Episode 22: Chaotic New Student Entrance Ceremony [2]

In front of the peaceful school grounds, students wearing uniforms adorned with green brooches symbolizing their first-year status passed through the school gates one by one.

“President, we can handle this kind of task ourselves…”

“No, as student council president, I should personally assist with such matters. That’s what makes me the president.”

Among the student council members managing the new students’ movement at the gate, I carefully observed each student one by one.

‘……First, Hanae Sakura, spotted.’

She’s entering while being heavily guarded by black-suited bodyguards.

‘Is it because she’s the daughter of a prestigious Japanese family?’

The enormous bow strapped to her back was quite impressive. While the academy generally requires students to use standard equipment, Sakura’s bow was completely different from ordinary ones.

‘It’s seriously huge….’

The bow was enormous, almost as tall as an adult man. While typical archers shoot arrows straight by drawing the bow normally, Sakura tilts hers upward toward the sky.

The arrows fired like artillery shells soar into the sky before sharply curving down to strike the ground with overwhelming force. She’s also kind-hearted and one of the heroines who warmly approaches the protagonist at the start of the game.

Though she’s practically useless in cave-type dungeons where close combat dominates or buildings with ceilings too low for her arrows to reach proper altitude… in vast open fields or siege battles where she can rain down attacks from high ground, she’s an overpowered Ranger beyond Tier 1.

That was Hanae Sakura.

‘Too bad her bodyguards can only come as far as the gate…..’

As soon as she passed through the gate, the new students’ gazes immediately turned toward Sakura.

‘…….This is going to be annoying.’

I quickly pushed through the students who recognized me and approached Sakura.

‘Everyone except Sakura, go your own way.’

Using [Hypnotic Evil Eye], I implanted a suggestion in their minds, and the students obediently went their separate ways as if possessed.

“You must be a new student. The auditorium is that way.”

Startled by the sudden disappearance of the crowd, Sakura looked around nervously. I pointed toward the auditorium.

“G-21… so the very back seat.”

After thanking me, Sakura hurried away. Glancing at the paper in her hand with her seat number, I inwardly sighed in relief. As a Ranger-class student, there was no way she’d be placed in the front row.

Well, it’s not like Sakura would run away at the sight of monsters anyway. She’d probably fight just fine even in the front.

After that, I watched as many other main characters entered.

Seong Arin, a damage-dealing Magician who floated drowsily into the auditorium while yawning.

Ecclesia, a support-type Magician and princess of the British royal family, who entered with an entourage of guards—so many that it seemed like she had brought her own security team. She would later become the commander of the European Union as the story progressed.

Nayubin, a Striker who lost her parents in a Gate Break and fell into a vengeful dark path, becoming a villain. However, if properly guided early on, she becomes a formidable one-woman army.

Yu Eun-ha, a character who, in the original story, was adopted by Yun Seongho and caused significant conflict with Yun Se-ah. But since Yun Seongho is dead, she no longer has any connection with Se-ah.

‘Now, only the protagonist remains.’

At the start of the game, players could name the protagonist, so he technically had no default name.

However, no matter how the game began, the protagonist was always described as having striking white hair and golden eyes. So if I could find a male student matching that description, I’d know he was the protagonist.

But…

‘………Well, maybe he’ll come in right before it starts. In the game, the protagonist enters the academy with mid-tier grades, so he wouldn’t need to arrive early like Seong Arin, who gives the entrance pledge.’

No sign of the protagonist.

Even with supernatural abilities causing people’s hair to become rainbow-colored, white hair is surprisingly rare.

Usually, white hair belongs to healing-type heroes who wield holy power or those like Lee Seolhwa with ice-based abilities… but not a single male student with white hair and golden eyes appeared.

‘What the hell, seriously?’

And so, until just before the entrance ceremony began, no student matching that description showed up.

“………..”

“……President, is something wrong today?”

“I don’t know, but your expression suddenly turned grim right at the start of the ceremony…”

“Yun Se-ah, shouldn’t you manage your expression better in front of the students?”

At this very moment, as the entrance ceremony begins, this is why my face looks like it’s rotting.

…

…

…

“………..”

-Click

‘That guy is Nah Hyunsu. Must be the son of one of the board members…’

He was easy to spot with the over-2-meter-long spear strapped to his back.

I knew from the list of “Persons of Interest” (children of board members) Eve had provided, but honestly, his sheer idiocy was obvious even without the list.

‘He’s the only lunatic among the new students who carries a spear while being a Defender.’

He was so ridiculously stupid that I ended up memorizing his name.

‘Strikers use spears, not meat shields. What kind of Defender carries a spear?’

The world of Defenders is truly a lonely one.

Unless you’re an overwhelmingly superhuman figure like Thomas Andrea, who can solo S-rank Gates, Defenders usually buy time for Magicians and Rangers in the backline to attack or take hits in place of Strikers when they’re in danger, giving them time to recover their skills—a somewhat pitiable position.

‘Of course, they also get the lowest pay among the four positions.’

They’re essential to a team, but other positions are prioritized because they’re more important, making Defenders somewhat unfortunate.

Since most Defenders are students with body-enhancing skills and no special abilities, their main job is to take hits and survive. Typically, they wield short-range weapons like hammers or massive shields to push through hordes of monsters inside Gates… but this idiot was a Defender carrying a spear.

Using a spear as a Defender means…

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[Academy Swordmaster Gallery]

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[I’m Trying to Be a Spear-Wielding Tank, GG] (Views: 4,888)

[My stats are so bad I only have body-enhancing skills, but I got an epic spear, so I’m forced to go Defender without a shield and try to solo the game. GG.]

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[Comments] (99+)

[LOLOLOL good luck with that]

[Even Asoma-specialized YouTubers gave up after four hours of trying to beat the first chapter boss. You think you can do it? LOL]

…

…

(OP) [Wait, is this bugged? Why can’t I even beat the mid-boss in Chapter 1 on the easiest difficulty?]

[You got surrounded by monsters and couldn’t swing your spear, right?]

(OP) [Yeah, how’d you know?]

[I tried the same thing and got one-shotted.]

[That’s why you don’t use a spear as a Defender, dumbass LOL]

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In other words, it’s an utterly insane move that gets mocked in online communities.

‘Normally, guys like him would’ve been weeded out in the first test… but he must’ve gotten in through the special admission track, which allows students to skip exams under special circumstances.’

“A-yul, is that where the special admission students are?”

“…Uh, yeah.”

‘Just as I thought.’

Watching Nah Hyunsu and the slightly dim-looking kids around him chatting, it seemed like birds of a feather flocked together.

Honestly, most students admitted through the special track were either transfers from other academies or underqualified kids who got in through connections—giving off a “rural admission program” vibe.

The only ones in that group who showed promise were… the girl with the eyepatch and the white-haired, golden-eyed girl I’d been looking for—about 2 to 4 people in total.

Since Raon Academy only accepts around 10 special admissions, this seemed acceptable, so I finished my notes.

Then, as the entrance ceremony began…

“Aaaaah! Help me! My dad said this was all a simulation… GYAAAH?!”

Just as expected, the idiot spearman got swarmed by monsters, unable to attack, and was sent flying by their strikes.

“Everyone, are you all ready?”

[“Yes!”]

[“Perfectly ready.”]

[“Sigh… I think I’ll have the hardest time.”]

“Don’t worry. Since the records are mostly done, just say, ‘President, please help,’ and I’ll assist you.”

[“I’ll finish this on my own, no matter what.”]

That aside, this is happening now.

Now, let the great chaotic entrance ceremony… begin!