“Ah, I found it.”
The academy classroom was more ordinary than I had imagined.
I wasn’t particularly expecting much since I had seen it many times in games, but I still had some hopes for a fantastical or American drama-like classroom.
However, there were about twice as many students as in a regular classroom, and its size was almost four times larger.
I found one empty seat in my line of sight and sat there.
For reference, this empty seat was not the ‘back seat’ that the protagonist often occupies in various novels or animations.
If you’ve been through school, you might know that most students tend to avoid the front seats.
Before the teacher could even ask, “What day is it today?”, there is a high probability of a situation like, “You at the front, read aloud.”
Conversely, this means that students in the back seats have more time to secretly chat or talk among themselves.
Perhaps that’s why protagonists tend to sit in the back.
After all, if you sit at the front, you won’t have time to flirt with the heroines, right?
Regardless of everything, the fact remains that I was sitting in the very front seat where the professor could see me.
Crunch.
Once again, I put chocolate in my mouth and inhaled its sweet aroma.
“Mmm…”
But more than that, this chocolate was so delicious that I couldn’t help but eat it quickly.
Since I stuffed my drink tightly into the chocolate without leaving any behind, drinking would hit me faster every time I had a piece, and I wondered if I could hold out until the end of the day.
While I was thinking like that, a person who looked like a professor entered.
The classroom fell silent instantly; at this age, one could have a conversation, yet no one did.
But upon reflection, these were all students by age, but they were those who were acknowledged for their talents in their respective clans.
Knowing the efforts they had made to get here, they had no choice but to focus on each class.
In contrast, I was…
‘Completely fortune-based.’
I had no special thoughts or plans.
In fact, had it not been for the curse that was placed on my body, I wouldn’t have even thought about attending this academy where the story takes place.
What would I be doing in a place where disasters happen every time, demons descend, and the end is born?
Of course, the academy in the [Dreaming World] doesn’t necessarily operate in such a simple manner… but depending on the difficulty level chosen by the player, horrific situations will occur around.
‘What difficulty did I set it to?’
The problem was that I couldn’t remember what difficulty I had set…
‘It will probably work out somehow.’
Given that thinking about it now wouldn’t change the facts, I gave up and began to focus on the professor’s words in front of me.
The professor I hadn’t caught the name of while I was thinking was explaining what we would do today.
“There may be students who have already determined their aptitude or specific skills and weapons, but there could also be those who haven’t. So today, we will conduct an aptitude test.”
“How is the aptitude test conducted?”
“While normal schools might do it with some paper, we’re different, right?”
And in came a large device.
An assistant, or a graduate student maybe? In any case, the person pushed the machine in with a face that seemed very tired.
‘They could use a little help.’
“Good job, go and wait over there.”
“·····.”
The man, who seemed to expect the words that would allow him to go home and rest, darkened his eye circles even more and left through the door as soon as he heard the professor’s command.
His back looked quite pitiful.
However, the professor, as if familiar with the device, placed his hands on it and proudly said, “This machine will help you assess your aptitudes. Of course, I’ll help directly, not just the machine.”
“If someone doesn’t want to do it, can they opt-out?”
“It doesn’t matter, but it’s probably better to do it, as you can only take the aptitude test once a year. That doesn’t mean you have to change your aptitudes forever.”
“Then…”
“There are those who have an aptitude for magic or mystique but choose to go down a physical path and vice versa. There are various examples… I’ve even seen those who follow the path set by their clan. It’s up to you.”
As I remember, at this branching point, players can choose from several options.
[Magic], [Physical], [Mystique], [Healing], [Transformation], [Research], and [Ineptitude].
The professor seemed to particularly enjoy it when a ‘Research’ student came forth.
Were they going to introduce a newly interesting slave… I mean, student?
“Alright, line up and come in here one by one.”
Then, the students started to enter sequentially.
I ended up standing at the back, waiting for the line to shorten, and became the last one in line.
Even at that moment, I could occasionally hear the professor’s voice expressing joy as students with ‘Research’ aptitudes began to emerge.
Inside the machine I went.
It felt like a mouse trapped in glass, or an animal sensing the gaze of humans observing it at a zoo.
Whirrrrr…!!
“Ugh…”
The sensation that coursed through my body was far worse than I had anticipated.
It felt like they wouldn’t miss a single piece of information about me.
Still, I thought it would be nice if either magic or mystique aptitude came out.
I’ve wanted to teleport to school since I was a child, thinking that I would rather just sleep a little longer.
After about two minutes passed, my aptitude turned out to be none other than…
[Ineptitude].
“Uh.”
“Uh… this can’t be right?”
Seeing the professor’s panicked expression, I stayed quiet, but I too was in a state of great surprise.
After all, I had the ‘Drunken Fist’ trait, right? So shouldn’t I at least be headed toward the physical category?
I felt a gaze on my back, and sweat trickled down my spine.
“Um… should we try again?”
“Ah, yes.”
Even after retesting, the result was still [Ineptitude].
“···This is strange. Given that time, it would be normal for at least something in the physical category to appear.”
And I could hear the professor mumbling, seemingly thinking the same as I was.
“For now, let’s check the machine later… just return to your seats.”
“Yes.”
I never thought I would experience a scene I had seen in novels myself, but having gone through it, I definitely understood.
Goodness, this is so embarrassingly awful.
No matter how uninterested I am in people, I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious, so I unwrapped three chocolates simultaneously, shoved them into my mouth, and chewed on them.
“Ahh~”
Only then did the slightly stronger buzz begin to erase my embarrassment.
“Now that the aptitude test is done, let’s head out to choose our weapons. Those who have their personal weapons should come as well. There are regulations regarding weapons used in formal duels or competitions.”
“Okay.”
Weapons. I’m quite torn about what to choose.
Following the professor into the weapon room.
It was a significantly large space with neatly arranged structures and weapons displayed on top.
From the sword, often called the ‘King of All Kinds’, to spears and staves, and even arrows and bows—there were guns just as I had seen before.
Moreover, there were staffs for students with magic and mystique-related traits.
Generally, a gun would seem like the best choice.
After all, I’d read ridiculous novels where even masters rising to the present age were shot and killed.
However, it would be naïve to think that such a mindset would work here as well.
The existence of guys using swords and bows in a world where guns are developed means that there are far too many monsters that can handle guns with ease.
There are some that can take a hit from a large sniper rifle without even breaking the skin, and others that, due to their absurd regeneration skills, find bullet wounds insignificant.
For various reasons, many still use ancient weapons despite the presence of guns.
However, special guns are treated differently.
Here, that means they’re powerful enough to be simple to use even for beginners, which drives the price up significantly.
For someone like me, who makes and eats alcohol chocolate, it’s something I wouldn’t even look at.
Moreover…
“Ugh…!!!”
The sword and spear were heavier than I had expected.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t lift them at all, but to use them as weapons?
‘That doesn’t feel right.’
It would be better to fight like a general in a game, spinning around and fighting like a top.
Though that would end up with something blunt rather than a proper weapon.
After suffering a slight stomachache, I sacrificed some chocolate to give it another try.
Crunch.
“Ugh…”
[Physical abilities slightly increase.]
I was able to swing the weapon I lifted with a dizzy head much more easily than before, but even so, using a sword in this state was out of the question.
‘If I swing it while drunk, it might bounce back and hit me.’
Quickly giving up, I considered the two options available.
1. Gloves.
They’re somewhat like knuckles but designed to absorb impacts when the user strikes an enemy, reducing the shock.
They don’t have spikes or anything, but I can count on knocking someone out with a heavy hit.
However, the risk of blocking or fighting directly with my hands is significant compared to other weapons.
2. Gun.
No matter how many people handle or counter guns, they are still weapons.
Their power hasn’t diminished significantly in this world either.
Compared to military-grade guns, the recoil is lower, and as a trade-off, their power is somewhat reduced, but they are still useful.
“Alright, has everyone chosen?”
While I was contemplating, the other students had each picked their preferred weapons.
Among them, there were those with flashy high-end equipment, often given by rich parents.
I wished for an opportunity to see the protagonist’s group pick their weapons, but sadly, I couldn’t because they were in a different class.
“Student, aren’t you picking? If it doesn’t fit, you can always change.”
I know that, but the first weapon holds significant meaning.
After much thought and deliberation, I finally chose one weapon.
“I’ll go with this one.”
