The Surge of Volunteers
I’m going to the explanation session, ya!
The other boards were in a similar state. Various groups, guilds, even the Magic Tower. With inquiries for monster wave deployments exploding, they were all holding additional explanation sessions.
And the factor that could change the situation in just one day like this…
Is it really because of the game I made?
I stared at the notice from the dean’s office for a long time.
Still, the content didn’t change.
[Valkar Duchy Wave Support Explanation Session - Additional Sessions Announced]
“Not like someone wrote this as a joke… It’s real.”
Inquiries have increased… That line stuck out especially.
Until yesterday, the monster wave was something most students didn’t feel personally. Scary, sure, but not their problem, so it was fine.
“It’s not weird for students to hesitate.”
There was precedent, and above all, it was a matter of life and death.
But then one game gets released, the community boils over, reactions pour in from external boards… and now additional explanation sessions?
“It doesn’t feel real.”
It was good news, exactly what I’d hoped for.
But the reaction coming this fast left me more dazed than happy.
I’d thrown a pebble, and a wave crashed back.
“For now… let’s just go check it out tomorrow.”
I needed to see it myself. How many people would show up. Was it just curiosity, or the real deal?
“Make sure no one’s just swept up in the hype…”
The northern monster wave was a whole different level of danger from real-life Dodge the Fireball.
As I reached for the classroom door, my body swayed.
“Found you, ya!”
“Whoa— Yaruru?”
Yaruru wasn’t wearing her usual dazed expression; she looked determined somehow. Mana panel in one hand, notepad in the other.
“…You’ve got a mana panel, why the notepad?”
“Gotta prepare thoroughly, ya!”
“Prepare for what?”
“The explanation session, ya!”
Ah. So that’s how it is.
“You saw the notice too, huh.”
“Of course, ya!”
Yaruru nodded, waving her notepad. Well, yeah. Yaruru never lets go of her mana panel; no way she missed it.
“GameMakerPro needs on-site materials for the next update, ya!”
“…Huh?”
“So, as his assistant, you and I gotta gather info and pass it on, ya!”
I just stood there, staring at Yaruru.
Seeing her this fired up, maybe I should correct her misconception…
But that’d just make her more of a hassle, right?
Besides, Yaruru’s delusion had its own logic, leaving no room to butt in.
“But do I really need to go?”
“You’re the assistant, so obviously, ya!”
“…Actually, I’m not GameMakerPro’s assistant.”
“Hehe, no need to be so humble, ya.”
“…”
Exactly like this.
Yaruru patted my shoulder.
“We gotta hurry, ya! Late means no front seats, ya!”
“Don’t think we need front row for an explanation session.”
“Posture matters for data collection, ya!”
“…You’re really enthusiastic.”
“It’s fun! That’s what makes you enthusiastic, ya!”
“…”
Yaruru said it like it was obvious.
And that short phrase stuck in my brain deeper than expected.
“…Yeah. Let’s go.”
It’s fun. So you move even without anyone telling you to.
Seeing her like that made my heart suddenly race.
Arrhythmia?
I pressed my oddly fluttering chest and followed Yaruru’s bouncy steps.
“Chase walks too slow, ya.”
“You’re just fast.”
“It’s the passion gap, ya.”
“Someone might think you’re the assistant.”
“Nah, ya. Being a pure fan is enough for me, ya.”
At that, I stumbled for a second.
Pure fan? No, that’s… kinda embarrassing.
It took a while to calm the embarrassment. All the way to the auditorium hosting the session.
And the path there was way more crowded than I thought.
Didn’t expect the community hype to lag behind reality like this.
“Hey, you really going?”
“Nah… just figured listening costs nothing.”
“True. Can’t clear Wave 4 and heading north? Suicide.”
“What’s that got to do with this!”
Yaruru nodded slightly at the conversation drifting from afar.
“He’s right, ya.”
“…That?”
“The field’s more dangerous than Wave 4, ya.”
“Maybe separate reality from the game?”
The crowd thickened as we neared the auditorium. I stopped at the sight of the long line snaking down the hall.
Yaruru gaped in admiration.
“So many serious people, ya!”
“Eh, probably more just here to listen.”
“Why’re you so nonchalant, Chase, ya?”
“…When was I?”
“Suspicious, ya.”
I turned to the bustling entrance instead of answering.
Dean’s office staff hustled, but their faces were half-zoned out.
“Sorry! Not enough seats—we’ll do it in shifts!”
“One handout per person, please!”
“Questions after… no, don’t go in, join the line—”
A familiar professor stepped in to sort the chaos.
“Quiet, everyone! Due to the crowd, we’ll run sessions on the lower floor too.”
“…”
“Right, you… Yaruru, was it?”
“That’s me, ya!”
“…Yeah, no one else talks like that. You and your group, head downstairs for the session.”
“Got it, ya! Chase! Let’s go, ya!”
“Thank you, Professor.”
We bowed and headed down. The lower auditorium filled up fast too.
“Silence, please!”
The murmurs died as a rough-looking man took the podium.
“Way more people than expected… supposed to be two of us, but I’m solo now. Kinda thrown off.”
Laughter rippled through the room.
“I’m Andreas, senior researcher at Valkar Duchy’s Technical Development Bureau.”
“Today’s session covers basics for monster wave support volunteers.”
Andreas cleared his throat, emphasizing:
“So, focus on logistics, transport, maintenance, rear support—not combat.”
Yaruru’s eyes sparkled.
“Gotta tell GameMakerPro, ya!”
“…Not even combat-related?”
“Needed for next update, ya!”
“…”
Andreas’s explanation was surprisingly grounded. What fields student volunteers would join. Pre-wave training and adaptation. Supplies and safety rules.
Then he opened for questions, and hands shot up wildly.
“No combat roles?”
“There are. But for safety… professors will screen strictly.”
The stocky student’s question buzzed the room.
“Chase, Chase! That’s Body Technique GOSU Who Will Become, ya…!”
“…He’d probably do fine even in a wave.”
A martial artist who broke through dodging fireballs? Yeah, he’d shine.
“How long’s training? Straight to Valkar?”
“Details at screening. Next?”
“Separate dorms?”
“Triples, same roles together.”
“Meals?”
“Provided.”
“Tasty?”
Silence, then laughter. Andreas looked stumped, then relaxed.
“…Personal taste. But nutrition’s solid.”
“Ambiguous, ya.”
“…How’d you get that conclusion?”
“Heard army food’s all the same, ya.”
“How do you know that?”
I bit my lip to stifle a laugh at Yaruru’s serious face.
Questions kept coming.
“How far’s rear support from the front?”
“Adult here—need parental consent?”
“Can we quit midway in Valkar?”
Questions turned practical; even casual onlookers started raising hands.
Then Yaruru shot hers up high.
…Bad feeling.
A staffer pointed. “Yes, the blonde bob-cut student.”
Yaruru stood, clutching her notepad.
“What do first-timers miss most, ya?”
Students who knew her gawked; Andreas blinked.
But Yaruru pressed on. “Like trying to block everything and slowing down… curious about common mistakes like that, ya.”
My fingers twitched.
That’s straight out of Northern Defense.
Andreas pondered, then nodded slowly.
“Good question. Applies to support too, not just fighters.”
“Yes. Many try perfect coverage, take full responsibility—and big problems happen.”
He sketched a wall on his mana panel.
“Field’s constant choices. Prioritize fast, decide what to abandon, act.”
“…”
“Trying to catch everything? That’s arrogance.”
His shifted tone hushed the room. Even the jokers focused.
Yaruru nodded furiously, scribbling.
“Knew it, ya…”
“You’re really passing this on?”
“Even GameMakerPro might miss it, ya.”
I’m the maker, though.
Touched by Yaruru’s zeal, Andreas shared cases: hoarding mobile units lets lines break; delayed orders cluster troops.
Yaruru noted every one, like it was her mission.
…Why’s my mouth curling up like this?
“Session ends here. Interested? Individual counseling at the back.”
Half the room surged rearward, not the exit.
“Wow! So many serious ones, ya!”
“…Yeah.”
A staffer urgently whispered nearby. “More handouts, quick!”
“Not enough counselors!”
“But last time empty, now—”
Yaruru turned from the exit, leaning on me.
“Chase. Let’s grab handouts too, ya.”
“…Didn’t you say you weren’t going?”
“Info collection’s key, ya.”
“…Sure.”
We snagged a set from the line. Yaruru hugged it, beaming.
“Proud feeling, ya.”
“Hm?”
“GameMakerPro’ll love this, ya.”
That again. My ears burned; I quickened my pace.
In the north, Valkar Duke’s office bustled with bright-faced retainers from morning.
Their reports brimmed positive.
At first, it seemed just Academy City’s Grace Academy stirring.
Regrettable. But still just students.
Good news, but minor.
Then the second report shifted the mood.
Mercenary guilds inquired unit deployments. Pension Guild’s support recruitment views spiked. Capital knight academy proposed real-combat discussions. Empire’s #2 academy’s magic faculty asked group dispatch.
The spark from Academy City spread empire-wide faster than expected.
“Academy City… Grace Academy… What happened there?”
Ariel, reading reports beside Valkar Duke, rubbed the paper’s edge quietly.
The junior from Academy City. The clue from him.
Maybe this commotion’s thanks to that junior too?
“Games, huh…”
Valkar Duke chuckled dryly.
“A mere game… entertainment outdoing our pleas.”
“Motive light? Doesn’t matter. It’s turning real—no need to fuss.”
“Enough. Cause or fault—responsibility’s mine anyway.”
“…”
“Ariel. You’re right. Forget petty origins; prep for the monster wave matters more.”
“I’ll focus on support troops.”
“Mm.”