Hellmode ~A Hardcore Gamer Becomes Peerless in Another World with Retro Game Settings~

We found a base of operations in the Academy city. We talked about our plans for the next day since the Academy would start the next day.

When I asked the Viscount about the Academy, he told me that we had four days of classes and two days off.

With that in mind, we talked about how we would spend the next four days back at the Academy getting our base supplies, buying weapons and armor, and going to the dungeon on the weekend. Basically, we will spend two days in the dungeon.

It was decided that I would pay for everyone’s weapons and armor. The initial investment will be made by me, but I heard that we can find better weapons and armor in the dungeon, so we decided to upgrade our equipment in the dungeon.

As for my own growth, I need a lot of magic stones. When I asked them if I could use the money earned in the dungeon to pay for the magic stones once we had enough money to live on, the three of them readily agreed.

We have already paid the rent for the base and made an upfront investment in weapons and armor. When I asked them about future goals, they seemed to take it for granted.

I believe that a month or two in the dungeon will be enough time to make a comfortable living.

We came to the Academy at the time when we were told to after we passed the exam. We looked at the numbered list in front of the Academy building, which had the numbers of the Appraisal Ceremony, and went to the designated classroom.

(About 3,000 people passed?)

Apparently, only about 3,000 people passed this exam, which was taken by 20,000 people. In my previous life, I’d say that’s the ratio of a reasonably difficult university entrance exam. There are 100 classrooms with 30 students per class.

(I have heard that many people drop out. Well, commoners aren’t obligated to serve in the military, and the Five Continents Alliance isn’t completely monolithic.)

The member countries of the Five Continents Alliance are not a complete monolith. The situation differs from country to country and continent to continent.

The people who feel the most threatened by the Demon King’s army are the Central Continent’s Giamut Empire, the Dwarves’ Baucis Empire, and the Elves’ Rosenheim, who are directly fighting the Demon King’s army.

As the nation’s survival is at stake, they are fighting with all their might.

However, there are quite a few countries that aren’t directly fighting the Demon King’s army on their borders, like the Kingdom of Latash, which is on the same continent as the Giamut Empire.

And the two continents to the south have never been attacked by the Demon King’s army. Whether it’s because this world is not spherical or because they don’t know how to attack the southern continent, the Demon King’s army seems to have completely ignored the two southern continents so far.

It is more difficult to expect all countries to have the same sense of crisis in this situation.

In such a situation, we were asked to participate in the battle against the Demon King’s army. In particular, countries with little sense of crisis were quite reluctant to give out their Talented people. The magical beasts in the world are becoming more and more vicious due to the Demon King. We need to defeat those beasts inside the country, and the production of magical stones and items in the dungeon will enrich our country. I don’t want to take out the Talented people of my country as much as possible. They think like this.

As a result, only Royals and Nobles participate in the conference. At the meeting of the Five Continents Alliance, the two southern continents, along with the countries other than the allies of the Central Continent, strongly argued their case. They argued that it was the duty of Royals and Nobles to protect their countries.

The answer to the question of whether to send tens of thousands of Talented people, including commoners, to the battlefield, or just a few hundred people of Royals and Nobles, was decided. Of course, they couldn’t send thousands of commoners because that would cause information leakage.

(I think about 10% of the 3,000 people are Royals or Nobles.)

It seems that every year, out of about 3000 first-year students, about 300 are Royals and Nobles. I wonder if a few people from my class of 30 are also Nobles.

As I sat in my seat thinking about the Five Continents Alliance, everyone also took their seats without delay. Some were talking together, perhaps because they were from the same hometown, while others were sitting alone looking sleepy. Everyone was waiting for the class to start.

Then, a man in uniform who appeared to be a faculty member of the Academy came into the room. He was a man over forty with a square haircut. He didn’t look like a regular guy. I think his muscles are so big that his uniform is one size too small.

“Oh, you’re all here.”

Standing in front of the teaching table set up at the front of the classroom, he looked around at the entire classroom and spoke.

“My name is Karuba and I’ll be your homeroom teacher for the next three years. I’d like to introduce myself.”

The homeroom teacher spoke about himself. Some listened intently, while some were listening absent-mindedly, and some were listening in a variety of ways, but perhaps because of the impact of his appearance, everyone was listening in silence.

“I’m usually the headmaster of a branch of the Adventurers’ Guild in Royal Capital. My talent is a Swordsman. I am an A rank adventurer. I was told that a Master Swordsman saint would be joining the Academy this year. That’s why I was asked to join.”

Scratching his head, he said, “I’m screwed.” Apparently, he was going to be transferred from the Adventurer’s Guild to Academy to be a homeroom teacher for three years for Krena.

(The Adventurer’s Guild dispatches its members? The Adventurer’s Guild seems to be independent of the Kingdom, but I wonder how it works with the Five Continents Alliance.)

I remembered that they were very polite and helpful when I applied for my adventurer’s card.

“As your homeroom teacher, I’ll be in charge of this class, but I’ll also be in charge of sword instruction, so if you’re a Swordsman or have any other Talent related to a sword, I’ll be your instructor.”

As it is, we start talking about what we’re going to learn this year at the Academy. I wondered if I would just have to listen to my homeroom teacher today.

The first year students learn general education in the morning. In the afternoon, they would train according to their respective Talents. Swordsmen train with Swords, Spearmen with spears. There are instructors for each talent, and they will guide you through the process. He began to hand out parchments to all the students, saying that the meeting place for each Talent was written on them.

“Oh, yes, in July and February. If you score below 40, you will fail. Study hard. Oh, Allen.”

(Hmm?)

“Yes.”

“I hear you got the highest score of all time for everything.”

“What?”

The class gazed at me, who was sitting in the back of the room.

“So don’t study by yourself. If you want to graduate together, you should help your friends study too.”

For some reason, he only reminded me about this.

(This is about Kurena, isn’t it? Hey, you passed her even though she failed, didn’t you? )

Kurena was watching from the seat beside me with a look of amazement on her face. Apparently, she doesn’t understand.

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

“…Oh, and by the way. As you probably know, there are serfs and commoners in this classroom, as well as Nobles. You may have different statuses, but you’re still students at the Academy. That’s why you guys don’t need to use honorific titles for each other. Just get along.”

My use of language seemed to remind the homeroom teacher of something.

The homeroom teacher told us not to address each other as “Lady” or something like that, and that we would be censured if we unnecessarily drew a hierarchical relationship outside of the teacher-student relationship.

It doesn’t matter if you’re Royal or a serf, they said. There was no need for serfs and commoners to be overly obsequious in conversation.

The students, who had been listening quietly for a long time, started to wonder if it was true.

Cecile was in the seat behind me. I was talking to Cecile with my body facing the front.

“I will call you Cecile from now on, no titles.”

“…”

When I spoke to her with a full-on “I’ll call you Cecile from now on” feeling, Cecile froze.

“Hmm? What happened? Cecile.”

“What’s the matter? Cecile.”

At Cecile’s silence, Kurena and I spoke to her. I called out to her many times, and that was when it happened.

“Gah!”

“Oh, Allen. Why do you use words like that so hesitantly? What did you usually think of me?”

Cecile raised her body and used both arms firmly to apply a naked choke around my neck. It was a so-called choke sleeper.

“What? Geez.”

(This is the stuff you learned for self-defense at the mansion? Cecile is really good at coming out on the spur of the moment. But I am not sure how strong it is.)

My level has increased and so has my [Endurance], but for some reason I feel like it’s effect in my daily life is weak. I felt that the [Attack] was being adjusted so that it wouldn’t interfere with my daily life even if it increased too much. I also feel that the [Endurance] is also being adjusted.

“Say it. What did you used to call me in your mind? Was it Cecile, after all?”

Cecile whispered in a voice so faint that only I could hear. If I get the answer wrong here, I’m going to be in trouble.

“And of course, Lady Cecile, always.”

I have always thought of you as Lady Cecile. Even though it’s the Academy’s way of doing things, it’s heartbreaking, I desperately try to excuse myself. I could hardly speak due to her hold.

“Oh, come on. I’m not asking you to get along that well. ……”

When the homeroom teacher saw how Allen and Cecile were doing, he blurted out in disgust.