Chapter 14
–We will now begin the 85th Trinity Academy entrance ceremony. All attendees, please rise from your seats.
The entrance ceremony of Trinity Academy wasn’t all that different from the entrance ceremonies of the world I originally came from.
Hundreds of people gathered in the auditorium, listening to some big shot give a perfunctory greeting, and so on and so forth.
Since this was a cyberpunk world, I had expected something a bit more special, but it was disappointing to see the same scenes I’d seen plenty of during my school days.
‘Honestly, this is boring.’
I was watching the backs of the students’ heads from the sponsor-exclusive seats prepared at the very back of the auditorium.
Originally, I should have been sitting in the guest of honor seats on the front stage, but I had given that spot to Benedict. (For reference, he accepted with a moved expression.)
I didn’t feel like getting into a power play with the other VIPs from sponsoring corporations, and more importantly, I was on guard against Aaron’s homicidal impulses.
‘No telling when the physical ego might go on a rampage again.’
Of course, things had been quiet since I wiped out those Blood Wolves last time.
He must have satisfied his pent-up frustration with the massive bloodshed in one go.
But it had already been a month since then, so the homicidal maniac might be getting hungry again.
And considering Aaron’s trajectory in the original story, it was best to stay cautious for now.
However, if the Stingray Human Resources Development Director didn’t attend the entrance ceremony even after recovering from illness, it would lead to unnecessary speculation.
That was why I attended the event as a ‘sponsor’ for now.
“Master, are you feeling unwell?”
“……No, I’m fine.”
Maria, sitting next to me, asked with concern.
It seemed I had let my boredom show without realizing it.
I thought I’d maintained a poker face, but she had picked up on that subtle shift...
‘This one is almost too competent.’
That’s probably why she had been able to become Aaron Stingray’s exclusive attendant.
But ironically, that very competence made me increasingly wary of her.
Unlike the main characters, Maria had very little description in the original story, making it difficult to predict her actions.
Right now, I could manage thanks to the remaining memories of Aaron I had, but who knows how long that would last.
‘As long as I keep acting differently from the original, Maria will inevitably sense that I’ve changed a little.’
It’d be a relief if she interpreted the change positively.
But she might just as easily think I’ve ‘gotten worse’ or ‘become soft.’
What Maria revered was the original Aaron—someone with overwhelming power and charisma.
The moment she sensed I had weakened, she could easily stab me in the back.
At the very least, I needed to keep acting thoroughly until I was strong enough to just laugh off an ambush from her.
‘I have to be extremely careful. At least until I’m strong enough to scoff even if she attacks me.’
Maria wasn’t the only one I needed to be cautious of.
I still hadn’t found any clues about the other transmigrator and had to keep my guard up.
‘If they became a transmigrator the same way I did, they’ve probably taken over one of the important characters from the novel.’
That was the reason I created the Special Class.
Of course, the first reason was for my own fan obsession.
The second reason was to help grow the characters.
No matter how much of an overpowered munchkin I became, I couldn’t handle the trouble in the latter half of the novel alone.
But the third reason was a little different.
If that transmigrator had taken over one of the main characters like Iri or Miyu, it would be much easier to monitor their actions if they were inside the “Special Class” fence.
Even if they weren’t inside the Special Class, as long as the main characters were under my control, they’d have a hard time getting close to them.
Even if someone secretly tried to meet with Miyu or Iri, I’d notice quickly.
‘They’ve probably realized by now that the flow is diverging from the original story.’
The protagonist was missing.
No matter where you looked in the Academy, the protagonist wasn’t there.
So sooner or later—maybe today or tomorrow—they’d start noticing something odd and make a move.
‘I’d be grateful if they mistakenly thought the story had just changed... but if they have any brains at all, they’ll figure out the truth soon enough.’
Aaron Stingray, who originally didn’t appear until around Volume 2, was already walking around the school.
On top of that, he had even created something like the “Special Class” and started running it.
It would be impossible not to notice.
It wouldn’t take long for them to reach the conclusion that I was also a transmigrator like them.
‘And that’s exactly the scenario I’m aiming for.’
The original Aaron Stingray was an “utterly broken character.”
That other transmigrator would know that too, so at the very least, they wouldn’t dare act carelessly under my watch.
There’s no way they could monopolize hidden pieces from the original story or hoard miraculous events.
‘And in that gap, I widen the distance between us.’
Unlike other transmigrators, I could do whatever I wanted.
I had the overwhelming information, funds, and strength that came with the background of being a Stingray.
Even if that person tried to secretly grow stronger and pull something off, it would be pointless.
By then, I would’ve already monopolized everything and risen to a height they couldn’t reach.
‘……This world is mine.’
More than anyone else.
This was the world I loved most.
The favorite characters like Miyu and Iri.
The hidden pieces that ran through the entire lore.
I would never hand them over to anyone else.
Because this was a world made for me.
And then, a sudden thought occurred to me.
‘But what if...’
What if, by some slim chance, that bastard is sharper than I expected?
What if he’s already figured out that I’m a transmigrator?
……It’s unlikely, but it wouldn’t hurt to check.
I’ve already shown my face, so I should be able to leave for a bit and check things out.
“Maria.”
“Yes, Master.”
“I’ll send you a list. During the entrance ceremony, find the people on that list and record their behavior. I’ll be stepping out for a while.”
I used the internal messenger application to send a file to Maria.
She nodded right away.
“Received it. Is this related to the Special Class, by any chance?”
“It is.”
“Understood. And… may I ask one impertinent question?”
“You may.”
“It’s about that girl you treasure so much… Lady Miyu. How did you come to find her?”
So the question finally comes.
It was only natural for her to wonder.
Before I possessed him, Aaron wouldn’t even have known Miyu existed.
From Maria’s perspective, her young master, who was dying from a terminal illness, suddenly ordered her to “Find the talking vending machine!” out of nowhere, and then brought in a miraculous genius Modular who could cure his terminal disease.
Of course, I already had an answer prepared for that question, so there was no problem.
“……An anonymous email arrived.”
“An email?”
“It was sent by someone named Shade Wells. I don’t know how he found my address, but the email contained a method to cure my disease.”
Also known as the “Blame-the-dead-guy operation.”
A complete lie, but so what?
No one can confirm whether a dead man actually sent an email or not.
“Shade Wells, you say……”
“Yes. One of the people who were killed by those Blood Wolf bastards. You were the one in charge of the scene, weren’t you?”
“Yes. I investigated him, but he was just an ordinary resident of Sector E. For someone like that to…”
“I don’t know the details either. I never met him in person. I only saw his corpse, but at least the email wasn’t a lie.”
Because I’m the one lying, obviously.
Even if someone asks Miyu about it, she wouldn’t know anything.
In other words, there’s no risk of this lie being exposed.
And if, by any chance, this information reaches another transmigrator and causes them to make a wrong assumption, that’s all the better.
“Then… that day, did you act out of gratitude…?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I brushed it off casually and stood up.
Staying here any longer might complicate things.
If Maria wants to misunderstand on her own, that’s perfectly fine with me.
Well, whether it works or not is another story.
“I’ll be leaving now. This entrance ceremony really is boring beyond belief.”
“Understood. Please take care.”
Leaving Maria’s farewell behind me, I exited the auditorium.
Trinity Academy is incredibly vast.
All of its facilities are housed within one enormous building—so massive you’d hardly believe it could be a single structure.
From the side, it looks like a giant isosceles triangle.
One side alone is twice the size of a full athletic stadium, and its height easily surpasses 200 floors.
If you look from above, the building forms a perfect triangle with curved edges.
At the Academy, each of the three vertices is designated for a specific purpose: ‘Science and Technology Wing’, ‘Tactical Combat Wing’, and ‘Student Affairs Wing’.
‘It’s hard to believe this place was built for just a few thousand students…’
Just like the typical setting in many web novels, Trinity Academy also hides secret areas unknown to its students.
Of course, that doesn’t mean security is poor.
This place is frequently visited by corporate VIPs, and because it’s a single building, the defenses against external threats are practically perfect.
If an unauthorized individual crosses the outer perimeter wall, alarms blare immediately.
Hundreds of security robots and androids are dispatched, and all the installed defense systems activate.
The intruder would be caught—or riddled with bullets—before even setting foot inside.
‘But surprisingly, the inside is pretty sloppy.’
They put so much effort into the outer defenses that internal surveillance is relatively lax.
Forget dorms or bathrooms—even in many hallways, there are no CCTV cameras installed.
If you manage to sneak inside without getting caught, you can practically do whatever you want.
‘I heard student-on-student violence frequently happens in places with no cameras…’
Where I was headed now was one of those spots.
Specifically, one of the small hallways connecting the ‘Science and Technology Wing’ and the ‘Student Affairs Wing’.
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The hallways were loud with advertisements playing from decorative LED screens installed throughout.
Originally, these were set up out of concern that the lack of windows in the Academy’s security-based architecture might harm students’ mental health.
I heard they used to show beautiful natural scenery back in the day.
But ever since the Academy turned into a private soldier training ground for corporations, nature scenes only play for about ten seconds.
Then, more than five minutes of nonstop advertisements follow.
……No wonder the kids here are mentally messed up.
Well, anyway, time to start searching.
“Where the hell is the control box with a serial number starting with C… Ah, found it.”
I recalled what I read in the novel and found one of the screen-control panels.
Of course, it was locked, but I used a bit of strength and crushed the lock entirely.
This body wasn’t so weak that it could be stopped by a mere padlock.
‘Nothing here.’
Unfortunately, what I was looking for wasn’t inside.
I continued walking down the hallway, repeating the same process with other boxes, but every time I came up empty-handed.
‘……Tsk. Hard to pinpoint the exact location.’
If I had transmigrated into a game world, I could’ve found it right away.
Just like with Miyu, it wasn’t easy to find what I wanted in a world I’d only experienced through words and text.
If this had been adapted into a webtoon at least, it would’ve been much easier.
‘In the novel’s description, it definitely said the serial number started with C. So it must be somewhere around here…’
Just as I was about to open another control box, I noticed something strange.
‘It’s already open…?’
I hadn’t broken this one, yet the padlock on the panel was already busted.
And it wasn’t just that one.
On a hunch, I checked the others, and just like the one before, all of their locks were broken.
They were all control boxes with serial numbers starting with C.
‘No way…!’
No doubt about it.
Another transmigrator had moved before me.
Just like me, they were searching for the hidden piece somewhere in this hallway.