Broken Possessors of Infinite Regression Academy

“You have such a diverse way of surprising people. What are you going to show next?”

Professor Jaina, who was leisurely resting at the starting point when I returned to the surface, chuckled. The midterm exam, which was supposed to last for a maximum of two nights and three days, ended in just six hours.

Even that was a result of Elysier deliberately dragging out the time from the middle. If I had progressed at the same pace from start to finish, I could have finished in less than five hours.

The structure of the artificial dungeon was the key to this efficiency. Creating an entire dungeon from start to finish for a period of two nights and three days would be too inefficient. Therefore, the high-level mages, including Valera, opted for a different approach.

They flooded the space with illusion magic and mirage magic, created monsters that were impossible for student-level individuals to defeat, openly encouraged bypassing, set up various traps, and even changed the structure of the maze itself.

This method prolonged the time it took to navigate through the same space for a considerable amount, thus greatly extending the clear time.

Ordinary academy students wouldn’t have the magic to penetrate the illusion magic cast by high-level mages. But unfortunately for them, from their perspective, I knew about this workaround.

“Was a dungeon destroyed?”

“Yeah. Because of that, Valera came by for a moment. She said she couldn’t understand the reason either.”

Another reason for such a vehement reaction was that part of Aria’s dungeon had been mysteriously damaged, prompting a request for help from Valera.

What was even more surprising was that neither Jaina nor Valera detected the damage caused by the Lance. It made me wonder if it only affected the unworthy or desecrated weapons.

“Is there something I’m lacking in my position of dungeon instructor? Should I ask for a change in duties next year?”

“Why is this weird stuff only happening to me?” Jaina grumbled, holding her head in her hands.

It was fortunate that she didn’t know what had happened inside. If even one incident had occurred, the entire academy would have been turned upside down.

“My grades—”

“Don’t you have any conscience? Pffft, pffft. Hurry up and disappear, you cheater.”

Receiving a reply almost as if being chased away, I left Jaina, who was looking bewildered, behind and went straight to find Priscilla.

Finding her curled up on my bed, wrapped in blankets, holding my clothes, and repeating how cold she was, Priscilla clung to me as soon as she saw me, as if she had no intention of letting go.

“Wait, did you come all the way here like that?”

Taking Priscilla, who was hanging on to me, to the club room without letting go, Rosalia welcomed us with a puzzled expression, not knowing how to react.

“I’ve been through some trouble trying not to get caught.”

Fortunately, there weren’t many people around, but it would have caused strange rumors if there were. Rosalia’s face became even more bewildered.

I explained what had happened in the dungeon, starting with meeting the demon king, and ultimately, the Vampire Lord being enhanced by the dark energy.

I mentioned the Lance as well, except for some parts. It would sound strange if I explained it without mentioning it.

“Black energy?”

“The demon king is said is more powerful and vile than her own power. Haven’t you heard of it before?”

Rosalia seemed puzzled. She seemed quite taken aback by the claim that the sudden appearance of black energy wrapped around the vampire lord’s body had greatly enhanced him. It felt reassuring to be believed because I was the one making the claim.

“Well, even I wouldn’t have believed it.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“I don’t know either. Sorry, Mira…”

As Priscilla started to sob, feeling like she hadn’t been of any help, Rosalia asked another question.

“More importantly, the demon king was really a Possessor?”

“Yeah. The time before was her 89th regression, and this is the 90th.”

“Wow… She really acted despicably. I always died before I saw the demon king. Wait a minute. So there were four of us brought here?”

“It seems so.”

“…I don’t know who dragged us here, but I’d like to give them a good punch when we meet later.”

“Wouldn’t it be too much for you with that body?”

At my words, Rosalia suddenly hugged her chest.

Of course, it didn’t really hide anything. More of her body protruded from the parts blocked by her arms and palms.

“Are you a pervert? Even if your chest is big, you can still swing a fist, you know?”

“I meant that even if you hit her, she wouldn’t feel much pain because you have no muscles in your arms and legs and are too skinny. I don’t know what you imagined to react like that.”

“…!”

Rosalia glared at me with a face that seemed to say she had been hurt.

It was a sincere statement from me. There was no way to reinforce her body, and even if there were, it wouldn’t support her randomly punching someone, considering there were no basic physical specs.

I didn’t know how she imagined anything different, but that’s how it was.

“Well, if that happens, I’ll help you out.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you very much.”

Rosalia couldn’t hide the smile that crossed her face. Her tone didn’t sound mocking at all.

“Anyway, we need to awaken the hero, right?”

“Yeah, we should. Since something strange has appeared. The more fighting power, the better. Do you remember what event awakened Brynhild?”

“Uh… Academy assault? Aside from the minor events, it was the one from the end of Part 1.”

“Okay. Let’s look for something else.”

We neatly abandoned the plan to recreate the original event with Elysier’s help in a way that wouldn’t cause casualties.

It would be absurd to recreate the incident where the chairman disappeared, most of the professors died, and among the students there were significant casualties, leading to the destruction of the academy.

“I have a plan in mind anyway.”

“Really? What is it?”

“Using the people in the faculty.”

Rosalia’s face lit up with interest at my words.

.

.

.

“Other students also completed the dungeon practical midterms without much trouble. The all-out grading system seemed to have played a significant role.”

“Wait a minute. How long did you say? I must have heard wrong.”

“Mira, seriously…”

During this time, there was a minor incident where Brynhild and Aria were utterly shocked upon hearing my clear time.

A week after the midterms ended, the day to reveal the grades finally came. Although students could check their grades at any time through magical tools, they gathered at a particular place.

It was in front of the central entrance on the first floor of the building where the director’s office was located.

On a large silk poster, the names of the top ten students were embroidered in gold. This was Bellium Academy’s way of announcing the grades of its top students.

Of course, students could refuse to have their names published, and in that case, the space would simply be left blank. However, in the academy’s history, which spanned over a hundred years, only a handful of students had ever done so.

Achieving a single-digit rank here was something to be incredibly proud of. The act itself was also a form of commendation.

‘But still, isn’t this way too old-fashioned…? Oh, right, this place is pretty ancient.’

Even though the conditions were filled with various stipulations, the method of publicly announcing grades seemed too old-fashioned to me. But realizing that Bellium Academy itself was an ancient institution, I silently accepted it.

The Chairman had been in her position for the past 130 years. It made sense. The facilities were so modern that I had momentarily forgotten.

“You’re first.”

“And I’m second.”

Aria and I confirmed that we were second and first place, respectively, just like in the entrance exams, and made a comment. I could hear people around us whispering, clearly expecting this result. Occasionally, I heard murmurs of “annoying” and “irritating.” Given my past actions, I decided to endure it quietly.

Incidentally, the first place in the second and third years were also names I recognized. Priscilla was first in the second year, and I didn’t bother to check the name of the first in the third year, as it was ridiculously long.

“I’ve lost this time.”

Aria mumbled softly, then changed her demeanor and smiled brightly.

“Congratulations on being first in the midterms, Mira. You’re one step closer to your goal.”

“You don’t seem very disappointed.”

“Hmm… that’s true. I don’t really feel disappointed. Maybe a part of me already assumed I couldn’t win? Although we were first and second, there was a significant gap between us.”

Aria then looked around and leaned closer to whisper in my ear. Her voice was barely audible.

“I’ve been called a genius many times, but I just can’t keep up with you, Mira. Don’t tell Leona I said this, okay? She’ll definitely tease me for admitting it.”

Despite finishing her sentence, she didn’t back away, her face filled with playful mischief.

“But, Mira, saying I don’t look disappointed after making me second again, isn’t that a bit insensitive? I might get hurt, you know?”

“You don’t look hurt at all.”

“Ah, you caught me?”

Aria then smiled brightly, like the sun shining down. Every time I saw her like this, I understood why she was the protagonist of a romance fantasy novel.

“By the way, did you hear the news?”

“Whatever news it is, I probably haven’t heard it.”

“The Sword Saint visited today. Leona said she was going to the director’s office to see her.”

“The Sword Saint?”

Wasn’t she busy taking care of her disciple?