“Author.”

[Yes?]

“When will you use the spies?”

[…Do I have to write it now?]

I could only rub my forehead at the Author’s words.

So, leaving Lyla alone wasn’t a buildup after all.

Even though several days had passed, she hadn’t acted, so I thought she was enjoying beating me up in our sparring sessions.

She kept requesting every day, so I thought it should end soon, but it never did.

The Author had just forgotten about it.

“Of course, you have to write it. You said you set it up to take some time on purpose, right? Now seems like the best time.”

All for plausibility, or so she claimed.

[Oh, but…]

“But?”

[I don’t know how to write it…]

Haa.

A sigh escaped.

“Author…”

[Why, why…! I don’t have much experience writing!]

“Neither do I?”

[Hmph.]

They’re sulking again.

There’s no point in fighting with the Author, so I have no choice but to teach her.

I’ve only written self-introductions, so I don’t know if it’s right for me to help in this amateurish way.

I have no other choice, so whatever.

“Well, what’s the date…”

[It’s late April!]

“…Perfect timing then. We can start soon.”

[Huh? …What?]

What else could it be?

Of course, it’s an event students can’t miss.

“Let’s get ready for the exams.”

[Huh? An exam?!]

Why are you so surprised?

Normally, exams are held around late April to early May, right?

“There are usually four exams a year, right? So there should be some around this time.”

[Four times a year…]

“Don’t worry. Since it’s a practical academy, there are many subjects to choose from.”

What should we do this time?

A tournament? No, that’s too grand for the first one.

Let’s save the good stuff.

It would be better to do that right before summer vacation.

On-site training? No, that content belongs in the middle.

…There’s only one option after all.

“Dungeons. That should fit here the best.”

[Dungeons…! Really?!]

The Author is excited.

Did they really want to see a dungeon that badly?

When I asked them, they responded enthusiastically.

[Of course! Dungeon practice is a regular in academy novels, and it’s the fun part where the protagonist shines!]

They really seem to like it a lot.

But I had a slight doubt.

It’s a thought that just occurred to me, you see.

Doesn’t this setting seem a bit odd?

“Author, are there dungeons?”

[Are there dungeons?]

The Author’s voice was full of doubt.

Since she didn’t understand what I was saying, I decided to explain further.

“No, come to think of it, dungeons…They’re only in hunter-type novels, right? With the gates opening and all that.”

[Ah…?]

“But here we have monsters, heroes, and villains, right? It’s a bit different from hunters, so dungeons are a bit… Let me think of something else.”

There’s no helping it.

Dungeons are a tasty setting, but we can’t use them if they don’t fit the world.
It’s a really tasty setting, but I have to discard it…

[No!]

“…Huh?”

[I don’t want to! I want to see a dungeon! I’m definitely going to write it!]

“But the setting doesn’t even fit the world…”

[You can just fit the world around it!]

Fit the world around it?

Right now?

…How?

[Hmm…I have an idea–no…That’s right! Hundreds of years ago, a gate opened, and the Hunter Era began!]

“…Huh?”

[So, this is already a hunter world, but the gate incident ended long ago! And it’s set in the world long after that!]

“What’s that supposed to…”

[The gate opened, mana was created, and those with special abilities manifested their mana quickly. Humans evolved to match mana, so they each gain one ability when they awaken. And…]

The Author suddenly started pulling out all sorts of settings one after another.

A gate incident 500 years ago, the originally non-existent special abilities, the dungeons left untouched until now.

[Dungeons are where you find byproducts that weren’t destroyed. Like mining minerals from mines, you extract byproducts from monsters in dungeons! …Ah, I’ll decide where they live, too! The former human territories lost in the gate incident 500 years ago became monster territory! The reason they’re fighting humans is, of course, to reclaim their territory!]

They’re talking without even taking a breath.

Just how badly did they want to see it?

There don’t seem to be any settings that contradict it, which only annoys me.

The Author can do it well, huh?

I guess they got serious because something they wanted came up.

They should work hard like this all the time.

“Haa, I can’t help it. Alright.”

[…! You mean!]

“Let’s do the dungeon practice.”

[Yay!]

If I said it didn’t make sense here, it would dampen their enthusiasm, right?

I can’t have that.

If they want it this badly, I’ll do it for them.
.
What can I do?

…I kind of feel like a parent who ends up doing what their child asks for.

***

“The exam is dungeon practice…”

Lyla scratched her head as she looked at the notice posted on the bulletin board.

‘Dungeon practice, huh?’

If it were her former self, she would have been trembling.

But now, she was different.

That girl who used to mock her couldn’t even beat her now.

It was a pleasure to give her a beating laced with some resentment.

She flinched a bit whenever she had an opportunity, but there was no proper counterattack.

“That bastard was able to handle a Grade 3 monster, so I should be able to easily deal with Grade 2 demonic beasts.”

The time when she envied her for defeating a Grade 3 monster had already passed.

Her strength and stamina had gradually increased since taking the elixir.

Before she knew it, Arte Iris, that woman, couldn’t even lay a hand on her and only suffered defeat.

She had easily won against her on the day she took the elixir, so it was only natural, but still.

“…so how are you going to…”

A voice came from afar.

A voice she had never forgotten.

Of course, she couldn’t forget it.

“Arte, hello.”

“…Oh, Lyla. Hello.”

“You seem healthy today. Is your thigh okay from yesterday? I think I accidentally hit it a bit hard.”

“I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”

Tch.

Her expression didn’t change at all.

‘I definitely hit her hard enough to bruise, but she shows no sign.’

…What a waste.

“Who would you like to team up with for this exam, Lyla?”

“Me?”

“Yes. They said it will be randomly assigned regardless of class.”

“I don’t know.”

She didn’t care who it was.

With her strength, there was nothing she couldn’t do.

She didn’t think she could possibly lose to her fellow students.

…Besides, she had no reason to stay at the academy now.

The organization had given her their first order.

On the day the academy students go outside, she would deliver a warning.

Übermenschen would now step into the light.

To announce Übermensch’s greatness to the world by offering the academy students as sacrifices.

Everyone in the world would become aware of Übermenschen’s existence.

Since she was still a prospective member, she hadn’t heard the exact plan.

But she had opportunities to listen to their ideology.

It was more plausible than she expected.

“…Lyla?”

She was being urged to respond.

She wanted to twist that neck but decided to hold back.

She couldn’t blow her cover before the declaration of war.

Scratching her head vigorously, she went back to Arte’s question.

…What was it again? Who did she want to take the exam with?

It didn’t matter to her who it was.

After all, they would just become sacrifices for Übermenschen.

If possible, it would be easier if it was a weak one.

As she was thinking that, a certain person suddenly came into her view.

Smiling serenely.

“Ah, there’s one person.”
“Hmm? Who?”
“You.”

Considering she defeated a Grade 3 monster alone, she’s not exactly weak…

But with this strength she’s gained, there was no way she would lose.

Since she’s someone she disliked, Lyla personally hoped she could become the sacrifice to make her name known to the world.

“That works out well!”

“Is that so?”

“I wanted to team up with you too, Lyla. Since you’re strong, we’ll definitely get good results if we take the exam together, right?”

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. If you and I work together, we can get good grades.”

Arte’s bright smile irritated her.

The annoyance made her vigorously scratch her head.

Ah, really.

Lyla couldn’t understand what she was thinking at all.

‘This girl, I’ve been viciously beating her body for the past few days, yet she’s still smiling cheerfully like that.’

She controlled her strength to only leave bruises, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

If she were an ordinary student, she should’ve been bedridden days ago.

…Could it be that she wasn’t in much pain?

No, there’s no way.

She’s definitely just enduring the pain.

Forcing her unmoving body to move, having already reached her limit,

With the exam approaching, she’s desperately trying to keep going.

“It would be great if we’re on the same team!”

“Yeah, it would be great if we were on the same team. We’re friends, after all.”

Friends, her and I?

Ha. What a ridiculous thought.

It’s just words that slipped out of her mouth.

If we end up on the same team, I will kill you.

You, who dismissed my efforts as mere talent.

I wonder how gratifying it would be to see that annoying smile disappear from your face.

Scratching her head, Lyla looked at Arte’s smiling face.

“Friends, that’s great! I feel the same way!”

…She still didn’t understand what she was thinking.

It put her in a bad mood.

Translator’s Corner

I know I don’t put this in, but Arte says “Author-nim” when calling the Author. -nim is usually used as an honorific or a polite way of referring to someone. Arte was probably Korean, but that could just be headcanon.

On a similar note, should I keep using Yu Siwoo when writing him, or just Siwoo?

-Ruminas