Chapter 1 : Admissions Day #1 - No Kidding, I’m an Extra

"Damn it!" Am I alive? "Right! There's no rule saying a human must just die...!" The thrill of life! As soon as I open my eyes, an overwhelming sense of happiness hits me! "Oh! Ohhhhhh!" A shout bursts from me, filled with intense joy! The unique, overwhelming delight and pleasure of having returned from the brink of death swirls through my brain! I'm alive...! Whoever graciously reported my situation, along with the paramedics, surely deserves a handmade ham set as a thank you gift! Indeed, it's true that luck doesn't abandon a person so easily. Someone must have heard my screams and called an ambulance. There's talk these days that warmth has vanished from Korea, but that's all nonsense, damn it. Anyone spewing such nonsense, I'll personally deal with them. "Whew!" After shaking off the surge of excitement, a wave of relief crashes over me. I genuinely feel tears welling up. A sudden seizure, of all things. People will only understand if they go through it themselves. Only then can they comprehend others' pain. From now on, I feel like launching a campaign advocating for acute epilepsy seizures for the entire nation. But then. "What the heck?" This isn't a hospital? Nor is it my home. I'm outside? In an unknown alley? Yet, first things first, I should check my physical condition. Quickly, I start patting down my body, verifying that nothing is out of place. Damn it, I'm in my early twenties having a seizure and passing out, of all things, it's unbelievable. My parents would be so worried. Just as I was seriously considering getting a thorough health check soon. ​— Click. I felt something on my waist. "What's this?" A... "Sword?" No, wait. "A blade?" For a moment, I can't find the words due to shock. I look at my waist to find a holster attached to a belt, and within it, a sword is sheathed. Astonishingly, I'm standing here, like some medieval soldier, with a sword on my hip. When did I get this? I've never bought or seen this before. The only time I wore anything like a blade on my side was when I carried a bayonet during my military service. It looks cool and all, but who in the world walks around with something like this? In our beautiful modern society, only psychopaths devoid of common sense would carry a sword around. "What, are these lunatics serious?" Yet it wasn't just one or two of them. Ahead of me, at the end of the alley, a group of students wearing what looked like strange uniforms was marching in unison, with sword-like weapons hanging from their waists in a single direction. Did I somehow join this cosplay parade while I was out cold, thanks to sudden sleepwalking? Freshly awoken, my brain seems sluggish. Why am I even here to begin with? "..." Severe confusion engulfs my body. Now that I think about it, my clothes aren't the ones I originally wore; they match the uniform the students are wearing out there. "Mom, save me." What I feel is fear. I'm just standing in this alley, but suddenly a wave of dread sweeps over me. The immense happiness from narrowly escaping death is thoroughly returned. What on earth happened while I was out cold? Wasn't I unconscious from a seizure? — Swoosh. Instinctively, I slip my hand into my pocket. My phone's in there. Yet... "Damn it... It's not mine." It's not my phone. In fact, it's a model I've never seen before. Where's my Galaxy? It's neither an iPhone nor an LG phone. What brand is this? It looks sleek, but I can't tell where it came from. Even still, familiarizing myself with the pattern, I unlock it immediately. Unbelievable. Did I unconsciously set an old pattern on a new phone? "..." Anyway, the phone is empty. It only has the apps you'd expect on a brand-new phone, and the contact list is spotless. But there's one message. [Admission Schedule for Ares Academy] "Ares Academy?" What's this, a pre-registration for a game? What the heck happened while I was out? It seems there's just an hour left until the admission ceremony. This is the last thing I should be concerning myself with. I promptly tried downloading a map app to check where I was and figure out how to get home, but none of the apps I know appeared. Even Chrome isn’t there, nor is Naver. Not even Daum? "..." Is this some other world? — Shiver. For some reason, that thought crosses my mind. Barely, I managed to search the map with the default internet app. "Mother of God, damn it." What's with the map of Korea? This is seriously wrong, isn't it? Cold sweat trickles down my face. An urge to collapse and cry floods my brain. Could it be that I... like in some hidden episode of Gulliver’s Travels, have landed in a world similar to the original Earth but different? A place where creatures that mimic humans roam? "Wallet." Filling with foreboding thoughts, I slip the phone back into my pocket and pull out my wallet. This, too, is a wallet I've never seen before. Can't even tell the brand. My wallet was supposed to be Louis Quatorze. "ID card." Thankfully, there was an ID card. [Kim Geun-cheol] "That's me, right?" The name's Kim Geun-cheol. The ID card bears my photo. But the birthdate seems odd. And this ID card, it... is vaguely yellow. It should never be this red. "What? Awakened One?" Even more baffling, the ID card has something indicating I'm apparently an "Awakened One." What's this? Does it mean I've taken some awakening drug? This doesn't make sense. The probability that someone crafted this while I was asleep and slipped it into my pocket is nonexistent. Either I lost my memory, or I've genuinely become embroiled in something strange. It's one or the other. "Student ID." And then there's the student ID. [Ares Academy Student ID] [Kim Geun-cheol] There's that Ares Academy again. The moment I thought maybe I had been tricked into Arirang while trying to collect game pre-registration goods. "Huh?" Hold on a second. I've seen this somewhere recently. Ah, yes. That game. The one I got today. Academy's War Hero. That's the name of the school. Now that I think about it, these uniforms seem familiar, like they're straight out of the game. "Oh, Mom." An astounding thought. "Am I seriously inside the game?" Even as I voiced it, it seemed absurd. Such an inconceivable thing couldn't possibly be real. But here, no matter how you look at it, it's reality. At that moment. — Ding. ――――――――――――――――― "Quest Activated" "Attend the Ares Academy entrance ceremony." "Reward: 100 Coins" ――――――――――――――――― "Aaaaargh!" A grotesque noise echoed, and a blue holographic window appeared before me! "What the hell!" Startled, I realized—I might indeed be inside a game. Probably from the moment I lost consciousness! * * * After calming myself a bit, I straightened my clothes and stepped out of the alley. Around me, there were others dressed in uniforms like mine, walking one by one. That aside... the buildings around me were surprisingly immaculate. To someone like me, who has lived my entire life in brick houses, this neighborhood appeared quite upscale. It felt like a European tourist attraction. Anyway. For now, I'll follow the directives of the instructors. I have no idea what's going on, and this surreal guide is instructing me to attend the entrance ceremony through a quest screen. If I don't, I feel like I'm in for trouble, so I decided to go with the flow. After all, if it’s labeled a quest, I’d better do it. The reward is 100 coins—hoping they're Bitcoins. Lacking any sense of realism, I'm bewildered about what I'm even doing. With those thoughts, I followed the students cluttered around. "..." Throughout, an underlying anxiety weighed on my chest. Am I really inside a game? God, this surreal feeling is beyond imagination. It's an utterly absurd notion. But what worries me the most is that I know almost nothing about this game. A brief glance at the wiki is all I have. I know it's a supernatural battle genre. Does that mean I have to fight the monsters from that game? The part I do know... is that the protagonist is a growth-type munchkin with a charming personality? And there's a character with a bad attitude? That's basically it. As I walked with those thoughts. "Oh." An incredibly magnificent building began to appear in my view. Its immense size and grandeur couldn't be compared to any mundane university. A fortress-like, white structure stood proudly, encircled by what appeared to be a round wall. Is that the Ares Academy? Supposedly, it's an institution for training the superhuman. That's all I know. If I had known this would happen, I would've studied the wiki harder! To think I'd regret not looking into a game's background settings...! "Damn it." Awed by the building's grandeur and the vastness of the compound, I made my way inside. The place was so resplendent that it would have been distracting, but in my current state, I couldn't care less. I just found my way into the auditorium where the entrance ceremony was to be held and took a seat. It's nothing like the old assembly hall from my high school days. Anyway. Inside was filled with students. There was an incessant buzz of chatter. The only noticeable difference from a real school was that everyone carried weapons. Their vibrant hair was another thing? And something about everyone seemed unique... But, kids? Then how old am I? I'm 24 right now; could I have de-aged? "Whew." Chewing over indescribable emotions, I repeated my thoughts. "The entrance ceremony is about to begin!" They said the entrance ceremony was starting. "Hurry up and start already." Let's see what kind of chaos unfolds. Arms crossed, I focused on the stage. Suddenly, a woman in a black uniform descended as if jumping down onto the stage... What? Anyway, she made a striking entrance. "Future heroes!!!! Welcome to Ares Academy!!!!" —Whoooosh! "What the hell!" With her shout, a whirlwind blasted out! Damn, that woman just exhaled a gale! How is that even possible! "Who the hell's the loudmouth!?" "Gasp...!" And from this distance, I got caught?! Her voice of fury filled the auditorium! No matter how you look at it, isn't it a bit much to throw a fit during the entrance ceremony? In situations like this, feigning ignorance is the way to go! "...!" Instantly, I clenched my teeth and slightly bowed my head in an attempt to feign ignorance. "You, there with your head bowed!!! Pretending won't work!!! Get up right now!!!" — Whoosh! The wind gusted over me, rustling my bangs ferociously. Looks like I've been caught. In that moment, all eyes in the room turned toward me. "Uh, hey. I think they mean you?" "Hey! Apologize quickly...!" "This guy's screwed!" The students around me whispered for me to apologize... Damn, is nothing going my way? "I'm sorry! I shouted because I was startled!" Start with an apology!