Chapter 25

Released:

Typically, the Academy’s entrance ceremony concluded with a valedictory speech delivered by the valedictorian chosen from among the nobility or royalty. There had never been a case where any additional awards were given out afterward.

However, the unexpected turn of events caused a buzz to spread through the entire auditorium. And this was only normal.

Theo too couldn’t completely hide the confusion on his face.

“Theo, from the Deir Viscounty.”

“Huh?”

Hearing his name suddenly mentioned, Theo’s expression grew even more bewildered.

“Although it is customary not to select a valedictorian from the commoner category, the Headmistress who observed the exam insisted that it wouldn’t do to overlook an exceptionally talented student. As such, we’ve prepared a Special Excellence Award this year. Would you please come up to the stage?”

Exceptionally talented student? A Special Excellence Award?

Theo couldn’t make sense of what any of this meant.

Though the words were spoken in the same language he used, they felt as incomprehensible as if they were in another country’s tongue. Stunned, Theo stood frozen in confusion until he felt a push on his back.

“Sir Theo, hurry and go up there!”

It was Iris who was seated beside him who urged him forward.

She was one of the people who thought it was only natural for Theo to receive a special award, which was why she could push him forward without showing even a hint of surprise.

“What? Special Excellence… What even is that…”

Though Iris had pushed him onto the stage, Theo stood there stiffly; he was still frozen in an awkward pose.

“Yes, Student Theo! It’s a pleasure to meet you. Since the founding of the Academy, this kind of thing has never happened before, so I was curious about what kind of student you’d be. And wow, you’re a very handsome one at that!”

Even at the teacher’s playful remark, Theo continued to stand there while sweating profusely.

Why on earth am I considered an excellent student? Isn’t this the kind of stuff everyone can do…?!

Theo had assumed that, since this was the empire’s largest Academy, everyone would be able to use aura and perform magic at his level. But then he finally remembered the critical detail: the game he was now living in was a romance simulation game.

Even though it had the ominous title of Ruin, which was a name that evoked adventures, battles, and perhaps even saving the empire from a demon king, it was fundamentally a dating simulation game.

Because the game didn’t focus much on battles, details about combat abilities were rarely highlighted or clearly defined.

That didn’t mean combat scenes were entirely absent, but the few that existed mainly featured characters with protagonist-level skills. Naturally, all of them used aura and powerful magic.

Damn it, that’s it. That’s why I stupidly assumed everyone here would be at that level.

Of course, the reason everyone in those battles could use aura and powerful magic was because they were designed to serve as worthy rivals to the protagonists.

Of course, not everyone in this world possessed such crazy levels of talent.

But what left Theo even more bewildered was the simple fact that—

Wait, wasn’t I supposed to just be a “Really Amazing Villager” or something?

This confusion stemmed from his status window, where his job was still clearly listed as “Villager”.

“Student Theo?”

The teacher called his name after noticing how Theo remained completely still while furiously overthinking.

“Ah… Oh, yes.”

“The award will be presented directly by the Headmistress! Congratulations! To catch the Headmistress’s eye from the very beginning…. how exciting! I can’t wait to see what you accomplish!”

Whether or not the teacher was aware of Theo’s feelings, he just cheerfully wrapped up his announcement and stepped down from the stage. Moments later, the sharp click of heels echoed as the Headmistress herself ascended the podium.

Never before in the Academy’s history had anyone seen the Headmistress make an appearance on the entrance ceremony stage.

“You performed incredibly well in the entrance exam. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt my heart race from seeing someone so strong.”

“Ah, th-thank you.”

“You don’t look entirely pleased, though, do you?”

“No, no, not at all.”

Theo said the right words, but his expression didn’t look particularly cheerful.

Well, I’ve definitely stood out right from the start. Haha… I suppose it’s better than being weak?

Still, it was all a matter of perspective. Theo knew that once he entered the Academy and started spending time with Iris and Estelle, it would be impossible to avoid standing out anyway.

With that in mind, he figured it was probably better to be strong and recognizable than weak and overlooked.

“The Special Excellence Award also comes with prizes, you know! You’ll receive three vouchers worth 100,000 silver coins, which can be used at the Academy. I hope you find them useful!”

To nobles or royalty, 300,000 silver coins might not seem like much, but to a commoner like Theo, it was seriously a significant sum.

“Thank you.”

After receiving the special award certificate and shaking hands with the Headmistress, Theo stood for a commemorative photo. This marked the conclusion of the entrance ceremony.

Even as the ceremony ended, the crowd continued to murmur and steal glances at Theo; they couldn’t take their eyes off him. Among those watching, two individuals stood out with their looks of jealousy.

“Oh dear, Sir Theo is supposed to be mine, yet he’s gone and become even more famous,”

Saintess Estelle Ingrid said.

“Will you stop spouting nonsense, Estelle? Why on earth would Sir Theo belong to you?”

Crown Princess Iris Luasa Ermunt retorted.

“But still, it’s wonderful that Sir Theo received the special award. The Headmistress must be a very sensible person to have prepared something like this.”

Estelle completely ignored Iris’s words and linked arms with Theo before flashing a cheerful smile.

“Hey, let go of his hand, will you?”

“Why? Can’t friends link arms? If you’re jealous, why don’t you try it too, Iris?”

“Do you think I won’t?”

Caught between the two women, who were now both clinging to his arms, Theo found himself drawing even more attention from the crowd.

“Wow, he’s close with both the Crown Princess and the Saintess? Who is that guy?”

“Deir Viscounty? Never heard of it. Where is that place, and how did it produce someone like him?”

“I’m so jealous…! I’d give anything to even have a conversation with the Crown Princess!”

“Oh, Saintess…! Please link arms with me too!”

And so, Theo’s historic first day at the Academy began with an overwhelming amount of attention.

***

“Ugh, I’m so exhausted.”

The moment I stepped into my dormitory room, I collapsed onto my bed as if I just fainted.

The sudden special award, combined with Iris and Estelle constantly bickering, had turned all eyes onto me.

That kind of attention… it was suffocating.

I mean… I’m a total introvert! Capital I, at that!

Though I accepted that staying between the two of them would inevitably draw some attention to me, this was far more than I could handle.

Ughhh… How did it end up like this?!

Why didn’t anyone tell me I was strong? Seriously, isn’t that a bit much?!

If someone had just said something, I could’ve at least pretended to be only moderately strong!

“Haah… wow, this is ridiculous.”

When I first woke up in this world, I thought, “What am I supposed to do as just some random Villager A?” But who would’ve guessed that the “just some random villager A” role would turn out to be this ridiculously overpowered?

Honestly, I spent so much time whining because I was overwhelmed by all the sudden attention.

[Special Excellence Award]

[Recipient: Theo]

Now, as I lay here holding an award that apparently no one else had ever received in the Academy’s history…. my heart couldn’t help but race a little.

Theo, the award recipient.

I’d never properly received anything like this before.

“Guess… it’s kind of really amazing.”

When else would I get the chance to hold something like this? Just thinking about it made me grin like an idiot.

“Whoa?! Amazing! You’re my roommate?!”

The voice of someone addressing me interrupted my thoughts. It sounded like my dorm roommate had arrived.

Why are they talking so casually, though?

“Hey, nice to meet you! You remember me, right? Marty! From the entrance exam!”

My roommate was someone I vaguely remembered as the noisy guy from the entrance exam. He walked into the room.

Ah… of all people, my roommate had to be a capital E (Extrovert)…

“Wow~ I saw you get that Special Achievement Award! I figured you’d be strong, but I didn’t think it’d be that much! I barely scraped my way in here! Whew~ teach me your secret to getting that strong!”

Watching Marty chatter away noisily right from the start, I held back a sigh with some effort.

Looks like the dorm life for the next year is going to be exhausting.

“When I saw you shaking hands with the Headmistress, I swear, my heart swelled with pride!”

“…Uh, thanks for that….”

How could someone talk so much?

Honestly, it’s kind of impressive in its own way.

“But hey, what’s your deal with the Crown Princess Iris and Saintess Estelle? You looked super close to both of them.”

“Oh, they’re just friends. Both of them.”

“Whoa! Man, you’ve totally hit the jackpot in life!”

Jackpot or not, I’m the one who’s supposed to stop the destruction of the world.

If he knew that, he wouldn’t feel the least bit jealous, but watching him marvel like this… well.

“Maybe so.”

I decided to just go along with it.

I decided to think positively. Having a loud guy like this around might at least keep things from ever getting too quiet.

“Oh, by the way, you got that Academy voucher, right? Want to go shopping with me? I heard the Academy shops sell super high-quality stuff to students at crazy low prices!”

It was true. In the game, I’d often seen how the items sold at the Academy offered exceptional quality at prices far cheaper than market value.

Not only did they sell weapons and armor, but also potions and other necessary items for adventuring, including rare goods that were hard to find in regular stores. The buzz was that many commoner students would buy these items and resell them at high prices through the black market. This was apparently quite profitable.

Of course, if you got caught participating in such black market dealings, you’d be expelled on the spot.

Anyway, since I received 300,000-won vouchers, it did seem like a good idea to buy some quality gear for classes. But… did I really have to go with this guy?

“My family runs a weapon shop, you know, so I’ve got a real eye for this kind of stuff! Plus, you’ve only got a wooden sword, right? You should get yourself a proper blade!”

Oh, a weapon shop, huh?

In that case, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to ask for some advice on picking one out.

But still, I wonder if I went with Marty alone, would Iris and Estelle feel left out later?

One response to “Chapter 25”

  1. JimmyJohns05 Avatar
    JimmyJohns05

    Yes, absolutely, they will be upset & suddenly they will regard Marty as a rival lmao. good luck Theo

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