Chapter 19 - I Became the Daughter of the Academy’s Villain

Episode 19 19 - The First Hurdle of the Entrance Exam <19 - The First Hurdile of the Entrance Exam> Following the monks' guidance, the advanced examination hall for the entrance exam revealed itself as the entrance to a rocky mountain, littered with gravel and boulders. A total count of 500. Scattered here and there, the advanced exam participants sat apart from one another, not amounting to an exceedingly large number. "Little Bell. Quite the leisure you're having, considering you're being followed around like a nanny." "Hmph. That's rich coming from someone who should be searching for their lost <Little Flower Deer>." "Ughugh… Were, were you watching?" "Why don't you go search for the <Little Flower Deer> who must be struggling without you by now?" On the way here, I had seen that the lower examination grounds, when the exam time arrived, would likely be swarming with tens of thousands of participants, filling the open space to the brim. Compared to that, the select 500 advanced participants indeed seemed a meager amount. I had hoped to be paired with the monkey beastkin who seemed strong, but even a buffalo isn't dumb enough to throw away its own chance. "The Little Flower Deer is quite shy. No doubt he felt insufficient to accept a man like myself... It's not that he dislikes me." "It's your turn next, number one." What was lacking was probably the endurance needed to withstand your killer remarks. "Miss Oknodie. It's good to be relaxed, but you should start getting tense. It seems like our competitors are not too fond of us." Giselle, the handsome man with an impressive mustache, always a sight to behold, was sitting next to me, talking. Whether beastkin or this man, how they both passed the age restriction at the entrance was beyond me. But I didn’t mind it too much. Most of the others, excluding these two, were glaring at me. I am still a child after all. If it comes to a face-off at the exam gate, they all seem set on taking me down. "That little runt over there?" "Yeah, that's her." My ears pricked as I caught snippets of the rather troubling surrounding conversations. Isn't this Ace marking happening a bit too quickly? "Befriending lowly beastkin, how fitting." "A clear sign of her level." "She doesn't have any magical armor." "Nor does she carry any impressive enchanted sword." "Even if she brings along a servant, she's probably just another unremarkable noble sprung from the countryside." Since their youth, these participants, nourished by education for the gifted and grown familiar within elite noble connections, had already divided themselves into cliques. About thirty in total. Even though I come from a noble background, it seems tough to join their alliance. "She’s dressed like an adventurer. Someone you know?" "First time I've seen he." "Besides, she’s just a kid." "Doesn’t look like a famous mercenary." "Well, then there's no reason for us to care." Adventurers achieving remarkable feats before challenging the entrance exam formed groups of twenty or thirty, resisting the nobles and giving me sidelong glances. Annoying and burdensome children are not welcomed, it seems. Not a soul came up to speak to me. When I was a muscular male character, people would rush to approach me first, which was irritating. But now, being completely ignored, it's unpleasant in its own way. "Little Bell. You'll exhaust yourself if you fret over it." "Thanks for the advice." Worrying about it only puts me at a disadvantage. Others are resting and watching with hawk eyes, and it doesn't do me any good to be on edge by myself. "Aaaargh!!" "You should have chosen your target more carefully when picking fights." The man who mercilessly committed the act did not seem to agree with my thoughts. "That guy, he cut off the arm of another participant!!" Underneath a tree providing a shady reprieve. A swordsman exuding danger had lopped off the wrist of a fellow who encroached upon the circle he had drawn on the ground with his sheath. A playable character from the original game, <Succeeding the Academy with Luck Alone>, he is a swordsman from the Eastern Empire, Sing Xing. If the player doesn't choose him, he ends up supporting the cast as an NPC. Playable characters can be unlocked by amassing enormous achievement points or bought with real money — high-performance characters essential to the academy. As an NPC, his temperament is indeed intimidating. He may be challenging to ally with, but his capability is unmatched. Observing any further might kick off another bothersome event. So, I closed my eyes and shut my ears. [You have completed the boarding event.] [You have arrived at the examination site 15 hours 20 minutes 0 seconds early.] [As a bonus for early arrival, you have acquired 55,200 points.] In the game, the points accrued would equal one point per second based on early arrival time, just about the right time for this feature to kick in. Points can be exchanged for various essential functions or unique items needed for game progression, available from a point merchant who appears every few months. Of course, now that the game has become reality, there's no way to know where these points are, so I'll just dismiss them clean. <The Swordsman Who Calls For Blood Event> A swordsman from the distant Eastern Empire has caused an upheaval. Just like the events surrounding the Straw Hat Boy, these favorability events are minefields. Struggle as you may through them; they only yield the favor of female characters in the general examination hall, consuming precious time and points in the game for nothing. And the most ridiculous part is that the Straw Hat Boy sometimes fails the exam with a certain probability. What other pointless favorability events could there be? Play the kindhearted fantasy man, and you end up with wasted points, a failed woman, and nothing but inefficiently spent time. It's a minefield event crafted to shatter a newcomer's mentality. As for the event with the Eastern swordsman, Sing, no difference there. The proud noble and his minions encroach, eager for his spot. If left alone, they'll snarl at each other and eventually quiet down. What if the player intervenes? It only invites conflict and causes fights. 'I should get some sleep.' Yawning, I selected one of the unoccupied trees amid them all, climbed smoothly towards a comfortable branch, and leaned my back against it. Below, I could feel the baffled gaze of both the monkey beastkin and Giselle, but I won't relent this perfect spot where I won’t be ambushed even in sleep. "Heh, that kid sure is agile. Is she also some kind of monkey?" "We'll just rest down here." This tree trunk is too stiff. I miss my bed. I miss the days I lived with Jonah and Leaf already. As I contemplated the setting sun and was about to close my eyes, something flew up from below and caught on the branch. "Cover yourself with it while you sleep. You could catch a cold." Catch a cold? Me? I almost chuckled in disbelief, but the wind caressing my skin felt slightly chilly. Ah, that's right... I'm no longer the hulking muscle mass I used to be. I hastily took out a blanket, covered myself, and threw a piece of jerky to Giselle. Thump. "Ouch." That foolish Mr. Giselle. He couldn't catch it and dropped it. * * Ding-dang-dong! The sound of the bell ringing signaled the break of day. <Entrance Exam Event> The long-awaited entrance exam has finally begun! If you fail to make it through the academy gates, your adventure is pretty much over. Pass through the rigorous hurdles and succeed in the exam. As I climbed down from the tree and stretched to loosen up my muscles, other participants also prepared themselves, stretching their bodies and steadying their minds for what's ahead. "Thanks for the blanket." "No need to return it. My backpack is a magical one with an inventory feature." "Not that, I have no place to keep this." "Oh." Giselle awkwardly tucked the blanket back into my backpack. This old chap is getting too careless. Does he think that the mention of 'inventory' sparked the interest of a few participants nearby? I can bet you there are more than a dozen participants already gleeful at the thought of snatching the magical backpack. Ding-dang-dong! The bell tolled about five more times. As the last bell faded, a bald monk ascended the platform. "From this moment on, we will close the entrance to the advanced examination area." There had been resounding bell tolls several times over; no one would be leisurely lying around. Drone... Whoooo... Except for 'humans'. The monk's gaze was followed by all the participants' eyes focusing on Giselle and me. Or rather, on the large monkey beastkin behind us who was snoring noticeably loud. "Mr. Sun Wukong, please wake up." "Oh? Is it starting now?" The man, who hadn't stirred at the loud bell tolls or the conversations of participants, sprang up at Giselle's call. The monk then smiled kindly and continued to speak. "My name is Monk Mingho, and I am responsible for this first hurdle. I am not your average monk. I am a warrior monk who works for the academy, tasked with the capture, containment, exorcism, and salvation of specters and cursed items." It is no easy task to gain recognition and cooperate with the world's leading educational institution, Gift Academy, recognized by every nation across the globe. The academy employs top talents in their respective fields to uphold its prestigious reputation. Even the warrior monks from the Eastern Empire were no exception. "In the Western Kingdoms, the religion of the Twelve Deities protects the people, but the Eastern Empire does not have such powerful deities. Instead, enlightened individuals protect and watch over lands and mountains as their domain." "In the East, those who protect mountains are known as mountain deities, and as a symbol of the prayerful faith to summon mountain deities, stone pagodas are erected." "A stone pagoda is simply piling stones to great heights. The number of layers and height signify your dedication, pleasing the mountain deity, thus it's important to stack the stones high and in great numbers." As expected, my speculation since the entrance proved to be correct. "The sincerity you all need to demonstrate to me, your examiner, in your wish to pass and enter the world's premier academy, is no different." "Within this rocky mountain, which serves as the exam site, I shall assume the role of the mountain deity in my humble capacity, evaluating your stone pagodas and determining your pass or fail." "You will have until the end of the exam to build the tallest stone pagoda you can with as many stones as possible." This test is about building stone towers. And this test is... "Of course, if by the end of the exam, your stone pagoda is found collapsed or the candidate is in a condition unable to continue the exam, it will result in instant disqualification." A hurdle that is easier to troll by knocking down others' painstakingly built towers rather than diligently building your own. It’s an exam perfectly suited for the mischief-makers to run amok. Author's Note (Postscript) Masters of toppling towers years in the making are all here to play.