Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Translator: Penny
Episode 22: The Chaotic Freshman Entrance Ceremony [2]
Episode 22: The Chaotic Freshmen Orientation [2]
Before the peaceful campus, students wearing uniforms adorned with green brooches—symbols of their freshman status—streamed through the school gates one by one.
"Chairman, we could have handled this ourselves..."
"No, as Student Council President, I must personally assist with such matters to truly earn the title."
Among the Student Council members overseeing the freshmen cadets' movements at the gate, the President meticulously observed each student.
...First target acquired: Hanae Sakura.
She's entering under heavy guard by black-suited bodyguards. Is this because she's the daughter of a prestigious Japanese family?
The massive bow mounted on her back is truly impressive. While the Academy typically requires cadets to use standard equipment, Hanae Sakura's bow is unlike any other.
It's enormous...
The bow is nearly as tall as an adult man. Most archers use direct fire, drawing the arrow back and releasing it in a straight line. But Hanae Sakura tilts her bow skyward, firing arrows that arc high into the air before plummeting back to earth with devastating force, like artillery shells.
Her personality is as remarkable as her weapon. Hanae Sakura is one of the heroines who warmly approaches the protagonist at the start of the game, offering kindness and support.
In cave-like dungeons where close combat is the norm, or in buildings with ceilings too low for arrows to reach their full trajectory, she'd be utterly useless. But on vast plains or in siege warfare where she could unilaterally strike enemies from high ground, she was a Ranger beyond Tier 1—an outright overpowered force.
That was Hanae Sakura.
Unfortunately, my bodyguard can only escort me to the school gate...
As soon as I passed through the gate, the gazes of the new students immediately turned to Sakura.
This is going to be a pain.
I quickened my pace, pushing through the students who recognized me, and moved to stand before Sakura.
Everyone but Sakura, just go your own way.
Using the Demonic Eye of Suggestion, I cast a suggestion on them, and the cadets, as if possessed by ghosts, each went their own way.
"You must be a new student. The auditorium is that way," a cadet said, pointing toward the auditorium, startled by the sudden disappearance of the crowd.
"G-21... the very last row," Sakura muttered, glancing at her seat assignment.
After thanking the cadet, Sakura hurried off. As she ran, I caught a glimpse of the paper with her seat number. Knowing that Sakura, as a Ranger Class student, would never be assigned to the front row, I felt a quiet sense of relief.
Well, Sakura isn't the type to run from monsters anyway. Even if she were in the front row, she'd probably fight just as well.
After that, I watched many other main characters enter the auditorium.
Seong Arin, a damage-dealing Magician, yawned sleepily as she floated into the auditorium.
Ecclesia, a support-type Magician and princess of the British Royal Family, entered with an enormous entourage of guards and even a cadet escort, as if she were enrolling alongside the other students. As the story progresses, she will become the commander of the European Union.
Na Yubin, a Striker, lost her parents in the Gate Break and, consumed by vengeance, follows a dark path to become a villain. However, if rescued early on, she can become a formidable one-person assault team.
Yu Eun-ha, originally Yun Seong-ho's adopted daughter who caused significant conflict with Yun Se-a in the original story, has now become a character with no connection to Yun Se-a since Yun Seong-ho's death.
"Alright, now only the protagonist remains."
When players start the game, they get to name the protagonist, so the protagonist doesn't have a default name.
However, regardless of how the game starts, the protagonist's appearance is always described as having striking white hair and golden eyes. If you could find a boy with those features, you'd immediately recognize him as the protagonist.
But...
"...Well, he could still arrive right before the entrance ceremony. After all, the protagonist enters the Academy with just an average mid-tier score. He wouldn't need to arrive early like Seong Arin, who gave the entrance oath."
The protagonist's face was nowhere to be seen.
Despite the influence of supernatural abilities causing people's hair to be as colorful as a rainbow, white hair was surprisingly rare.
Typically, white hair was associated with healing-type Heroes who wielded Sacred Power or those with ice-based abilities like Lee Seol-hwa. Yet, not a single male cadet with white hair had shown his face.
What's going on? Is this for real?
Right up until the moment the entrance ceremony began, the cadet with white hair and golden eyes remained absent.
"Chairman, did something happen today?"
"I don't know. Her expression suddenly darkened right from the start of the ceremony..."
"Yun Se-a, control your expression! The kids are watching."
This was the reason my face was currently scowling as the entrance ceremony commenced.
......
Rustle
That's Na Hyeonsu. He must be one of the Board of Directors' sons...
The 2-meter-long spear strapped to his back made him instantly recognizable.
I already knew about him from the summary list of key figures (the Board of Directors' children) Eve had given me. But even without the list, his sheer incompetence was glaringly obvious.
Among the freshmen, he's the only Defender carrying a spear. What a lunatic.
He was such a joke that I'd even bothered to memorize his name.
Strikers should be wielding spears, not meat shields. What's a Defender doing with a spear?
The world of Defenders is truly a lonely one.
Unless you're an overwhelming powerhouse like Thomas Andrea, capable of clearing S-Rank Gates solo, your role is to buy time for the Magicians and Rangers behind you to attack. Or, when a Striker on the front line has exhausted their skills and is in danger, you step in to block or take hits, giving the Striker time to recharge their skills. It's a somewhat pitiful position.
"Of course, the Defender position also has the lowest compensation among the four classes."
It's a position absolutely essential to the team, yet its importance is overshadowed by the other classes, relegating it to a lower priority.
As a class typically chosen by Cadets lacking specialized skills and focusing primarily on Body Enhancement Skills, the Defender's main task is to endure relentless attacks and survive. Their standard equipment includes a short-ranged hammer or a massive shield, allowing them to breach monster hordes and advance into the Gates—the A to Z of being a Defender. Yet this idiot is a Defender who carries a spear.
A Defender wielding a spear...
[Academy Swordmaster Gallery]
[ Trying out Spearman as a Tanker ᄉᄀ ] (4,888 views)
My stats are completely messed up, so all I have are Body Enhancement Skills. But I got an Epic Spear, so I'm forced to solo the Defender ending without a shield. ᄉᄀ
Comments (99+)
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Good luck to you.
Even professional ASOMA YouTubers struggled for four hours trying to beat the Chapter 1 Boss before giving up and rage-quitting. What makes you think you can do it? ㅋㅋㅋ
(Author): Wait, is this a bug? Why am I dying to the Chapter 1 Mid-Boss even on the easiest difficulty?
Did you get swarmed by monsters and couldn't swing your spear?
(Author): Yeah, how did you know?
I tried the same thing and got one-shot.
That's why you shouldn't play Defender with a spear, idiot! ㅋㅋㅋ
This kind of insane strategy was so ridiculous it became a laughingstock in the community.
Normally, players like that would have been filtered out during the first test... Did they get in through the Special Admission Track, which allows transfer students to bypass the standard exam and enter through a separate evaluation process?
"Miss Ayul, is that where the cadets who entered through the Special Admission Track are?"
"...Oh, you're right."
Just as I thought.
Na Hyeonsu—or whatever his name was—and the dim-witted kids around him were chatting, clearly sticking to their own kind.
In truth, cadets admitted through the Special Admission Track are often perceived as either transfer students from other academies or students with subpar skills who got in through connections. It's kind of like the rural admissions quota, you know?
The only ones showing any promise in that group are... maybe two to four people, including that blindfolded girl and the white-haired girl with golden eyes I've been searching for.
Raon Academy only allowed around ten students through special admission, so I figured this record would be acceptable and finished logging it.
Then, the entrance ceremony began...
"Aaaah! Save me! Dad said this was all just a simulation... Gaaah?!"
As expected, the crippled Spearman was trapped among the monsters, unable to attack, and sent flying by their attacks.
"Everyone, are you ready?"
["Yes!"]
["Perfectly prepared."]
["Sigh... I think mine's going to be the hardest."]
"Don't worry, Miss Ayul. Since the recording is mostly done, I'll help you if you ask, 'Chairman, please help me.'"
["I'll definitely finish this on my own!"]
That's that, and this is this.
Now, let the chaotic entrance ceremony... begin!