Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Translator: Penny
Episode 23: The Chaotic Freshman Entrance Ceremony [End]
Episode 23: The Chaotic Freshmen Entrance Ceremony [END]
- Kwoooooooaaaaaaarrrrrrrr!
- Aaaah! What's that?! Why are monsters suddenly falling from the sky...? That... that's a Gate?!
- As one student pointed upward, a massive Gate, swirling ominously, materialized above them.
- Kirelelelele... REX!
- From the swirling vortex of the Gate, hordes of spear-wielding Lizardmen began pouring forth. The screams of fleeing students mingled with the frantic efforts of the second-year Student Council members trying to maintain order.
- Clang!
- This is a real emergency! Everyone, maintain your formations and prepare to fight the monsters! It's a Gate Break!
A student wearing a Student Council armband spoke, his voice urgent. You turned your head to survey the situation around you.
Swords clashed, and the monster's body began to split in half. Though no blood flowed, the monster's corpse remained intact, suggesting this was no illusion.
Crash!
"Ugh...!"
The student standing right next to you couldn't withstand the impact and was slammed against the wall.
"Kyahaha! Now that's more like it! Time for the tank to shine!"
Though slammed against the wall, the boy with the massive shield quickly pushed aside the monsters and charged forward.
(CLASS: Defender)
"Ugh... I'm so sleepy, but it's too noisy. Everyone, quiet down...!"
[Crackling energy surged through the air!]
With a dismissive flick of her wrist, the girl sleeping on the carpet unleashed a torrent of vibrant lightning that incinerated the entire swarm of monsters into ash.
CLASS: Magician (Offensive)
[Swish!]
"This way! Fall back, it's too dangerous here!"
The girl who had taken your hand pushed you behind her. She drew her greatsword and charged into the heart of the enemy ranks.
CLASS: Striker
[Twang!]
"Everyone! Cover me!"
A girl with sky-blue hair, identified by her name tag as Hanae Sakura, aimed a massive bow—larger than her own body—at the sky and began unleashing a barrage of devastatingly powerful arrows.
CLASS: Ranger
"Everyone, this way! Evacuate to a single location!"
CLASS: Magician (Support)
[Whoosh!]
A radiant light enveloped your body. Before you knew it, you felt in peak condition, brimming with confidence that you could accomplish anything.
The blonde girl waved her staff with a bright smile, and it seemed the other students had received a similar effect. Convinced she had cast a buff on you, you surveyed your surroundings.
"Ugh, what is this...? I'm so scared...!!"
"At least if we stick together here, we won't get wiped out all at once..."
"................."
Amidst the terrified students, those calmly assessing the situation, and even some who had fainted after wetting their pants, what choice would you make?
1. Confront the enemy directly.
2. Observe the situation and investigate the cause of this incident.
That's how it began—the Entrance Test.
The method for clearing the "Entrance Ceremony Incident" episode, which also determined the player's role within the Academy, was simple.
First, an unnamed male student with a shield charged forward, followed by Seong Arin unleashing wide-area magic to sweep through the enemy ranks.
Then, Yu Eun-ha appeared to rescue the protagonist from danger before charging into the fray, sword swinging. Finally, Hanae Sakura began clearing out the remaining monsters with curved shots from the rear.
The final touch was receiving Ecclesia's support magic, completing the brief intro to the Entrance Ceremony Incident.
By observing these four distinct roles during the intro, players could choose their preferred position.
'Technically, Magicians are divided into two types, but they're still classified under the same position, so there are four positions, not five... If that's the case, they might as well just call Magicians "attackers" and Supporters "healers" or "supporters"... That would have been sufficient.'
Well, maybe it's just the game company's limitations. If they'd chosen "Supporter" as the name, it would have only reinforced the image of it being a position where you just get carried.
Anyway, the protagonist confirms the roles of all four classified positions during the intro.
'And then, they take the necessary steps to clear the Entrance Ceremony Incident.'
Choosing option [1. Fight Back], they have a limited time to gather students and eliminate waves of monsters together.
2. Observe the situation and identify the likely cause of this incident.
I could choose this option and destroy the Augmented Reality Monster Generator alone, ending the test entirely.
Most people went with the second option.
Option 1 was easier in terms of difficulty, but it took a considerable amount of time—roughly 4 to 8 minutes. In contrast, Option 2, if executed correctly, could be completed in under 30 seconds.
It was so efficient that a direct route to the generator had even been developed for players to use from the very start.
By the way, what position did the protagonist enroll as? I'm suddenly curious.
The Defender class is notoriously weak, and since there are already plenty of students aspiring to be Defenders within the Academy, most students opt for Striker or ranged positions instead.
Positions like damage-dealing Magicians or Rangers, you know?
Ah, but most people don't pick Support Magicians.
In the early to mid-game, you could breeze through the story by choosing your party members carefully and keeping buffs up. But the real problem was Yun Se-a, the boss even veteran players struggled with.
Unless you equipped every party member with mental attack immunity items or learned mental attack immunity skills, you'd get mind-controlled in the Yun Se-a Incident and wiped out before you could even react. That was the main reason.
Yun Se-a, who's still maintaining the Wall of Lamentation, suddenly feels incredibly impressive.
The Striker position is really good.
Using their speed to tear through enemy lines and wipe out foes—for Koreans addicted to highlight reels, it's the perfect choice.
Looking at the Japanese side, which emphasized cooperation, all positions were evenly distributed. The American users, for some reason, had poured massive amounts of money into creating Thomas Andrea Mk.2, resulting in an overwhelming number of Defenders.
They might have already chosen their positions beforehand, or perhaps they could still change them here.
Well, whatever position the protagonist takes, it's none of my business.
After all, the protagonist hadn't even shown up at the Entrance Ceremony in the first place.
They might have been late, or perhaps something happened on their way here... For now, as Student Council President and as Yun Se-a, the right course of action was to focus on resolving this Entrance Ceremony Incident without the protagonist.
Come to think of it, surprisingly few students are trying to escape.
Having received incorrect information beforehand, some students shouted, "It's all virtual reality! Dad told me! These monsters aren't real, so don't worry and just defeat them for points!" However, aside from the few who were struck head-on by Lizardmen clubs and sent crashing into walls, most were fighting well.
In fact, the sight of those students being knocked out might have helped the others realize the gravity of the situation, causing them to band together and fight more effectively.
"Uwaaaah! I don't want to die here! I don't want to!"
"...Disqualified. You were in Class A during the Entrance Test. High output alone isn't enough; with such cowardice... I'll demote you to Class C. Come back when you've steeled your resolve to fight monsters."
After capturing and knocking out a student trying to flee, I expertly stuffed him into the black sack I habitually carried.
"Miss Ayul, didn't you say you could handle this all by yourself?"
"Ugh, just catch them yourself! Does the Student Council President think this is some free ride?!"
"I've already caught about five, so I can afford to take it easy for a bit."
I swiftly moved to Kang A-yul's side and set down the five burlap sacks. Her slightly surprised expression was visible as she glanced at me.
"H-hic...!"
Looking behind me, I saw roughly thirty students haphazardly bound with rope.
I thought there would be fewer, but there are quite a lot.
Half of the cadets who gained admission through Special Admission are among them... I expected it, but it's still a bit much.
"...Well, anyone who could survive a direct strike from Miss Ayul's sword wouldn't bother running away. I'll just put these people to sleep for now."
Snap!
With a light flick of his finger toward the terrified students, cadets began collapsing, their heads lolling as they fainted.
"Hmm... I'll write on these slips of paper: 'Deemed lacking the mindset of a hero. Accordingly, this student's class has been demoted by two levels.'"
He personally tucked the handwritten notes into the uniform pockets of each fallen cadet.
Those destined to grow would see these slips and strive to climb back up. Those without the potential would either settle into their demoted classes or simply vent their anger, eventually being weeded out even from those lower tiers. What a flawlessly meritocratic academy, free from entrance exam corruption!
After adjusting their projected class assignments by two levels via the name tags on their uniforms, he turned his head leisurely. The sight of students struggling valiantly came into view.
"Ugh, I'm so sleepy. How much longer is this going to take?"
Seong Arin was napping on a magic carpet, her automatic attack spells still active in mid-air. Meanwhile, Hanae Sakura, seemingly having formed an alliance, was surrounded by countless Defenders, mercilessly unleashing attacks on the Monsters. Ecclesia stood nearby, casting attack-boosting buffs on Sakura.
And in the enemy ranks, Yu Eun-ha and Ryu Shin-woo were single-handedly carving through hordes of Monsters.
"Don't get too close."
"Haha, you're quite something! Ever thought about joining the Naseon Guild?"
Ryu Shin-woo, you were only supposed to lure the Cadets! Why are you helping them fight?
If I sent a radio message now, Yu Eun-ha, who was fighting right next to me, would hear it immediately.
Well, since no one's messing with the Augmented Reality Combat Devices yet, I'll just keep an eye on things for now...
At that moment, something suddenly burst forth from the midst of the monsters.
"Haaaaaaah-!"
...
Dazzling golden eyes.
Short, white hair that fluttered in the wind.
The one-handed sword she wielded overflowed with blindingly radiant mana.
"This ends now!"
As the girl swung her sword in a wide arc, an enormous blade of energy soared toward the gate.
KWAHHHHH!
The energy blade cleaved the gate in two. With its energy supply severed, the machine could no longer sustain the summoning of monsters.
Whoosh...
The monsters, now devoid of physical form, dissolved into shimmering clusters of light, gradually fading away.
Observing the monsters vanishing into light, the students engaged in combat quickly noticed the change.
"Huh? What's happening to the monsters?"
"This light... is it the Augmented Reality Combat Device?"
"Alright, everyone! With this, Chairwoman's surprise test before the Entrance Ceremony is officially over!"
The students finally seemed to realize the true nature of the Entrance Ceremony event. At that moment, Eve appeared, instantly calming the bewildered cadets.
"Chairman, it's time we moved... Chairman?"
"Yun Se-a, why are you spacing out again...?"
"...This can't be happening. The protagonist was a woman?"
Except for a few students.