The Entrance Ceremony, First Event (3)
The event to handle the illusion was stolen right before my eyes.
I was the only one who knew it would happen, yet it was taken anyway.
As I stood there with a dazed expression, trying to process the situation, I couldn’t help but cover my face with both hands and let out a long sigh.
Of course I could have made excuses if I wanted to.
Under normal circumstances, there was no way they could have reacted at that speed. Besides, the individual firepower they unleashed was already strong enough to deal with the illusion on its own.
That was why I had frozen up without realizing it.
No way…!!
I was screwed.
My grand plan to enter Class A and naturally get close to the main characters had collapsed from the very first step.
To lose the tutorial right at the start…! Heroines who steal the tutorial? I had never heard of anything like it.
What is this? How did this happen?
In truth, my mind had frozen solid along with my body, leaving me no choice but to stare blankly at the scene.
Weren’t those girls stronger than they had ever been before? Their magic control seemed better too… And why was their situational judgment so fast?
The thought that something had changed made me swallow dryly. In reality, most of my panic came from the fact that I had never even considered my plan falling apart this early.
Still…
I had noticed it first and moved first. I had even taken an attacking stance, so maybe they would give me some credit…
Yeah, right.
No matter how quickly I had moved, and even though the professors had been watching everything from above, it was obvious that no one would spare a glance for someone ranked in the bottom twenty of the entrance exam.
In short, I was completely fucked.
Haa… Can’t be helped.
I would just have to climb up steadily from the bottom. Fortunately, there was another event in the second semester where classes could be reassigned based on grades, so if I could somehow survive the first semester, I would be fine.
The silver lining was that the early part of the story didn’t have any particularly difficult events…
For now, I’ll revise the plan.
I had intended to enter Class A somehow in the early stages, befriend the main characters, and steer the situation from there. Frowning, I began to reorganize my thoughts.
Since I couldn’t get into Class A, I need to make sure I clear every single one of the side events that were prepared.
Leave a strong impression. Achieve good grades.
There were suddenly far more things I needed to prepare. I was clutching my head over that realization when—
"Woah… Wooooah!!"
"That’s incredible…!!"
"As expected…!! The top ranks really are on another level, huh?"
Cheers from the students began erupting all around me. I swallowed the sigh that threatened to escape again and exhaled slowly.
The easiest point of contact for getting close to them had vanished, so I had to abandon any thought of becoming friends easily.
Since the main characters would grow on their own anyway, it was better to quietly keep any hidden pieces I obtained to myself.
…By the way, what should I do about that guy?
The one who didn’t even know which weapon suited him best and carried something else around because it was more “romantic”…
That guy needed to fix his mindset as soon as possible if he wanted to raise his proficiency with his original weapon.
His personality is so awful that it’ll be hard to persuade him through normal means.
I scratched my head irritably, trudged back to my seat, and collapsed into the chair with a deep sigh.
…I’m going insane.
The early events were literally a tutorial, so I had never even considered the possibility of them being taken away.
If they had been this quick-witted and proactive from the start, I wouldn’t have worried in the first place.
It was precisely because they weren’t the type to do their jobs properly when left alone that I had tried to move differently this round.
At any rate, the biggest question right now was…
Why did it change?
This had never happened in the game or in the previous round.
Only a few hours had passed since my regression, so I hadn’t had time to cause any butterfly effect. Yet the story had already diverged.
They had destroyed the illusion the moment it appeared, as if they had been waiting for it. It felt like they already knew it was going to happen.
…It’s not like they regressed too.
There was no way information could have leaked. If it had, the previous round should have differed from the game as well. No—it absolutely should have.
A wave of unease washed over me, and before I knew it I was biting my nails.
It’s going to be troublesome if the future keeps changing.
I couldn’t help it if my own actions altered the future, but if the future changed in ways outside my control, that was a problem.
After all, I was in a position where I had to grow using my knowledge of the future. Unlike the main characters, who possessed genius talent, I had to become stronger through pure effort alone.
If even the future changed in a situation like that…
This round could end in complete failure.
To be honest, I had no particular attachment to my lifespan. From the beginning, I had planned to return to my original world once I cleared the game.
The real issue was that my lifespan alone wasn’t enough to clear it. No matter how much I trained, no matter how much lifespan I burned, it would be meaningless if I couldn’t achieve victory.
In that case, it would be better to keep resetting until I got the outcome I wanted…
Get a grip.
I shook my head, wiping away the negative thoughts that had been rising.
It was foolish to already be thinking about the next round when I had only just started this regression.
It could actually be a good thing.
At first glance, the main characters’ skills seemed far superior to the previous round. If so, the areas I needed to worry about might have decreased considerably.
For now, I’ll focus on my own growth.
Once my growth got on track, a way to naturally get closer to the main characters would appear on its own.
From now on, we will begin the 97th Academy Entrance Ceremony. All students, please take your seats.
As I was gathering my thoughts, it was announced through the surrounding student council members that the black dragon had been an illusion and that everything had been a test. At the same time, the broadcast began to play.
The students calmed their startled hearts and their admiration for the main characters’ outstanding prowess, then quietly took their seats.
Once everyone was seated and the auditorium grew still, the lights went out and only the stage remained illuminated.
The real entrance ceremony was finally beginning.
As expected, it’s impressive.
I had felt the same way in the previous round—the entrance ceremony event had been quite well-made even as a cutscene.
Even though this was my second time seeing it, the feeling was still fresh. I smiled inwardly and focused my attention on the stage.
Were you all surprised?
On the stage, the professors stood in a neat line, quietly looking down at the students. The person holding the microphone on the podium was still nowhere to be seen.
Yet the voice echoed throughout the entire auditorium.
This year’s freshmen have been called an unprecedented golden generation. After discussion among the faculty, we simply prepared a small event.
……
The microphone on the stage remained empty. The owner of the voice continued speaking calmly without showing himself.
Nice to meet you, everyone.
Whoosh—!!
Blue flames erupted from the stage.
The flames burned so brightly they seemed to erase all the surrounding darkness, blazing with fierce intensity.
Soon the flames that had risen subsided, and a single figure began to emerge from within them.
A dignified elderly man with hair that had turned pure white and a long, flowing white beard was smiling warmly at the students.
I am the principal of the Academy, Delphirius bin Orcasius.
"Woaaah…!!"
He was commonly known as the legendary Great Sage.
In the past he had been called the greatest elder of the Magic Tower. During the chaotic era of war, he had gathered all mages beneath him and laid the foundation of the Tower. His achievements were so great that he now served as principal of the Academy.
With his appearance, the students burst into cheers. He had demonstrated his level with perfect teleportation magic that couldn’t even be sensed, and for many, simply facing him was an honor in itself.
He smiled faintly as he listened to their cheers, took the microphone, and continued.
It seems we have many truly remarkable students this year.
Delphirius smiled softly and began looking at the faces of the students in the front row one by one.
As expected.
He didn’t seem particularly interested in the back rows—or in me. I clicked my tongue inwardly and closed my eyes.
It was too early to be discouraged just because I had failed the first event, the tutorial. From now on, I simply had to do what I could.
Shall I start by collecting opportunities?
When I had faced the illusionary black dragon earlier, I definitely felt my stats increase.
It was proof that the Inheritance effect was activating. At this rate, my stats were high enough to aim for the upper ranks of the entrance exam, not just the lower ones.
That meant I could go after the opportunities that had previously been too dangerous to approach.
I can collect the ones meant for the main characters later.
They weren’t the kind that could be easily stolen. Right now, raising my own abilities came first.
Classes didn’t start immediately on the day of the entrance ceremony. After the ceremony, there was only dormitory assignment and nothing else scheduled, so I could move freely.
Let’s collect the opportunities inside the Academy and nearby first.
I began calmly laying out a plan: gather the necessary opportunities inside the Academy on weekdays, then get an outing pass on weekends to collect the ones in the surrounding area.
The first opportunity I need to obtain is…
A weapon.
Without a proper weapon, facing the heretics would be extremely difficult.
This judgment came from my experience in the first round. Back then, obtaining a weapon had been delayed, and I had struggled quite a bit because of it.
The massive amount of lifespan I had wasted was largely due to not having a proper weapon at the time. Thinking back on it, securing a weapon was the highest priority.
However, obtaining an end-game weapon was no easy task.
I don’t know my exact current specs, but…
It would probably be a bit risky.
Still, I couldn’t afford to waste any more lifespan, so I would have to go in fully prepared.
Without a status window, I couldn’t perfectly check my current condition, which made it difficult to be confident about clearing the challenge.
…It would be nice to have a comrade at times like this.
The future comrades had already stolen the chance for me to shine, so there was nothing I could do about it.
I let out another small sigh, pulled myself together, and lifted my head.
Everyone, engrave deeply in your hearts the fact that you are the future of the empire and its glory…
Fortunately, the entrance ceremony was still ongoing.
Considering how long the event had been in the first round, that was only natural.
Isn’t there a skip button for this?
Events like this should be skippable. I clicked my tongue in annoyance and was about to sink back into thought when—
"…Hello."
Someone spoke to me.
According to the setting, no one should know me yet, so I tried to dismiss it as not being directed at me.
Poke. Poke.
The person poked my arm again and greeted me once more.
"Hello."
When I turned my gaze toward the touch…
"Huh…?"
What?
The moment I saw her face—I had no idea when she had approached—I could only blink slowly.
Because…
Why are you here?
She wasn’t someone who should be in this place right now.