The entrance ceremony ended in a blink of an eye.
Naturally, the ever glorious Elfante Imperial Academy's freshmen were the cream of the crop.
Genius from this town, royalty from that. A barbarian from far beyond the mountains. Even, a thief who made a name for themselves in their hometown. etc.
Elfante Academy accepts any type of human as long as they have talent. Of course, since they carry the name 'Imperial', only those who are nobles or have a recommendation from a noble will be accepted as students.
Of course, as it is a congregation of different types of people, this damned academy has no peaceful moments all year round.
For example, the 'practical evaluation' that takes place right after the entrance ceremony.
"Now that the entrance ceremony is over, we'll proceed with the evaluation-"
"The evaluation method proceeds with different types of practical exercises including one-on-one sparring-"
Yes, it's an educational institution, but there still needs to be different classes.
I watched the teaching assistant try to control the students in lining up, and was idly left to my own thoughts.
The event was happening, but the melancholy that went beyond that was eating away at me.
"…"
I'mma be honest.
I'm already tired of the situation.
I obviously thought of such a possibility when coming here, but meeting the Student Council President felt like everything went wrong.
No, it's precisely a problem caused by the fact that I suddenly got a related event after the gift opening, which I didn't even think of.
As someone who takes a big part in all the main events that exist in Sera, wherever that person is spells trouble. The moment I got entangled with them, my original plan was as good as over.
Farewell to an extra's peaceful life.
Welcome dreadful in-game scenarios.
And facing that scenario is Dowd Campbell with the brilliant all-stat F.
How can you not be depressed?
"Alright, students, divide yourselves into groups and conduct 1:1 sparring-"
The assistant's words only entered one of my ears and passed through the other, still absorbed in my thoughts.
So, am I just going to give up on that?
No, that's not it.
Even if there is no answer, shouldn't I try everything I can? It's my life that's at stake here.
'The immediate goal is…'
Let's get this over with first.
< Gift-related Character Notification >
▼ Elnore
[ Trust Level 1 ]
[ D-2 until related events occur ]
I don't know what a 'related event' is, but considering this person's background, it definitely won't be something like a simple chat over tea.
Blood will be spilled.
So, my immediate goal would be to raise my stats as much as possible within two days.
"…"
Am I just unlucky?
Those fantasy MC's get a certain amount of time until the event happens. Why do I have to risk my life and find a way to level up within 48 hours?
'…Alas, there's nothing I could do.'
I put 30 points into patience, it's not worth getting angry.
I continued my thoughts.
"Hey, you, student."
As a veteran in the game, I know how to power myself up inside this academy even with my eyes closed.
However, these two days of time are really limiting.
Right now, this is the only way to achieve enough growth.
Gift #1- Fated Love
[ Obtain rewards as you gain favorability of characters with an evil alignment. ]
I don't know what will come, but I got two skills just from Elnore. There is no doubt about the special gift's effectiveness.
In other words, I have to somehow get 'the villain's favor' now.
Even if it's a minute or just a second faster.
"Dowd Campbell!"
A thunderclap-like sound exploded right in front of my nose, which brought my consciousness back into reality.
It was the assistant with a frown on their face.
"Where is your mind wandering off to! I've already called you more than once!"
Their voice resounded in the surroundings, meaning they must be really angry.
Thanks to this, the entire recognizable world is now looking at me.
"For your information, since everyone has already chosen a sparring partner other than you, yours has been automatically picked."
With those words, the situation became clearer.
Most of the eyes looking at me were either pity or ridicule.
Sparring partners were usually those people around the same level, but those who missed out on choosing one like dear me will experience hell.
Naturally, only the people who 'no one wants to fight' remained.
'Ah.'
I sigh inwardly as I looked at 'my opponent'.
It was a woman with orange hair mixed with some red. She was wearing shabby, worn out sportswear and had a plain longsword on her waist.
However, there is this bizarre 'presence' that couldn't be hidden even with this plain impression.
She exuded ungodly amounts of charisma that it feels like I'll get overwhelmed just by facing her.
I turned my gaze and looked at her name tag which said, [Elijah Krisanax].
I know her.
No, it's impossible to not know someone who's on par with Elnore.
"Um, hello?"
The greatest genius in the world.
The protagonist of the world of 'Savior Rising', who will later grow into the hero, greeted me with an awkward smile.
"…"
This, isn't this terrible?
Although the main character's stats at the start are not very high, this same person would later destroy a mountain range with a single strike, whether it's a sword or magic. Even now, she is a real budding talent.
Even before entering the academy, she joined the knights and monster subjugations. She's even conquering dungeons by herself. She had accomplished numerous feats that's unbelievable for a student.
This can be seen from the fact that she was specifically avoided among the freshmen, who were full of talent. Of all the new students, she's probably the most famous.
It is no exaggeration to say that the current gap in combat power between me and her is catastrophic. I could really die…
"…?"
Wait a minute.
I dug a little deeper into my thoughts.
I recalled the 'abilities' I have, the 'information' about the other person and my immediate 'goal'.
Finally, I came to a conclusion.
"…Hello."
I shook the shy girl's hand and thought to myself.
This.
Maybe this isn't a crisis, but an opportunity.