Episode 4 Entrance Ceremony (2)
The entrance ceremony seemed to proceed smoothly.
Starting with the principal, Ma Dong-cheol, the introductions of the teachers followed one by one.
“Then, there will be a welcoming speech from the student body president… no, the acting president to welcome the freshmen.”
It’s exactly the same as the novel’s plot.
Obviously, the student body president was too lazy and left the welcoming speech to the acting president.
Even in the work, the student council president rarely appears at official events.
It was also set up that he liked mysticism.
In the first place, the student body president was also a ‘fictitious character.’
After the ordinary welcoming speech by the student body president, or rather, the acting president, ended, the emcee grabbed the microphone again.
“Next, we will have the freshman representative oath. Freshman representative Choi Kang-ho takes the position.”
At the introduction of the MC, a warm-looking boy with refreshing features came up to the stage.
As the boy looked at the freshmen and smiled, happy screams from the female cadets could be heard from all over.
“Is that Choi Kang-ho, the devil’s talent who defeated the world’s best Lee Do-hyeok? Rumor has it that he even beat the instructor during the entrance exam.”
“Hey, how could you possibly beat the instructor like that? The instructors at the Academy are at least Class B or higher, so this must be an exaggeration.”
I could hear people whispering about Choi Kang-ho around me.
I don’t know the details of the entrance exam because it’s not mentioned in the work, but it’s probably true that he beat the instructor.
As such, Choi Kang-ho, as his name suggests, is by far the strongest among the freshmen.
I looked at Choi Kang-ho, who was reciting the oath, with a complicated expression.
‘Hmm… For the time being, let’s not worry about Choi Kang-ho. There’s nothing I can do about it… We’re in different classes anyway and we won’t have much in common.’
“Next, we will hear some words of encouragement from Principal Ma Dong-cheol, the headmaster of the Korea Player Academy.”
After Choi Kang-ho’s freshman representative oath was over, Principal Ma Dong-cheol’s speech finally began.
I looked at Ma Dong-cheol with a nervous expression, took out the ballpoint pen I had in my pocket, and held it tightly in my hand.
Ma Dong-cheol got up from his seat, walked to the front of the stage, and looked around at the new students.
“I hate words. I’ll get straight to the point. The training at the Academy is so brutal that you’ll have to risk your life. Those who are scared and give up, get out of the auditorium right now.”
A quiet silence flowed through the auditorium as Ma Dong-cheol spoke.
None of the freshmen left the auditorium.
Rather, the freshmen looked at Ma Dong-cheol with eyes that burned with their own determination.
Ma Dong-cheol, seeing that sight, smiled brightly and opened his mouth again.
“I hope that you will carry the determination you have now engraved in your hearts throughout the three years you attend the Academy. That’s all.”
At the end of Ma Dong-cheol’s short but powerful speech, applause was heard one by one among the freshmen.
The applause grew louder and began to fill the auditorium.
Ma Dong-cheol watched the scene quietly, then picked up the microphone again, and the auditorium became quiet again.
“And as the cadets who know in advance will know, I’m a meritocrat. I’m curious about the level of this year’s freshmen. From now on, the first 7 cadets who come up to the stage will receive a gift that I’ve personally prepared.”
As soon as Ma Dong-cheol finished speaking, an enormous pressure came over my entire body.
The pressure that was tightening around my whole body made it difficult for me to even breathe.
‘Oh, crazy… was it this much? I expected it, but I didn’t expect it to be this much…’
The 45th year of the school’s entrance ceremony.
The content was always the same.
It will rise up onto the stage.
However, this was under the premise that he could overcome the pressure given by Ma Dong-cheol.
Most of the cadets were unable to even move, let alone stand up.
-Sigh-
I said most, I didn’t say all.
A hint of surprise appeared in Ma Dong-cheol’s eyes.
It felt like there were two people on stage in less than 10 seconds.
It was Choi Kang-ho and Han Su-yeon.
Choi Kang-ho had a relaxed expression, and Han Su-yeon had an indifferent expression.
I expected those two. They’re both monsters.
I looked over the stage and tried to at least move my arms.
‘Please move. You have to be in the top 7.’
While everyone was still standing, after what felt like three minutes, someone stumbled up onto the stage.
Contrary to his efforts to maintain a calm expression as if nothing had happened, Lee Do-hyuk was coming up with his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
‘As expected, the third one is Lee Do-hyeok, just like in the novel. I expected this much. I don’t even want to be in the top ranks. I just need to be in the top 7.’
Despite my earnest desire, I couldn’t even breathe properly, let alone move my body.
Meanwhile, two more people came up after Lee Do-hyuk.
There was a boy with crossed eyes and a girl with brown hair and a short stature.
The cross-eyed male student used his unique ability, [Teleportation], to teleport onto the stage and fell backwards, while the short female student, like Lee Do-hyeok, struggled to get onto the stage, trembling.
“Heeeeeeeeeeeee.”
Now that there were only two people left, I became anxious and groaned as I tried to move.
But my own wretched body and Kim Baram’s was not able to adapt at all to the pressure that Ma Dong-cheol was putting on me.
At best, I can barely move my mouth now… Wait, your mouth?
The moment I realized that I could move my ‘mouth’, I bit my tongue with all my might without a second thought.
-Quick-
“Kwak!!!”
As I bit my tongue, I felt a stinging pain and screamed in an instant, covering my mouth with one hand.
My mouth was filled with the pungent taste of blood.
Done!
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I was able to move.
My tongue was very cold, but thanks to that, I was able to move my hand. With my other hand, I held tightly the ballpoint pen I had prepared for the exam in advance, and without hesitation, I thrust it into my thigh with all my might.
-Phew-
A sharp pain shot through my thigh, reaching my brain, and I jerked up from my seat.
My strategy was this:
To gain control of one’s body and escape from the pressure of Ma Dong-cheol by inflicting pain on one’s own body.
I didn’t expect that I wouldn’t be able to move my hands, but fortunately I was able to get through it somehow by improvising.
This method was originally used by Marginseok in the work to pass the entrance ceremony.
Margin Stone, although not like me, regained control of his body by punching himself in the face with all his might in the story.
-Kudangtang-
I heard a loud noise behind me.
Perhaps that sound is the sound of Margin Stone hitting his own face so hard that the chair falls over.
I don’t know if he saw my actions or if it was just the way the story was supposed to go, but Ma Jinseok started to walk towards the stage, stomping his feet.
The fact that Margin Stone started to rise up the podium meant that the guy who originally ranked 7th in the novel would also start moving soon.
Feeling anxious, I desperately held back the pain rushing into my right thigh and raised both hands onto the platform right in front of me.
Given my meager abilities, I don’t think I’ll be able to move my body for much time using this trick.
So, rather than going around the stairs next to me to get up onto the platform, I chose the shortest route by reaching the platform right in front of me.
“Huh⋯!”
I struggled to lift my left leg up onto the platform, struggling.
Just a little more and⋯!
At that moment, someone’s scream was heard from behind.
“Eww!!! The last seat is mine!!”
I turned my eyes to where the sound came from and glanced at it. The student who had screamed was walking towards the stage with difficulty.
The guy who screamed was Shin Hae-seong.
He is the only son of the leader of the Geumseong guild, one of the eight major guilds in South Korea, and possesses a unique ability: [Adaptation].
It was an ability that could be adapted to most environments over time, unless the environment was extremely harsh.
In the original novel, Shin Tae-seong used his unique ability to fill the last seven positions.
But this time, give in to me.
‘I can’t give up the reward that Ma Dong-cheol gives me when I’m in the top 7 or the VP that comes in, for my growth.’
“Shut up⋯!”
I was so focused that I didn’t even notice the blood that had pooled in my mouth flowing out of my lips, so I mustered up all the strength I had to lift my remaining right leg up onto the platform.
Finally, I lifted my right leg up onto the platform and lay down, my body losing all strength.
“Hehe …
“That’s foul play! Mr. Principal, that kid didn’t get up the stairs to the stage. That’s not allowed!!”
At that time, Shin Hae-seong, who had reached the front of the stairs next to the stage, felt wronged by not making it into the top 7 by a hair’s breadth, and began to protest to Ma Dong-cheol about my actions.
After hearing the protest, Ma Dong-cheol answered Shin Hae-seong with an indifferent expression and his ears tickled.
“I just told him to get up on the stage. I didn’t tell him how to get up. By your logic, he’s also cheating.”
Ma Dong-cheol pointed with his finger at the half-eyed male student who had come up onto the stage using [Spatial Teleportation] and spoke.
“Ugh⋯⋯.”
When Shin Hae-seong was unable to refute Ma Dong-cheol’s words, Ma Dong-cheol spoke again.
“I hope you realize that while it’s important to win a match, it’s also important to accept the result cleanly and reflect on your shortcomings. Not only you, but the others should take note of this as well.”
Ma Dong-cheol spoke to not only Shin Hae-seong but also other cadets who were unable to come up to the stage.
And with those words, Ma Dong-cheol dispelled the pressure that had been weighing on all the cadets.
I feel like I can finally live.
As the energy that had been weighing on my entire body disappeared, a tingling pain began to creep up my tongue and right thigh.
Saying that you will live means canceling it.
‘It’s good to be in the top 7, but I’m worried about the future. If I keep going like this, I won’t have any more body left. I need to grow up quickly.’
As I was making up my mind about the future, new alarms suddenly appeared before my eyes.
-Tiring-
[Player ‘Kim Baram’s’ unique ability
[You have passed the final 7 in Ma Dong-cheol’s test. You will receive 800 VP.]
[You have gained the favor of the character ‘Go Ju-yeon’. You will receive 100 VP. Go Ju-yeon’s current favorability toward Kim Baram is ‘Interest’.]
[You have gained the favor of the character ‘Ma Dong-cheol’. You will receive 100 VP. Ma Dong-cheol’s current favorability rating for Kim Baram is ‘Interest’.]
[You have gained the favor of the character ‘Ma Jin-seok’. You will receive 50 VP. Ma Jin-seok’s favorability toward Kim Baram is currently ‘Interested’.]
[You have lost the favor of the character ‘Shin Hae-seong’. You will receive 50 VP. Shin Hae-seong’s current favorability toward Kim Baram is ‘Distrust’.]
[The main character ‘Han Su-yeon’ is paying attention to you. You will receive 500 VP.]
I was lying down and quietly staring at the alarm, and then I lost consciousness as if I was relaxed.
My vision went dark.
Name: Kim Baram
Age: 17
Ability
Strength: 9
Agility: 9
Stamina: 9(-7)
Horsepower: 1
Charm: 39
Luck: 50
Skill
Unique Abilities
-Variable Points held: 6750 VP
