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Reina recounted the words of the Dean as she made her way to the dormitory.

– “Dean, I’ve heard you called for me.”

– “Ah, Reina. It’s nothing much, but could you please summon one student?”

– “Understood. Which student should I call?”

– “Please bring me Luke, the 200th student of the first year.”

As Reina pondered over her brief and simple conversation with the Dean, she thought of Luke, who ranked 200th in his year.

‘He was a student without any magical power, right?’

It would be stranger for a second-year like Reina not to know a student named Luke at Jeminal Academy.

Firstly, in Jeminal Academy, where meritocracy reigns, students are ranked based on their abilities. People always look up to the First Best and the Second Best, but the world doesn’t only view the top two.

Outstanding individuals tend to look down on those beneath them, and the mediocre students, filled with inferiority complexes, focus more on belittling those who are below them than aspiring to surpass those above.

Therefore, Luke, being ranked 200th, was the laughingstock of all the grades.

He was someone whom one couldn’t ignore even if they wanted to.

Why was he the only one being ostracized while there were grades up to the third year?

When moving from first to second year, numerous students were expelled, leaving only the true talents in the second year.

And secondly, Luke was the first student with zero magical power since the establishment of Jeminal Academy.

Of course, having zero magical power wasn’t unusual, but it was unprecedented for someone with zero magical power to enroll at Jeminal Academy, even if it was as a 200th-ranked student.

‘He must have entered through theoretical means.’

Theoretical ability is still ability, after all.

With that thought, Reina found herself standing in front of Luke’s dormitory door.

Wanting to get him to the Dean quickly, she knocked immediately.

– Knock knock.

However, after knocking, there was no response.

Thinking he might not have heard, she knocked again while calling out.

– Knock knock.

“Is Luke there? This is Reina from the student council. I have urgent information to share.”

She could certainly sense a presence inside the room, yet, again, there was no answer.

Feeling that she had done her part and that he was deliberately ignoring her, Reina decided to enter.

“I don’t know why you’re not responding even though I can sense you in there. I’m coming in.”

She turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

As the door opened, a man came into view.

Indeed, he had been inside without giving any response.

‘Why on earth?’

She had that question in mind, but it didn’t seem too important, so she tucked it away in the corner of her thoughts.

“Ah, so you were here. What on earth—”

But Reina couldn’t finish her sentence as she was struck speechless by the sight before her.

The student presumed to be Luke was dancing while swaying his hips against the wall.

‘…Is this an illusion?’

His actions were so absurd that she even wondered if it was an illusion.

Reina knew she wasn’t the type to get flustered or startled easily, but she had never been this flustered in recent memory.

Even after stepping into the room, Luke showed no intention of hiding his disgraceful antics.

With not a shred of shame, Luke continued to dance in a way that was impossible to watch with open eyes.

At that nauseating sight, she almost felt like throwing up but managed to hold it together and voiced her purpose for being there.

“Luke, the Dean has called for you. You need to go to the Dean’s office now.”

“The Dean?”

Reina felt the urge to correct Luke’s reference but held back.

Titles vary, and given he was a commoner, she unconsciously held onto that prejudice.

“Don’t you know why you were called?”

“I was just asked to summon you, so I don’t know.”

Reina answered while turning her back to him as Luke’s question caught her off guard.

In truth, it was rare to be called directly by the Dean rather than a teacher, and due to Luke’s 200th ranking, she had a rough idea of why he was being summoned.

However, she kept silent, fearing a barrage of questions would ensue if she spoke out loud.

“Anyway, please get ready quickly.”

Reina wanted to finish the task and escape as soon as possible because Luke showed no signs of stopping that disgusting dance while talking to her.

*

– Knock knock.

“Dean, I’ve brought the student you mentioned, Luke.”

As Reina said this, a clear and beautiful voice echoed from inside the Dean’s office.

“Come in.”

With the permission that came from within, Luke and Reina opened the grand-looking door and stepped inside.

“Thank you, Reina.”

“It’s nothing. I’ll take my leave now.”

Having fulfilled her original purpose, Reina quickly distanced herself from Luke.

“Welcome, Luke.”

Luke turned to face the Dean who had called for him.

With hair as white as snow that seemed capable of becoming anything, and sparkling eyes that shined like sapphires.

Despite being over thirty, she had the appearance of someone in their twenties, with a well-defined face and a glamorous body that wouldn’t be obscured by her features.

She was Lucia Marygold, the Dean of Jeminal Academy.

‘Wow, she’s really beautiful. Is this the average of the Otherworld…?’

Seeing a character he had only seen in books standing right in front of him made him unwittingly stare in awe.

Especially for a basement-dweller like Luke, who had never had any connections with girls.

“Luke?”

Snapped back to reality by her calling, Luke responded, “Yes?”

“Do you perhaps have any guess as to why I called for you?”

Lucia placed her hands neatly on the desk and asked with a serious expression.

‘Why on earth is she asking me that?’

She had summoned him, so why would she ask if he knew the reason?

It was like a scenario where you’re summoned by your mom and she asks, “Do you know why I called you?” when she doesn’t say anything and puts you on the spot till you spill everything.

But this time, he had nothing to confess.

Even if he had possessed the thoughts of the protagonist, as an extra, how could he know what he did wrong?

Could it be that the character named Luke had caused some kind of catastrophic event right before he entered?

“Hehe. You don’t have to be so tense, I’m not here to scold you.”

Luke wasn’t particularly tense, but of course, Lucia wouldn’t know that.

‘What do I have to be tense about anyway?’

If Luke had done something outrageous that warranted a scolding, then feeling tense would be expected.

But that was Luke’s action, not his.

Whatever she asked, it was evident that he wouldn’t know, so he simply thought he could play it casual.

“But it’s not something unimportant either. Luke, I’m going to explain why you were summoned now, so please don’t be shocked.”

Lucia adopted a serious expression once again.

“Luke, you are being expelled.”

Expulsion.

For students who had worked hard just to enter this meritocratic academy, it was a word that held shock and more.

“Oh, is that so?”

However, Lucia was taken aback by Luke’s nonchalant response, as if he didn’t care in the least.

Could it be that the shock was so great he couldn’t react?

That was the most logical conclusion in Lucia’s mind.

“Um… Luke. Don’t worry, that’s why I called you, to ensure it doesn’t happen.”

Lucia felt her heart ache every year witnessing students getting expelled.

Students poured so much effort just to enter the top academy in the Empire, only to have their years of hard work vanish in an instant.

Having used various methods to help many students in the past, she still saw countless have to face expulsion.

Even though she had the authority as the Dean to intervene, abusing that power would be detrimental.

This was how she had been supporting students reasonably so that those situations didn’t occur.

‘Just like I saw in the novel.’

Lucia was a person who valued her students immensely—one would hardly think of her as the Dean of a meritocratic institution.

Even for a 200th rank failing student like Luke.

She wasn’t a heroine, yet Lucia Marygold played a significant role in the story.

While reading the novel, one might wonder why she wasn’t a heroine.

‘Well, that’s that.’

It seemed like Luke had died in this academy, and given that he now possessed the character’s abilities, he may have had the intent to continue attending, but now—

‘Actually, this is great!’

What is an academy?

Isn’t it just a school?

Who would ever want to voluntarily go back to a school they were sick of even in their previous life?

There was no need to be confined as a student in this academy prison wearing prisoner uniforms called school uniforms and facing punishment called studying!

“I’m going to tell you how to avoid expulsion now, so please—”

“I’ll drop out.”

“…What?”

Lucia was left dumbfounded by Luke’s response.

“What did you say…?”

“I said I’ll drop out.”

Did she hear that right?

Poor thing, did he really not hear her clearly?

Luke thought that, but the reality was quite different.

‘So he’s dropping out?’

Of course, Lucia respected the students’ decisions, so if he wanted to drop out, she couldn’t interfere.

But if Luke, who had no magical power, had managed to enter the academy, it must mean he put in a significant effort.

Therefore, the unexpected nature of him wanting to quit left her astonished.

“Could I ask why you came to the academy in the first place?”

Having come through hard work, might there have been some purpose behind it?

And now that purpose had been achieved, and hence, he had decided to drop out.

If dropping out meant there was something she could do to assist him—even if he wasn’t one of her students—she wanted to help as much as she could.

As the Dean, this might be the only thing she could provide to her students.

After the question, Luke eventually opened his mouth after a while.

“I don’t know.”

 

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