Hestia
The exam hall fell silent.
Hundreds of students were gathered, yet not a single cough broke the quiet.
999,999,999
“…….”
I had succeeded, but would she admit it?
I had to force the issue somehow.
“Gulp…….”
Someone muttered.
“Gulp, thousand…….”
Don’t, I’m a huge number too.
Evan beside me stared at me with a dumbfounded expression.
“What the hell did you just do?”
“Love and interest?”
“…….”
At that moment, the woman professor standing between the others on the stage gripped the railing and leaped down.
-Thud.
Whoa, startled me.
There are stairs, you know.
The woman landed gracefully and walked straight toward me. The professor whose expression had been particularly stern since earlier.
It was Erika.
“Step aside.”
“Yes.”
I quietly moved to the side.
Erika circled the training dummy once, then extended her hand.
-Uwoong.
“……No issues detected.”
Erika muttered in a low voice. I let out an internal sigh of relief.
If the machine is working fine, it’s difficult to dismiss the score as erroneous.
“Try again.”
“Eh?”
“What you did earlier.”
Erika pointed at the dummy.
“Exactly the same.”
“……Really?”
“Yes.”
Well, I have to comply.
I approached the dummy once more.
-Shick.
“Our little one, you were quite startled, weren’t you?”
“…….”
-Pat pat.
“I’ll protect this butt of yours.”
999,999,999
It rose again.
Erika’s face scrunched up.
“Continue.”
“Continue?”
“Yes.”
How many times do I have to do this?
I stroked the dummy’s head again.
“It’s fine.”
-Shick shick.
“The scary auntie keeps ordering me.”
“…….”
A killing intent emanated from behind me.
“Auntie?”
“Ah, just thinking to myself.”
“Keep going.”
Erika’s voice dropped even lower. But after several repetitions, the result remained the same.
999,999,999
“At this rate, I suppose I should acknowledge it.”
“Hmm…….”
Her expression was clearly displeased.
Tsuk, if I push a little more...
“By the way, this is quite the impressive creation.”
The creator of this dummy was the magic engineering professor Erika standing before me.
First, let’s try to stir the pot a bit.
“……?”
“Both the design and durability are exceptional. Whoever made it, it seems like a truly remarkable individual.”
Erika’s expression brightened.
“If it’s this wonderful, it won’t malfunction, will it?”
“That is…… yes.”
She paused briefly, then continued.
“Hmm, I will set aside the examinees’ results for now.”
“Yes.”
Easy.
It’s not disqualification.
Fortunately, given Erika’s personality, she likely wouldn’t admit a flaw in her own invention.
I should pray.
After completing the remaining exam, a few days later.
Rubelion Academy Enrollment
2.
When I opened my eyes, I was in an all-white space.
“What?”
I had clearly taken first place in the practical exam and attended the entrance ceremony.
Yet, after one blink, this is what greeted me.
“Welcome.”
I turned my head, and there stood a woman I didn’t recognize.
“Who are you?”
“Hestia.”
The woman smiled gently and said.
“I am the goddess who summoned you to this world.”
“……”
“Hey, come here.”
She dumped me in this trashy body and boldly appeared before me?
As I stepped forward, Hestia began backing away stealthily.
“W-wait, it’s not very respectful to a god…….”
“I am a god, and I’m sending you back home.”
“T-that…….”
Hestia’s eyes rolled sideways.
“I can’t send you.”
“Why?”
“I can call you, but I can’t recall you.”
Yeah, I anticipated that. If I could survive here, I had no intention of returning.
“Then give me skills.”
“Eh?”
“An EX-rank skill.”
“I can’t provide such things.”
“Cheat item.”
“I can’t give that.”
“Raise your stats.”
“That too…….”
Crap, why call me then. What can you even do?
Touch my chest or something.
Just as I was about to speak, Hestia cut in first.
“E-even so, there is something I can tell you.”
“What?”
Hestia hesitated for a moment.
“You had a game…….”
“I created it.”
In summary:
This world actually exists, and Hestia created a game to find someone to prevent its destruction.
So that’s why there were so many weird bugs?
A shitty goddess like this wouldn’t create something that works properly.
“Okay, I get it. But why me?”
I had played for a long time, but there were others besides me. Among them, people still risking their lives to clear the game.
“T-that is…….”
“What is it?”
“Si…….”
“?”
“Mis…….”
This crazy woman.
“Kyaak!”
“Hey, come here.”
“T-this is blasphemy!”
“Shut your mouth.”
I chased her around until I finally calmed down.
Precisely, I saw Hestia squatting in the corner, sobbing, and kicked her out.
“Ao.”
“U…….”
Hestia slowly retreated and kept her distance.
“First, there’s one misunderstanding.”
“What?”
“You didn’t put me in that body.”
“Then who did?”
“The system.”
“……System?”
Hestia nodded.
“You didn’t make that, right?”
“No, it’s a system that existed far before me.”
It didn’t sound like a lie.
Originally, if Hestia could summon a demon, she would have directly saved the world.
The reason I could use game bugs was thanks to the system’s compensation.
“Then what did you do?”
“I selected a person.”
“By mistake?”
“……Yes.”
I wanted to hit her again.
“Fine, no need for anything now, just get out.”
“Hing…….”
“Hing is shit, you really deserve a hit.”
“Wait, wait! I have something I can give you!”
Hestia hurriedly extended both hands forward.
Points: 10,000P
“Store?”
“Yes! The more you interfere with the world’s fate, the more divine power you accumulate, and I can give you points accordingly.”
“I should have said this earlier.”
“I was going to, but you were about to hit me.”
No words for that.
But it was deserved.
“As soon as you arrived, this is now a real last chance. Please save the world.”
With that, the white space began to crumble.
“Why me──”
“Please take care of me, Rian.”
The vision turned white.
And when I opened my eyes again, I was standing in the middle of the entrance ceremony.
├─ Tier 1:Proficiency: 50% ✓
3.
“Listen up, my students! Welcome to Rubellion!”
A resonant voice echoed through the entrance ceremony hall.
“…….”
Just a moment ago I was talking to Hestia, and now I’m back.
“From now on, you will learn many things here!”
I slowly raised my head. On the stage stood a small girl.
Brown hair tied in two braids.
Appearance that looked about twelve years old even if you tried to be generous.
The headmaster of Rubellion Academy.
“Sometimes you fall! Sometimes you may be disappointed!”
She clenched her small fist and poured out her passion. Her expression was also interesting.
“However, there is no need to be afraid!”
“…….”
Yeah, this was the starting point of the game. The headmaster’s speech was cute and stuck in my memory.
The actual age……
I know she was hundreds of years old.
“The important thing is not talent!”
The headmaster raised one finger.
“Whether you’re the empire’s prince or a beggar from the streets! Once you enter here, you are all the same students!”
The murmuring gradually died down.
“What Rubellion demands from you is only one thing!”
The headmaster smiled wickedly.
“To become strong!”
Wow, I get it, I miss it.
“Become strong! Learn! Fight! Take!”
“Huh?”
“What you like, take it! Of course, if the opponent doesn’t like it, make a reasonable agreement!”
Was there such a line?
“And if you’re better than the professor, you can skip class!”
“Headmaster!”
From somewhere, an urgent voice was heard. The headmaster waved her hand as if annoyed.
“Ugh, it’s noisy. Aren’t you in the middle of the speech.”
“……That definitely didn’t exist.”
“Don’t suddenly make weird rules!”
“I am the headmaster, so my rules are the rules!”
Fuck, she’s a tyrant.
From the first day of admission, she’s trustworthy.
“Anyway!”
The headmaster put both hands on her waist.
“What you will gain from here is up to you.”
The voice that was playful until now became serious.
“Whether you learn swordsmanship, magic, or nothing and get expelled.”
Her small eyes slowly scanned the entrance ceremony hall.
“Rubellion will only give opportunities to those who try.”
“…….”
“So, go all out!”
-Clap clap clap!
After a while, applause erupted. I clapped appropriately too.
There was some weird stuff mixed in, but it was good words.
Actually, Rubellion doesn’t care about status or race. They even recommend using banmal among same year students.
With that, the entrance ceremony ended.
“Now, check the class assignment and go to the dorm.”
“Ah, wait.”
The headmaster’s voice rang out again.
“Rian Marque.”
“……?”
When I looked up, the headmaster was staring directly at me.
“You are to come to the headmaster’s office.”
“…….”
Why.