Entrance Ceremony?
[…the game is hot garbage, but it's ridiculously addictive. Who needs actual gameplay in an adult game? As long as it gets its hooks into you, that's all that matters, right? But that's what pisses me off even more. The sex scenes are like a goddamn black hole of addiction. Yeah, the female characters are a bunch of unrealistic perverts, but hey, it's an adult game, so I'll let it slide because it's all about those spicy scenes. But holy shit, the protagonist's IQ is on par with a chimp. And the story, or lack thereof, if they can't write a decent one, they might as well toss random crap together. Yes the sex scenes are so addictive, but the road to get there is an absolute train wreck. And let's not even get started on the protagonist, Lee Hoyeon, this guy…]
"Sigh…" After finishing up the game review, I stretched my body to shake off the stiffness.
It all started as a hobby, but as I kept at it, it turned into a full-fledged gig. Sometimes I'd get ads and make a little cash, but the initial excitement had long faded.
It's funny how even the things we love can turn into a drag once they become a job. But every now and then, a game came along that reignited that old flame. And this game I reviewed, was one of them.
"I'm seriously pissed right now. I thought I stumbled upon a freakin' masterpiece game that would blow everyone's socks off in Korea! But nope, after playing it, I just wanted to puke."
Sure, those adult scenes were enticing, but to catch even a glimpse of one, I had to endure an excruciatingly craptastic RPG for over three hours.
Before I knew it, comments started pouring in, agreeing with my review.
[I hear ya. The gameplay is utter garbage. But it still manages to suck you in, right?]
[Hell yeah, even the Buddha would give it a nod.]
But amidst the sea of comments, one stood out.
[god6974]: Seriously? Hey dumbass, do you honestly think you'd do any better if you were the protagonist? This game's saving grace is its gameplay.
Usually, I wouldn't waste my time on pathetic trolls like that, but I was so riled up by the game company that wrecked these amazing heroines that I couldn't help myself.
ㄴ If I were the protagonist, I'd be fucking every damn woman left and right, no lies about it.
ㄴ [god6974]: What the hell? Haha, wanna make a bet?
ㄴ What's there to bet? Get a grip, you loser.
Seeing their lightning-fast reply, as if they'd been eagerly waiting for it, just confirmed what a sad loser they truly were. I promptly blocked them so they couldn't spew any more nonsense.
I collapsed onto my bed, exhausted.
Rather than wasting my energy on losers like them, I needed to decide which game review would rake in the most views tomorrow.
Ping!
"What's this at this hour?"
Considering I had no friends to chat with and had already blocked all those annoying ads, there was no reason for anyone other than family to ping me on KakaoTalk.
[Are you gonna make a bet or not? Come on, decide already.]
The sender was [god6974].
Wait, who was that again…?
Suddenly, the nickname of the guy who was trying to provoke me in my recent review flashed through my mind.
"Hold on a sec, isn't that the same idiot with the same nickname?"
Since I didn't have any friends, it couldn't be someone playing a prank. I had family members on my KakaoTalk contacts, but they probably had no idea that I did game reviews like this.
god6974: [Think you can do better than the protagonist? Let's make a bet.]
Kim Jinho: [Who the hell are you? Do whatever the fuck you want. I'll report you to the Cyber Investigation Unit.]
Honestly, I was a little scared, but seeing them act like a jackass kind of eased my tension. How obsessed must someone be with a game to come and act like this with a random game reviewer like me? Tsk tsk. I caught a glimpse of the dark future of our country.
There was no point in replying anymore, so I blocked them right away.
Actually, the fact that these kinds of people bother me might mean that I was becoming famous in a way. Maybe it's not such a bad thing after all.
"I'll report it first thing in the morning."
I turned off the phone screen, put it next to my head, closed my eyes, and thought about which game to play tomorrow before dozing off.
***
"Um… Excuse me?"
Tap tap.
Who the heck? I'm sleeping, can't you see?! stop bothering me!
"Hey, I don't think you should be sleeping right now…"
What the… huh?
I was definitely in my own studio apartment, fast asleep, but there was a cute girl waking me up with a puzzled look on her face.
As my senses snapped back, I woke up from my slumber. In front of me was a cute girl who seemed oddly familiar, staring at me with curious eyes.
"Seriously, sleeping during the entrance ceremony? Were you too nervous and couldn't sleep last night?"
Entrance ceremony?
I quickly scanned my surroundings. Inside a huge auditorium, students dressed in uniforms filled the first, second, and third floors.
The nearby students were giving me strange looks. When I looked toward the front of the auditorium, I noticed a large banner that said, "32nd Victoria Academy Entrance Ceremony."
It was real. The words weren't written down; they were actually floating in the air.
"What the hell is going on…"
Is this some kind of prank? I fell asleep in my studio apartment, and now I'm being kidnapped to a weird auditorium.
In this auditorium, I felt a strong sense of pressure. The memories from last night came flooding back.
I had this ridiculous conversation with some loser keyboard warrior who was way too obsessed with an adult game called Sex Academy. Somehow, they managed to find out about me and even sent me private messages, blabbering about bets and whatnot.
"Aah, next up is the freshman representative's speech and oath."
"…"
I glanced down. There was a flimsy name tag stuck to my right chest, with the name Lee Hoyeon scribbled on it.
Wow!
It looked like I had suddenly become the main character of Sex Academy—attending the Victoria Academy's entrance ceremony, bearing the protagonist's name, Lee Hoyeon, and surrounded by familiar elements from the game, like the uniform and the grade brooch I'd seen countless times before.
This is unreal.
Looking around, I couldn't help but recognize some faces. The heroines from Sex Academy—Lumi, Lucy, Alice, and Nam Daeun—they were all here in the flesh.
"Will the freshman representative please come up to the podium."
Whether I found it believable or not, the entrance ceremony carried on. A female student who had been waiting below the podium made her way up.
With her flowing blond hair cascading down her back, her fair and confident gaze, she exuded an undeniable sense of pride. Each step she took showcased a figure with a swaying chest and a perky ass—perfect from every angle.
"What? Is this year's top student a foreigner?"
"They say she's the daughter of a foreign guild leader. She aced the written exam and got in."
"Wow, a beautiful girl who excels academically!"
As the freshman representative made her way, whispers began to ripple through the crowd. Alice, the freshman representative, was not only the daughter of a French guild leader but also one of the heroines in Sex Academy.
From the podium, she started reading her prepared speech.
"To all newly-enrolled students and parents, greetings…"
It wasn't the most riveting content, to be honest.
"Now, let's take the oath!"
Part of me wanted to dash out right away and figure out what the hell was happening, but I hesitated, unsure of the consequences if I were to leave now. So, I decided to stay and watch the rest of the entrance ceremony.
"With that, we conclude the 32nd Victoria Academy Entrance Ceremony. We express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made this event possible."
As the entrance ceremony came to an end, students scattered in every direction to reunite with their parents or friends.
Taking a quick glance around, I breezed towards the dormitory. With a swipe of my smartwatch, I scanned the dormitory key at the entrance and made my way inside. The dormitory was about the size of the studio apartment I used to live in.
I shrugged off my outerwear and hung it on a chair before flopping down onto the immaculate, snow-white bed.
Out of sheer curiosity, I rubbed my eyes and pinched my ear, but all I got was a twinge of pain. When I caught sight of the full-length mirror tucked away in the corner of the room, I couldn't deny that it reflected the face of the Sex Academy protagonist, Lee Hoyeon.
"…"
The words "status window" kept echoing in my mind.
——————–
– [Lee Hoyeon]
▶ Strength: 34
▶ Stamina: 35
▶ Agility: 30
▶ Endurance: 34
▶ Magic Power: 36
– Unique Ability: Battle Sense
– Skills: None
– ??? : ???
——————–
Whoa! A status window!
The unique ability, Battle Sense, belonged to the protagonist, Lee Hoyeon. It was crystal clear then—I had somehow become the protagonist of this adult game.
"Hmm…"
But, isn't this actually advantageous?
As the protagonist, not only did I sport a handsome face, but the unique ability, Battle Sense, was considered top-notch among all the skills in the game. It felt like I had nothing to lose compared to my previous life.
Bzzz!
A vibration from my smartwatch on my left wrist caught my attention.
"Lee Hoyeon, you have been assigned to Class A. Please attend the first-year building, Class A, by 9 a.m. tomorrow."
It was a class assignment notification. Just like in the original game, I was assigned to Class A. Most of the important characters were gathered there, and naturally, they were mostly female.
"Well, I should freshen up first…"
I stripped off the school uniform and hung it on the bathroom's towel rack. After a quick shower, I reached for a nearby towel to dry my hair. On the desk, I noticed an envelope that had gone unnoticed before.
"Surely it's something important."
I held it in my hand and checked its contents. It was a securely sealed, plain white envelope without a single word written on it.
"I must have missed it."
It was probably an information packet or some guidelines about the dormitory rules.
I guess in my initial overwhelm, I might have overlooked it.
I grasped the sealed envelope and tore it open. Then, a cascade of light and words spilled out, arranging themselves in front of my eyes.
***