There were two reasons I was booting up the game at this moment.
The first was the necessity to level up in time for Yura’s tournament schedule.
With only a few days left until the tournament.
My character’s current level was 12.
Having slowly dabbled in various activities, I had continuously put off leveling up, only managing to reach the approximate vicinity of level 15.
Consequently, I had yet to meet the minimum requirement of level 15 for tournament participation.
“I need to raise it all today.”
I intended to push my level straight to 25, making skipping school worthwhile.
Originally, the limit was level 20, but Yura had officially announced revised rules, making level 25 the new maximum.
[You have entered the 4th floor of the Tower.]
Having cleared the third floor during a previous broadcast, I was able to ascend directly to the fourth.
With a practiced flourish, I twirled the sword in my grip, a weapon I hadn’t wielded in a while, and surveyed the kobolds that materialized before my eyes.
Faces like wolves.
Upper bodies covered in fur.
They walked bipedally on two feet, possessed five fingers, and moved in packs.
Was there any need for beast-folk to exist separately?
‘Those are beast-folk right there.’
Monsters that had evolved repeatedly to reach their current state.
Since they lacked significant intelligence.
The demi-humans didn’t acknowledge kobolds.
Yet, considering that humans also came to be through evolution, it was conceivable that kobolds, after several generations, might gain more intelligence and assume a form akin to humans.
“Krrrk! Human…!”
Even now, did they not possess the intelligence of beasts capable of simple language like this?
Facing them like this, old memories resurfaced vividly.
– In a few generations, perhaps all monsters could become demi-humans.
– Have you finally gone mad? If the Church heard that, you’d be burned at the stake.
– The Church? Dare they, to me, a sage?
– Or perhaps I, a hero, can do it for them instead.
– You don’t even have much faith in a god.
– That’s true.
The sage, who had lightly committed blasphemy.
Since it came from someone quite intelligent, it held credibility.
Indeed, history had unfolded that way.
Perhaps it was because I hadn’t formed many deep connections in this life that these thoughts kept recurring.
With a decisive *clack*, I raised my sword, watching the approaching kobolds.
[Recording in progress]
My gaze fell upon the recording button in the corner of my vision.
It was working properly.
The second reason I had booted up Rio World.
I still harbored lingering regrets about my school days.
Frankly, I felt that skipping school without permission for the next six years would be an utter waste of time.
Of course, I intended to avoid attending the elementary school I was currently enrolled in as much as possible.
My presence, so out of place among ordinary children, was hardly beneficial for either the teachers or the students.
It was a torment for me as well.
Hence, the brilliant idea I’d devised.
What if I went to a place filled with children who, while not exactly like me, were different in their own unique ways?
Fortunately.
Such a place existed in this world.
I muttered softly.
“Since the new semester has already started, official academy admission is out of the question, so I’ll have to aim for special admission.”
The Academy.
Also known as a Hunter or Hero Training School.
It was a place where children with unique individualities gathered to hone their specific talents.
Within its walls, there were not only children who wielded magic or excelled in swordsmanship, but also those who manipulated concepts of space or mastered martial arts.
In short, it was a gathering place for extraordinary children.
Surely, an extraordinary person like me would fit in among other extraordinary children.
If not, then I would truly have to homeschool or simply refuse to attend school for six years without permission.
I could only hope it wouldn’t come to that.
‘Since the Academy is said to have many mentally mature and intelligent children, it should be much better than a regular elementary school, at least.’
I didn’t aspire to find someone as brilliant as the sage.
All I needed was to avoid classes I couldn’t possibly keep up with and the mental worlds of ordinary children.
And the curriculum offered by the Academy aligned perfectly with my requirements.
With a final flicker of hope, I prepared to record the video for my Academy application.
Naturally, one could not enter the Academy through conventional means.
The Academy was a ‘Hunter or Hero’ training school.
Therefore, the Academy had to verify if prospective students possessed the necessary qualities to enroll.
To this end, the Academy did not simply accept anyone who applied.
Through its own internal written and practical examinations, it assessed a child’s talent and admitted them if they were deemed suitable.
And.
With the semester already underway.
Taking the official written and practical examinations was no longer an option.
Thus, at present, my only recourse for admission to the Academy was to aim for special admission.
For that, I needed to prove that I possessed the qualifications for special admission.
I recalled the special admission regulations required by the Academy.
“Just showing off some swordsmanship and magic should be enough, right?”
For the written portion, I could simply jot down any theoretical paper and submit it.
For the practical, I could just send them this first-person perspective video.
Rio World was a highly realistic game.
Consequently, many scholars and hunters used Rio World to test the efficacy of their techniques.
In other words.
Although Rio World was a game, it possessed a certain level of recognized credibility for verification.
****
[Author: CombatRecordViewer]
[Title: Found them!]
[Third Life <- This bastard is currently logged into the game (Screenshot of combat records) Skipping school, caught red-handed lolllll] – As expected, they were unemployed…! – That's just the average Rio World player, though. – ? Weren't they a working adult? – Aren't they a student? – Definitely unemployed, confirmed. [Author: BroadcastBot] [Title: But why?] [Why isn't this bastard streaming while playing the game?] – Seriously, I want to watch them play, why aren't they? – This is dereliction of duty. – Oh, their level is going up in real-time? [Your level has increased by 1.] [Congratulations!] [You have reached Level 13.] Kobolds live in packs. Since they hunt by ganging up (TL Note: A Korean slang term, 'daguri,' referring to attacking in a group or overwhelming an opponent with numbers.), even encountering a single kobold could be a death sentence for lower-ranked hunters. However, for someone with a modicum of skill. *Slash!* Kobolds were no different from continuously spawning scarecrows. No matter how open the area, the number and direction of attacks were ultimately limited. All one had to do was carefully monitor those points and fight accordingly. "Kuaaak!!!" I briefly slashed the arm of an attacking kobold, and the creature, screaming in pain, recoiled backward. Many believe that when surrounded, one must invariably defeat the enemies directly in front to break through. I don't think that's the wrong approach. After all, you can't break an encirclement by leaving enemies behind. However, there was a more convenient method. By inflicting a superficial but painful wound, the opponent would instinctively retreat. Utilizing the momentary gap created, one could swiftly turn and get close to an enemy, naturally gaining an opportunity to escape the encirclement. Then, by presenting the enemy who conveniently allowed me to slip out with the gift of eternal rest, the encirclement escape was a success. [Your level has increased by 1.] [Congratulations!] [You have reached Level 14.] *Slash!* My level increased immediately after escaping the encirclement. At this point, I believed I had demonstrated enough of my swordsmanship. Now it was time to showcase the magic I would describe in my theoretical paper. While I could simply write it up as a thesis and send it, it would be better to provide an example. "Krrk!" When I paused for a moment, the kobolds once again surrounded me. In this aspect, it truly felt like a game. Under normal circumstances, kobolds would have slowly retreated, overwhelmed by fear, but as soon as they perceived the player as an enemy, they charged again. Through a blind spot in my vision, a kobold, unless specifically trained, wildly swung its long claws. *Swish*. Knowing I would be cut if I stood still, I remained motionless. "Kwooooooh!!!" The kobold roared loudly, as if it had captured its lifelong rival and sworn enemy. "Hey." "?" "Are you done?" "Krrk?" The kobold tilted its head, seemingly unable to comprehend my unharmed state. It quickly regained its composure and attacked again. *Swish*. That rippling sound had been echoing for a while. The kobold's fingers passed right through my body. "Hey. Your attacks don't work on me anyway." The magical theory I intended to submit to the Academy: Spatial Distortion. It involved manipulating space itself by sending high-frequency vibrations through mana to adjust spacetime curvature. When used locally, this method could refract the path of an attack or disperse its impact force. Used at a higher dimensional level, it could even reflect an opponent's attack or twist spacetime itself. In other words, it was a magic spell activated using teleportation magic as its foundation. When maximized to fold space, it became teleportation, allowing movement anywhere. 'It was peculiar that there weren't many spatial-related magic spells.' Despite not being a world where magic was underdeveloped, there were few spells that dealt with space. That's why I chose a spatial-related magic, one I frequently used in my previous life. This could leave a rather strong impression on an opponent seeing it for the first time. I still remembered the look of astonishment on the sage's face when they first witnessed this. – Hey. Your magic is super useful! – You lunatic. Are you synchronizing your body with an entirely different dimension? Those were not words to be spoken by the sage who developed teleportation magic. I had merely made minor modifications to the sage's magic. Yet, even the original creator reacted like that. It was obvious what others' reactions would be. Of course, if the goal was merely to show impact, teleportation might have been far better. It was, after all, spatial movement. However, I presented a modified version of the refraction barrier, which could be considered the most basic stage of teleportation. This level of novelty should be sufficient for both the written and practical exams. There was no need to reveal more and attract unnecessary attention. Besides, I wasn't particularly skilled at teleportation magic. More importantly. *Crackle!* [#%^*Error! Error!] "As expected, this magic tears space." Being a spell that manipulated spacetime, it had the worst compatibility with illusion magic. Even with minimal use, a part of the game console was damaged. If I had attempted teleportation, the magic's sheer volume would likely have forced the game to shut down. And it would have broken, becoming a heap of scrap metal. I dealt with the kobolds using my sword, then exited the game. [Your level has increased by 1.] The kobold I had just defeated must have yielded a decent amount of experience, as I reached level 15, concluding my morning game session. Smoke was hissing softly from the game console. "......" Ah. I hadn't owned it for long. If I intended to play more in the afternoon, I would likely need to buy a new game console. **** Talent can emerge at any time, in any moment. Awakenings strike suddenly. Geniuses appear abruptly, as if falling from the sky. With such an ideology, the Academy's President ensured that special admission was always possible for anyone with talent. However, special admissions typically began after a semester had concluded. Even if a child awakened during the semester or was exceptionally talented but attended a regular school instead of the Academy, and later wished to join the Academy. The common procedure was to have them attend another school for one semester and then, when procedural issues were minimal, admit them through a process similar to a transfer. Consequently, the staff member responsible for special admissions at the beginning of the semester, having just started, had little work to do and was idly yawning while reviewing documents from other departments. Habitually, they opened their email inbox and found one new message. "Hmm...? What's this?" This email should be for special admissions. Wondering what it was, they noticed the subject line boldly stated: "Submitting Special Admission Documents." Soon, the eyes of the officer widened considerably after checking the email. "This...?"
