[Student Dormitory, Cradle Academy.]
[8:30 AM.]
Beep!-beep!-beep!
"Ah."
The alarm went off, and I woke up automatically to its sound.
My head was foggy from just waking up, and then random thoughts flitted through my mind. I have to go to school. Do I really have to attend school at this age?
Cradle was an academy for the awakened at the age of 20 which lasted for about 3 years.
Sigh!
Internally sighing, I sluggishly got up, washed my face to wake up a bit more, and hurriedly put on a short-sleeved shirt.
I donned a white dress shirt over the short sleeve, added a necktie, and, since it was summer, I folded the sleeves of my shirt up to my forearms. I donned black slacks for my pants.
I casually slipped into the sneakers provided by the school, grabbed my bag, and headed outside.
____________________________________________________
<<<[Status]>>>
[Name: Noah Hart]
◈Blessing of growth(S) is activated. All growth rate is increased by 100%.
Strength: 3.6
Agility: 3.6
Stamina: 3.2>>>3.23
Willpower: 3.8>>>3.81
◈Special Stats:
Luck: 2/10>>>9.10/10
Concept Stats:
Luminous Flame: 3.3>>>3.43
◈Talent -Viewing(-),Child of Swords(S),Heat Tolerance(D+), Dexterity(B)
◈Skills -Weakness Detection(B),Swordsmanship(F+)
◈Constitution -Heavenly Seraph body(A-)
◈Art -Radiant Convergence(F+/SS+)
____________________________________________________
Checking my status window one more time I began walking toward the huge dome-shaped building.
It was early in the morning.
Outside, many students were already bustling about, ready for school.
"Look over there, it's the top student."
"Hey, don't stare. What if you make him uncomfortable and he beats you up?"
"…Is he really that amazing?"
Hearing their words I couldn't help but let out a sigh.
Sigh!
As I walked, I looked around leisurely.
The distance from the dormitory to the school was short, and I arrived in front of the auditorium.
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The entrance ceremony, held in the auditorium of the Cradle Academy was packed with a vast crowd, thanks to the stakeholders. It was so crowded that finding a spot to stand was challenging.
The faces of the students were recognizable to anyone with even a slight interest in the industry, and the parents behind them were so well-known that the media was busy reporting about them, even to those uninterested in the industry.
"Look at that. The top student. Wow, they seem to have an aura of charisma emanating from them…"
"During the entrance exam, they finished in just three minutes, right? Rumor has it they awakened some kind of absolute control talent."
Students whispered amongst themselves.
I tried to keep as calm as possible.
'What's this about charisma?'
I felt awkward as hell and these people were talking about an aura of charisma.
I chuckled at the absurd idea.
I headed to the front of the auditorium.
At the Cradle Academy, during the entrance ceremony, the order was set by rank, so I had to go to the very front.
As I moved forward, I saw familiar faces.
The protagonist-like Rachel Bastion and Yuriel Ashenvale glared at me with her grey eyes as though I had killed her cat.
The protagonist Rachel Bastion though was staring at me with her mouth shut, Her brilliant platinum blonde hair shone brilliantly with the bright light.
Her golden eyes were so close now that I could see them with my own eyes.
"…"
"…"
I was wondering if I should say something.
She was just watching me with her mouth shut.
Eyes that seem like a lot of thoughts are passing by.
Her expression was complicated, and only indescribable emotions could be felt.
"May I help you…?"
"…"
There was no answer.
She just kept staring at me unflinchingly.
Even Yuriel who was sitting next to her seemed confused at her unusual behaviour.
'What the hell just happened?'
Deciding to ignore it I passed by them and headed to an empty seat at the end.
I casually greeted them and sat down, scanning the surroundings.
Everyone around me was familiar.
The successor of the greatest assassin known for his dual swords.
There was also the princess of the topaz magic tower, known for her lighting spells and her tendency to lash out at anyone with mana, often electrocuting them.
The lights in the auditorium gradually turned off and attention began to put on the platform, which was naturally the only one that shone.
"Welcome, students. My name is Lyra Cambell, the Student Council President of Cradle Academy."
The speech began with the Student Council President's dignified voice moving forward to the podium.
I watched the first episode in the game without skipping.
From the next episode, I skipped all these lines, so it's been a long time since I heard the speech.
But it's still boring as before.
The posture is uncomfortable, so it feels even more boring.
I started looking around and checking out the main characters one by one. I could only see the back of their heads because I sat at the back, but they were still distinguished and finally, My turn came.
"Next, we will have the oath from the representative of the freshmen. Representative, please come forward."
I ascended to the stage.
As I stepped onto the stage, I saw various expressions.
Those who looked at me aggressively, those who averted their eyes when I met theirs, and behind them, monsters gauged me with calculating eyes.
And the press was capturing everything with their cameras. A mistake here would probably land me on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper.
I felt relieved that I had taken a calming pill in advance as I began the oath as calmly as possible.
______________________________________________________________
"That concludes the student oath."
Sigh.
It felt as if all my energy had been drained. I sighed inwardly and descended from the stage calmly.
I loosened up my body and descended.
Just as I descended the Student Council President showed up on stage once again and began speaking.
"Congratulations once again on your admission and now all first years are requested to gather in front of the instructors. With this, the Entrance Ceremony is over."
Normally, schools would dismiss students quickly after the ceremony, but this school was not so lenient.
Suddenly, instructors emerged and stood in front of us.
"All first-year A class students, gather here!"
A seductive female voice.
It was the class most main characters and I were in. I looked toward the voice and saw a woman with waist-length black hair which fell along her shoulders, stopping right above her raised butt that reminded one of a fully ripe peach. She had a tempting figure and beautiful violet eyes.
She had the kind of curves that would instantly bewitch any man
'Evelyn Glace, one of the youngest upper-ranked heroes and my favorite character in the game.'
As I took my place in front, 49 others gathered. The Cradle Academy had 50 students per class.
…And half of these would drop out before the first year ends.
"Nice to meet you. I am Evelyn Glace, your instructor for the year."
As Instructor Evelyn introduced herself, the students erupted in cheers.
"Wow, Evelyn Glace, the 'Blizzard Witch', right?"
"My gosh, the Blizzard Witch as an instructor?"
Blizzard Witch Evelyn Glace
A star hero who is known to anyone with even a slight interest in heroes. Reaching the Upper rank at the age of 25.
"Wow, the standards for students and instructors seem really high this year."
"Of course. Didn't you know the entrance cut-off was much higher this time? Normally, I would have been in the upper-middle tier for admission, but now I'm at the very bottom."
"First of all, you all know what kind of place the Cradle Academy is. Don't think of this as your final destination. It's just the starting line."
Evelyn's words made several students look dejected.
"Today's schedule is tight. I hope no one relaxes just because it's the entrance ceremony. At the Cradle Academy, everything is measured by performance. If you don't progress, you'll be left behind. I hope everyone follows me."
With those words, she turned around.
"The first agenda then, weapon selection."