How to Survive as the Academy Student Council President

Student Council President’s Office.
I faithfully cooperated with the interview of Chloe, a second-year student from the Union Newspaper & Broadcasting Club, who had come to supplement the article about the previous Territorial War.
Wearing round glasses, she opened her notebook to jot down what I said.
“So, that magic you used to subdue Chepesh—what exactly was it? There were witnesses claiming they saw multiple Mana Chains.”
“I can’t reveal that.”
“Then… have you been hiding your true skills until now? There’s quite a difference between your known magic ability and what you showed.”
“That also can’t be revealed.”
“Then if something similar happens again, will you intervene? It’s not uncommon for disputes between academies to break out.”
“I’ll think about it. If I have time, maybe.”
“……”
Chloe had been scribbling furiously, but now her shoulders trembled.
Finally, she threw her pen down on the desk and shouted.
“Ugh, seriously, I can’t do this! Don’t you think you’re being way too uncooperative with this interview? I can’t write an article like this!”
“…Why? I already explained everything about the background of the Territorial War, the relationship between Izelin and Jerome, and the entire course of events. That should be more than enough material for a follow-up.”
“Tch—what the public wants isn’t that kind of thing! They want to know how you beat Chepesh, where your power comes from! Did you secretly hide your abilities all along? Stuff like that! The follow-up article can come later!”
“Hm…”
I stroked my chin and nodded.
'Well, she’s not wrong.'
Honestly, I could understand Chloe’s point of view.
Sensational articles are what increase the Union Daily’s readership, which in turn raises the income of reporters like Chloe and bumps up their activity stipends.
You can’t exactly call that the “right” attitude for journalism, but… well, that’s just how the world works.
'If anything, it’s a fairly accurate reflection of reality.'
Anyway, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Chloe seemed to think that if she exposed the secret behind my ability, people would pay more attention to her next article.
But I saw it differently.
I tapped a finger on the newspaper lying on the table and shook my head.
“Chloe. Regrettably, the Territorial War is already old news. Even if I answered all your questions, nothing would change.”
Public opinion always boils fast—and cools just as fast.
The hype around the Territorial War had already burned out.
By the time her follow-up went to print, the public’s interest would have cooled entirely.
So even if I kindly answered all her questions and satisfied everyone’s curiosity, it wouldn’t really make waves.
Leaking the secret of my abilities in exchange for almost no impact on my reputation?
That’s what you call a terrible cost-benefit ratio.
At my response, Chloe slammed the desk.
“What are you talking about! This is still a huge hot topic right now!”
She was clearly upset at my claim that her article’s popularity had already waned.
I gave a casual shrug.
“That’s why you never make it out of the bottom ranks for hot-topic articles.”
“Wh-what did you just say?”
It was true—among the Newspaper Club members, Chloe ranked at the very bottom for generating buzz.
This time she happened to luck out with a front-page exclusive, but as a reporter, her actual talent wasn’t particularly high.
Even her awful photography skills said enough.
'Taking a picture of me that bad? Unforgivable.'
Besides, how desperate must she have been to travel all the way to backwater Izelin, hiding among the spectators Chepesh gathered, just to get material?
If I hadn’t intervened, Izelin would have lost to Jerome, and she wouldn’t have even had a proper story to write.
“You done talking?”
“Quiet. Sit down. I’ll give you something that’s actually worth an article.”
I picked up the pen she had thrown and scribbled on an empty part of the newspaper.
Scratch, scratch—
“This is…”
Still fuming, Chloe furrowed her brows as she looked at what I’d written.
“Here. This is a topic you can use for your next article. The Seven Mysteries of the Union.”
The Seven Mysteries of the Union.
They weren’t just urban legends or school ghost stories—each one was a real “Hidden Quest” that existed within the Union.
Every time you cleared one of the ancient ruins hidden across Union territory, you received a Trait as a reward.
'Seven Hidden Traits in total.'
Together with the Three Great Divine Tools of the Academies, they were among the most essential growth factors for any player.
So why would I make this public instead of quietly clearing them myself?
'Because unlike the Three Divine Tools, the rewards for the Seven Mysteries depend on how much “buzz” they create.'
The more famous and widely known each Mystery became, the higher the chance that an Epic Trait would appear as a reward upon clearing it.

Meaning—the more Chloe wrote about the Seven Mysteries and spread them to the public, the more advantageous it was for me.
And since no one could possibly clear those quests faster than me, there was no risk of anyone stealing my rewards midway.
“What do you think? Worth covering?”
Chloe frowned as she looked down at the notes I’d written.
“Isn’t this something people used to cover ages ago? It’s outdated content.”
“What. It should be off cooldown by now.”
“?”
“And the reason coverage of the Seven Mysteries died down is simply because no new information about them has surfaced in years. But soon, some of those secrets will start to come to light again. It’s a perfect time to investigate.”
“…How do you know something even I don’t?”
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at me.
'Well, of course she’s curious.'
Chloe was originally from the Archeology Department of the Adventurers’ Academy Dilettante.
Naturally, she was well-versed in ruins and mysteries like this.
Her current reporter gig was just a club activity to pay her tuition.
So for me to know something she didn’t—it made sense that she’d be skeptical.
“There’s a way to know. Don’t ask for details. Anyway, I’ll soon begin exploring those ruins myself, so I’d like you to keep writing about them.”
“…You personally?”
“Yeah. I’ll even take you with me. It’s not a bad deal for you either. Big stories and hot info are always monopolized by people with wide networks or strong intel. That’s not really your strength, is it?”
I looked down at the notes about the Seven Mysteries.
“But this is your specialty, isn’t it? And it’s perfect for a serialized column. It’s way better than running around every day hunting for clickbait.”
“……”
“If you carve out your own niche and secure a loyal readership, you won’t have to worry about getting kicked off the paper. How about it? You get your story, and I get fame. Win-win.”
Chloe stared blankly for a moment, then snorted and glared at me.
“…What are you even talking about? That kind of thing doesn’t sell. What do you know about writing articles anyway? Forget it.”
She scowled, packed her things, and stood up.
Swish—
Even so, she discreetly slipped the newspaper with my notes about the Seven Mysteries into her pocket.
I raised an eyebrow.
“You said it wouldn’t sell. Why take it?”
“Just in case!”
“……”
Stomping her feet for no reason, she marched toward the door.
I watched her retreating back and recalled her details.
'Chloe Andina.'
Right now she was just a low-ranking club member, but eventually she’d rise to become editor-in-chief of the club—its leader.
The first club head not from Albert Academy, the one specialized in journalism and information studies.
Later, she would even serve as Director of Cultural Heritage in the Cassandra Empire’s government.
It was advantageous to win over such a person early—especially for controlling public opinion within the Union.
Giving her this kind of information today was for that very reason.
Well… in truth, all I’d done was tell her what she’d eventually write in the future anyway. Just a bit of showing off.
I called out toward the back of her head as she opened the door.
“Then I’ll count on you for this article and the next ones too, Chloe.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Don’t expect me to write anything nice about you! I’m leaving!”
Bang—
The Student Council Office door trembled after she stormed out.
After the whirlwind had passed, Ciel, who had quietly been listening from nearby, spoke.
“Loen, are you sure it’s wise to make an enemy of a reporter? She could write malicious articles about you.”
It was common for an article to twist facts depending on the journalist’s intent.
If Chloe really wanted to, she could spread completely false stories about me.
But I brushed off Ciel’s concern.
“At this point, who cares? My infamy’s already past the stage where I have to worry about anyone’s opinion. Let her do as she likes. Besides, Chloe’s destined to become my ally.”
I looked at the door Chloe had disappeared through and smiled faintly.
Because that was the fate of the NPC I’d marked.
***
The Student Council Office was quiet again.
After finishing the interview and all other tasks, I sat alone on the sofa, gazing at the night view outside the window, and opened my system window.
The Epic Trait I had obtained earlier—
[Black Lotus]
Even after playing The Legend of Mirrelin a hundred times, I’d never seen this Trait before. It was an Epic Trait that allowed a contract with a Darkness Spirit.
'Spirit, huh…'
Spirits formed one of the fundamental principles underlying the continent of Mirrelin.
Unlike most games that use the four Western elements, this one was based on the Eastern Five Elements. All spirits—light, darkness, wood, metal, earth, water, fire—existed through their interactions.
In that sense, the Darkness Spirit Kavelthar that I had contracted with was clearly one of them. But—
'I’ve never heard of this particular spirit before.'
I stared at the system window, lost in thought.
And since I’d also never heard of any Trait called [Black Lotus], it was worth checking it out right now.
It’d be good to have one more way to fight in case another real battle broke out soon.
Thinking that, I selected the [Black Lotus] Trait on the system window and drew up my mana.
A message appeared in midair.
[Would you like to begin the Spirit Summoning tutorial?]
“Yeah.”
[Preparing tutorial.]
Watching the loading screen float in the air, I thought—
Spirit summoning itself was a form of mana manipulation. Meaning that for a half-baked mage like Loen, even forming a contract would normally be impossible.
It wasn’t even clear whether Loen possessed any innate spirit affinity at all.
However, just as he could use Alchemy magic thanks to the [Alchemy] Trait despite being unable to cast normally, spirit summoning should likewise be possible through the power of [Black Lotus].
'A Trait that overrides one’s natural disposition.'
For now, I’d trust the Trait and try summoning the Darkness Spirit.
A few moments later—
Fwoosh—
“Cough.”
Thick black smoke filled the Student Council Office.
Following the tutorial’s guide, I proceeded with the summoning, and something rose from within the black mist of the magic circle.
From the pentagram-shaped circle popped out a small, fist-sized black object.
“……”
I opened the window to ventilate the room and checked the information of the object lying on the floor.
[Darkness Spirit Kavelthar – Egg]
Classification: Spirit
Grade: Unique
An unhatched egg. Until it breaks out of its shell, what will emerge remains unknown.
“…What the hell is this.”
I frowned as I turned the black egg over in my hand.
I’d never heard of a “growing” spirit before.
Spirits were divided into lower, middle, and upper ranks—each fixed as they were. A lower-ranked spirit never evolved into a higher one.
But this thing was an egg from the start.
It looked like I’d have to hatch and raise it before I could use its power properly.
'Great. Just what I needed.'
I’d wanted something I could use in battle right away, but the thing that appeared was an egg.
Well… it was daunting to think about raising it to maturity, but from another angle, that might mean it was a late-blooming type of spirit.
'Let’s think positively. Its grade is [Unique], after all.'
The [Unique] grade wasn’t necessarily always good, but it did mean the item was literally one of a kind in the world.
'That’s enough for today.'
I placed Kavelthar’s egg on the table and went to bed.
“……”
Twitch—
***
The last week of March.
Among the Union’s classes, some were electives chosen by students, but there were also required common courses everyone had to take.
This upcoming practical class was one of the latter.
The Union had always been an academy dedicated to training future talents who would fight against monsters.
That tradition continued even now—once a month, all students had to participate in a mandatory practical session.
Along with a group of students, I passed through the Union’s barrier and defensive walls.
This was the area outside Union grounds, commonly called the “Uncharted Zone.”
Under the supervision of the instructors, dozens of students, including myself, arrived at Section C of the Uncharted Zone—the entrance to the Howling Black Mountains.
The instructor leading Group C, my group, was Verdandi Gunhild, professor of Basic Swordsmanship from Ishtal.
Among the faculty, she was renowned for her skill, so having her as our instructor was reassuring.
When we reached the designated site, her snow-white hair fluttered as she stood before the students and spoke.
“Welcome, everyone. I’m Verdandi Gunhild, and I’ll be in charge of this year’s first practical class.”
Rustle—
“This class will last for three days. Your objective is to capture the flag at the top of the mountain.”
She spread open a large map she’d brought.
“Each team will consist of five members, arranged randomly based on Competitive War rankings to ensure balance. As a result, the sum of the rankings of each team is equal.”
Meaning—since my Competitive War ranking was near the bottom, someone of top-tier rank had to be assigned to my team.
And my prediction turned out to be right.
“Well, this is… awkward.”
Freya, assigned to the same team as me, was glaring at me coldly.