time before the Demon King War.
And I remembered one particularly nasty Bad Ending event.
「 Bad Ending: The Emperor’s Plaything 」
The worst event triggered if the player mismanaged information disclosure.
A greedy emperor abducts the character and cages them like a trophy.
< ⧉ Would you like to register your ranking? >
“I refuse.”
< ⧉ Ranking registration refused. >
“......”
But I still felt uneasy.
Even though I’d refused, there were ways—like Kreutz’s “Revelation↑”—that could sniff this out.
Meaning... from now on, my rank 1 status might leak, or it might not.
‘Out of my hands now.’
When I returned, I’d have to build stronger safety fences.
Through the Hero Party.
< ⧉ End >
Finally, the light vanished.
“Professor! What rank did you get?”
“...Not satisfying. I chose not to register.”
“Eh? Really?”
I was about to leave—
But paused.
Wolf, rabbit, pig—watching me.
A sudden unease crept over me.
‘These bastards...’
They didn’t know my rank.
The result had only appeared to me, and by refusing registration, no one else could see.
But come on—had these three idiots ever kept their mouths shut?
Normally, I’d have revealed a “reasonable” rank. Now the situation had shifted.
“You three.”
“Yes?”
“You tell no one about what you saw here today.”
Hwaru and Dominic grinned.
“Mm! Just trust me!”
“Professor Dante. I am not heavy only in body. The weight of my tongue—I can show you what that means. Rest assured.”
No.
“......”
That line was bad.
Bad, you loose-lipped clowns.
“You three will become my assistants from now on.”
No choice.
“You don’t have the right to refuse.”
I bundled them up and dragged them back to Hiaka.
Later, I found out: Ezekiel’s combat power was 390k, and his rank was 171.
Which meant my pure rank should have been about 165.
───
Scene #1 – Once Again, Hunting the Assassin.
Scene #2 – Professor Dante Hiakapo, Ranking Registration
Scene #3 – At the Shrine of Life♥ ◀
Scene #4 – Wolfgang Yussef’s Melancholy
Scene #5 – The Curse of Pettiness
Scene #6 – By Chance, Fanaticism狂信
───
The next day.
Rebecca and I headed to the Shrine of Life♥ in the Hiaka capital, to figure out how to use ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ the 「Rune of Revival♥」.
The reason I brought Rebecca was the shrine’s unique rule. As its symbol implied, those without a partner were denied entry.
Put simply—it was a shrine that rejected singles.
For me, Rebecca was just a convenient key to open the door. But she frowned in displeasure.
“...You really want to go like this?”
“And if I do?”
“If you and I go to the Shrine of Life♥, won’t the citizens get the wrong idea?”
Ah.
Come to think of it, she was right. Normally, people visited for infertility treatment, impotence cures, marital issues—sensitive matters.
No need to get caught in pointless gossip.
“Let’s disguise ourselves.”
So we put on sunglasses, tied our hair, altered our faces slightly with [Illusion], and wore different clothes before heading to the Shrine of Life♥.
And the moment we arrived, both of us froze.
“Welcome. Heh-heh.”
“Please, come inside. Ha-ha.”
Men and women dressed like something out of Greco-Roman myth—bare, half-naked—came out to escort us inside.
‘...Is this really okay?’
Rebecca whispered.
‘I have no idea.’
Because the original game had a 15+ rating.