The Entrance Ceremony (1)
The Jewel used during the entrance ceremony reveals a player's stats and traits, and it even lets you pre-select your class at the end. People commonly called it the "luck orb," and it was considered the most important part when creating a character after the tutorial. After all, while you could choose your class, the stats and unique traits it showed were completely out of the player's control.
‘I wonder how I'll turn out.’
Would it carry over the exact stats I'd given my character Zeon? Or would it be completely random and new? With a mix of worry and anticipation, I placed my hand on the Jewel. As if it had been waiting, a brilliant light burst from it.
‘It's golden!’
I cheered inwardly at the faint golden hue shimmering within the light. Stats normally ranged from 1 to 30, and if even one of them hit the maximum of 30, it would produce this exact golden glow.
I blinked. And blinked again.
‘…Holy shit.’
Was I really seeing this correctly? How could stats even look like this? Even while staring at the status window right in front of me, I couldn't help but doubt if it was real. Starting with every single stat at 30? In all the time I'd played the game, I'd never seen anyone begin with stats like these. With numbers like this, no matter what class I picked, I'd be able to cruise through the late game without any major struggles.
‘The stats are flawless. Absolutely perfect.’
Now it was time to check the trait. Depending on what kind of effect it had, the direction of my class choice would be set. Hoping for something reasonably balanced, I examined the trait.
Apex
Category: Trait
The exalted one whom all must look up to.
-Raises skill proficiency to its absolute maximum.
-Ignores all item usage requirements.
-Fixes all probabilities at 100%.
‘……’
The effects were so broken that reporting it as a bug would leave me speechless. What? Max skill proficiency? Ignore item requirements? And probabilities fixed at 100%? It was so ridiculous that even I felt a little sorry. I was genuinely at a loss for words.
‘With this, it won't matter what class I pick.’
Both stats and trait had gone far beyond perfect. Class? Honestly, I could probably be a farmer and still be fine.
[Anomaly Detected in User]
[User's unique point confirmed.]
[Class selection has been restricted.]
‘What?’
This kind of window never appeared in the game.
[Please select your class.]
1. Spiritualist
‘Spiritualist?’
Normally, there should be five class options available. But the only candidate in front of me was this completely unfamiliar one called Spiritualist.
‘Guess I have no choice but to pick it.’
Since only one option had appeared, there was no point in hesitating.
‘Yeah. With stats like these, I can handle an unknown class just fine.’
[You have changed class to Spiritualist.]
[You have acquired exclusive Spiritualist skills.]
[Due to the effect of Apex, all skill proficiencies have been raised to maximum.]
Thanks to my trait, the moment I acquired the skills, their proficiency shot straight to the max. Along with that came a brief wave of dizziness. It was probably an effect from one of the Spiritualist skills.
When my vision cleared, it was sharper than before. And things I hadn't been able to see just moments ago started coming into view.
-Gurgh! Grk…
What especially caught my attention was a gray-haired girl sitting on Garein's shoulder, drooling in her sleep. Maybe it was because of Garein's usual stern image, but I almost burst out laughing.
‘Calm down first. There are other people here. I can't just grin like an idiot by myself.’
Still, the corners of my mouth kept trying to rise, so I ended up covering them with my hand. I cleared my thoughts and stopped paying attention to that side. There was still one more thing I hadn't checked, so I focused on that instead.
Master of the Throne
Category: Title
The one prepared for a seat meant for a single person.
-Doubles the effect of all other titles.
I'd already been shocked enough by the stats and trait, but this… It broke my expectations once again. Doubling the effect of every title? Even without any further explanation, everyone would understand how insane that was.
“Now return to your seats.”
“Yes.”
-Krrgh. Grk! Zzz.
Even as I returned to my seat, I kept my eyes strictly away from Garein's face. I sat down with a thud.
Once I was back in my seat, I started wondering why I'd even come here in the first place.
‘I have one suspicion…’
It was the notification that had popped up on my phone back when I was ranked number one and coughing up blood in agony. The mysterious message that said it was a gift just for me. That was where my biggest suspicion lay.
“Number 96!”
“Here!”
While I was pondering the reason I'd come to this place, Garein continued calling out other students' numbers. Through that process, I learned one thing. This entrance ceremony wasn't set after the main story had ended. It was right at the very beginning of the main story.
Since I was in Zeon's body, I'd naturally assumed this was after the main story concluded… but that thought was completely shattered the moment I spotted the story's major characters sitting in the same uniforms and chairs as me.
“Number 100!”
“Yesss!!”
The female student who answered Garein's call with energy strode forward with confident steps. In this world, her black hair and black eyes made her stand out as a beautiful girl, even though she would have been ordinary back on Earth. It felt a bit strange since the protagonist had been male when I played, but there was no doubt about it.
That girl was unmistakably the protagonist of this world—the character I'd controlled myself. The hero who would resolve all the coming incidents. She was definitely Mir, the Hero.
“Hoo… Hiyah!”
Thanks to the aura that naturally drew people's eyes, not only the major characters but even the ordinary students sitting next to me were watching her every move. Looking at Mir's tense face, I recalled her strength.
‘Not quite on my level, but definitely protagonist-tier.’
If I had any conscience, I'd have to admit I was an exception.
‘But something's been bothering me for a while now.’
The guy sitting right next to me.
“D-do you have something to say?”
Maybe I'd been staring too hard. He must have felt my gaze, because he turned his head and met my eyes.
“Are you a split personality or something?”
“……”
…Sorry. So please stop trying to scoot away from me.
I knew it was a sudden question, but from my perspective, I had no choice. Because right now, I could clearly see the being inside him.
Unlike the androgynous-looking guy, she had features beautiful enough to be called a stunning woman. And at that very moment, she was munching on popcorn inside him.
‘Still, that was pretty blunt of me.’
But an apology would have to wait. The last student had just touched the Jewel and was returning to their seat.
The fact that the final student had returned meant it was time for the real entrance ceremony of the Academy to begin.
“We will now proceed with the final part of the entrance ceremony.”
Just as I'd expected, Garein pulled out a palm-sized device with a button on it and spoke.
Click.
……Boom.
The moment the button was pressed, the ground rumbled. Only a few students noticed what was happening. Most just tilted their heads, unaware of what was going on.
…Boom.
The vibration came again. This time it was a little stronger and louder than before. Now the other students were starting to notice something was wrong, and tension began to show on their faces.
Boom!
“Whoa!”
“Ugh!”
“Uwaah.”
As the vibrations grew stronger, our bodies shook involuntarily. Garein looked down at us calmly and said,
“Everyone, draw your weapons. Press the button on your chair and the weapon you registered during admission will appear.”
All the students pressed the buttons on their chairs and retrieved their weapons.
“Looks like I got a sword.”
Incidentally, the weapon I received was a sword. Since the default weapon given at the entrance ceremony was a sword, I didn't feel anything strange about it.
“Once you have your weapons, everyone stand up from your seats.”
Whoosh.
The moment all the students stood, the chairs turned into remnants of magic power and scattered. With the chairs gone, the auditorium felt wide enough to move freely. I swung my sword toward the empty space.
Swoosh. Whoosh.
The sensation of swinging the sword felt much clearer than it had in the game. It must be the difference in sensation that came from this being reality instead of a game. In that case, the pain I would feel would probably be far more agonizing and difficult than in the game too. At least the game had been set to forcibly dull pain.
Sting.
I lightly pricked my finger on the blade. The sharp weapon sliced through flesh, bringing a stinging pain.
“…I need to be careful.”
BOOM!!!!
“It's already here.”
The location was behind Garein. As everyone waited with tense hearts, a massive something beneath the ground began to reveal itself.
Rumble. Crash!
“Kiiiik!”
It had the appearance of a snake, but its size was enormous. Rock fragments protruded from its body, and it had a tail hard enough to shatter massive boulders. Eight red eyes that would instill fear in its enemies. But the monster didn't rampage wildly. It simply stared down at us quietly.
Garein lightly tapped its body and said,
“This one's name is Sand Snake. It crawls beneath the earth, and it is the monster you will all be facing today.”
The students were thrown into panic at those words. A few turned deathly pale, looking like they might need to be sent straight to the infirmary.
“U-us?”
“We've never even hunted a monster before!”
“Do not worry. This one has been properly trained, so there will be no unexpected accidents.”
And even if something did happen, Garein would step in immediately to protect us. But even knowing that, the students' faces didn't relax. Instead, they simply hung their heads at the grim reality that they really had to fight that monster.
“Then, everyone, do your best.”
“Kyaaaaah!!”
Along with the Sand Snake letting out a roar at Garein's words, our first real battle had officially begun.