Usually, the protagonist in a story possesses exceptional growth talent.
At first, they might be weak, but they quickly become strong, eventually joining the ranks of the world’s strongest without a second thought, fighting alongside others. This was the hallmark of a protagonist.
But what about the extras in the story?
They don’t even show up properly in the narrative. Most of the time, they just hang out in the corner, admiring or being jealous of the protagonist, right?
Even that is considered a success for an extra. Generally, they are just random passersby on the street.
And….
Ding!
‘That person is me.’
That’s right. I have ended up possessing the body of an extra.
Not just any extra, but one belonging to a stranger I’ve never seen before.
‘Applicant number 81 – Rudion.’
I’ve played this game for a day or two, and never once have I heard the name Rudion.
No use judging by looks; I’ve never really paid attention to the NPCs I couldn’t interact with.
I thought I was dead, but being here was confusing in many ways, and regrettably, I didn’t have the luxury to collect my thoughts.
“…So, remember that any unnecessary contact or cheating among applicants will result in disqualification.”
It seems the game has already begun, so I should probably focus on this now.
“Then, we will start the entrance exam from now.”
I never thought I’d be handling the entrance exam event right at the game’s start.
Following the words of the supervisor, I trailed behind the other applicants with a sense of curiosity.
Suddenly being thrown into this world, let alone in the body of an extra, was shocking, but I knew exactly what needed to be done.
After all, this world is my home ground. If we’re just considering knowledge of this world, I’m practically a PhD, right?
‘Of course! I had just been about to die playing this game!’
Having gone through every piece of content and even scraping up all sorts of Easter eggs like a hungry dog, there’s no way I’d stumble over just an entrance exam.
I knew where and how everything would unfold, so I could approach the exam more calmly than anyone else here.
“Applicant number 81, theory… full marks… excellent. Please follow the assistant to the practical exam area.”
I breezed through the theory portion.
It really wasn’t much. Questions about the characteristics of certain monsters or how to respond to various situations in combat—things I knew like the back of my hand!
The entrance exam was painfully easy for me.
‘…Honestly, I was a bit nervous that there’d be stuff I didn’t know.’
Usually, when you possess a character, suddenly complex spells or baffling theories that weren’t in the game pop up to bewilder you, right?
I worried that if that happened, I’d have to study for the entire duration of my academy life, but thankfully, it only asked about stuff straight out of the game.
So I began with full marks! Well, since theory and practice weight is 2:8, it wouldn’t be a huge help, but better than nothing, and more than anything, it felt good.
I hummed a little tune as I followed the assistant and eventually arrived at the practical exam area.
“From here on, you can go in alone.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you for the guidance.”
“Yes, yes, you seemed to do well on the theory; good luck with the practical.”
I parted ways with the assistant, who had guided me. I knew who he was, but it wasn’t because of that; it was merely common courtesy.
There were plenty of things to do, but I really couldn’t go around being rude in a game focused on combat! You’d just get smacked around with a hammer of etiquette.
No reason to make enemies when I’m not the type either.
Thinking this, I stepped inside the practical exam area, which opened into a structure reminiscent of a Coliseum.
Though it was called an exam, in reality, it was more about measuring combat ability, hence the setup.
They assess the applicants’ skills through dueling, where the winner continues to fight while the loser’s exam ends right there and then.
While this survival approach might seem unreasonable, it actually isn’t. Even if they lose terribly, the exam supervisors calculate everything to provide accurate evaluation results, far more precise than you’d think.
The survival format is just a rule to shorten exam time; there’s no unfairness at all.
Well, I didn’t care about the rules. What mattered was how well I could perform here.
Even if I scored full marks in theory, if I messed this up, it would be lights out for me.
However, since I had taken possession of this body, I felt light and overflowing with power—definitely not at a low level of ability. It’s a shame that I couldn’t know the exact stats, though….
Ding!
[Checking your stats.]
Oh, there’s a system? Is it really going to be like a game?
I suddenly wondered if I could use other system windows, but checking the screen that popped up was my priority.
[Rudion]
[Strength: 17]
[Durability: 8]
[Agility: 26]
[Magic Power: 11]
…Higher than I expected?
That can’t be the kind of stats you get at the start of an academy.
At this level, I should have no problem making it into the upper grades, possibly even the top tier.
‘If I’m lucky, I could even aim for second place!’
With those thoughts swirling in my mind, Rudion’s stats were impressively high.
While not overwhelmingly superior compared to top-tier characters, if I leveraged my efficiency to the max, there was potential.
As for being first overall? That’d be impossible with that one character around.
Anyway, with these specs, just following the basic growth path offered by the academy would allow me to maintain a solid upper-tier standing….
Ding!
[Due to unique characteristics, your growth is now permanently halted.]
Can’t do this!
What the heck? Give me my stats back!
No wonder my starting stats were at this level. It felt strange that I never made an appearance throughout the game. Was I the subject of that menacing phrase teachers throw out every semester, “Many students were demoted this term”?
In a game where stats are everything, being denied growth makes perfect sense.
If the penalty included some utterly ludicrous traits, I could have at least understood it….
[Irregular]
[This is an experimental feature. Please ensure it is not obtained by actual players.]
It’s unfair; there isn’t even an explanation! I decided not to think about it for now.
Finishing the exam was more important. Even if my growth had stopped, the current stats are still ridiculously strong.
With this level of stats, I could probably bulldoze my way to at least the intermediate class purely based on physical prowess. No immediate concerns about falling behind.
Furthermore, I wasn’t just any average player in this body.
I was none other than the legendary player “Park Dae-Gam’s Butt-Mask,” known far and wide, with recommendations numbering in the hundreds of thousands on攻略 posted across the forums about this game!
…I should’ve put more thought into that nickname. If I’d known I’d be taking it seriously, I would’ve chosen better.
Anyway, in a duel with those same specs, losing was simply not an option.
The original? The butterfly effect? I had already shuffled off my mortal coil before this hustle, and I wasn’t about to worry about those things. I intended to enjoy this world, no two ways about it.
Apologies to the fresh newbies who just enrolled, but… it’s time for the experienced player!
Feeling that determination, I was ready to jump into the duel… only to discover…
“Ah.”
The exam hall was completely empty.
Oh right. Everyone else must still be taking the theory exam. I totally forgot I had submitted mine early.
And… at this moment, the only other applicant around was someone I knew full well.
Realizing that, I tried to make a hasty exit, but it seemed too late.
A character I’d seen countless times in the game approached me. With every step she took, her sparkling platinum hair swayed, and my heart dropped.
As she reached right in front of me, though her expression was blank, she stared directly at me and spoke.
“It’s nice to meet you. It seems like it’s just the two of us; should we duel first?”
With an extraordinary heritage and remarkable talent fueling her growth through sheer overwhelming force… from about mid-story, she just dominated the ranks and became one of the strongest beings in the world.
No matter which route she took, she guaranteed the protagonist could never become first, crowned by Forbes as the top student in defense.
Seria Rubetia. She had requested a duel with me.
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