Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

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10th Chapter. Wait a minute. This isn’t right! (3)

Travel wore an expression of shock.

The power of the ‘Stone Strike’ he had just launched was something no first-year could withstand.

Even when he used it in a spar with Jenny Chain Silver, she had been too busy dodging to try to block it.

It must be a skill proven to be intimidating among Class A as well.

“How… so lightly…?”

With just a light flick of his wrist, Lyman completely blocked his best strike, which he had unleashed with all his might. It was more like a casual gesture than a technique.

“Now it’s my turn, right?”

Lyman said with a smile. He sheathed his wooden sword at his waist and oddly picked up a stick instead.

The sight of that scraggly branch being swung around as if it were a sword was downright hilarious.

“Hah…! What the hell are you doing… Ugh!”

Caught off guard by that ridiculous display, Travel got hit by the branch swing.

“Cough!”

Travel fell in an arc and rolled on the ground while screaming.

Is this really the power of just a stick?

Travel lost grip on his wooden sword due to the shock of being hit.

“Ugh… What on earth is happening…”

As Travel collected himself, he denied what had just occurred.

His school uniform was covered in dirt, and the wound on his face was… the worst humiliation of his academic life. Lifting his head, Travel glared at Lyman with a look full of malice.

‘How the hell does that bastard have so much power…!’

He had watched Lyman train from time to time but had never thought he was stronger than himself.

There was also uncertainty about his background. Rumors circulated that he was a vagrant and hiding his status.

Most students who weren’t nobles often concealed their origins.

For Travel, who firmly believed in that, this situation was unbearably suffocating.

Crack—

Travel clenched his teeth and strained the muscles in his neck.

“What kind of scam is this! How can someone like you do this!”

“As you can see, I just swung lightly. Do you have a problem with that?”

“You, being a lower-class bloodline, couldn’t possibly do this! Plus, you were napping in the corner during combat training!”

Travel screamed angrily and picked up the wooden sword he had dropped. He regained his stance and surrounded himself with mana, unleashing a massive strike.

[Viole Style – Land Geyser]

A brown wave tore into the ground, sending dirt fragments flying and digging a trench.

Boom!—

A threatening shockwave erupted, and dust scattered everywhere.

The astonishing power felt like being hit by a shell. It was the sort of strength that observers could deeply feel from Class A.

‘If it’s this powerful, that guy can’t possibly remain unscathed…!’

“Is this how you’ve been bossing around others this whole time?”

Lyman’s voice came from right behind him.

He should be limping and struggling to walk at this point, yet how did he avoid the blow and sneak up on him?

Travel gulped at the sudden eeriness.

“You… have you been hiding that power all along? What the heck are you?”

“Can’t you tell? I’m just a student like you.”

Lyman said casually.

“But it seems you need to take a hit.”

“…!”

Filled with fear, Travel crossed his arms. He felt an overwhelming urge to escape an unknown presence.

But Lyman struck his leg with the stick, knocking him down. Then he proceeded to beat him systematically on his arms, legs, and head, as if punishing a foolish child.

“Do you even know why you’re getting beaten?”

“How would I know that!”

“Then maybe looking at this will jog your memory?”

Lyman pulled something from his pocket. In his hand was something shiny.

A glimmering blue gemstone fragment… If one guessed its original form, sapphire seemed to be the most likely.

“That’s Jenny Chain Silver’s….”

“Yep, that’s right. It’s the precious necklace of Jenny that you stomped on and shattered. I secretly picked it up from the scene. It took me a bit to find it.”

Travel’s expression turned dumbfounded.

Are you saying that’s my fault?

“That was a legitimate price! It was that girl’s fault for losing the wager!”

“Do you have even a shred of conscience?”

“What?”

“Alright, let’s say it was a legitimate price. But is it really that amusing to destroy other people’s precious belongings? Huh?!”

Bang!—

“Augh!”

Travel screamed again as the stick hit him.

He had laughed when he shattered the necklace. He remembered wanting to see her despair when Jenny was sad.

“Just like you tormented others because they annoyed you. I find you absolutely disgusting. That’s all there is to it.”

“You bastard… Cough!”

In the midst of a lifeless thicket, the sound of the stick striking echoed without pause.

Only the cold wind blew around them.

*

Indeed, Lyman’s lesson for Travel was underway.

A scene revealing fragments of the protagonist’s power. Even now, it’s clearly visible through the observers.

Lyman was the type who wouldn’t forgive anyone who touched his close friends. Jenny was among the first friends he had made.

The one who shattered the precious memento of such a friend would be treated to this kind of public execution.

-What the hell? Is Travel seriously getting this beaten up?

-How can someone be hit with a stick like that?

-This isn’t a fight, it’s basically one-sided beatdown!

-How many hits is he taking? Poor guy.

-Poor? More like it’s utterly satisfying. Serves that brat right!

-Getting hit with a fishing rod and now a stick? What’s next?

-The Newspaper Department kids must be loving this.

All the students’ gazes focused on Lyman on the screen. It seemed like the fight between me and Jenny was quickly forgotten.

Travel, curled up in pain, resembled what I had seen in a game.

The scene where he thought lightly of Lyman and ended up regretting it was indeed refreshing.

‘If things proceed without a variable, then what next…’

Instead of reflecting, Travel would resort to hiring the Academy Scammer for his cowardly methods.

Radon Crawler, that’s me.

Though a scammer, being part of the Newspaper Department gave me some influence. I planned to use that to spread fabricated rumors throughout the academy.

‘As a result, Radon ends up being expelled for spreading even worse misinformation.’

Of course, I had no intention of complying. If he came to me, I’d listen earnestly but ignore all the important points.

However, given the worst-case scenario, I would need a strategy in case he attempted to threaten me.

“It’s over.”

Finally, the Combat Department exam had concluded. The major characters, Lyman, Jenny, and Travel, managed to endure without being ousted.

Lyman had purposefully not knocked anyone out; he just wanted Travel to admit defeat. Despite Travel being puffy all over, he had barely held on. That persistence was commendable.

After a bit of time, the students gathered once more in the first floor gymnasium. Radian stood once again on the platform and shouted at the students.

“Great job, everyone. The exam scores will be announced tomorrow morning. No matter what the results are, don’t get discouraged.”

At this, several students nervously clasped their hands and prayed. Scores were secondary; the real issue was the home situation.

“As you all know, the grades will also be reported to your homes. This is to prevent you from taking the academy too lightly.”

The academy’s system forced the students to act. Even if they were far from their homes, they could never hide their results.

“The practical exam records should be stored in the library’s archive. If you wish to review or reflect on them, you can borrow them at any time. Ensure you are prepared by next month’s midterms! That’s all!”

As the atmosphere of completion descended, students began to exit the gym one by one. I also felt no particular reason to linger and was about to leave.

“Ah! One more thing!”

Again, Radian’s instructions froze the group in place.

His words carried a weight that made everyone halt. As a result, we all shrank back collectively.

But what could it be this time?

“The Radon Crawler from the Combat Department is to stay until the end. The rest may return.”

It seemed like he was calling for just one person. Relieved they weren’t called, the others continued down their paths.

Of course, I let out a sigh and remained there. Somehow, I felt like Professor Stella’s predictions might not be far off. It appeared that my explosive growth was quite attention-grabbing for a Class C.

It certainly felt like they were contemplating whether I could be moved to Class A.

“Radon Crawler.”

Jenny, who remained alone in the gym, called out to me. I was wary of another confrontation, but the atmosphere felt different. Her sharp gaze softened considerably.

What could this be about now?

Was she still concerned that I might change classes?

“I lost.”

“What?”

“I said I lost.”

The words were unexpected, but… there was something really strange about this.

No one was left in the gym. Even without ears to hear, declaring defeat could hardly be easy.

But why did she declare defeat when she was the one who actually won?

“Get your act together. Didn’t you see me frozen solid by you?”

“So I lost. Because I used that.”

“…….”

I chose not to respond. Silver Age… While it incapacitated me, Jenny herself considered it a curse, hence she hesitated to use it.

Even if she was mentally cornered, by using Silver Age, she was denying herself and betraying her own oath.

“I used foul play. I can’t call myself a winner just because I used a power I should never have.”

“…….”

“I’m no different from you.”

No different from me? That meant she considered herself the same as Radon, the cowardly scammer. What an extreme statement this was.

I needed to delve a little into Jenny’s backstory to understand why her self-criticism was so severe.

Silver Age; that cursed power had caused her mother’s death. Naturally, she would loathe that power, and naturally feel disgust towards herself for possessing it.

Thus, she wanted to exclude Silver Age from her abilities. Just using this power was considered a sin.

In other words, Jenny currently saw herself as a criminal. She identified so closely with a cowardly scammer.

“But next time… next time I will definitely win. With my own hands, without the help of that curse.”

After leaving those words, Jenny turned away. Her expression before turning was not filled with the fiery determination of a rival.

It was merely the look of a lamb that had been directly hit by the world’s tempests, one that had lost all meaning in life.

Jenny left the gym, her back facing me.

Droplets, like tears, fell from her chin… sparkling in the light.

Surviving as the Academy Scammer.