Chapter 17
‘You crazy bitch! What the hell did you just do?!’
Right after leaving the Student Guidance Office.
Iri scurried quickly down the hallway, clutching her head in frustration.
‘Are you trying to get yourself killed?! When the hell are you going to fix that temper of yours! You almost ended up dead today!’
Though she acted on impulse, thinking about it calmly now, it was clearly an insane thing to do.
Even recalling it made her heart race uncontrollably.
Just moments ago.
Inside the Student Guidance Office, she had kicked a man known as the Crown Prince of this city.
Of course, her powerful blow had been ridiculously blocked by just two of his fingers, but in hindsight, that was probably a good thing.
If her attack had landed properly, she would have crossed a line she could never return from.
‘No, even now… it might honestly be a miracle that I’m still alive…….’
The thought sent chills down her spine again.
What she did today could’ve easily ended with her body found shredded in some back alley of the Fallen Sector by morning, and no one would question it.
The only reason that didn’t happen was because Aaron showed mercy and generosity.
‘But why did he let me off……?’
If Aaron had wanted to, he could’ve erased her from existence on the spot without a trace.
The man named Aaron Stingray had more than enough power and authority to do just that.
And besides, she’d occasionally heard rumors on the streets that Aaron was said to be a cruel and arrogant man.
Yet, not only did Aaron spare Iri’s life, he even offered her the position of special scholarship student.
It was, in every sense, an ‘unbelievable’ situation.
‘……It really did feel strange.’
Why was that?
Iri could still vaguely picture Aaron’s face from earlier in her mind.
He was an incredibly handsome man.
No—more than that, he exuded a very strange aura.
‘He seemed like a bad person… but also, not really…….’
The instincts she had honed while surviving for years in the slums of the Fallen Sector whispered to her:
—Aaron Stingray is a villain.
From the moment he entered the Guidance Office, Iri had caught the distinct scent of blood radiating from him—one she couldn’t quite describe.
Beneath his deceptively beautiful and cold exterior, a dark energy seeped out, impossible to hide.
The moment she met his gaze, she instinctively knew—this man was a natural-born monster who had taken countless lives.
The reason she did ‘such a crazy thing’ was because that overwhelming scent of blood had startled her, making her forget her original goal in a moment of panic.
However.
At the same time, her instincts also whispered something else:
—He’s not that bad of a person.
That look in his eyes.
For a brief moment, when he looked her over, there had been, for some reason, a trace of affection in his gaze.
Iri strongly felt that, even if he might hurt others, he wouldn’t harm her.
‘Why? Why did he look at me like that in that moment?’
Was it just my imagination?
Did I see it wrong?
No, that couldn’t be.
My gut feelings have never been wrong.
‘Could it be…… related to my brother?’
Aaron had clearly said his name.
Peter.
Though they weren’t related by blood, he was her only family.
A few years ago, Peter had been fortunate enough to enter the Academy and, with excellent grades, became a Stingray scholarship student.
But not long after, he suddenly went missing under the pretext of an “on-campus activity accident.”
Those around her speculated that the Stingray Group was behind it.
They said those who valued money over human lives must’ve killed Peter for some unknown reason.
Iri was enraged by that.
She came to the Academy to search for clues and uncover the truth behind her brother’s disappearance.
She aimed to become a Stingray scholarship student herself, so she could dig up evidence proving that those bastards killed her brother and expose it to the world.
‘……That man definitely remembered my brother.’
Even if he was a sponsor, for someone like the Crown Prince to remember the name of an ordinary scholarship student—it had to mean something major happened.
If so.
Then the reason Aaron looked at her that way might also be…….
‘Ah, no. It’s too early to jump to conclusions.’
Aaron Stingray was the enemy.
The Stingray Family were known as cold-blooded reptiles. Even now, countless people suffered in this city because of the Stingray Group’s tyranny.
As the eldest son of such a family, Aaron was unlikely to feel any guilt, and even if he did, that didn’t mean she would forgive him.
‘That’ll never happen.’
Even if—just hypothetically—it did, even if Iri alone forgave him, the world certainly wouldn’t.
‘Get a grip, Iri. Just because he’s good-looking doesn’t mean you can be swayed. Focus on what you need to do.’
Iri shook her head, trying to rid herself of thoughts about Aaron.
But it wasn’t an easy task, and so she groaned internally, full of guilt and frustration.
---
After my first encounter with Iri.
I had just returned to the Stingray Scholarship Foundation office, located on the 249th floor, right below the top floor of the Academy.
For reference, the top floor, the 250th, houses the offices of the three directors of Trinity Academy.
The same 249th floor also holds offices for other Stingrays and the TOP5 sponsor companies.
It may seem like the directors hold more power, but in truth, their offices remain empty all year round.
The directors actually use different offices on the 248th floor.
This clearly showed who truly ruled over this city and this Academy.
‘Nice office.’
When I opened the door marked ‘Chairman’s Office’ at the very back of the Stingray office, a spacious room welcomed me.
Calm and practical in style, this space used to belong to the head of the Foundation’s Academy Task Force until recently.
Originally, the Stingray Human Resource Development Foundation had a separate office, where my main office was located.
However, considering I’d be focusing my activities around the Academy going forward, they had prepared this space just for me.
It might seem like a bold move, but over half of the Foundation’s operations were already centered on Trinity Academy.
Since Academy students were the key to corporate talent recruitment, no one would question my decision.
Except, perhaps, the Academy Task Force chief who suddenly lost his office to me.
‘Still, I must really be a VVIP.’
Despite the limited time, there wasn’t even a hint of fresh paint smell in the office.
It showed attention to even the smallest details.
The interior was also decorated in grayscale tones, giving off a practical atmosphere that I quite liked.
“Then, please call me if you need anything.”
Maria, who had escorted me to the office, bowed politely and quietly left the room.
Finally alone, I leaned back on the office sofa and let out a sigh.
‘Phew… [Thousand Pound Weight] already paid off.’
It came in handy earlier when I blocked Iri’s attack.
No matter how sturdy my body was, I couldn’t defy the laws of physics.
I weigh about 80kg, so if someone like Iri—an Adaptee—had hit me with full force, even if I wasn’t hurt, my body would’ve flown and slammed into the wall.
That would’ve been quite the ugly sight.
Of course, I could have also deflected the attack or countered it.
But doing so would’ve either injured Iri severely or failed to leave a strong enough impression.
‘Well, in any case, I’m glad that’s over with.’
Since Iri Elisbell was the main character of Volume 1’s story, managing to bring her under my special class right from the start was a major win.
‘Now then.’
Before the real trouble surrounding Iri began, there was something I needed to check.
‘Point Shop.’
【Point Shop Lv.1】
[Module Compatibility Enhancement Ticket]
Price: 300P
[Module Level +1 Ticket]
Price: 5000P
[Overload Rate -10% Ticket]
Price: 1000P
[Convert to 100,000 Credits Ticket]
Price: 10P
·
·
·
Current Points: 2000P
‘The inventory’s grown quite a bit.’
Still few enough to count on one hand, but compared to last time, the options were definitely more useful.
I began reviewing them one by one.
[Module Compatibility Enhancement Ticket]
Price: 300P
No explanation needed.
This was the ticket that allowed me to use the [Corpse Eater] module, a relic from Shade Wells.
The price was reasonable, and considering most of my modules had low compatibility, this was the most essential item for me right now.
It was definitely my number one priority.
[Module Output Level +1 Ticket]
Price: 5000P
In terms of performance, this one was also formidable.
The output level of modules ranged across five grades, so an increase by even ‘1’ was no small matter.
Especially since I already had quite a few top-tier Lv.5 modules.
If I used this on one of those, I might be able to create an unprecedented Lv.6 module.
But it was far too expensive to treat it like an experiment.
Even if I spent all my current points, I still wouldn’t be able to afford it.
So this one was out.
---
---
[Overload Rate -10% Ticket]
Price: 1000P
---
In a way, this one wasn’t bad either.
The only drawback of the [Corpse Eater] module was that it raised the nanomachine overload rate, and using this would significantly reduce that burden.
However, it was also quite pricey for its effect, so it wasn’t easy to purchase on impulse.
[Convert to 100,000 Credits Ticket]
Price: 10P
‘I don’t need this.’
The exchange rate seemed pretty decent, but as far as money goes, I was drowning in it.
Maybe if I were another Transmigrator, sure—but for me, this item had no reason to exist.
As I thought about that, a certain realization suddenly came to mind.
‘The other Transmigrators probably have their own perks too, right?’
I wondered what kind of perks those guys might have.
Do they have the same Point Shop as me? Or different benefits?
If they do have the same Point Shop, are the items the same? What about the prices? How do they earn points?
Do they gain points the same way I do—by progressing through the story?
Countless questions passed through my mind, but there was no way to find answers right now.
‘I’ll have to stay wary.’
Since I possessed Aaron Stingray—this completely busted character—I clearly had a huge advantage over the other Transmigrators.
However, this perk system could be a major variable.
Maybe the reason I got such a broken character was because the others started with even more broken, late-blooming perks.
Which means I couldn’t afford to be overconfident.
If possible, I wanted to track down at least one other Transmigrator and dig up some information……
I played the Academy entrance ceremony footage Maria had recorded earlier.
If anyone had slipped away during the ceremony, there was a high chance they were a Transmigrator.
Unfortunately, there was no footage of anyone sneaking out of the auditorium.
Especially not the key characters who were allies of the protagonist, like Iri and Miyu—they were all present until the end of the ceremony.
That gave them solid alibis.
‘So none of the students are suspects? Or maybe…….’
One suspect came to mind.
But I couldn’t be sure, not even whether it was possible to possess that person in the first place.
‘Well, if [that person] is a Transmigrator, they likely wouldn’t act yet. Waiting a little longer should help me confirm it for sure.’
With that conclusion, I looked through the Point Shop again.
But beyond what I’d already reviewed, nothing particularly useful stood out.
Maybe these were popular items?
Maybe they were sorted at the top of the list or something…… Just as I was thinking that—
“…Hm?”
As I scrolled through the Point Shop, my eyes suddenly stopped on one item.
“A—Are you serious? Why is this here…?”
I let out a stunned murmur without even realizing it.
Thinking I must’ve misread it, I rubbed my eyes and read the item name again.
But my eyes hadn’t failed me.
It was written exactly like this.
Along with a very blunt image of the item itself.
[Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong 4 Multi-Tool]
Price: 500P
……No.
……What are you doing here.