Xian decided to hurry up after much deliberation.
Not only because he knew most of the examinations anyways, but also because there's a lot of benefits for clearing it all first. There's also the skill windows he haven't checked and the letter from the duke.
Curiosity and impatience filled his head despite encountering a heroine he did not like.
He could wait for Carmillia and carry her through the exams, but the last time he checked, she still did not trust him completely. Since many instructors were lurking around as monitors, she should be safe.
It was fine though. Carmillia was not the only heroine he knew who had trust issues. Almost every single one had the same problem, and he could take his time dealing with it. Eventually, their trust would inevitably lean toward him.
For now, he planned to draw as much attention as possible by getting first place. From the second examination onward, things would become a little more difficult than simply finding a way out.
'Should I just check it now?'
Xian thought that utilizing his skills now might be a good idea. His level should be higher than most starting character, but his skills…
He deliberated for a moment while facing the door toward the next examination. The academy always followed certain criteria when designing an exam. The grid maze earlier had been the hardest for entrants to complete, but for some people, they had the means to quickly figure it out and break through.
It was actually the easiest and most favorable exam for players, since it did not require any investment in stats. They could simply break through if they remembered the pattern.
'Alright, let's take the first place.' Doing so would place him as the first seat and grant him the position to retain the first years first seat.
From this point onward, only three types of examinations could appear. One was a duel with a dummy to test the entrant's combat qualifications. Another was a literal written exam that asked questions on paper.
Lastly, there was a simulated labyrinth filled with powerful monsters and a raid boss. The grid maze served as a prerequisite that needed to be cleared before it could appear.
Xian hoped to fight a dummy for the fastest result. The maximum level of the dummy was set between four and eight, which most starting characters could manage to defeat as long as they are not alone.
Meanwhile, he was level fourteen and could probably obliterate it.
If a player focused on strength and agility, victory would come easily. The same applied to strength builds, though they would take slightly more damage.
He pushed the towering door open and stepped into the examination grounds. As he breathed in, blue mist drifted outward and brushed gently against his body. Xian recognized it as a concentration of mana that dissipates upon contact with almost anything.
He knew what that entailed.
'It's the labyrinth, of course. Otherwise things wouldn't be as interesting.' Xian wondered if those beings were watching and intentionally making things difficult for him. Then he thought about the grid maze, one of the best starts possible. In the end, he found it fair that the next exam turned out this way.
Xian, knowing what lay ahead, decided to wait in the vicinity of the entrance while hiding himself. With Ruminaria's tendency to charge headfirst into things, he doubted she would even sense his presence.
'Then we wait.'
In the meantime, he decided to finally check his [Skill Window] and willed it to appear. Tackling the maze required teammates, or rather, meat shields. Taking Carmillia and some other random entrants with him would be ideal.
'But it wouldn't be bad to team up with a familiar heroine too.' Xian licked his lips inadvertently, something he usually did not do. Perhaps it was the thrill he felt, or the anticipation.
He recalled the intimate scenes of the heroines he had conquered. Now that the game had become reality, the possibilities for those kinds of rewards felt endless. On a regular game day, he would spend all of his character's energy just to repeat those scenes again and again for his own amusement and satisfaction.
Xian knew it would be rather wretched if he behaved the same way in this world as well. Even so, he felt no guilt in his heart. He intended to revel in this punishment until he eventually grew bored of it.
Thinking about those moments made him realize that ever since arriving in this world, that lecherous side of him had been suppressed to the point that he almost forgot it existed. He had not even taken the time to deal with it alone, although Miri had stirred those urges before.
'Quite a disciplined body.' Xian was pleased nonetheless, and he intended to keep it that way. At least until the moment came to indulge with a heroine.
While looking at the skill window, he found something strange.
"What… is this?"
It wasn't the skill window interface he was used to. Instead, a lush tree was reflected in the interface, carrying fruits that seemed to act as nodes.
On the other side, was an empty barren tree that doesn't have any leaves nor fruits, but harbored branches similar to the other lush tree. On the places where fruit's are supposed to hang, was instead an empty stalk, as if it was plucked.
'The trees? They look familiar…' Xian was not well read when it came to mysticism, but he recognized both trees as concepts tied to ideas of life and death. The two halves glowed ominously in dark blue and dark red hues, visible only to him.
For a while, Xian looked as if he was simply staring at the air. These were not the skill trees he recognized. In the game, the system had been much more basic. Martial skills appeared in a window called Techniques, while magic abilities appeared under Spells.
Spell's and Technique's. As simple as that.
The following learned spell or technique's are listed under their respective passive requirement, rather than being separated entirely.
Sometimes, passives obtained through events and story playthrough are not tied to any skill that exists, hence there's a question that players often ask, 'Should it be a passive or a trait?'. The line between the two are almost a blur.
His [Defiance] is under the trait category, but a passive out there exists with the very same function. Mostly from characters on the verge of 'completion'.
Anyways, he still recognized some of the skills listed in this 'new' interface. Two node's were opened up. Respectively, it read [Wisdom] and [Severity]. Then his skill's were the following…
[Basic Weapon Efficiency: Dagger, Longsword]
[Class Effect: Montagne Specialized Butler]
• Increased proficiency with concealed weapons
• Improved throwing accuracy
• Enhanced weapon handling
'So it wasn't just simple proficiency.'
With the Montagne Specialized Butler Class, throwing daggers also counted as part of the skill's handling. That made sense. A butler was expected to deal with threats discreetly.
That was all, quite simple and self explanatory. He still had not learned a school of techniques, which meant there were no flashy martial technique names yet, just like the protagonist at the start of the game.
As for the visage of tree's in the interface… He's gonna have to do some research about it later on. It must be one of the changes that welcomed this world upon becoming reality.
While Xian stared seriously at the opened nodes, to anyone else he simply looked like someone staring into thin air.
But that was not what the other person in the room thought.
An invisible girl stood rooted on her spot, intimidated when her gaze met Xian's.
She had arrived there earlier and had been looking for a relatively hidden spot to rest.
The mana inside the chamber was quite thick, probably due to the massive expenditure of magic during the large scale examination. The atmosphere felt relaxing, so she had intended to lie down for a bit. It would not hurt to place somewhere in the middle ranks, since passing was the only thing that mattered.
Then she saw Xian. He was sitting there with a faint red glint in his eyes, staring directly at her.
Usually, she was a reserved and calm girl who was not easily intimidated. For Xian's presence to affect her this much, his face must truly have looked villainous.
He stared so intensely that she began casting a spell.
A moment later, she sighed and dispelled the invisibility around her. Since the other party could obviously see her through some means, disguises were useless.
Xian had simply been minding his own business when the space in front of him blurred and revealed a figure. Fortunately, he did not flinch or show any expression of shock.
"So, what do you want?" the girl asked.
That made her the third heroine Xian had encountered that day.
This time, she was a heroine he knew very well and one of his favorites. A smile naturally crept onto his face as the girl in question frowned.
"?"
She raised her staff as a magic circle appeared in warning. Her eyes glowed, a clear sign that she was preparing to fight.
"No, calm down. I was smiling because I'm happy." He made an excuse right away. At the start of the game, magicians were… busted. Even the protagonist would be should he choose the class.
Unlike martial classes that needed to learn novice and basic techniques first, magicians could already release tremendous firepower. It wasn't to the point of imbalance, but the gap exists.
Furthermore, Xian would even dare to say that the girl before him had a tremendous fanbase for being a 'best girl' among the Rozenfall community.
'Gumin Esolian.' A female mage who was interested only in learning every form of magic that existed. As if to prove it, she had one special ending where she sought immortality and placed her soul inside changeable puppet vessels.
In the end credits, it was said that she kept existing until there was no more for her to learn and became a world changing figure that walked the world of magic.
Sage Esolian, the Archmage of the Akashic Record, a figure who personified the legend of a book that recorded all magic.
And one of the heroines that he hoped to conquer. That ending of hers, led her to glory and life's purpose without any distraction.
But Xian, wouldn't let that happen.
'It's time to start testing the waters.'
In the game, there was no scene involving Gumin during the entrance examination. She avoided players and NPCs like the plague, appearing only when classes officially began.
Xian wanted to test his wits and tactics on her. Even if the place and circumstances were different, the things that stirred a person's heart did not change. It was the same for him, and hopefully, for Gumin as well.
Gumin was one of the most stone-hearted heroines in the game. Her affection barely rose from gifts like flowers or sweets. She preferred books on magic, but anything available in the store had already been read or purchased by her deep pockets, almost as if she were mocking the player.
However, no matter how stone-hearted she appeared, human hearts were still made of flesh and carried inevitable emotions.
Now, what would be the best way to pique her curiosity?
"You were happy?" Gumin asked, tilting her head slightly. Whatever made the man before her smile, she had a strong feeling it could not be anything good.
"Yes, I am." Xian stated as a matter of fact.
"… I see."
"Do you want to know why?"
"No. I'm leaving." At the curt rejection, Xian was not perturbed and continued speaking.
"But I think you would want to know." He understood how this particular heroine's mind worked.
"What makes you think that?" She halted the step she was about to take, not because she cared about the man, but because of the confidence in his tone.
"… You seem like a talented mage. If so, then you must've noticed."Xian stood up from where he sat. Gumin immediately took four steps back, her staff tilting slightly as she kept him within her line of sight.
"This place is massive. Unlike the previous exam. Don't you think so?" Xian couldn't really tell, but he was speaking from experience, so it was the truth.
"… That's right. But why are you saying this?"
"Earlier, I was thinking how much easier things would be if a mage was with me." He pointed toward Gumin and traced the outline of her attire, indicating how he recognized her profession. "And would you look at that, a mage appeared right on time." Xian spoke cheerfully, completely unaware that his expression only made him appear even more suspicious in Gumin's eyes.
"That's why I'm happy. Let's team up. I'll take the front and you handle the back line." He spoke without hiding that he already knew the exam would need a structure of a party.
"Aside from its vast size, I can sense several formidable monsters deeper inside. If I take them all alone, I'll be exhausted by the third stage. What do you think?" What he said made sense, and it appealed to the efficient way Gumin approached problems.
After a moment of silent consideration, Gumin agreed. "… Alright. But you are suspicious, so walk four steps ahead." Without delay, she cast a barrier around Xian's body. He could see a faint blue outline tracing his figure.
Normally, barriers formed like a large glass film that faced a single direction. One of Gumin's special skills treated a magic barrier like an Aura Coat, outlining the entire body and protecting even hidden areas.
But beside's that, she also made another barrier that seperates the two of them, making Xian chuckle. "Pfft, alright. Should we move now or wait for another member?"
"… No, were enough. Let's hurry." Although Gumin initially wanted to rest, the man before her had chased away her drowsiness and placed her on high alert. Xian was the first person who made her instinctively think of an enemy upon their first meeting, even though there was no enmity between them.
'His face is a natural.' A natural at being mistaken for a villain, she thought.
While Xian was being judged by Gumin, he was also doing a similar thing.
For now, the only way to capture her attention was to place her in circumstances like this. Despite her usual laziness, Gumin valued efficiency above all else. Appealing to efficiency and sincerity was the best way to keep her nearby, especially if her goals aligned with the task.
In the game, her route required the player to be a mage. That was why he had wanted to build a mage oriented character back then. Now, with his mana and talent lacking, he would struggle even to keep up with her. He had already experienced that once. As time passed between her and the player, Gumin would eventually abandon the protagonist in pursuit of magic.
'Then, what should I do to make her look at me?'
Xian could simply replace what made her happy. But if magic was all that mattered to her, what else could possibly sway her?
'Of course, I have to take her happiness away first.' That was the outcome of one of her [Ruin End] routes, where Gumin killed herself.
She lost magic and every talent connected to it, turning her into an ordinary human once again. It was something she once wished for, yet it also destroyed her. If the player did not stay with her afterward, she would fall into a life of hedonism.
She drowned herself in alcohol, food, drugs, and even men. That was how the future Archmage fell once magic disappeared from her life.
But with the game and its predetermined outcomes no longer in place, Xian could prevent those events or reshape them to his liking.
Gradually, he only needed to spend more time with her and build affection. He would literally fix her the way he wanted.
As he felt pleased with himself, a practiced smile crept onto Xian's face. He remained mindful not to scare Gumin away.
Just then, quick footsteps echoed throughout the chamber. Another person had arrived, and now the entrance of the examination grounds contained three entrants.
She too was someone that Xian recognized and liked.
"Who even beat me to first place? Damn it all!" the girl muttered faintly under her breath.
The future Sword Saintess, descended from the Sword Saint's bloodline.
She stopped stomping when Xian and the mage came into view. "Hm? Oh! Hello there, everyone! Hehe… You didn't hear that, right?"
A heroine obsessed with first place and maintaining a perfect persona.
Fahnaela del Alinde