I Became the Academy’s Disabled Student - Chapter 129

The Age of Peace.

They say itâs peaceful, but if you really look into it, itâs anything but.

The ocean has practically become the realm of monsters.

Shallow waters? Forget about it! Crossing the ocean to get to the mainland is just a nonsensical idea at this point.

The sky? Well, it has its own issues.

There are flying monsters, and more importantly, itâs become incredibly difficult to launch flying vessels due to the chaotic magical waves that are all over the place.

The impact of these magical waves didnât stop there; they even blew apart the communication network that once united the world.

Practical movement and information sharing have essentially been cut off.

Thatâs one of the reasons humanity found itself helpless during the chaos period.

It was true back then.

But not now.

The Power of Space has tightly connected a world that was once severed through Gates.

You can travel anywhere without needing to cross the ocean or sky.

The Power of Harmony has shattered the barriers of language and restored the communication network to be far superior to the one that had vanished ages ago.

Thereâs no need to lay complicated cables at the bottom of the deep sea; sharing information is now possible.

The World Superhuman Association is practically the pillar that supports the current world order.

Thanks to the powers of the founders of that organization.

âItâs an honor to meet a hero. Iâm Maxwell, part of the executive body under the Association Chairman.â

[Likewise, nice to meet you]
[Iâm Lee Ha-yul]

âMeeting the hero of Shipnahah makes me feel quite overwhelmed.â

The man introduced himself as Maxwell and extended his right hand for a handshake.

A decent smile and posture. A standard demeanor with no flaws to pick at.

It felt familiar from my time in the fake second floor.

âMaxwell.â

I expected this name given the bizarre situation earlier, but hearing it really caught me off guard.

Maxwell is a character I often meet in the original work.

âOh, please, make yourself comfortable. I have everything prepared.â

He shook my hand and, with a beaming smile, guided me to the table.

As he said, the table was already set with drinks and some light snacks.

Since we were inside the Shio-ram, there was no threat, but still, this was a first meeting.

With the Power of Observation, I checked the drinks and snacks, but no harmful properties were detected.

Once I took a sip, Maxwell opened his mouth.

âIf you donât mind, may I explain the situation from earlier?â

[Yes]
[Please do]

âThank you for your understanding.â

Maxwell, smiling gently, took a sip of tea before continuing.

âThe phenomenon earlier was due to my unique ability. It belongs to the illusion category and has been unleashed throughout the entire second floor.â

He raised a finger, and a butterfly landed on it.

A breeze came in. The wind touched my skin and I could hear the flapping wings of the butterfly.

â¦The magic detected his presence as foreign.

The Power of Observation brought forth the information that his fingertip was an empty space.

Illusion category.

Abilities that deceive senses and perceptions.

Illusions are ultimately separate from reality.

To ensnare someone in an illusion, the senses that recognize reality must be deceived, and the sharper the targetâs senses, the harder it is to ensnare them.

I have particularly sharp senses⦠especially hearing and touch.

Whether it was due to other senses being blocked, I canât say, but it was technique enough that could be considered remarkable.

And yet, I fell for his illusion. My senses couldnât pierce through it. That was quite shocking.

Of course, I immediately sensed the magical dissonance, but just like with the Power of Observation, I couldnât figure out the ins and outs right away.

[May I ask why?]

âOf course. But thereâs nothing special about it. Iâm part of the executive body under the Association Chairman, just a civil servant, really.â

Maxwell shook his head as if to say it was nothing.

âHeâs just following orders from above.â

[Following orders from above]
[I believe there are only a few higher-ups above you, Maxwell]

The Association has various departments, each entangled in numerous command structures.

The executive body is different.

They put the directives of the Associationâs decision-making body, the âChairperson,â on the back burner and prioritize the Chairmanâs orders.

Soâ¦

âYes, as I mentioned before, I belong to the executive body directly under the Chairman⦠in other words, I carry out the Chairmanâs directives.â

The Chairman. The executive body that implements their orders.

In the original work, when I wanted to face the bosses of the Towers, I specifically targeted the executive body to take down the association headquarters.

I thought starting with the executive body, I could work my way up to meet the Tower Masters of Space and Harmony.

I tried capturing, interrogating, and killing the executive body members, but I still couldnât meet themâ¦

ââ¦â¦â

The Tower Master of Space and the Tower Master of Harmonyâ¦

I straightened my face, which was about to harden automatically.

[Then was that last action an order from the Chairman?]

âStrictly speaking, yes.â

Maxwell confirmed it with a strange smile.

But it wasnât an unqualified affirmation.

Maxwell took another sip of his tea.

âIn cases where you meet a special admission student, conceal your form with illusions first. If discovered, reveal the situation and comply with the subsequent directivesâ¦â

As I waited patiently, he continued his explanation.

âThere are several subsequent directives, but thereâs one particular part I wish to convey.â

And then.

âThe directive was issued approximately 13 years ago. Additionally, it was the last directive passed on to the executive body.â

[Excuse me?]

âI had a similar reaction to the hero. I was perplexed to hear a directive about the future so suddenly.â

The explanation that followed was utterly disconcerting. Seeing my reaction, Maxwell nodded as if he understood.

I could not respond to him.

â13 years ago?â

The Chairman issued orders to Maxwell.

Conceal your appearance when meeting⦠the special admission student. Reveal the situation if discovered and comply with subsequent directives.

The problem is that it was more than a decade ago when that order was given. Plus, since then, the Chairman has been silent, not issuing any further commands.

âFuture foresight?â

Glimpsing into the future is a difficult thing, though there are ways to do it in this world.

Those methods are absurdly tricky, and the information is quite limited, but itâs theoretically possible.

âIf itâs a powerâ¦â

Above all, they are Tower Masters. Their true capabilities are unknown, but I donât think future foresight is entirely impossible for them.

If thatâs the case, could it mean they have been aware of the current situation since 13 years ago?

No, even more so.

Do they know about the impending Tower invasion? If so, why are they still keeping silent? Is there a reason they must remain silent?

âMay I continue my explanation?â

[Please do.]

âUnderstood. Excuse me for a moment.â

After receiving my permission, Maxwell reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

It was a rectangular card the size of my palm, with a black background and golden decorations engraved on it. The magic swirling above it felt rather foreign.

At first glance, it seemed like an extraordinary item.

[What is this?]

âItâs a type of certification.â

He handed the card to me.

As I took it, puzzled, he continued to explain about the certificate.

âIn simple terms, itâs a ID usable within the Association, as well as granting the highest authority for directives.â

[Directive authority?]
[What does that mean?]

âLiterally, itâs a certificate containing the authority needed to move the personnel of the Association. For reference, itâs issued directly by the Chairpersons.â

â?â

As I rubbed the card, my fingers froze. I thought for a moment, but the words Iâd heard didnât change.

Authority to direct the personnel of the Association.

Moreover, the âhighest priorityâ authority issued directly by the Chairman.

If itâs as he said, any order I give with this card takes precedence over the directives given by the Committee members of the Association.

In other words, itâs akin to having authority similar to the Chairmanâs.

It was an outrageous item.

[Why this?]

I tried to keep my face from trembling as I asked.

âItâs the directive from 13 years ago.â

It connected back to what he had said before.

If discovered in the illusion, reveal the situation and comply with the subsequent directives.

One of those subsequent directives is this authority transfer.

ââ¦What the heck.â

I wasnât overly worried about meeting the Association personnel.

The purpose of the meeting was to receive compensation for the Shipnahah incident.

I believed I had made enough merit to get a few artifacts from the Association. But now, out of the blue, I received the authority to give directions to the Associationâ¦

.

.

.

After a while, I managed to collect my thoughts.

I asked Maxwell several questions, but no satisfactory answers were provided.

Maxwell also admitted he had no idea why the Chairpersons were silent.

[Then may I request a couple of things?]

âYes, of course.â

[Please create a few identities for me.]

In the end, I left the café in a rush. Before that, I asked about the schedule for receiving rewards at the Association headquarters and made some requests regarding my and Seo-yulâs identities.

At least the purpose of our meeting had been achieved. Although, I did end up with so much that my head felt like it was going to explodeâ¦

Time was early evening. It wasnât too dark yet, and the sky was tinted with orange hues.

Dragging my legs back to the dormitory.

[Student Lee Ha-yul, authentication complete.]

As I held the hologram projector to the door, it opened.

Just as I threw my shoes aside and was about to step in,
I filled my body with purification magic and stepped inside.

âDid you come back?â

Then, Elia, who had been sitting on the living room sofa, stood up and hurried toward me.

Seo-yul, who was asleep in her arms, was with her.

âYouâre later than you said⦠right?â

Elia approached and stopped suddenly.

Her yellow eyes blinked, and with a worried look, she reached out to stroke my cheek.

âHa-yul, you donât look so good. Is something wrong?â

[No]
[Just a little dizzy.]

I was mentally exhausted. So many things were running through my mind.

New facts had been revealed, but more questions had piled up, leaving me with a complex mindset.

âToday would be a good day to sleep early.â

Upon hearing my response, Elia insisted on pushing me into the bathroom to freshen up.

A while later, fresh and clean, I was pushed into bed once again.

[Wait a momentâ¦]

âWhat do you mean, wait a moment? You havenât had any sleep taking care of Seo-yul for a few days, right? Thatâs why youâre so tired.â

[Seo-yul needs careâ¦]

So far, he hadnât been too demanding like an angel, but I didnât know what kind of unexpected situations could happen while Iâm asleepâ¦

âWhile youâre sleeping, Iâll take care of him, so donât worry and just rest.â

Elia instantly brushed aside my concerns and gave me a gentle shove toward the bed.

At the same time, she changed Seo-yul into pajamas and laid him in the crib she had brought into the room.

Then, surprisingly, Elia lay down next to me.

The bed itself was high-end and spacious, so there was plenty of room.

âSee? Isnât this perfect? Iâll keep an eye on things while you sleep, so just relax and go to sleep.â

I gaped at Elia, feeling a sense of unease in her words but my mind was too foggy to think clearly.

A large blanket enveloped me, and the warmth from her body seeped in, sending even more sluggish thoughts spinning.

âSo sleepyâ¦â

As my body began to warm, drowsiness crept in. It wasnât uncomfortable. I had an instinctive feeling that this time I wouldnât have a nightmare.

ââ¦I should be fineâ¦â

With Seo-yul right beside me, if anything were to happen, the Power of Observation working 24/7 would snap me awake.

And with Elia beside me⦠I should be fine.

I let go of the consciousness that I was fiercely holding onto.

My awareness slowly faded.

The sensation of gentle pats on my body sped up that process.

*

[Player Correction System: Affection Level]
Lee Ha-yul â Elia Slade

ââââââââââ (76â·77/100)

ï½¢Affectionï½£ ï½¢Gratitudeï½£ ï½¢Chickï½£ ï½¢Apologyï½£

â¦

[Player Correction System: Development Level]
[Quest ï½¢Authority Transferï½£ achieved]

â¦

[Points are accumulating]

â¦

[Using points]

.

.

.

â Ding-ding? Ding-ding? Ding?

[The Tower Master of Harmony�]

â¦

[What?]
[&? Why are you looking at &íì°½?]
[ì¤* vision$ @주& 걸#$?]
[This& 미#]

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