LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 5 - Entrance Ceremony (3)
✦ Chapter 5 – Entrance Ceremony (3) ✦
「Translator – Creator」
𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝
As the last monster split in half under my grip, a murmur rippled through the crowd.
“Just who in the world are you?”
Lucas approached me, his eyes narrowed with a blend of suspicion and awe. The other students, too, were looking at me with similar expressions—and it wasn’t just because of my handsome features.
Were they surprised by the way I’d effortlessly dispatched the monsters? Or was it because I was standing here, calm and composed, while even Lucas was panting, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead? Perhaps it was a combination of both.
“…………”
They awaited my answer—Lucas, the other students, all of them. But I could not muster the energy to speak.
Because I was absolutely exhausted!
‘I think I’m going to die!’
My arms and legs trembled, threatening to give way beneath me. Inside my mask, my face was drenched in sweat.
The only reason they thought I was fine was because of my special trait – [Poker Face].
I wanted nothing more than to collapse on the ground and rest, but with all eyes on me… the [Clown] trait kicked in.
I strode towards the center of the clearing, making sure I was visible to everyone.
“I see that you’re all curious about my identity.”
Feeling their gazes on me, I bowed my head, my right hand placed over my heart. Like an actor taking a bow after a performance.
“Apologies for the late introduction. I am Loki, a fellow student, and as you can see… just a humble Clown.”
As the last word left my lips, a gaping hole ripped through the air behind me, accompanied by a thunderous roar.
KABOOM—!
I didn’t need to turn around to know what it was. A golem, no doubt, accompanied by dozens of monsters. It was a classic Croaka “defeat event”—a scripted scenario designed to make the players lose, not win.
‘But I’m not just any player.’
I was a Croaka veteran, a ten-year player, a handsome heartthrob, every girl’s dream, every guy’s rival… a handsome clown with skills that defied expectations. That’s why I’d managed to defeat the supposedly unbeatable golem in Croaka.
And now that the game had become reality… nothing had changed. One golem? We could take it down easily if we worked together.
At least, that’s what I thought… until I saw two golems emerge from the dimensional rift. What the… Two?!
“This can’t be happening!”
“There’s no way we can beat that!”
Panic gripped the other students. Some collapsed to the ground, defeated, while others stumbled back, desperation etched on their faces.
But why… why was I smiling? Was it the [Clown] trait? My gamer’s pride? Whatever the reason, this unexpected turn of events… I wasn’t afraid. Not at all.
The golems and the horde of monsters remained motionless, a silent, imposing threat. And as the moments stretched on, a glimmer of hope began to flicker in the eyes of my fellow students.
“Hey, they’re not moving.”
“We’ve done enough already.”
“So… does that mean we don’t have to fight them?”
The students, unwilling to fight further, began to settle on the idea of not engaging the golems. Their decision was actually logical. The professors had already finished grading the students, and whether the golem was defeated or not wouldn’t change their evaluation.
So why had I bothered to defeat the golem in Croaka? And why was I still drawn to the challenge now?
‘Because it was fun.’
As if possessed, compelled by this urge, I started walking towards the golems. And to my surprise, two others followed my foolish lead.
Lucas Leonheart… and Clara Adellian.
“Loki,” Lucas said, his brow furrowed with concern, “why are you walking towards them? We don’t have to fight them.”
“You’re asking me that, Lucas? You’re walking towards them too.”
“Both of you, shut up,” Clara interjected, her voice sharp. “We’re all going to fight the golems, aren’t we?”
As Clara Adellian aptly pointed out, the three of us had only one reason for moving forward — to take down the golem. However, our individual motivations were different.
Lucas, the warrior, sought to test his limits.
Clara, the mage, was driven by a thirst for knowledge.
And I, the gamer, craved the thrill of a new challenge.
But before we could face the golems, we had a more immediate problem — the horde of monsters surrounding them.
“We need to clear out those monsters before we can engage the golems. Who’s going to handle them?”
As I brought this up, the three of us exchanged hesitant glances. I was the first to speak up.
“Lucas, you seem a bit tired. Why don’t you take care of the monsters while you catch your breath? I’ll take care of the golems. Especially for you.”
“Tired? I’m perfectly fine!” Lucas retorted, his pride stung. “Besides, shouldn’t a mage be better suited for crowd control?”
“What are you talking about? I took down most of the monsters earlier.”
Someone had to fight the golem, and someone had to handle the monsters. But none of us wanted to deal with the monsters; we all wanted to challenge the golem. As we pondered over this dilemma, an idea popped into my head.
“I have a good solution. Can I have your attention for a moment?”
Intrigued by the promise of a plan, Lucas and Clara leaned in.
I gestured towards the other students, who were watching us from a safe distance. Many were unconscious, injured by the earlier waves of monsters. Only a handful remained standing.
“What if we… utilized those students over there?” I suggested, gesturing towards the group huddled in the distance.
“Those cowards? I doubt they’ll fight so easily.” Clara dismissed my idea, but I turned to Lucas, a mischievous glint in my eye.
“Well, all it takes is one of us to… persuade them, don’t you think?”
Clara’s gaze followed mine, settling on Lucas. We both knew that if we were going to use those students, we’d need Lucas’s authority as the Crown Prince.
“Are you suggesting… that I persuade them?” Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I wouldn’t dream of telling you what to do,” I replied innocently, my gaze fixed on him. But yeah, that’s exactly what I’m suggesting.
“Sigh…”
Lucas let out a resigned sigh and strode towards the students. Gone was the easygoing tone he’d used earlier. His voice was now cold, commanding.
“What are you all doing? Do you seriously think of not fighting when an enemy is right in front of us?”
“But… Your Highness…”
“Why are you here at the Academy?” Lucas’s voice resonated with an undeniable authority. “I’m here to test myself. To see how far I can go, armed with nothing but my spear, in a place where rules matter more than titles.”
His words had a strange power, a magnetism that drew others to him. It was a trait unique to the Imperial family—[Dominance].
“That’s why I want to test myself. If you want to test yourself as well, stop being fools who give up before the enemy and fight.”
As I watched Lucas rally the students, Clara turned to me, her expression curious. I always enjoyed interacting with her in Croaka. Though not quite on Johanna’s level, Clara was also a character I liked, so I listened to her.
“Where did you learn swordsmanship—never mind, as if that would be true.”
I could guess what she wanted to ask. She was probably going to ask where I learned my swordsmanship. We’d have plenty of time to discuss that later.
“What’s this, you two having a cozy chat without me?”
“Clara just has a lot of questions for me.”
By now, Lucas had returned with the students capable of fighting, armed and ready.
“Tch, I didn’t say anything. But can they really fight properly? Some of them look like they just got swept along with the crowd.”
“Don’t worry. I know a spell to boost morale.”
Though I hadn’t planned on using this method, it seemed I had no choice.
“Hello, everyone. As I mentioned earlier, my name is Loki.”
Lucas and Clara stared at me, their curiosity piqued.
“Are you… scared?”
The students’ eyes widened in disbelief. Before they could recover from the shock, I pressed on, my words laced with a calculated mockery.
“I’m not even asking you to fight the golems. Just… hold off those measly monsters. If you’re too scared, feel free to sit this one out. I’ll handle everything. All by myself.”
“What did you say?!”
“You think we’re afraid of those monsters?”
“Yeah! We’ll stop every single one of them!”
Leaving the now-energized students behind, I winked at Lucas and Clara, flashing them a peace sign.
“So, what do you think of my… ‘invigorating’ spell?”
“You really are something else, Loki.” Lucas chuckled, shaking his head. Clara simply turned away.
“Aw, come on, Clara! Don’t ignore me! What did you think of my spell?”
“Be quiet, Loki! Are we going to fight those golems or not?”
“Of course, we are! We can’t let… the cold-hearted, unresponsive Clara steal all the glory, can we?”
“You —!”
With that, the three of us—Lucas, Clara, and I—charged towards the golems.
Monsters lunged at us, but we didn’t falter.
A monster lunging at us got sent flying by a massive punch.
A towering figure with bronzed skin—a warrior from the Isar tribe.
Kuran Isar.
“This one, Kuran Isar, warrior of the honorable Isar tribe, will protect you from these weaklings! I leave the bigger prey to you!”
“Thank you, Kuran! Let’s train together sometime!”
Thanks to Kuran’s intervention, we were able to continue our advance without breaking stride.
“Get out of the way!” A voice shouted from behind.
I ducked instinctively as a gust of wind whipped past me, shredding the monster in front of me.
A woman with pink hair fluttering behind her, a master of spirits—the adopted daughter of the Leviathan family.
Sepia Leviathan
“I’m nothing like the others! I wasn’t cowering; I was resting to prepare to take down the golem.”
“Haha! With such powerful friends, your words carry weight.”
With their help and that of several others, we could ignore the monsters and head straight for the golem.
Finally, we stood before the golem. Up close, their size was truly awe-inspiring. I hadn’t actually thought about how we were going to defeat them during our mad dash across the battlefield, but my mouth, fueled by the [Clown] trait, kept spouting nonsensical bravado.
“So, let’s put on the best show for the students who supported us to this point.”
— End of Chapter —
⚘ ⚘ ⚘
If you liked the novel, do not forget to rate and review the novel on ⟿ NOVELUPDATES.
Also, if you cannot wait to see what lies ahead in the story, curious about what to unfold, I have added some ⟿ advanced chapters on the site (and will slowly be adding more)