Why Is The Air Quality So Bad?!

The third demonic core was surprisingly easy to absorb. The process only took ten minutes, which was several times faster than the first and second time.

Furthermore, my mana channels had become wider and had grown more branches. This meant the glow from beneath my skin was more diffused and less intense.

Even the bloodlust and emotional disturbance had been significantly reduced. 

Is my body acclimating to corruption?

That's something I didn't even know could happen.

And it only required three F ranked demonic cores. That was surprisingly easy.

Gauss always had the System to help deal with the demonic influence so I never knew…

Once again, this reminded me that the setting was not confined to System Overload; there were plenty of things that I didn't know about the world and I shouldn't become overconfident.

This was the third Sunday after I had woken up inside my novel. Three weeks had flown by like the blink of an eye-- it felt like only yesterday that I had woken up in Mav's body.

The Academy opening ceremony and entrance test was tomorrow.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned. However, I had made steady progress since I had transmigrated three weeks ago.

After two weeks of training and two more demonic cores, my abilities had grown more-- even though it was only a little.

[Strength: F → F+]

[Endurance: F- → F++]

[Dexterity: G → G+]

[Agility: F → F+]

[Mana: F++ → E-]

The biggest change was my endurance, which had increased by three minor stages.

"This isn't bad. Now, I just have to be smart about how I handle the entrance test."

I was really proud about my growth, but there wasn't any room to grow complacent.

Just because I had become less garbage, didn't mean that this was enough for me to perform on the same level as the others.

I knew that Gauss, who was currently the strongest incoming freshman, would have mainly E ranked abilities and two D ranked abilities: endurance and agility.

After F rank, increasing abilities became exponentially harder. Making any progress in E rank was difficult and painful, while reaching D rank in any ability before turning fifteen was considered impossible.

Furthermore, Gauss was also fundamentally untalented and relied on his overwhelming abilities during the beginning. There were geniuses who had lower abilities but were incredibly skilled with their weapon techniques.

"I have many competitors… Now, how do I make the biggest impact?"

I had one more day before the entrance ceremony and test. I cancelled training with Lucia and began to brainstorm how I would get myself into Class A.

***

"Welcome, incoming freshman! I'm glad to announce that you've been accepted into the Academy!"

The principal was an old, wizened man dressed in loose robes. An incredibly shiny, wooden sheath hung from his hip, which stored his katana. His short stature meant that he had been forced to lower the microphone stand in order to speak properly, but that did not diminish from his presence. Everyone was silent as they respectfully listened to the elderly principal.

I looked around the room with awe, seeing the hundreds of incoming freshmen all in one place.

The principal spoke again. "However, there is one more test before you officially begin the school year as one of the proud students of the Academy!"

I could feel the energy in the air change as hundreds of students shifted in their seats.

"This final challenge will determine your ranking amongst your peers within the Academy!"

"Your survivability will be put to the test!"

"Your goal: run from an overwhelming horde of monsters and survive for as long as possible!"

"Please follow the instructions of the staff and proceed to the simulation room!"

The students began whispering amongst themselves. Some of them looked afraid, while others looked confident. A mixture of emotions emerged from the crowd.

I quickly stood up, but despite my best efforts, I was washed away by the mass of people. After fighting through the crowds for five minutes, I found myself at the simulation room sooner than expected.

I can't believe they can afford hundreds of simulation pods, I marvelled as I carefully lowered myself into a sleek, white cylinder. The staff began initiating the simulation and the blue-tinted glass cover slid into place with a pneumatic hiss.

The cramped chamber suddenly was drowned in darkness.

However, only moments later, the darkness vanished as I found myself standing amidst the other freshmen once more. The sky above was blood red, though most of it was covered by dark smoke. 

The other freshmen and I were standing in the middle of a valley, with reddish earth rising on either side. The natural terrain confined us to a relatively narrow path.

"This feels so real," I murmured as I opened and closed my hands. Then, I began coughing as the smoke-filled air irritated my lungs.

Around me, several students had the same reaction. A chorus of coughs and choking temporarily filled the valley.

"Yeah, this definitely feels real," I wheezed as I began adjusting to the choking air.

[Welcome to the Academy's Noosphere-- the most high-tech virtual simulation in the world.]

[The test will begin in ten seconds.]

[Prepare yourselves.]

I guess I must've been one of the last people to enter the simulation, I remarked.

Normally this would put me at a slight disadvantage, since I'd have less time to acclimate to my surroundings. However, I was the author-- I already knew where the test was going to be held.

In fact, I knew more about the test than the test administrators themselves.

This was one of the first key events in my novel, so I had placed a lot of emphasis on it.

Even though my memory had been fuzzy regarding the details, I could just brush up on it by reading the navy blue journal.

Meanwhile, the countdown began. The students around me tensed up and unsheathed their weapons.

The staff members had scanned my longsword before I entered the simulation. The weight was comfortable against my back.

As everyone began adjusting to the scenery, I tightened my grip on the sword handle and began channeling mana into my eyes. My peripheral vision suddenly snapped into clarity.

I need to find the main characters.

The mechanical countdown was nearing its conclusion.

[3.]

[2.]

[1.]

[Begin.]

Immediately, all hell broke loose.