Ch.4545 – The Entrance Ceremony Is Fun

<45 – The Entrance Ceremony is Fun>

At last, the preparation period for admission was over.

The long-awaited entrance ceremony.

Over two thousand new students gathered in the gymnasium, which had been closed for the past week, creating a chaotic order where all sense of decorum had been thrown out the window.

‘Is this line situation for real? It’s a complete mess.’

Groups formed circles, clustering around people they were close to or at least acquainted with.

Around the shining protagonists and supporting characters, groups of various sizes formed, while minor characters lingered at the edges, trying to squeeze in.

The extras couldn’t even manage that much, becoming lonely dots like isolated asteroids, shining like distant stars—actually, scratch that—just looking incredibly lonely.

Who would have thought I’d ever envy such loneliness?

“Oknodie, hello!”

“Why didn’t you come to the morning run?”

“Hehe. Should I have worn dolphin pants that Oknodie likes?”

“Oh my. Oknodie liked dolphin pants?”

“Since it’s the entrance ceremony, I wore the uniform just for today, but maybe I should have worn dolphin pants instead?”

They tossed their long hair, smiled with their eyes, patted my head, and each offered a greeting until I couldn’t think straight.

When I finally came to my senses with a dazed expression, I had five flowers stuck in my hair that students had picked from the garden, and my arms were full of snacks.

“Must be nice being so popular.”

“I wish this kind of popularity would disappear.”

“Impossible. You’ve become these kids’ spiritual pillar.”

Isabelle was right.

Even now, Group B students gathered at a distance, their gazes hungrily targeting Group A.

Center and periphery.

Empire and kingdoms.

Civilized and barbarians.

The eyes of those who need to endlessly verify others’ inferiority to confirm their own superiority showed ominous signs.

“I wanted to touch too.”

“She looks really cute, right?”

[You have accurately identified a conversation between two distant people in a noisy indoor environment.]

[Sensory Focus Experience +3]

…When I actually eavesdropped, it was disturbing in a different way.

But such reactions were just a small part of it.

“That’s the Group A valedictorian who cornered Lotta… She’s certainly too valuable to be kept in the periphery.”

“To think a girl’s achievements surpass those of the family’s knight apprentices. Is this what innate talent looks like?”

“She’s still just a powerless commoner. To repay Her Highness’s grace, we must remove all obstacles. Even if it’s the Group A valedictorian.”

Snowbill, disciple of the Blue Tower Master, considered North Grand Duchess Irene’s rival.

Hyekmoorin, a warrior comparable to the Eastern swordsman Sing, a fallen martial family’s descendant who surrendered to the Holy Central Empire.

Anya, a follower of the Holy Central Empire’s Second Princess who entered the academy with her faction.

‘I’m really hated.’

Perhaps because I turned the imperial nobles against me, Anya’s gaze in particular seemed ominous.

The event <Challenge of the Servant> will definitely trigger.

But focusing my hearing wasn’t just to listen to voices directed at me.

Dong—

The sound of a bell ringing in my ears.

It’s time.

The entrance ceremony begins.

‘Now it begins. Gift Academy’s specialty.’

Instructors positioned throughout the gymnasium.

Their eyes, which had been watching the students, flashed as they all took out notebooks and pens.

Scribble scribble scribble scribble

Pens moving aggressively and gazes determined not to miss even the smallest flaw.

“Okno…”

“Shh.”

I cautioned Isabelle who tried to speak without knowing better.

In that brief moment, three instructors looked our way.

Hmph. Can’t you let it slide just once?

When I looked at them with such eyes, the instructors turned away.

They actually let it slide.

This would never have happened during my muscular male character days.

“Those instructors. What have they been writing?”

“They keep looking this way.”

Though no one gave a word of warning, the chatter gradually died down.

The aggressive dancing of pens across notebooks only stopped after all students closed their mouths and exchanged glances that said, “Did we mess up?”

—I asked for the world’s finest talents, but did this class come on a field trip from a band? You chatter endlessly like the world’s greatest minstrels!

A flash of light struck the platform.

With the screams of the students, a massive dragon’s head filled the stage.

“It’s a dragon!”

“D-d-dragon!”

“Oh my god!”

A transcendent being interested in worldly affairs.

The only dragon that intervenes in the human world.

The principal of Gift Academy had appeared.

—Your ears may not work, but at least your eyes do. That’s right. Your principal is the world’s strongest transcendent being and the only dragon active in the current world.

The students were ecstatic.

To see in person a dragon that was only known through legends.

Being moved is fine, but…

These people are forgetting something important.

Dragons in legends have slightly different characteristics depending on the era and country, but there’s one unchanging commonality.

—And I’m a tyrant who can deduct a million points from chatty fools and latecomers. Because in this academy, I am the law.

“……”

Dragons have bad tempers!

—I’m joking. Deducting a million points would be too harsh for students who barely exceeded the required points for admission.

“Phew.”

—As the principal of the world’s finest academy, I’ll show mercy. A deduction of one hundred thousand points.

One latecomer asked:

“Is this a joke too?”

—Denying reality won’t change the fact that you’ve received deductions worth ten times your total assets and gone bankrupt, you inadequate inferior student!

“……”

When that massive face moved its muscles and shouted, the impact was extraordinary.

Thanks to the point-deducted students who were stunned at starting academy life bankrupt, the remaining students, regardless of status, strength, or confidence, opened their eyes to equality.

The fact that they could go bankrupt from one instance of chatting or being late seemed to create more tension than having a dragon as principal.

‘Good thing we stayed quiet, right?’

‘Thanks to you, we survived.’

Isabelle should know she survived thanks to me.

The shock that clueless players receive when they make chatty friends and get bombarded with point deductions while trying to socialize from the entrance ceremony.

Ironically, such friends’ affection drops to rock bottom right after the ceremony, blaming you for their point deduction.

‘Most choices that violated school rules led to such ridiculous traps.’

By the way, infiltrating the guard post is also grounds for point deduction.

Having avoided that with just the <Hide> function makes me realize how amazing the hiding ability is.

<Graduating from the Academy with Luck>.

One of the game’s unfair elements is figuring out the hidden school rules.

If you accidentally violate a rule, the next important thing is not getting caught by instructors!

Hiding is a fundamental skill that’s vital for graduation from the academy, anytime and anywhere.

—One minute and nineteen seconds. That’s how long it took you to shut your mouths. You’re competing for a ranking among all classes throughout history.

“Did we close our mouths quickly?”

—Yes, you can be proud.

“Hehe.”

—If you’re proud of ranking among the worst dunce classes in the proud history of Gift Academy.

“……”

The foolish students began to whimper.

The devastation of being called historically stupid by the world’s strongest transcendent being is something you can’t understand unless you experience it.

—You must be curious. Why a dragon serves as the academy’s principal. What I will teach you from now on. Humans are creatures of curiosity.

—Let me tell you something good. I learned a beneficial culture from human civilization and introduced it to this academy. The monetary system.

“??”

—Nations that grasp capital tend to become world leaders. If you want to become the world’s finest talent, collect <Points>, the academy’s currency.

—Permission to possess and use items brought from outside the academy, use of school facilities, and access to special facilities—all these are granted to those who possess <Points>.

The Dragon Principal declared proudly:

—By the way, if you request help from your family and receive gold coins, I can exchange them for points!

The Third Princess of the Empire, known for her gentle personality, raised her hand with a blank expression.

“Are you asking for bribes?”

—Of course. This academy exists to extract the gold and treasures you pathetic mortals possess. Training the world’s finest talents is just a side benefit!

The princess, imperial nobles, and powerful figures from numerous organizations and groups were stunned by the principal’s shocking speech.

At this moment, regardless of group, status, or affiliation, all students thought the same thing:

Whether it was a wise decision to receive education under a principal who had thrown professional ethics out the window.

—Academy students should think only about <Points>.

—Actively participate in school activities that award points, and avoid forbidden actions that violate school rules and reduce points.

—There are no exceptions, whether you’re followers of gods or demons, followers of mystery or wisdom, followers of cold weapons or firearms, or followers of any secret organization.

—No truth or wisdom more precious than my greed, my currency, exists under this academy.

The Dragon Principal’s body was enveloped in light as he exerted a presence as massive as a mountain.

Beyond the pressure of tremendous mana that seemed to crush souls just by sensing it, I noticed the principal’s eyes briefly passing over several talented gems.

‘In the original game, the students called by the principal at this time were main characters, right?’

The protagonists use the entrance ceremony day as motivation to strive to become the best talents, while supporting characters who weren’t called either envy them with jealousy or regard them with awe.

Minor characters struggle just to keep up with those supporting characters, while extras are lucky if they don’t fail.

After all, it’s an event for NPCs.

I vaguely thought it was a distant story unrelated to me, a player.

Flinch.

Stiff.

The called protagonists show rigid reactions one by one, indicating they received the principal’s message.

The Dragon Principal, wrapped in light, was disappearing.

As I felt an emotion I couldn’t identify—whether disappointment or relief at being in the same position as students who were just screaming about the brightness without being chosen by him—

—You ill-mannered child of the Wiheomhae Foundation. Don’t forget this applies to you too.

“!!”

It was brief but definitely registered in my mind.

The Dragon Principal’s eyes had reached me too, and the message meant for protagonists that others couldn’t hear was also conveyed to me.

Twenty-four chosen children.

Playable protagonist-level characters.

And I was designated as the 25th child, one who didn’t exist in the original game.

Flash.

As the Dragon Principal disappeared, ending the entrance ceremony.

Among the dazed children who had transformed from applicants to freshmen, I thought:

‘Ill-mannered… I’ve been caught, haven’t I? He caught me stealing stat stones!’