I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City-Chapter 142: Cost-Effectiveness is Second Transcendence

Simply put, it was because if something happened to Rohan, his daughter would be sad.

The reason he broke his own rule of silence was because of this.

‘And...’

Ichinose Jun knew this kind of person.

Was it the atmosphere or certain shared qualities? He couldn’t help but think Rohan resembled someone in appearance.

‘This Rohan...’

He might get flustered and manipulated when faced with a crying child on the street, but in the face of death, he would not back down and would never bow his head to a villain.

Is that not fine?

In a chaotic world, it’s only good to have more righteous people.

There was no complaint about that.

If Ichinose Jun had been alone in the world, it might have been different, but in a world where his family lived, it had to be this way.

***

"Think things through and come back when you're ready."

After Ichinose Jun left, Rohan was left alone.

‘...’

Ichinose Jun had only pointed out one path to Rohan, based on his own experience and wisdom.

To Rohan, who was feeling dizzy from the countless paths before him, Ichinose Jun had pointed out a direction with conviction.

The establishment of direction.

No matter what the intention had been, it had left a profound impact on Rohan.

Each word Ichinose Jun spoke felt like a turning point.

[The Second Transcendence Shines.]

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──Clang!! The reality before him shattered like glass, and a new world emerged.

It was different from the last transcendence, yet somehow similar.

‘What will it show this time?’

It was a space darker than night.

There was no moon above, and not a single beam of light.

─ The fire illuminates the hideous things hiding beneath the darkness.

A small flame lit up on Rohan's palm.

The light spread, and Rohan saw the hideous monsters surrounding him.

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"..."

It wasn’t even that surprising. Nighttime attacks were getting tiresome.

What was disappointing was that his body didn’t move as freely as he wanted.

He simply extended his hand, where the flame flickered softly.

─ Grrr...

As the flame drew near, the monsters recoiled and backed away.

Rohan could tell just from that.

These monsters were afraid of fire.

The creatures fled into the darkness, and Rohan closed his hand into a fist. The flame that had bloomed like a flower receded back inside.

The embers settled within his soul and heart.

A rising sense of fulfillment.

The deep sensation brought by a soul filled to the brim.

‘The work here is done.’

He naturally understood.

From where Rohan stood, the flames spread, and the monsters that had been hiding in the darkness screamed as they burned.

─ ...

─ ...

As the hideous monsters perished, silence returned.

The shattered world, once broken into pieces, began to heal and restore itself.

The fragments slowly returned, and Rohan’s reflection was mirrored back at him.

He returned to reality.

[You can assign weakness infliction to multiple targets.]

[Special items may appear in the store with a certain probability.]

[The Flame Judgment Sword applies critical damage to targets with weakness infliction.]

‘Good. It’s done.’

Rohan exhaled deeply and pulled a cold water bottle from the vending machine.

Reading the notification window, he could feel the growth within himself.

The growth that had come to Rohan wasn’t just the transcendence.

It seemed like the disorganized thoughts he had piled up randomly were starting to be sorted out.

Ssshh! He tore open the bottle of water and gulped it down.

The cold water accentuated his clearer mind.

‘Generally speaking, the cost-effectiveness of transcendence peaks at the second one.’

This perspective was from the Abyss City world. Among the players, there was such a thing as "cost-effective transcendence."

It was almost laughable to say that having to transcend a character again was itself cost-effective.

However, for most, the second transcendence brought clear efficiency.

After that, things tended to slow down a little, with the highest efficiency appearing only at the sixth transcendence.

‘I wonder how it will be for me.’

I don’t know. Anything is fine. There’s no need to think too deeply about it.

If there are shortcomings, I’ll accept them as they are.

It would be fine to build overwhelming power. After all, I have the help of my loyal companions who are always by my side.

‘Oh, I need to figure out what the conditions for the achievement and the criminal are in the main story too.’

These things required real-world time, so it would be hard to finish here.

Rohan stood up and shook off his thoughts.

...

In the parking lot, everyone was engaged in their own conversations.

Uinose had just finished exchanging numbers with Shion and Clara under Momo’s suggestion.

Ichinose Jun returned first.

And after just a few minutes, the person the girls had been eagerly waiting for approached.

“...Oh?”

“!”

Juyeon and Momo were startled as they saw Rohan approaching.

The other girls didn’t know yet, but Juyeon and Ichinose, who had crossed a certain threshold of skill, could sense the change in him.

"Hoh, not bad."

Ichinose Jun was also quite surprised. He couldn’t help but mutter in admiration, his lips moving involuntarily.

Rohan’s face and eyes had become quite impressive.

‘Even if it was pushed forward, realization is still his own work and talent.’

It seemed that Rohan’s growth wasn’t just mental.

Along with the realization, he had likely also structured his mana distribution into a new framework, and overall, he had grown.

It was impressive, even to Ichinose Jun.

Listening to others and achieving just one thing made someone a genius among geniuses.

Doing two things at once, no matter what means were used, placed them in a higher tier.

‘He said he only started receiving proper education after entering the academy.’

Compared to his daughter or Seolho Grandmaster’s daughter, Noah, Rohan’s rate of growth was unprecedented.

At this pace, how long would it take to catch up to this level?

‘Soon, our generation will become the old generation.’

It seemed like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

It was a nice feeling of liberation.

And.

If his daughter wanted to grow as a warrior, it would be best for her to stay here.

No matter the relationship, having someone like Rohan nearby, an extraordinary individual, would motivate her to push past her limits.

Ichinose Jun controlled the upward curve of his lips and placed his hand gently on his daughter’s head, ruffling her hair.

“...Father?”

"Make sure you eat well. Sleep a lot. Just live happily and enjoy yourself," Ichinose Jun said, smiling faintly as he looked at his daughter.

Yui, who had just woken up, smiled back and nodded. She gave her father a long-overdue hug.

“Momo. Let’s go back now.”

Yui had returned safely from the dungeon, and her safety had been confirmed.

Everything was perfect.

As a father, there were things he hadn’t wanted to know, but surprisingly, it wasn’t so bad.

As he felt this way, when they returned to Samhwa Nation to handle the accumulated work, ignoring the ringing phone would have a limit.

“Dear, are you feeling at ease now?” [N O V E L I G H T] Momo asked with a smile.

“...,” Ichinose Jun remained silent.

***

“Ugh...”

After sending her parents off, Ichinose Yui lay in her dorm, tossing and turning.

She was hugging her dolls, rolling around.

Before Noah, who had fallen asleep with a full stomach, could wake up and make a surprise visit, Yui wanted to finish organizing her thoughts.

But it wasn’t easy.

‘How did it end up like this...’

The more she looked back on today, the more joy there was, but there was also a lot of regret.

She had made that statement about the kiss, blinded by jealousy.

But then, she tried to cover it up by claiming it was just first aid.

‘If only I had subtly hinted at my own feelings, it might have been a good opportunity.’

With all the shame and confusion, her actions were close to denial, and she wondered if it might even be a point deduction.

She felt like she was bragging about claiming him as hers but then taking a step back from the competition.

“Sigh...”

By now, Rohan must be spending time with the two beautiful girls.

She thought about sending a message but hesitated. It wasn’t as easy to contact him casually like before.

‘I like him too...! I want to be by his side too...’

She hugged her dolls tightly, rolling around on the bed, repeatedly thinking about the moments of happiness and regret.

Ding!

The sound of her phone ringing interrupted her self-pity.

Ichinose stopped rolling and reached for her phone.

It wasn’t the message she had been waiting for.

Rohan’s messages had a different ringtone.

Ichinose reached for the phone, checked the message, and froze.

“...!”

She quickly sat up from her lying position.

[Shion Testarossa: If you’re free tomorrow, I’d like to meet with Clara and you.]