The Prologue Feels Off From the Start (1)

The moment the tutorial ended, the notifications exploded ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like fireworks.

Spirit's Eye? I made a puzzled face and glanced sideways at Eve Abraham, checking the newly acquired skill.

“Cain? What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing… I was just wondering if we should really leave those guys like that.”

As I spoke, I activated Spirit's Eye on Eve Abraham.

That was about it for now. She had just enrolled in the academy and was already level 50. Come to think of it, Eve Abraham was a character who normally joined in the mid-to-late game. Meeting her here… might be twisting the entire flow of the game, wouldn’t it?

With that thought in mind, I stared at her intently.

“Hehe. Cain. If you stare at me so openly, even I’ll get embarrassed.”

Eve giggled, her cheeks turning slightly red. To me, it looked like an act, but I still apologized and turned my head away. Honestly, it was a little awkward. We had only just met, after all.

“But… Cain, what did you just see?”

“Hm?”

Eve’s eyes were sparkling with curiosity again. That was definitely a sign she had picked up on something interesting… Wait, could she have noticed the skill I just used?

Abnormality Detection — Detects abilities that deviate from the world’s rules. Cannot be hidden from the eyes of God.

The passive skill I had briefly checked on her flashed through my mind. Abnormality? Did the system judge my ability to handle spirits as an abnormality? Or more importantly… was this really the world inside the game?

I won’t deny that I came to the academy with the lighthearted mindset of just enjoying myself. Since I was already trapped in the game, I figured I might as well try to stop the final event — the Descent of God — while I was at it. But now, even if only slightly, I could feel the flow subtly twisting. Was this also part of a spirit master’s intuition?

Meanwhile, Eve was still smiling brightly at me. Did she know what I was thinking right now?

“Cain.”

“Yeah?”

Eve called my name with a meaningful tone. It felt strangely familiar, as if she had known me for a long time. Maybe it was the chill I felt at that moment. I took a few steps back from her and forced a smile.

“What is it?”

“Nothing~ I was just thinking that Cain is such an interesting person~”

She answered with a bright laugh. In the game, Eve Abraham had played the typical role of a saintess until the very late stages, right before God descended through her body. Kind, healing her allies, sometimes acting strangely out of curiosity and causing trouble, yet more mature than anyone else.

It occurred to me that this game might be hiding far more than I thought.

“Hey, Cain.”

“Hm?”

“Um… hehe… Never mind. It’s too fun. I don’t want it to end so anticlimactically.”

Eve stepping so close while talking to me was honestly too much. No matter how much self-control I had, having such a beautiful face right in front of me made it hard to stay composed! I deliberately ignored Silph, who was still looking at me like I was some kind of beast, and carefully placed my hands on Eve’s shoulders to gently push her back.

“Um… Eve. Shouldn’t we head to our respective dorms now?”

Since I had already taken down that Preston guy or whatever his name was, it was time to prepare for the real prologue. The period of receiving temporary dorm assignments was when they measured basic abilities, divided the classes, and handled all sorts of other tasks.

I had dumped all my stats into vitality and kept Silph summoned as I parted ways with Eve and started walking.

‘Anyway, don’t we get our dorm assignments in the same place? I’d have more fun staying with Cain though?’

‘The… men’s and women’s dorms are assigned in different places…’

I was pretty sure the guards had said that when we passed through the academy’s main gate… Eve Abraham really didn’t seem to care about anything that didn’t interest her. Though honestly, shouldn’t outside matters like that be more interesting?

When I pointed that out, she stuck her tongue out playfully, laughed, and ran off. I headed toward the place assigning temporary dorms for male students, carrying the slight regret of not even getting to say a proper goodbye.

-Cain. You look. Very. Disappointed.

“When else would I get to hang out with a beauty like that? To her it was probably just a momentary amusement.”

-Beautiful humans. Are fascinating. Elves too. Dragons too.

Silph spun rapidly around me, as if genuinely curious. Since she had never materialized before, everything must have been new to her. I smiled warmly and playfully poked at her with my finger as I took my place in line.

There were more people gathered than I expected. Their outfits alone made it easy to guess their backgrounds. The Preston guy I had beaten up earlier and his lackeys. Alex, who had barely scraped by on pull-ups. The flashy ones were nobles, the shabby ones were commoners. There were also those dreaming of becoming mages, knights, or adventurers.

This damn body required vitality even to use Spirit's Eye, so I couldn’t check everyone’s stats. Oh well. I could take my time examining the guys later. There probably weren’t any particularly dangerous ones right now anyway.

With that thought, I let out a sigh. Despite the prejudice that she was only a lower-tier spirit, Silph was doing her job admirably. If my vitality held up, she could probably pull off attacks on the level of 3rd circle magic. I would have to keep training hard from now on.

I no longer wanted to live like my old self — submitting to power, crawling pathetically on the ground. I had somehow survived the crises so far. From now on, in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this academy, I would definitely become stronger.

My first goal would be to stop the god trying to reset this world. Yeah. Even if the reason was ridiculous, I would live earnestly here.

I looked at Alex, who was still scanning his surroundings without knowing anything. A boy with brown hair tied in a loose ponytail that reached his shoulders and a sturdy build. His passion and persistence were undoubtedly superior to anyone else here.

Although I was a spirit master who couldn’t use mana, I would support him from behind and help with the events to come.

The familiar system window appeared before my eyes, announcing the start of the prologue. The protagonist, having just finished the tutorial, would have his basic abilities measured and be placed into a class here. Of course, it started from the lowest point and gradually rose.

“Alright. I am Instructor Viola, in charge of the entrance exam. I would like to welcome all prospective students.”

A woman of indeterminate age with long hair the same color as her name and wearing a mage’s robe suddenly appeared and greeted us. Standing on a platform that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, she amplified her voice with magic so everyone could hear ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠before continuing.

“The exam will take place over the next few days while you are assigned to temporary lodging. It is to assess each of your abilities, so please cooperate as much as possible. You will each be issued a measurement bracelet.”

When she snapped her fingers, watch-shaped bracelets appeared on the male students’ wrists and fastened themselves automatically.

“These are clocks created through magitech. In addition to telling time, they will inform you of your assigned lodging, display notices, and have various other functions. Our academy’s headmaster personally created them.”

Viola puffed out her chest proudly even though she hadn’t made it herself. The device certainly resembled a smartwatch. But seeing how it could project hologram-like screens and display all kinds of notifications and announcements, it was clearly highly advanced technology.

Headmaster…? The headmaster…?

Wait, the headmaster…?

“Have I ever seen the headmaster’s face in this game?”

I had played this game countless times. It was a masterpiece that had even won GOTY, and many people had deeply analyzed its story and detailed settings. Yet in the end, the headmaster was nothing more than an NPC who only appeared in text. And one of the indispensable figures in the academy was precisely this headmaster.

So why had I never once seen this character while playing the game?

I couldn’t shake the question and kept thinking about the academy’s headmaster.

“…And this is today’s first exam. The first test will measure your basic combat capability. We have separated the magic and martial departments, so please be at ease.”

Viola naturally cut off my train of thought. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say I focused on her words.

This exam involved passing through the forest leading to the dormitories and demonstrating your skills to find hidden markers within the woods. These markers could be buried underground, hidden inside rocks or trees, or even attached to illusory monsters created by magic. Capturing living — or rather, magically animated — monsters to obtain their markers would grant high scores, while easier-to-obtain markers gave lower scores. It was that kind of test.

Either catch monsters for big points at once, or steadily gather small markers for a decent haul.

“Silph.”

-Yeah.

“Can you sense magic?”

When I spoke to her, she twitched one eyebrow in mild displeasure and paused for a moment.

-…The mana of living beings. Artificial. Power. We dislike that feeling. Yes. I can sense it.

“That’s a relief. Can I ask you to help?”

I smiled gently and made the request. She seemed to think for a moment, then quietly nodded and flew off toward the forest.

“Then, new students. I hope you all achieve the results you desire.”

With Viola’s final words, we all dashed into the forest.