Chapter 2 : Admissions Day #2 - No Kidding, I’m an Extra

He jumped up from his seat and bowed deeply, apologizing loudly. "If I had known that a person could create a gale with their mouth, I would have kept my trap shut. This is driving me mad with frustration." "Shouted out of surprise?! Aren't you a cadet aspiring to become a hero!!! To scream profanities just because you were startled by a mere voice! It's not a good habit to let your guard down like that!!! Cadet! What's your name!!!" Could it really be expulsion? "My name is Kim Geun Cheol!" "Kim Geun Cheol! This chairwoman will be watching you!" She pointed her fingers at her eyes and then pointed them at him when she said it! "Since you apologized properly, I'll forgive you! Take your seat!" "Take my seat!" Her overwhelming presence was so intense that he automatically repeated her words...! "Ugh!" His heart was pounding! Who is this woman, really? He quickly sat back down and tried to calm his racing heart. Who gets their name called by the chairwoman on the very first day of the entrance ceremony? This is unbelievable! Anyway. She was a woman with eyes so sharp, they seemed like they could make you go weak at the knees just from a single glance. She even had a scar by her eye like Scar from The Lion King. Her intimidating aura was genuinely terrifying. The uniform she wore had elaborate epaulettes and she wore the long jacket like a cape, making her all the more daunting. "Phew." From then on, the entrance ceremony continued with impressive fervor. "This chairwoman is so proud of you all!!!!" The chairwoman continued to boom her voice as if unleashing a storm, papers fluttering in the air all around. On a big screen behind her, details about her background as well as the academy's credentials were displayed. From what he could read, the chairwoman was the most powerful awakener in Korea and one of the war heroes from some past war, and the academy was a prestigious institution to be proud of. Is this really the game's setting? He wasn’t sure, but he needed to find out. "Now we will commence the freshmen's entrance oath! Surprisingly, this year there are two top students! This chairwoman finds this remarkable and satisfying!" The announcement seemed to make her genuinely happy. "Top students! Ryu Cheon Hwi and Leona! Come forward!" Wait, what? Leona? What kind of crazy parents would name their kid something like that? He was always infuriated when he saw such names. Why can't people name kids more seriously! But were there any Korean families with the surname 'Le'? No, she must be a foreigner. —Step. Soon, a beautiful woman with long silver hair ascended the stage. That must be Leona… She's very pretty. Definitely seems like a foreigner. But Ryu Cheon Hwi? Someone named Ryu Cheon Hwi? Ah! This kid was someone he saw on the wiki right before he blacked out from brushing his teeth, wasn't he? Definitely one of the main character's rivals or something! "Top student Ryu Cheon Hwi! Come forward!" But the kid doesn’t come on stage. "Top student Ryu Cheon Hwi! I'm calling you out!" Despite the chairwoman shouting, he doesn’t appear. A suited man quickly ran up and whispered to her, causing her to burst with anger. "What?! That punk didn't show up at all?! Isn't Ryu Cheon Hwi the son of Ryu Seong?! Why didn't this Ryu Seong fellow send his kid to the entrance ceremony?! This clueless blockhead hasn't changed since back then!" This entrance ceremony is a mess, truly. I've never seen anything like this before. Anyway, she went ahead and had Leona perform the freshman oath by herself. "We, the new students, solemnly swear to become proud heroes who will fight for the world." "That's right, that's right! Our top student Leona! This chairwoman will be watching you!" "Thank you, esteemed Dark Yacha." Dark Yacha... sounds like a nickname straight out of Inuyasha. "Call me the chairwoman!" "Yes." Anyway, with that, the entrance ceremony concluded. "Cadets, please proceed to your dormitories! You should have received a message, check it, and then proceed accordingly!" Immediately after the ceremony ended, some teachers appeared to make the announcement. Head to the dormitory, they say. Upon checking his phone, indeed, there was a message about his dorm assignment. "..." Guess I better get going... --- Arriving at the dormitory... —Ding. ――――――――――――――――― 「Quest Completed」 「Attend Ares Academy Entrance Ceremony」 ――――――――――――――――― A cheerful notification sound accompanied the appearance of a hologram-like window before my eyes. Having braced myself for this, I wasn't surprised this time. 「Reward: 100 Coin」 "Then give me the money, damn it." Whatever it meant, the notification informed me I received 100 coins, and then all the windows disappeared. "What the..." Nothing seems to have been given, right? Did they just transfer it to my account or something? Considering this is a game world, having received coins likely means they've been added to some in-game inventory, available for spending at certain shops or something. "Agh." A sigh escaped him. "This is so overwhelming, so overwhelming." It really is overwhelming. Am I actually supposed to live here now? It’s alarming enough to make him fall over, yet he barely knew anything about this game. All he had was a brief read of the wiki and some internet memes seen long ago. The reason he started in the first place was just that someone mentioned a new DLC came out, and on a whim, he downloaded it. "..." This is ridiculously frustrating. I should just try to organize the situation a bit. The entrance ceremony is over. It's now 11:00 AM. He needs to eat, and then head to the designated class at 1:00 PM. There's some free time until then. "Good, there's a computer here." The dorm is a single room. It's about 10 pyeong in size? It has everything necessary, seeming more than sufficient for living alone. Right now, I'm a hero cadet. Apparently, I'm an Awakened One with superhuman powers, which explains the way I'm being treated. Well, it makes sense they would treat people well if they're fighting against monstrous enemies. Anyway, since there's a computer available, I should gather some information. I don't think I can continue to live in peace without understanding more about this world. Even though I can speak the language, it feels like I've been dropped in a foreign country. And I need to find a way to get back home... But I have no clue how to do that yet. "Before anything else, I should wash my face." In the bathroom, as I turned on the water and looked in the mirror, I noted something. "Wait, who’s this kid?" I really do look younger! This isn't my 24-year-old face, but more like how I looked when I was 20. I've shaved off a few years, huh? If I was getting younger, they might as well have turned me back to high school days. I actually like this. "Alright." I enjoyed my youthful appearance for a bit before finishing up and sitting down in front of the computer. I took out my student ID and searched for Ares Academy online. Schools usually allow logins with a student ID. Since I don’t know much about myself, let's see what I can find here. "Oh, wow." It actually logged me in. I browsed through the school's website to find my information; I managed to locate my admission application and personal details. Ah, my information-gathering skills amaze me. I clapped for myself as I navigated with the mouse. [Name: Kim Geun Cheol] [Age: 17] [Gender: Male] Actually 17 years old, huh. As I was scrolling through my info, I checked the family and academic history section. [Enrollment: Hanbit Orphanage Elementary] [Enrollment: Dream Town Orphanage Elementary] [Enrollment: Dr. Chaplin Orphanage Elementary] [Graduated: Beautiful Orphanage Elementary] [Enrollment: Kind Heart Orphanage Middle School] [Enrollment: Ancient Batista Orphanage Middle School] [Graduated: Light Yard Orphanage Middle School] "What, what?" I'm an orphan? [Father: Deceased] [Mother: Deceased] "You gotta be kidding me!!!!!!!!" Who on earth decided to kill off my parents, you bastards! "Agh!!!!" It feels like I've been insulted with no way to retaliate! This is how they screw with me! And on top of that, I've been bounced around orphanages! It sounds like a setting, but why the heck was I moved around so much? Am I some kind of troublemaker? I mean, really? And what's with ‘Dr. Chaplin Orphanage’ and ‘Ancient Batista Orphanage’? These names make no sense! You can't just slap any words in front of ‘Orphanage’! "Phew!" I let out a furious sigh and continued reviewing the information. [Awakening Period] This is the most crucial part. Judging by the date, it seems I awakened about half a year ago, starting from today. So, it looks like I awakened while at Light Yard Orphanage Middle School, and then applied to the academy afterwards. "Awakening, huh." Does that mean I'm a superhuman too? Do I really possess some kind of superhuman ability now? I don’t feel much of anything now… let's verify this. [Awakening Rank: F] "What. F rank? Damn air fryer." So, what it means is I awakened as an F rank about six months ago. Even though it’s not ideal, it’s still better than being an ordinary person. Now, let's look into this awakening business. —click-click-click. I immediately searched for details on the internet. "Awakening." Awakening is essentially the process where one suddenly gains superhuman abilities. Through awakening, ordinary people become Awakened Ones who can effectively counter monsters and aliens coming from other worlds. "It’s a typical setting, I see." Regarding this awakening rank, an F rank is the most common and basic level. There's not a huge difference from ordinary humans, but the ability to use mana is the key difference. However, it says the potential for growth is wide open. Over 70% of awakeners start at rank F. This rank is generally determined by the amount of mana one holds. There are other factors, but simply put, the amount of mana is most important. "Mana?" So I have mana in my body? This mana acts as the fuel that allows Awakened Ones to manifest superhuman abilities. For example, using it to shoot flames or perform feats of immense strength. Anyway, since I’ve awakened, I should be able to control this mana… let's experiment. "Mana!" I clenched my fist, throwing a jab while shouting. "Mana! Mana! Maaaaanaa!" I still don’t feel anything... Oh! That's right! I have a sword at my side!