Chapter 4: The Chaotic Entrance Ceremony (1)

And just like that, two days passed, and it was the day of the entrance ceremony.

“By the way, Senior Sihyuk. Why did you suddenly start working out?”
“It’s good, isn’t it? Working out. Gets you in shape, too.”

I answered Baek Soso’s question while sprawled on the ground, drenched in sweat.
This was the third day of my morning jog.
The thought that I had 97 days left made me a little dizzy.

“See you tomorrow then.”
“This isn’t just a three-day resolution, is it?”
“Once.”
“…Alright. See you again tomorrow.”

After finishing my morning workout, instead of returning to the dormitory, I headed straight for the shopping district.
If I clean the shopping district in the morning for a month, an NPC called the Shopping District President gives me an item that increases Guts by 2.
And there was an unexpected advantage to it.

“Oh dear, student. Cleaning again today? How admirable. Here, here, have some of this.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any money…”
“Nonsense. These are leftovers from yesterday’s business, so it’s okay to eat them. Don’t feel burdened.”

With this, breakfast was taken care of.
Lunch at school, and dinner at Cheonryonggak, and my three meals a day were sorted.
Even when my living expenses arrived, I planned to maintain this routine for the time being.
There was an item I absolutely had to get at the ‘Bazaar’ event held after the midterm exams, so I needed to save even a little bit of money.

After finishing cleaning and returning to the dorm for a shower, it would be around 7:30 AM.
School starts at 8:50 AM, so there was still plenty of time, but I put on my uniform and left the dorm again right away.
This was because of the Intelligence version of ‘How about a morning workout?’, the advice ‘How about studying in the morning?’.
It was one of the mandatory training courses that raised Intelligence by 2 if you arrived at school before 8 AM and studied for 50 days.

“I guess it’s a relief that I can work on them at the same time.”

In the game system, a character could only receive one type of advice at a time.
Right now, I was simultaneously working on a total of five different types of advice, adding a new one as soon as I finished another.
In theory, I would obtain stats equivalent to a B-rank Awakener before the summer vacation…
But I wouldn’t know if it was being applied properly until at least 50 days, no, more accurately, over 100 days had passed.
The stats in Legend of Academia were five: Stamina, Intelligence, Ability, Guts, and Potential.
Even if Intelligence and Guts changed, there wouldn’t be a dramatic difference in how I felt, and Potential was a fixed stat that couldn’t be changed without a special method.
So, the only stats I could actually feel a change in were Stamina and Ability.
However, Ability wasn’t a stat that could be raised through advice.

It was a stat that only increased through special events or ability development curricula, and its value was variable.
It didn’t apply in clean increments like 1 or 2, but in ranges like 0 to 2.
So, right now, without being able to see the ‘real’ status, I had no way of accurately checking my Ability stat.
At best, I could only make a rough guess by averaging it out.

In other words, it meant that I couldn’t get an accurate confirmation until the morning workouts were done.
If it was applied correctly and my Stamina increased by 1.5 times, there would surely be a dramatic change I could feel.

“I guess I have no choice but to just do it.”

Even if the stats I remembered were a concept that didn’t apply in this world, it didn’t really matter.
Waking up early to exercise and study.
There was no way those two things wouldn’t be helpful to me now, as a ‘student’.

Anyway, as I walked down the street with those thoughts, I soon arrived at the school.

‘East District No. 2 High School’

Prestigious schools with a majority of B-rank or higher Awakeners had flashy names like ‘Cheongmyeong’ or ‘Edelweiss’, but most schools had boring names like this.
A school where most students were C-rank or below, a place that was, with a few exceptions, no different from the world outside Academia.
By the time they reached high school, the dream of becoming a high-rank Awakener had disappeared for most.

Before entering the classroom, I stopped by the supply room first.
I entered through an unlocked window I had confirmed during my reconnaissance yesterday afternoon.
The supply room was filled with musty dust, as if it hadn’t been cleaned all vacation.
Inside, I found a suitable item to use as a weapon and then went back out.
Only after hiding it in a corner of the bathroom on the second-year students’ floor did I finally head to the classroom.

‘Since it’s the first day, it should be fine to sit anywhere.’
‘I chose the very back seat by the hallway.’
‘A good spot to slip out of the classroom, just in case.’
I take out a book from my bag.
The subject is History.
I skip over the common parts that overlap with the Earth I used to live on…
‘Right, here it is.’
‘The Great Invasion.’

-After the Great Invasion of the Irregulars, the administrative power of each nation reached its limit… -The children of the new generation, unlike the old generation, possessed unique abilities… -A space was needed to nurture future resources in a safe environment…-At that time, the artificial island, Academia, rose in the Pacific Ocean…

The lore of LeoA that I knew was written in a slightly more detailed and professional manner.
As a player of LeoA, it was a very interesting part, so I read without realizing how much time was passing.
Then, when I came to my senses, the classroom was already bustling with students.
Even though the classes had changed for the second year, everyone seemed to know each other, chatting in groups of threes and fives.
‘This feels like… youth.’
Maybe because my mind is that of an old man, the sight I hadn’t seen in a long time strangely warmed my heart.
I was a little nervous, wondering if someone might come up and talk to me, but until the teacher came in, no one spoke to me.
‘I have no friends, huh.’

“Alright, everyone, focus.”

A blonde, Caucasian female teacher with sharp eyes tapped the lectern.

“I’m Kate, and I’ll be the homeroom teacher for class 2-3 this year. It seems we’re a bit tight on time for self-introductions, so we’ll postpone that for later.”

When Kate pressed a button on the remote on the lectern, the blackboard moved around and transformed into a giant screen.
Everyone else looked calm, as if they were used to it, but to me, it was a strangely exciting sight.
‘Is this… the future?’

“First, a speech from our Chairman.”

Kate moved to the side of the screen, the lights went out, and the screen began to glow.

-Greetings, students of Academia. It is I, the Chairman.

Even though he was the Chairman, he wasn’t the dignified old man one might imagine.
He had the appearance of a young boy who looked like he could have just entered middle school.
However, no one found his appearance amusing or questioned it.

Plato.
That boy, who borrowed the name of an ancient philosopher, was the true master of this Academia.
He was the one who provided this island to humanity 30 years ago, as an ‘Ark’ to secure the future.

-My message is the same as always. Learn, and learn again, to reach the ultimate truth.
-That is all.

The speech was just as I remembered it—so short it was almost insincere.
But the students, who had heard this speech every time, must be feeling a sense of unease right now.
Because unlike usual, the screen didn’t turn off right away, and the broadcast was continuing.

And then.

The ceiling collapsed, and debris fell onto the Chairman’s body.
Shrill screams echoed through the classroom, the school, and furthermore, throughout the entire academy city.

It was the beginning of Legend of Academia.

Just before the camera filming the tragic scene turned off, something was captured falling onto the debris.
A creature with a bizarre appearance.
A being that no student of Academia could fail to recognize.

“An Irregular!”

Someone shouted its name.
And immediately after, a desolate silence filled the classroom.

For the past 30 years, Academia had been an impregnable fortress that had never once allowed an attack from an Irregular.
The reason humanity had been able to fight against the Irregulars until now was thanks to the existence of the Ark.
But now, a hole had been pierced somewhere in that Ark.
If they couldn’t defend against it—humanity would be defeated.

‘They must all be thinking the same thing.’
‘That’s why they’re all frozen like that.’

“But that won’t happen.”

I muttered quietly and slipped out of my seat, leaving the classroom.
The Irregular attack only happens once, during the prologue on the entrance ceremony day.
After that, you don’t see any Irregulars inside Academia for an entire semester.
‘Ah, there were a few exceptions, but anyway.’
Because right now, this whole situation is a setup by the Chairman.
That old man of a kid is currently alive and well, hiding somewhere.
‘The purpose is, hmm.’
‘‘Culling,’ I think it was.’

Right now, Irregulars are appearing one after another all over Academia.
Most students are in a panic, busy running away or hiding, but a few courageous students use their abilities to fight against the enemies of humanity.
These are the main characters who appear in Legend of Academia.
Their heroic deeds will be immediately reported to the ‘Teacher,’ and some of them will be assigned to the special department.

In short, now is the time for self-promotion.
I have to move as quickly as possible.

I went to the bathroom, grabbed the weapon I had prepared, and went outside the building.
The heavy feel of the aluminum bat in my hand.
The grip is quite excellent.
In truth, even though they’re called Irregulars, the ones appearing now are almost all lowest-grade individuals.
They were treated as tutorials in the game, so they’re beings that even a normal person could defeat if they just had the will to fight.
However, Lee Sihyuk’s ability, being a supporter from birth, isn’t very helpful in combat.
On top of that, my ability level is far too low right now, so it would be more effective to fight with this bat as a weapon.

“First, one.”

Staring down the writhing Irregular in front of the school gate, I readjusted my grip on the bat.