The day of the entrance ceremony.
Libia Clawit,
she was in an exceptionally good mood.
"Isabel~ You were so cocky, bragging that you'd take first place! But look~ Not even second, but third!"
"Shut up, Libia."
Isabel Helm, who had usually beaten Libia and taken first place, had ended up in third—not even second—in this entrance exam.
That ranking, even below Libia's own, had made Libia's mood endlessly cheerful since early morning.
"It's okay, it's okay! Third place is still great! If there's anything you don't know, just ask your friendly second-place senpai!"
"Hah! Don't get all high and mighty just because you beat me once, Libia. If it weren't for that last test, I would've been second!"
"Oh dear, oh dear. Excuses from a loser are always so ugly."
Isabel, uncharacteristically raising her voice in frustration.
In truth, if it weren't for that secretly conducted crisis response evaluation,
no, if that guy hadn't instantly taken down the black ghost and Isabel had shone just a bit more, second place would have been hers.
"Hah! And you were bragging you'd beat me for first, but you're second!"
"Th-that's an exception! I didn't expect someone with that kind of skill to show up out of nowhere! And you did lose this time! Talking like that now just sounds like ugly loser excuses!"
"What?!"
While they were bickering in the auditorium, waiting for the entrance ceremony to start,
a familiar figure began to appear at the entrance.
Even in the crowd, his white hair stood out uniquely,
paired with a beautiful appearance that matched it perfectly and those slightly chilling, empty golden eyes.
It was the man who had surpassed both Isabel and Libia to claim first place.
"Ah! Over here, over here!!"
Libia waved toward him as he looked around, seemingly searching for his seat.
Her loud shout made him start walking their way.
"Long time no see, Libia. Helm."
Seeing him still speaking formally to them, Libia voiced her complaint.
"Long time no see! Seriously, drop the formal speech already—it's awkward as hell!"
"Call me Isabel too. And don't use honorifics at the academy. Even if it's just for show, rules are rules."
With Isabel chiming in from the side, he quickly agreed and switched to casual speech.
And soon enough, the entrance ceremony began.
A voice laced with a subtle, oppressive mana echoed, and the Academy Chairman appeared on the platform.
"Now... before we start the entrance ceremony, I prepared some boring-as-hell speech, but you kids hate that stuff, and I'm busy too, so let's skip the entrance speech this time."
Hmm...?
Libia felt a slight twinge of confusion at the Chairman's words, which came right after the exam had ended.
Skip the entrance speech?
Her master had said
it was a tediously formal speech,
but one that the academy had never skipped even once.
Seeing the professors behind her looking flustered, it didn't seem like something they'd agreed on.
'Hmm... the Chairman must have some important schedule today!'
Libia brushed it off as no big deal.
After all, she was the strongest in the current era.
She must have something urgent come up.
And then, the next item on the agenda began: the speech from the top student of the second years, Senior Cherwin Arkan.
With her light golden-yellow hair and blue eyes,
'She's beautiful...'
Her appearance naturally evoked the word "beautiful," and every gesture overflowed with elegance.
The clear, beautiful voice of the senior as she began her speech was pleasant to listen to.
The content... was a bit boring, though.
After that, the introductions of the academy's faculty proceeded.
"I'm the Alchemy Professor, Baal. Nice to meet you."
"Ugh..."
A sound leaked out from beside Libia during the introduction of Professor Baal.
"What's wrong, Isabel?"
"No... it felt like he was grinning at me in a creepy way."
"Pfft! That's just paranoia!"
Libia dismissed Isabel's words lightly
and refocused on the entrance ceremony.
"Next, the top entrance exam student's speech."
"Top student Aden, please come to the platform."
'Oh! The top student's speech.'
The man next to Libia stood up and walked toward the platform.
'His name... was Aden, huh!'
As Libia mulled over the name she'd just learned,
"What... a commoner...?"
"How did that guy become top?"
"A mere commoner like that..."
Murmurs dismissing and mocking Aden filled the auditorium.
"Hah... pathetic. Insects below even the lowest level."
Isabel muttered lowly in an angry voice.
Libia felt the same anger.
"Idiots."
Everyone must have seen his performance in the crisis response evaluation,
yet they were talking like this—it was infuriating.
Aden stood on the platform, ignoring it all.
And began his speech...
His speech...?
"Why isn't he starting...?"
"Nerves? He doesn't look nervous though..."
As time passed with him just standing there, not starting, Libia and Isabel muttered in confusion.
"What, why isn't he starting?"
"Must be nervous."
"No wonder—a commoner sitting in a spot that's too big for him."
Just as Libia was about to snap back at those irritating voices—
"You filthy maggots—"
The auditorium fell silent in an instant at the single phrase booming from the platform, all eyes turning to him.
"I have no idea how idiots like you even got into the academy."
A threatening, sharp voice laced with faint killing intent that spread subtly,
denouncing everyone in the auditorium.
"Can you even protect yourselves with that pathetic level of skill?"
Blatant contempt and blind condemnation.
"Wh-what the hell is that commoner saying!!"
"How is that trash top student!! Kick him out now!!!"
People who had been stunned by the sudden berating snapped out of it and yelled at him.
"Shut up."
But he casually pretended to pick his ear and muttered lowly, as if annoyed.
"Kkh—"
"Ugh—!"
Killing intent exploded from the platform in an instant,
so sharp and intense it felt like a blade at their throats—Libia and Isabel let out faint groans.
The others were breaking out in cold sweats, clear fear in their eyes.
'Killing intent beyond even Master's...'
Having the illustrious Sword Saint as her master, she could tell.
Even her master, who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Chairman, couldn't unleash killing intent like this.
This was no killing intent a mere student could have.
'Just... what is he...'
What in the world was his true identity...?
What had happened to give him such killing intent?
"With mouths that only know how to flap, I'm worried you'll die like dogs out there."
The killing intent vanished in an instant, and he continued his speech.
No, he continued what could only be called a tirade of condemnation.
But no one dared open their mouths after that.
In the deadly silent auditorium, only his voice echoed.
"The academy is more dangerous than you think."
"I see a few who look like they've been pampered in a greenhouse..."
He said it with clear mockery.
"If you came here lightly, I recommend you go back home."
Finishing with a sneer, he turned to leave the platform as if done, then paused.
"Oh, I almost forgot to mention—if any of you have complaints, come at me if you think you can. Otherwise, get lost."
With that, he truly descended the platform, as if he had nothing more to say.
As he stepped down, the suffocating tension slowly lifted.
"Aden, what was that speech! You scared the hell out of me."
Libia scolded him as he approached.
"The speech was satisfying, but it was too reckless."
Isabel reproached him too.
"Hmm...?"
He tilted his head at them, puzzled, and spoke.
"That includes you two. Can you even protect yourselves with that level of skill...?"
"What...?"
His tone sounded genuinely concerned,
and hearing it made Libia feel like something snapped in her mind.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Achievement - {Taunt, Perhaps?} cleared. You took the top spot with brilliant grades and got to give a speech! With a top speech like that, your arrogance is piercing the heavens! This isn't a speech—it's a taunt, isn't it?] Intelligence +3 Strength +2
'Oh, achievements even for the first speech!'
I was in a great mood, heading to the dorms, pleased with the generous reward and the fact that achievements triggered from the speech too.
After my brilliant entrance speech, the ceremony wrapped up with a few brief formal words from the Chairman.
'Skipping the opening speech made it end quicker than expected.'
The speech had gone off perfectly.
In the game, even after unlocking the achievement, I'd always picked the worst options,
so memorizing every line of dialogue had paid off.
'I panicked a bit when I had to unleash killing intent mid-way.'
In the game, if you gave that speech, there was a scene where underclassmen complained.
The only choice then was [(Unleashing killing intent) Shut up].
I'd wondered how to unleash killing intent in reality, though.
[Title {Pioneer} assists your action.]
Just thinking about wanting to unleash it made the title handle the assist automatically.
'It's OP! Totally OP!'
As expected of the cheat-level possession perk.
And when I came down from the platform after the speech,
"Pfft!"
Thinking back to Libia and Isabel's faces when I taunted them made me chuckle.
Isabel with her blank, confused expression, unable to comprehend,
and Libia glaring at me like a demon.
If it weren't the entrance ceremony, swords would've flown for sure.
' 'Just you wait! I'll steal that top spot!!' '
' 'When I become top, I'll freeze that arrogant mouth shut' '
Their frustrated faces as they said that and left after the ceremony had been hilarious.
"What's so funny, Mr. Top Student?"
As I walked along, grinning at the memory, a familiar voice called from behind.
"Come see me for a sec."
With that, a teleportation magic circle appeared under my feet.
I had too many things making me guilty to resist, so I didn't bother.