After practicing slashes with my dagger, I realized that even though its curved edge is unusually curved from outside to outside, it has its advantages in certain situations. The curved side is practically a hole, not that I'm complaining about the design; I find it really beautiful, but it does not have the slightest hint of usefulness.
Well, I might not have much credibility when it comes to discussing this. After all, I'm just a mere streamer of hardcore games and a speedrunner.
But for some reason, I find myself thinking more rationally about combat. Maybe it has something to do with my new body or... I don't know.
I feel utterly out of place in this reality, and it's not just because I've suddenly become a student again. It's the fact that this world revolves entirely around fighting.
The whole ordeal of suddenly becoming a girl had to wait because I... wanted it? I just felt compelled to show up at Burialle Academy. This whole situation is bizarre.
Right now, I'm sitting on the grass, contemplating my circumstances. It seems our first three classes were just given to us to choose our magical tools. The idiots in my class are swapping tools like unemployed people handing out resumes everywhere.
'Why am I even watching them? Focus! Think about your situation, David.'
I, a content creator and professional-level player, was in the middle of starting a speedrun of "Sexist Kingdom Love School" when I was teleported into this game. An otome game that combines action and romance.
The game itself is divided into episodes within the story, featuring a somewhat cliché plot that mainly serves to contribute to the challenges in gameplay from both aspects. The game alternates between action and romance by switching characters in different scenarios, or even when the protagonist is doing something mundane.
The duration of the game is about one to two weeks, depending on the type of gameplay you focus on. That is, if you read the narrations, dialogues, and explore the map.
Yes, the game was a sort of open world. It only didn't fully meet the open-world requirement because it was mostly a 2D visual novel.
And here I am standing in the prologue of the game, as a girl named "Auka Geevolaince." I can't recall any character with that name. If I had ended up in this situation after dying in an accident and meeting some divine being who placed me here, I might have understood it, at least.
But no, I was simply teleported and my appearance changed in a matter of milliseconds.
Which leads me to three conclusions:
Staring ahead with a serious expression, I raised a finger and counted the conclusions. 'First conclusion: I'm inside a novel. If that's the case, I beg whoever is reading or watching this to help me somehow.'
But honestly, I don't think there's any lunatic who would have implanted so many memories into me and let me make so many mistakes just to turn me into a character in some miserable entertainment media.
Raising another finger, I thought: 'Discarding the first option, the next culprit who might have trapped me in this fantastic game world is the game itself.'
As crazy as it sounds, there are things in this story that I can theorize might make sense for my situation. Like a secret organization on a already established secret organization that knows the future and wants to make it better or worse by bringing in an outsider.
Raising the third and final finger, 'Or, the last reason: an omnipotent entity that... I don't know, just want to have fun? And if that's the case, that means they could have at least turned me into someone male. Why be so cruel, omnipotent entity!?'
I sighed as I finished this thought. 'Anyway, moving on, I'm surprised at myself.'
I've been in this girl's body as a man, and I haven't had any urges to do anything inappropriate. And here I thought I had no self-control.
Ah... if the people from my chat were here, they'd probably be saying things like: "Impossible, he was a reverse trap all along!"
Man, I miss them…
'I got distracted, didn't I?
I don't have time to let my mind wander. I'm still in the prologue, after all.'
Like any prologue, in this episode that comes before the first chapter, there will be an incident where the total number of students at Burialle will drastically decrease.
How? It's complicated, as I wouldn't even consider it a prologue since it didn't entertain me as it should have or even made much sense.
Titled "The Rise of the New Heroine," a smaller part of the game's evil organization attacks Burialle. Their motive is that a student from Class D has the potential to awaken truly heroic powers.
So, a group consisting mainly of mages and tanks comes to the school, attacking all students from Class D and below.
They never explained how or why, beyond the results in the protagonist's class and the chosen character's class.
However, Classes D, E, and H were completely devastated, with only one entire Class D and one student surviving. The entire initial class of the protagonist, who awakened light magic, and the action character chosen by the player.
Through dialogue exposition, the assaulters split into two teams. One team would attack Classes A and B to grab the attention of the teachers and guards, while the other was tasked with completing the total massacre of the lower classes at Burialle.
And that's what I need to worry about for now.
Emphasizing the word "worry", obviously.
Because the girl I've been placed in has absolutely no talent. Her physical strength and magical affinity are pathetic.
And then a flash of a scene from SKLS crossed my mind; It was the Burialle ceremony hall, the camera was a few meters above and behind Razelitta. The character on screen is the academy director, smiling in the sprite.
But what was different about the scene was the textbox, where blue text appeared, reading: "But what Razelitta couldn't expect was that in a week…"
'Thanks, mind,' I sarcastically thought, '"in a week," that means I have about five to six days…'
In an instant, the plain where I sat turned into a completely white cube again.
'Argh, when will I have time to stop and think things through!? Can't even have my character's monologue of being transported to another world!'
Screaming in my mind, I stood up and took a general look at my class, especially focusing on Dorian. He was holding a war hammer, mostly colored orange with blue stripes. If I had to guess, it was probably a hammer that dealt more raw damage but reduced attack speed.
I concluded this based on the warhammers archetypes in video games and the magical gem embedded in the hammer's head. After all, exposed gems usually indicate some modification to the tool already imposed by the manufacturer.
The others had chosen various weapon archetypes. Swords, shields, bows... And just one girl with a whip. It's a pity, but understandable. I wouldn't know how to use a whip as a weapon either.
So, with another sigh, I headed to the line that was being organized by our teacher, who never showed any exposed skin.
Everything went smoothly after that. We just had to say the name of our new magical tools and describe how we perceived them.
The teacher didn't believe me when I said I'd stick with the dagger, even though it was curved in a "non-usable" way.
I would love to skip the next classes, but what can you do? This is how life works.
We, the students of Class D, Room 10, returned to our classroom. I returned to my seat, and the others did the same. Although it was supposed to be recess now, the teacher took advantage of the excitement about the tools and started giving a lesson about them.
If I had to describe what I was doing during the lesson, it would be learning more about the tools while drawing analogies to the game and other games.
Apparently, mana users—practically all intelligent species with a society—use magical tools in two ways.
The first way is used by mages, who channel mana with enough information and imagery into a blade or staff, and then they release the spell or magic through a part of their body.
The second way is used by swordsmen, who channel mana into their blades to make the weapon itself more lethal. Basically buffing the weapon without going through the process of imagining what buff they want.
The most versatile way to use mana is definitely by mages, but swordsmen are deadlier in combat. Because with the enhancement of a weapon in the hands of someone already skilled without the enhancement, can cause massive destruction.
The two lessons were dedicated to this.
So, with my mind overflowing with information, I was about to leave. However, the teacher had to remind us again about that duel.
'Ah, seriously!?' I couldn't hold back anymore—I just wanted to head to the dormitory.
Let me finish my reincarnator monologue once and for all, damn it!
We were arranged in a line and slowly guided to the outdoor area that first-year students aren't allowed to enter.
My place in the line was second from the end, a contrast to Dorian, who was at the front.
Why do I say it's a contrast if I'm second from the end and not last?
I glanced over my shoulder at the "student" behind me, a seemingly normal young man. Blue hair, an ordinary face, average grades… But I, a player who has entered this game's universe, know he's no ordinary student.
His true identity is a low-ranking member of the whatever cult. His job is to act as an informant, reporting any student with actual heroic powers rather than the academy's ranking system. Somehow, he'll detect the heroine's "aura".
One of the spies with the same mission as him discovered Razelitta's power though, not exactly him.
"Miss Geevolaince? Is there something on my face?" he asked, noticing my discreet gaze.
"Nothing at all," I replied.
"I don't think it's 'nothing at all,'" he said, his eyes narrowing as they focused on me. "If I'm allowed to ask, did you have any training before coming to the academy?"
Damn, I got myself into a conversation. I wanted to avoid this since I'm not actually Auka. "No, I don't permit you to question me," I responded, trying to remember how Auka would react to her classmates.
Even though they had only known each other for a day, Auka had a way of always avoiding people, a trait I could appreciate right now.
"Always on the defensive, Miss Geevolaince."
He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. I took the opportunity to shift my attention back to the front, marching with the others toward the arena where we would meet the third and final playable character, Maxwell.