I can hear the sound of my life's difficulty level rising (1)

Editor: Regular_Mortal

Schedule: If I have free time

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After getting thoroughly scolded by Yerina, Eugene wore a wounded expression the whole day.

A heavy cloud of defeat hung over him, his heart was weighed down by the rejection of his love.

'So peaceful.'

Woo-jin was enjoying the peace that had come from the rejection .

Unfortunately, it didn't last long.

Classes at the Royal Academy were nearing their end, as it was about time to leave.

Students left the classroom in their small groups, while chatting about what they would do.

"Wanna stop by the tavern first, before heading back to the dorms."

"Just to get a drink? What if we get caught?"

"Well, we just need to make sure we don't get caught."

But Eugene gaze was not looking there as he eyed the other two female leads.

"Ahh~

I'm finally going home~"

"Why are you so eager to get back to the dorms?"

"The dormitory is my home too. Don't you like it, Celine?"

"I neither like it nor dislike it."

"What does that even mean?"

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'Hmmm.

Tina and Celine seemed to have devolved a friendly relationship.'

As they got up from their seats and discussed what they would do after school.

As they were about to leave to leave, Eugune snapping out of gloom shot up from seat.

"Tina! Celine! Take care!"

"...Sure."

Tina awkwardly twisted the corners of her mouth and waved.

She tried to smile, but her facial muscles seemed to refuse.

'How bad could her perception of Eugene be?'

'Well, I mean he is kind of a stalker...'

As Woo-jin contemplated on how bad Eugene's reputation was, Celine left the classroom without giving him a second glance.

"..."

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'Eugene, just give it up. It'll be easier if you just gave up now.'

"You don't have to respond, see you tomorrow."

'Sigh, what a headache.'

I started wishing that he would get hit by the carriage already.

'I need to gain control of this body, somehow...'

"Huh, would you look at the time."

Eugene glanced at his wristwatch and was startled by the time, abruptly dashed out of the classroom.

I had a rough idea where he was going.

The Adventurer's Guild.

Eugene was the only son of the fallen Barony of Grace and unlike the children of other nobles, he received no support from his family apart from the tuition fees.

The tuition fees for the Royal Academy were in the form of a loan that the Barron had accrued debt from as he no means to pay it back.

The Barron hoped that his son would become a competent Sword Master and be able to reestablish themselves as proper nobles.

The enormous debt accumulated by the household was at such a level that even the addition of tuition fees made little difference.

'The family of Grace had lost it's grace1 and had gained an enormous amount of debt that increased steadily.

This had tarnished the Grace's noble name.

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Thus Eugene decided to get a job to get job so that he could give gifts to the heroine.

So whenever Eugene needed some coins, he would go to the Adventurer's Guild and earn some money whenever he had spare time.

He may have been a fool, a dimwit, a complete idiot, but his talent in the sword and arcane arts was genuine.

The 5-star Talent 'Sword Soul' he possessed could, if he dedicated his life to it, make him a Sword Master.

He has great talent, but it was being wasted due to his infatuation with the main leads.

I hated the fact someone with as much potential as him, would waste it for something as trivial as this 

Thanks to this talent, he was able to survive while being severely broke.

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He soon arrived at the guild entrance.

Entering the building Eugene did his usual routine.

"Do you have any requests for me today?"

The receptionist familiar with this , rummaged through the request forms and offered him one.

"A pack of mad wolves is causing trouble on a trade route outside the city.

The merchants are at their wits end.

The reward is 5 silver per wolf slain.

Do you accept?"

"Yes."

" Here's your request form."

Thump.

As the receptionist stamped the request form with the seal, the magic circuit on the paper emitted a faint light.

"Thank you. I'll be right back."

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Now, when Eugene started killing these rabid wolves, their death count would be automatically recorded, and all Eugene had to do was collect the money.

'With 5 silvers each, killing just 10 of them would be 50 silvers.

Enough to live off of for at least two weeks.'

It didn't matter that he was a little crazy, his abilities were indeed quite exceptional.

However, the problem was the way he lived.

'Ugh.'

Whether or not he knew of Woo-jin's throbbing headache, Eugene began to search for wolves near the outskirts of the city.

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With his talent 'Sword Soul', he was able to understand other aspects related to combat without actually ever learning them.

"Hmm, there is something over there.

I wonder if it's wolves?"

Eugene differentiated between the various life spread throughout the forest, finding the rabid wolves.

"Grrrr!"

Foam was already forming at the wolves' mouths and their eyes had rolled back.

Quietly, Eugene raised his sword and got into a stance.

The instant he was in range, he slashed his sword.

Although slow, there was not a flaw in the trajectory of his blade.

Transfixed by his grace, the wolves seemed to be mesmerized by the slow moving blade as they passed by Eugene.

Quietly, Eugene sheathed his sword.

A thin cut appeared on the body of a wolf.

The cut gradually widened, forming a massive wound, and soon, the body fell onto the round.

'Hmmm.

He killed one in a single swing.'

If the wolves had been sane, the entire pack would have fled.

But the rabid wolves didn't flee, instead the renaming five leaped at Eugene.

'Living this poorly despite possessing such talent and skill.

Huuh.'

"Six of them make 30 silvers. That should be enough to buy a nice present to improve Yerina's mood."

'Stop trying to buy gifts, you fool! You don't have money for them!'

Woo-jin wanted to bury his face in his hands every time he opened his mouth.

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Having collected his reward from the guild, Eugene sauntered down the city streets, his eyes darting this way and that.

"There's no good place to buy a gift."

His plan was to buy a gift to appease Yerina's mood, but as night fell, most of the shops closed their doors.

"Guess it can't be helped."

He would have to buy the gift tomorrow.

Eugene was on his way back to the inn when he paused.

"Hmm?"

Eugene's keen ears, honed by his natural talent, picked up an unusual sound.

It came from a dark alley.

"Wonder what that is."

If it was a matter of danger, he would have to intervene.

As a student of the Royal Academy, he was destined to shape the future of the Holy Lucia Empire in some way.

it was his obligation to do so.

Eugene crept silently into the alley, inching closer to the source of the sound.

There, amidst the shadows, he stumbled upon an intimate encounter between two lovers, their whispered confessions breaking the silence of the night.

"I love you my love."

"Oh honey, me too."

It was clear at a glance that a dashing gentleman and a beautiful lady were entangled in a midnight rendezvous.

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'How nice.'

Woo-jin, watching the couple, with a small smile.

'But why do you look like that?'

Eugene did not share his good spirits.

Eugene's heart stirred with envy as he glared at the couple.

'Hey.

Why do you have that look on your face.

You're not about to go and ruin someone else's moment, are you?

Even if you're crazy, you must have some principles, right?

Right?'

Woo-jin trembled with unease, imagining the unpredictable actions Eugene could make.

"Sigh.

Why can't I have something like that."

'Whew.

At least you have some integrity'

Thankfully, Woo-jin's worries were unfounded.

"I should confess my feelings to Tina tomorrow."

'Why would do that immediately after a rejection?

It would look like you are desperate and that they were your next best option.'

This was the beginning of a far greater catastrophe.

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As he made his way back to the inn, Eugene couldn't shake the feeling of despair that clung to him like a shroud2.

With each passing moment, the weight of his confession grew heavier, threatening to crush him beneath it's weight.

Looking at the face of the crazy kid, Woo-jin fell into deep thought.

Come to think of it, it wasn't that Eugene wanted to be mad.

Rather, he had been forced to because of the actions of the user who had controlled him.

And as the world tried to inject reason into this, it resulted in his current state.

For Eugene von Lennon Grace to be so desperate as to run into a carriage, there had to be an incident that could drive him to such lengths.

And so, the best scenario for that was heartbreak.

Despite clinging onto the heroines for more than a semester without any progress, it seemed like a confession was forcefully induced in Eugene.

The odds of Eugene's confession succeeding were, needless to say, nonexistent.

Oblivious to this reality that is known by everyone else, Eugene would confess, suffer heartbreak, and in the ensuing shock, cause a carriage incident.

'He's got it tough.'

A genius unparalleled in the world, ruined because of some user trying to build a harem.

Upon reaching the inn, Eugene collapsed onto his bed

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"Today is a big day."

Eugene was grooming himself as best he could.

He styled his hair with olive oil... the rest omitted.

Why would anyone watch this?

Woo-jin tried to distract himself until Eugene arrived at school.

When Eugene arrived at school, the day progressed as any ordinary day.

As usual, he tucked snacks and meal tickets under the heroines' desks.

Tina and Celine, being used to receiving gifts from boys, didn't pay attention to it and focused on their lessons.

Even if the girls said no, the boys would still do it.

They could hardly understand the psychology of the boys who showed them blind goodwill.

They simply accepted it and moved on, not paying any more attention than that.

After all, they had their own lives to live.

After enduring a class filled with heart-racing anticipation from the thought of confessing his feelings, it was finally lunchtime.

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"Celine, would you like to have lunch together?"

"I have plans with a senior today. Go alone."

"Ah... okay."

Eugene, clutching his chest as if his heart would burst out, walked over to Tina.

"Tina!"

Seeing Eugene's made Tina's face soured.

"....What?"

"If you don't mind, can you come up to the rooftop after eating lunch? I'll be waiting there."

'Just say that you're going to confess.

That line was too cliché.'

"That's a bit...."

Even Tina, foreseeing the upcoming scenario, overtly showed her dislike.

'He's going to confess, isn't he?'

Even if she tried to ignore it, she couldn't.

The number of boys who confessed to her so far could fill up a classroom.

Eugene's face was slightly red due to anxiousness, his hands were twitching, and had trembling legs.

It was very clear to Tina what his intentions were.

'He's liked me for a long time.'

Tina had noticed a while back that Eugene had feelings for her.

She would have been a fool to not notice.

He always popped up like a ghost when she was stuck, rambling on about this and that.

At first, she mostly ignored him, but out of curiosity, she tried to follow his advice a few times, and it was truly helpful when she was stuck.

Since then, although it was bothersome, she usually left him alone because he was helpful.

'But if you asked me if he has any charm as a man...'

He had absolutely none.

To Tina, Eugene was a man who would probably lick her feet if she asked him to.

She couldn't see him as a potential partner.

If he had a royal lineage or a good background, there might have been some room to see him in a favorable light, but even that was not there.

He was the eldest son of a fallen Baron's family.

Even from the perspective of a noble lady, he was a total failure.

'This is tough.'

If any other guy had announced a confession like this, she would have flatly refused and ignored him.

But because of the help she had received from Eugene, she felt morally conflicted as a fellow human being.

'Ugh.'

Tina's face soured even more.

After a moment of contemplation, Tina decided,

'I'll consider it as a return for the help I've received so far.'

She would reject him clearly.

She was determined to put a definitive end to it, so Eugene would not hold any hopes again.

No matter how much she thought about it, Tina was sure she couldn't see Eugene as a potential partner.

Even if he was given a lifetime, he wouldn't be able to.

It was better to give him the bitter truth, than to give him false hope.

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"Alright.

I'll go to the rooftop after lunch."

"Okay!

Thank you!"

'After seeing that expression...

Are you sure you want to go up to the rooftop?'

Even to a dating novice like Woo-jin, Tina's eyes clearly meant, 'I'm going to reject you, so prepare yourself.'

'How heartbroken will you be after this?

Wait how much time until the collision?'

[Time remaining until the carriage collision: 0 days, 16 hours, 12 minutes]

Foreseeing Eugene's bleak future, Woo-jin quietly closed his eyes.

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On the rooftop, warmed by a gentle breeze.

Eugene von Lennon Grace and Tina von Elia Florence stood facing each other.

The difference between the two was significant, even to Woo-jin's eyes.

The man was the useless eldest son of a fallen baron's family, and the woman was the only daughter of the Earl of Florence, a renowned beauty, boasting immense wealth.

If these two were to come together, the assumption that Eugene is, in reality, the demon king, and he has cursed Tina into a state of neither living nor dying, seemed more plausible.

If they claim to be linked by pure love, people would likely throw stones and riot.

They simply weren't a match.

Whether he knew this or not, Eugene would declare his confession 

"T-t-t-Tina."

"Hm?"

"I have, actually, since a long time ago…"

"Hm?"

At such predictable dialogue, Tina seemed to hold back a yawn, her brows furrowing.

'Just hurry up and get rejected already.'

I wasn't much different.

Since he would be rejected anyway, it would be better to face the pain quickly and end it.

"Tina, I've liked you for a long time! It's my lifelong wish. Please, date me!"

'He actually said it out loud.'

Woo-jin naturally turned his gaze towards Tina.

"Is that so?"

As expected, she was completely unfazed, expressionless.

"It seemed likely. I

t's absurd to claim not knowing the obvious truth."

"...Hm?"

"I figured as much. But it wouldn't make sense for you not to know already."

"That...?"

"Anyway, you probably don't want to hear about this, so I'll just give you my answer."

Eugene audibly swallowed.

"To cut to the chase, I don't have any romantic feelings for you.

So, it would be best if you move on."

"What did you say?"

Eugene's face crumbled as if his world was collapsing.

"Why are you making that face?"

'It seems he hasn't accepted it yet. I guess i have to be even more direct.'

Tina steeled her expression, as if to draw a clear line.

Just like when she rejected other men, she spoke with a slight smirk on her face.

"Honestly, we don't match, do we?

I am the only daughter of the Earl of Florence, possessing the greatest wealth on the continent, and you are the eldest son of a fallen baron's family.

We would probably never have been able to exchange words face to face if we didn't meet at this royal academy?"

"Ho- how can you say such harsh words...."

"I am being realistic.

You and I are in completely different leagues.

So, let go of your feelings and find a woman who matches your level to love.

Understand?"

With that, Tina turned her back and walked away.

Eugene, engulfed in shock, fell to his knees.

Looking at our fool, Eugene, I felt pity.

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I might need to edit this again later.