—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Delt’s explanation was the same as the method in Lu-Fan’s tutorial.
For admission, you had to fight against a combat golem prepared by the academy.
In the tutorial, you would learn how to use movement, evasion, attack, and skills here.
“First, those who are priests, step aside! A separate test awaits the priests!”
‘This is the first I’ve heard of this.’
In the game’s tutorial, the protagonist character took the test with a sword.
But since the priest class was a healing type, it seemed they had prepared a separate test.
‘Well, depending on the equipment, even a priest character’s basic attack skills could easily defeat a boss….’
It seemed that wouldn’t be easy in this world, so they must have taken this measure.
As the prospective students who were priests stepped aside and moved to another location, the mages who were preparing behind Delt summoned golems.
A magic circle formed on the ground, and a golem the size of an adult man with a green core embedded in its chest appeared.
Five golems were summoned at regular intervals.
“From the line you are currently in, five people at a time, come forward, state your name, and fight! Those who defeat the golem will earn the right to enter the academy! However! If you are caught attacking any other golem or prospective student other than the golem you are fighting, you will be disqualified immediately!”
An explanation that wasn’t in the game.
But I could guess why he was giving this explanation.
Some show-off nobles must have caused trouble by defeating other golems to show off their skills, or there must have been those who thought they could get in if there were fewer other participants.
“Then, we will begin the entrance exam! Those who will take the test, step forward!”
30 minutes after the entrance exam began.
Surprisingly, the number of people was decreasing quickly.
Thwack!
“Gyaaaah!”
“Failed! Next!”
This was because there were surprisingly many who couldn’t defeat the golem and were sent flying.
At a rough guess, the golem’s movements were about the speed of a bandit elite.
In the tutorial, it was a golem that attacked sluggishly, but I guess anyone could pass if the golem was implemented exactly as it was in the game.
And even among those who passed, there weren’t many who could defeat the golem right away.
Most of them fought for over 2 minutes and barely won, or they exchanged blows with the golem moderately and won competently, though not overwhelmingly.
“Take this!”
Crackle!
“You pass! Wait in that spot!”
“Alright!”
And many of the passers who defeated the golem more easily than others were familiar faces to me.
In other words, they were gacha characters.
At this rate, my turn was expected to come in about 10 minutes.
“Oh, oh, what should I do. Can someone like me really pass? The golem’s movements look fast, and a slowpoke like me will surely fail. I want to go back. B-but if I go back without even taking the test, I won’t be able to face my master who recommended me…!”
And Pamela, who was scheduled to go before me, was getting quite anxious watching the other prospective students as the test began.
Well, since she appeared in the game, she would probably pass somehow.
However.
‘Giving her a little encouragement here rather than just leaving her alone will be more helpful for recruiting her to the party.’
“Calm down.”
“Yes!?”
Pamela jumped in surprise and looked back at me.
“Ah, I-I’m sorry! Was I being noisy again? Are you annoyed that someone like me came to a place like this? I-I’m sorry.”
When she muttered, she spoke quietly, but when she was thinking, her voice was surprisingly loud.
‘She’s exactly the Pamela I’ve seen so often in the game.’
I waved my hand slowly so that Pamela could see it clearly and said.
“No, I just asked because I was worried.”
“W-worried? You… you’re worried about someone like me again….”
“I don’t know why you’re so unconfident. But since you’ve come this far, do your best.”
“Th-thank you. B-but even if someone like me does my best…”
“Hmm, is that so? In my eyes, it looks like you’ll pass.”
At my words, Pamela blinked her eyes and looked up at me.
“Huh? M-me?”
“Yes.”
“W-why do you think so? Someone like me is just an unpleasant… no! Comparing me to a caterpillar would be an insult to the caterpillar….”
This endless stream of low self-esteem.
But what made Pamela charming was that she could also perform drastic actions when necessary.
Having been exposed to many subcultures, not just Lu-Fan, a representative game of the subculture, I knew how to talk to characters like this.
In Pamela’s case, speaking too logically or rationally wouldn’t work well.
The accuracy was low, and she was more likely to belittle herself even more by following that logic.
In a situation like this, it was best to speak in a more instinctive and ambiguous way.
“A hunch.”
“A-a hunch?”
“Yes. My hunch is just telling me that you can pass.”
“Uh, uh, that’s… uhh….”
Pamela was at a loss for words.
Lacking self-esteem, Pamela was good at putting herself down, but not at putting others down.
And if she were to deny it here, it would be the same as saying my hunch was worthless.
Besides, putting down the hunch of a person who had worried about her ‘worthless self’ twice was something Pamela’s resolve probably couldn’t handle.
I lightly placed my hand on the shoulder of the speechless Pamela.
“My hunches are usually right. So don’t worry and just show off your skills. Then you’ll pass.”
Pamela lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers.
“U-um, th-thank… you…. I-I’ll… do my best.”
“Yes, do your best.”
And a little while later.
“Next!”
It was Pamela’s turn.
“Y-yes!”
Pamela gripped the wand in her hand tightly and stepped forward.
“Your name!”
“P-Pamela!”
After her name was called, a golem was immediately formed.
“Begin!”
“Pant, pant, pant, pant, gulp!”
After taking a few ragged breaths, Pamela swallowed once and began the test.
Pamela shot one of her basic unique active skills that she often used in Lu-Fan at the golem.
“V-vines of Tenacity!”
With a tap! of her staff on the ground, vines shot out from under the golem and wrapped around it, slowing its movements.
It was Pamela’s debuff skill that slowed the enemy’s speed.
Next, Pamela activated her skills from a distance.
“Nail of Shattering!”
A glowing nail flew towards the opponent, a defense-lowering skill, and hit the golem.
“Sword of Loss!”
A skill that lowered the enemy’s attack power upon hitting, rushed towards the golem.
They were all skills that had a debuff effect and also dealt proper damage.
But the golem did not fall even with Pamela’s continuous barrage of skills.
It broke the vines that bound it and tried to move forward.
“Uh. Uh?! S-Sword of Loss! Sword of Loss!”
The startled Pamela used the Sword of Loss skill two more times before the core was destroyed and the golem fell.
“You pass! Wait in your spot!”
“Uh, uhh? R-really? I p-passed?”
“What are you dawdling for! Move quickly!”
“Ah! I-I’m sorry!”
Pamela apologized and moved to her spot.
On her way to the waiting area for the passers, Pamela looked back and quickly bowed her head at me.
I responded by giving her a light thumbs-up.
“Next!”
It was finally my turn.
“Your name!”
“Ishihan.”
Just like the other prospective students, as soon as I stated my name, a mage summoned a golem.
“Begin!”
As soon as Delt’s signal was given, I immediately ran towards the golem.
My goal was to first quickly form a fixed party and then help the other characters grow to defeat the Demon King of Chaos.
To do that, just being friendly wasn’t enough.
So that they could believe my words, my advice.
I had to show them my skills.
With a body made even more agile by the equipment’s effect, I closed the distance in an instant.
And following the trajectory, I thrust the Crescent Moon Spear at the golem’s core.
[You have pierced the summoned golem.]
I had cleanly pierced through the golem’s body, core and all.
As I pulled out the spear, the golem fell backward.
“W-what was that.”
“I couldn’t even see his movements properly.”
“He pierced through the golem?”
“What is that monster.”
I could hear the surprised murmurs of the people behind me.
There had been a few who had dealt with it easily until my turn, but no one had finished off the golem as quickly as I had.
And I had completely pierced through the golem.
The other passers had aimed for and destroyed the golem’s core to defeat it.
Because even if they attacked other parts, they couldn’t deal any significant damage.
It was the same for the gacha characters.
They could scorch the golem or make a few cracks, but they couldn’t inflict any significant damage to the body itself, other than the core.
That was why they were surprised to see me pierce through the golem’s core and its body at the same time.
Of course, I didn’t react to their murmurs.
I just quietly looked at Delt.
“…”
Delt stared at me silently for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“You pass! Wait in your spot!”
That silence alone must have firmly imprinted my existence on the proctor, Delt.
One of my goals.
Making an impression was a success.
It was always more convenient to be active later on if you made an impression on those in the faculty.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
