Chapter 4: Easy
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 4: Easy
"Incredible..."
I marvel as I look around.
The panoramic view of a ruined city caught in the crossfire of war feels surreal, no matter how many times I look at it.
When I look down at my hands and clench my fists, the sensation is vividly real.
All of this is magic?
They call it a training simulation, but isn't this a bit much on the over-technology side?
Wait, since it's magic, is it even technology?
The future of VR is right here.
Why are they teaching at a school when they have magic this good?
They’d make a killing if they started a sex business with this.
Given the nature of RPG games, it makes sense to have a tutorial at the beginning, but experiencing it firsthand is a bit funny.
Isn't it a bit much to gather everyone on the first day of school and tell them to fight just to evaluate their skills?
Well—the game's atmosphere itself is built on the foundation of youth, effort, and passion, but facing it in reality makes me feel a bit embarrassed.
Anyway, I should just stay quiet.
I need to refrain from influencing the story, and since the protagonist is on his second playthrough anyway, it won't matter even if I put on a desperate struggle.
"Concentrate. Here, you will confirm each other's skills and..."
The instructor leading us blathers on, but I already know the deal.
You can basically think of it as a capture-the-point mode in a large-scale war game.
Since we're treated as soldiers, we keep spawning even if we die, and points are awarded based on the number of kills and how long we hold a base.
"Don't worry about dying. We've suppressed the pain as much as possible, so you won't be traumatized. Just think of it as a game you like."
He says "game" like it's easy, but isn't that a bit much?
Who can adapt immediately when you're suddenly dragged out for training and told, "Now, kill each other"?
Between the risk of getting hurt and the concept of killing a person, those who aren't used to it...
"We just have to kill them all, right? Easy."
"Takeo, you're so cool~"
The thug and the gyaru are having the time of their lives.
Hey, Takeo, don't just act tough; take good care of the gyaru next to you. The protagonist is going to NTR her later.
Ignoring the excited duo, I grip the dagger I was assigned.
Since it's a virtual world, I wonder if I'll feel any revulsion, given that blood won't gush out even if I cut a body in half.
"Rio, come here for a sec."
"Why? Are you scar—Aaaagh! What are you doing?! My arm!"
Yep, as expected, there's no physical substance.
I stabbed Rio's forearm, but instead of blood, smoke drifted out of the wound before vanishing.
"No fooling around over there."
"Sorry."
I wasn't fooling around; I was verifying something, but the stupid teacher doesn't understand.
Isn't it important to know whether blood comes out or if there's a sensation of touch when you stab someone?
Some kids' faces had already frozen the moment the overbearing teacher told them not to worry.
"Hey, didn't you stab me a bit too ruthlessly? Are you used to combat?"
Rio, whose arm had already healed and looked clean, grumbled.
"No, I'm clumsy. That's why I checked."
"...Don't you think your words and actions don't match?"
"No blood came out, and I didn't feel the sensation of cutting. If I had felt that, I wouldn't have been able to fight. Also, team kills are possible. How much pain did you feel?"
I've never actually stabbed anyone, so I don't really know, but you see things like trauma all the time in novels and movies.
Since I came from a peaceful world, I'm probably more vulnerable than the kids here.
"Ha, what a coward. We don't need losers like that."
The thug mocks me, but I see relief on the faces of the students who overheard my conversation with Rio.
And the teacher in charge of leading and evaluating us quietly writes something down while looking at me.
Why, why?! What are you writing?
You're not putting down a comment like "unfit for combat," are you?
I'm not saying I want to roll around with demons like a dog like the protagonist, but please don't lower my evaluation.
I need my evaluation to be good at least until this exam.
When I try to sneak a peek at what he's writing, the teacher glares at me warily.
"Stop messing around and get in position, Seo Yeon-woo."
"Yes, sir—"
The teacher finishes the explanation, and the tutorial—no, the initial test—begins.
At the start, students simultaneously reach for the ground, and I can't help but marvel at the sight of short sticks, which look like they should be used to shout Avada Kedavra, popping out of their sleeves.
The sticks in their hands transform into familiar weapons as they take their stances.
"Don't hold me back, you retards!"
The thug charges out excitedly, and the students who are somewhat used to combat begin to move as well.
And twenty minutes later.
Radio chatter can be heard from all directions.
- Base B has been taken! Send backup!
- What is that guy?! I can't stop him! Ten people are already down!
- What are you doing, failing to stop just one person! Aaaagh!
Yep, just as I expected.
The test mixes students from three or four classes and divides them into two sides.
And on the opposing side, the God-Emperor Akito, who inherited his stats, is sweeping through the front lines.
Our Team B, which rushed out recklessly without even forming a tactic, is being miserably slaughtered thanks to Akito's unbridled rampage.
Our dear Mr. Thug, who bragged about wiping everyone out, got his head cut off by Akito and just respawned.
Clang—!
"Fuck! Do it right! What the hell are you doing?!"
Boy, he's still full of energy.
The streetlight the thug kicked flies far away.
They call themselves mages, but because of physical enhancement magic, everyone's basically a superhuman.
"What are you guys doing here?"
Since things aren't going well, the thug is focused on finding someone to blame.
No matter what world you go to, the blame game is always the same.
And since it's annoying, could you Comedy Duo guys please stop hiding behind my back?
"We're defending the base," I say, moving away from the Gag Trio hiding behind me.
"The baaaase? Fuck, can't you read the room right now?"
"I can read it perfectly. All the bases we need to capture have been taken, and if the main base falls, we're done because we won't even be able to spawn. Besides, didn't you say we weren't needed? Can't you do it on your own? That Akito guy over there seems to be doing just fine."
When I smile brightly, the thug bristles and clenches his fists.
"Ah! Takeo, we're in the middle of a test. Let's not fight."
"Tch... I'll see you after this."
The thug leaves with the gyaru on a nearby motorcycle to retake a base.
Oho... did she just protect me?
If you play her route, a story comes out about her being surprisingly domestic, but she's not the type to help someone she has no connection with.
Wait? Is this because I'm handsome?
"You've got that obnoxious look on your face again."
"I'm handsome, right?"
"You're truly, magnificently obnoxious. Is that what's important right now?"
You couldn't say a word in front of the thug, but I guess I look like an easy target?
Ignoring Rio, I review the current situation.
The teachers aren't idiots; they wouldn't have skewed the balance too heavily in one side's favor.
To balance the power, they put quite a few talented individuals on our side.
Overall, our average strength is probably higher.
However, the fact that we have no one who can go one-on-one against Akito is a huge problem.
And since he has the fixed tutorial members by his side, we can't even gang up on him.
If the members just hold him back, Akito will one-turn-kill everyone in order, so there's no way to hold out.
That's not to say there isn't anyone with skill comparable to Akito.
If they have Akito, we have Angelica.
The problem is that she's a glass cannon.
In this world where superhumans run rampant with physical enhancement, she's one of the few characters who can truly be called a mage.
According to the setting, in terms of pure firepower alone, even the teachers might not be a match for her, despite her being a freshman.
But Angelica is a classic fantasy mage character—a total sunfish who dies if she gets hit by a stray pebble unless someone protects her with their life.
Furthermore, her activation time is long to produce that much firepower, so she can't show her strength among students who just charge in without any tactics.
Yep, this is a lost game no matter what we do.
- Akito! Don't work too hard! I need to shine too!
- Ah, sorry. But it's a test, so I wanted to do my best.
- Brother, you look coolest when you're working hard.
Yep, they're doing a great job of acting like idiots over there too.
Stop flirting and focus on the test.
"What's this? Is this Team A's radio? How are you listening to it?"
"I went to Team A's base earlier and stole one."
"You're saying you stole it so proudly."
Masayoshi looks at me with a fed-up expression, but isn't information warfare the basis of war?
It's just knowledge I've picked up, but it should be close to common sense.
From the moment I saw the teacher handing out radios separately instead of them being basic equipment, I thought I should grab the opponent's radio.
I feel bad for my teammates who fought tooth and nail to capture the bases, but I took a long detour, infiltrated Team A's base, and brought this back.
It's a bit pathetic if this is the extent of my activity for twenty minutes, though.
The teacher glares at me from a distance and writes something down again.
This is a plus point, right? Please give me a good evaluation.
There are a total of three bases between the two main bases.
Two have already been taken, and fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Team A has deployed people to ensure they don't lose the captured bases, so they haven't yet retaken Base C, which Team B captured by pouring in all their forces.
But since they're constantly being beaten by Akito, it's only a matter of time.
"Ah..."
Angelica got taken out too.
Angelica, who spawned at the base, touches her neck and sits down with a dazed expression.
They say the pain is barely felt, but since she's already died more than ten times, it's understandable that she'd be frustrated.
Wouldn't it have been better if the thug had protected Angelica so she could last longer?
Her damage is peerless, so if she could just fire properly, she could even get area-of-effect kills.
The expressions of the students spawning at the base one after another are grim.
Their expressions are contagious; the atmosphere at the base becomes gloomy, and the number of students heading back to the bases decreases.
Their will is broken.
Even the Comedy Duo, who always spout cheerful nonsense, have somber faces.
It's what I expected, but seeing it like this doesn't feel great.
The only people who seem unfazed right now are me and Yukina.
Yukina, with her black bob cut, has been sitting in a corner doing nothing for a while now, looking indifferent as if she has no interest in the test itself.
She definitely wasn't seen in the tutorial from the protagonist's perspective either.
Anyway, even if the atmosphere is depressing, it's not like I can beat Akito, who has even inherited his stats, right?
And since it's a tutorial, the rewards for losing are actually greater.
Seniors are assigned one-on-one to the losing team to teach them a few techniques, so it's a good chance to pick up necessary early-game magic.
Yeah, let's not worry about it.
The stolen radio continues to broadcast the chatter from Team A.
[This is too easy, isn't it? Everyone's a scrub.]
This brat Chika is chattering away excitedly even though it's not even her own strength.
[It's because Brother is too strong.]
Yeah, yeah, your brother is strong.
[Lord Akito's martial arts have much to teach us.]
The Samurai always says he's learning, but does he ever actually master anything?
[Everyone is doing their best, so don't be too hard on them.]
Sure, you're a good guy. You be the protagonist.
- As long as we have Akito, Team B is no match for us.
- But isn't the gap too wide? Those guys are way too weak.
- Even within Yggdrasil, differences in skill are bound to arise.
- They're so fucking bad at this game. It's not even fun because it's so one-sided. Easy, easy—
Who was that?
Which extra bastards are chattering so excitedly?
The faces of the students who heard Team A's radio chatter grow even darker.
"Hey, Comedy Duo."
When I stand up and call them, the duo, who were crouching, look up at me.
"Comedy Duo?"
"You guys are already ugly; women will hate you even more if you're moping around like that."
"...What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
I say as I toss the Team A radio to Rio.
"Help me out. Gather all the vehicles around here at the base."
"Huh? What are you going to do?"
I head toward Angelica, then turn back to look at Rio, who still hasn't snapped out of it.
"I'm the best at games, you bastards."
Easy, huh?
I'll make sure you learn the hard way that you should only say things like that five seconds before the game ends.