Rustle.
“Uuuuh…”
It’s so bright that I look around after waking up.
“It’s an unfamiliar ceiling.”
Speaking the line I wanted to say at least once since birth, I got up and figured out where I was.
The clean clothes on my body and the curtains surrounding me.
Hmm, no matter how I look at it… is this a hospital room?
The last thing I remember before losing consciousness is using a counterattack skill and hitting my head on my alcohol bottle…
“Ouch.”
As I rubbed my head as I remembered, there was indeed a small bump.
So, what happened after that?
Did I fail? How much time has passed since then? What should I do from now on?
For a moment, those worries filled my head before my head began to ache again.
Damn curse.
As soon as that bothersome alcohol addiction curse was awakened, it relapsed.
“Alcohol…”
However, searching the floor of the hospital bed and various drawers yielded nothing resembling alcohol.
Naturally, which crazy hospital would keep alcohol in a patient room?
Even if I were to leave here, I wouldn’t be able to buy alcohol now since I have no money.
I don’t even know if there’s a convenience store or grocery store nearby…
“Ugh…”
This is dangerous. At that moment, I spotted hand sanitizer reflected on one side of the door.
“…That must be alcohol, right?”
I had thoughts that definitely wouldn’t occur to an ordinary person.
“…But still, that’s not right.”
Yeah, hand sanitizer isn’t something a person should consume…
<div style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; background-color: #111; color: #d9534f; padding: 15px 20px; border-radius: 10px; max-width: 600px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 20px auto 0 auto; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"> [Mental strength is decreasing.]Damn, there’s no time to nitpick.
Just like before using Power Release, I can feel my mental strength dropping in real-time.
I wouldn’t know if I were asleep, but at least when awake, it’s nearly impossible to function without being intoxicated.
So, I quickly lifted the hand sanitizer and squeezed it into my mouth.
Squeeeze.
“Eww.”
Naturally, the hand sanitizer tasted disgusting.
Still, it seems to serve the role of intoxication somewhat, so I should be thankful for that…
Creeeak.
At that moment, a woman dressed as a nurse opened the door and caught my eye.
“Oh.”
“What are you doing!!!”
“Uh, it’s just…”
“Spit it out immediately! Do you think hand sanitizer is made for people to consume?!”
“Hey… wouldn’t a little bit be similar to alcohol…?”
In that instant, I felt a deadly aura from the nurse and sealed my lips.
“What do you mean…?”
“But this tastes really bad.”
“Of course it does!! What is that gurgling in your mouth?! Spit it out!!!!”
After that, nurses and what appeared to be doctors swarmed around to check my health and scolded me thoroughly.
Fortunately, they said it wasn’t detrimental to my health.
“I saw you during the exam, but why on earth are you drinking so much? Aren’t you still at the student level in age?”
“If I don’t, I get a headache.”
“Hmm… Alcohol dependency? Or maybe…”
The doctor seemed to ponder for a moment at my words, but it wasn’t going to be easy to diagnose.
This was, after all, a curse.
I don’t quite remember, but I recall reading somewhere that it was a binding engraved into the soul or something like that.
“Anyway, please don’t consume that ever again. Just let me know if you want lower-alcohol drinks. That would be healthier.”
“Yes, can I have something with lower alcohol then…?”
“……Yes.”
The way the doctor looked at me seemed a bit sad.
.
.
.
.
So, I could hear the story of what happened after the match while sipping the alcohol that someone else brought.
“Originally, you didn’t receive a pass after that match.”
“Um.”
As expected, it turned out that way.
After all, it wasn’t a direct attack, and defeating the Crimson Giant with a counterattack technique that bursts air pressure would have been quite a stretch.
If they had brought stronger alcohol, it might have been a different story, but at that time, all I had was diluted alcohol, making it impossible to think of another method.
Anyway, with this, I would have to look for another small-sized academy, not the Central Academy.
Of course, the level would be lower than the Central Academy, but there would still be doctors there.
“But, this time there was an exception.”
However, the doctor in front of me said something quite different from what I expected.
“Yes?”
“Twice a year, divided into the first and second half, professors can recommend participants they liked in the exam. It’s like, ‘You’re mine, so come here!'”
“Oh, okay.”
What does that have to do with me?
The alcohol was slowly kicking in, and I was still too sleepy to think.
“And… this time, you were the one recommended.”
“……”
This was unexpected.
I was already aware that there was a recommendation system, but the probability of it being applied to a player was extremely low.
There were multiple analytical articles on how to receive a recommendation in the Dreaming World community, but not one had analyzed its actual functioning.
Some said those who were left alone until the end could get one, while others said you could provoke a professor or, even crazier, dance naked.
In any case, the probability was so low that I hadn’t even considered it…
“Normally, the participants who would likely appeal to the professors would already have the skills to pass, so it hardly ever happens.”
That makes sense; those who would receive a recommendation would be capable of getting a pass through their own abilities.
“However, it seems the performance you showed this time? That was quite impressive.”
Can that be called a performance?
I thought as hard as I could in a chaotic situation.
Nevertheless, the news that I had narrowly passed into the Central Academy made me feel quite happy, so I asked the doctor with a positive tone.
“Oh. So who recommended me?”
“Um… that is…”
The doctor pondered for a moment before naming the people who recommended me, and upon hearing those names, I slapped my forehead.
“Philia Professor of Physical Training and Noel Professor of Literature Studies.”
“Oh dear.”
“Yes?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
There was a reason why I sighed upon hearing those names.
First, Philia Professor.
She only values the training of the body.
A person who believes that one can conquer mountains and cross seas solely through physical training and that this training can purely surpass all other subjects.
At the same time, since she also values martial arts, she is very interested in the martial arts of boxers and kickboxers that have continued for a long time.
Just looking at this, I can understand why she recommended me.
It must be because of Power Release.
Power Release is clearly a ‘skill’ that others cannot use, but it can be understood as a martial art that generates tremendous destructive power with simple movements for someone who doesn’t know that.
Moreover, the target was the Crimson Giant, so the visible impact must have been significant.
That woman is definitely thinking, ‘A girl who looks as if she has no real muscles has the ability to knock down the Crimson Giant? What if I used it!!’
“Ugh…”
I can already see the immense physical torture awaiting me in the future.
She’ll either want me to teach her the skill or to develop me, one or the other.
‘A future with bulging muscles…?’
No, that can’t be my future.
I’ve just had a transformation; there’s no way I can have muscles.
Moreover, the other recommending professor, Noel.
He is not a particularly difficult person in terms of character.
He understands and researches ancient texts, assists with the Department of Magic, and interprets various traditions.
He might even be considered indispensable at the academy, being a world-renowned textual interpreter.
Each year, countless people come to him with requests, and the total cost of the requests easily approaches hundreds of millions.
However, in order to focus on the academy’s work, he sets aside all those requests and diligently teaches students.
…Or at least that’s how it is known to the world.
If Philia Professor is simply someone I wouldn’t want to be close to due to personality or otherwise, he is someone I shouldn’t get too close to at all.
Yeah, Noel is a character who almost unconditionally becomes hostile towards players in the latter part.
Looking back at various incidents, he has always been involved.
I have no idea why he recommended me in the first place.
As I was pondering like that, the doctor in front of me spoke up.
“It seems there are no longer any issues with your body, so you may be discharged. You could stay here if you wish.”
“Is that okay?”
“Our hospital was set up by the academy, so as long as you’re enrolled in the Central Academy, you can use our hospital for free!”
He concluded the sentence in such a friendly tone and turned to leave.
I watched the doctor’s back and thought.
‘Is this world a game?’
No, judging by the situation, it seems more credible that I’ve possessed someone, but the Dreaming World game itself feels so realistic that it creates a dissonance.
Every NPC in the Dreaming World gives a different answer to even a single question.
As if they could think and reason for themselves.
That wouldn’t happen, but what if the characters in the game were truly alive?
Even if I think this way, nothing changes, but at this point where such an absurd situation as possession has occurred, I can’t help but come up with such hypotheses from the ordinary.
If those people were truly alive…
“My actions could change the outcomes.”
I don’t believe in determinism, but I think that a person’s future is somewhat predetermined.
However, paradoxically, I imagine that the same fate can always be changed by choices.
“Hmm… I don’t know.”
There are no predetermined villains.
Only the paths available for choice are set.
However, this is a story for later.
Gulp, gulp.
“Ah… so comfortable.”
Right now, my priority is simply to fall asleep on the soft hospital bed.
So, I closed my eyes as the intoxication washed over me.
.
.
.
.
.
And time quickly passed, approaching the day of the entrance ceremony.
