Second Draft - Reincarnated Into a Game in Impossible Mode

[06:24 Thursday, August 24, 2023]

Renggg. 

Ryoshu suddenly woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. He quickly turned it off before it deafened him. After turning it off, he lay back down on the bed and continued hugging Fumiya. 

'Just 5 more minutes...' But suddenly remembering that today was an important day, Ryoshu forced himself to sit up to become more alert. 

Then he noticed his bed was a complete mess. 

A pile of blankets on the floor was the result of his night's sleep. 'My sleeping posture... is really bad. Maybe that's why I'm still a virgin?' Ryoshu was just making excuses for his own messiness. That was definitely one billion percent not the main reason.

He stood up and stretched out long. The pitch-black window from last night had been replaced by the sight of dawn breaking. The early morning light shone into part of the room and echoed everywhere. 

"Hello world!" - He stood with his arms stretched toward the sky and shouted loudly. Fortunately, this room had soundproofing or he would have died from embarrassment. "So I've been in the game for a week now, huh."

And finally, the placement test he had been looking forward to had arrived. Today was the day when the Main Storyline would officially begin. 

'I don't need to be in the same class as the protagonist... but at least the closer the better. That way it'll be easier for me to observe and act.'

First, he needed to take another thorough shower to try not to make a bad first impression with others. 

'I wonder if this is a futile effort?' 

He sighed and examined his body in the mirror. His body had become much firmer, and he could see some muscles beginning to form.

This was because his Main stats had increased significantly compared to before, the result of his efforts fighting the boss plus using growth potions. However, Ryoshu still had three potions left, so he would soon have to experience that strange feeling again. 

"Although effective, I almost died. I'll definitely never risk using the potion unnecessarily again." Ryoshu swore to himself he would never use the potion in such situations again.

Strength and Agility hadn't increased as much as he'd hoped, probably because he hadn't practiced those as much as Endurance and Perception. 

Thanks to the intense and prolonged training process, his endurance increased rapidly, and Perception improved thanks to archery practice and the "side effect" of the Death Before Eyes skill.

The higher the Perception stat, the more he could sense his surroundings. Additionally, it affected Ryoshu's quick reflexes, allowing him to react more swiftly to the boss Slime's attacks last time.

And thanks to reaching rank F in Perception, he had unlocked something new. Fortunately, before the system shut down, he caught sight of that text. 

It was a permanent 1% Critical Rate, meaning he could inflict Critical Hits without needing to activate any additional skills or equipment. Ryusho would just need a lot of luck, that's all.

Moreover, thanks to his critical hit, his attack had enough force to penetrate the steel-hard inner body of that boss. 

'Perhaps... this time I could try raising the Critical Rate to 100%? A playstyle I've never tried before...'

That was a rather crazy idea for a Rainfall Disorder gamer like him. 100% Critical Rate was something almost all professional gamers had considered. But achieving it was nearly impossible; weapon and item stats could only increase to a maximum of 70%. 

'But 70% is quite high already.'

Ryoshu took out all his belongings from the ring and discarded unnecessary things, like broken arrows he'd kept for reuse in the worst case or self-made arrows. He had used up all the good arrows in that Class C Temple. 

'Later when I get to the academy, I'll definitely remember to get lots of new arrows.'

Ryoshu looked back at himself in the bathroom mirror. He decided to change the outfit he had worn when meeting that prince to something completely different. 

This time he chose a pristine white t-shirt with some black patterns. 

Then he put on a light brown jacket over it. To complement the bright top, he wore loose pants with many decorative pockets. 

'Not bad, huh? I look pretty handsome!' - Ryoshu admired himself in the mirror with self-praise.

'The potion's effect is quite good, huh? Into the new day it increased... if I'm not mistaken, by 0.3? I'm still a bit uglier than before... but not as bad as the day before yesterday... I just need to be patient for the first few dozen days at the academy and I'll become one of the most handsome people.'

He picked up the razor unconsciously, forgetting that he was now in the body of a fresh-faced 15-year-old boy. 

Ryoshu had forgotten this many times. 'Perhaps that's why I'm a bit more impulsive than before? Even having a crush on a girl my age? But my real age is 22... wouldn't that make me a lolicon?'

Ryoshu shook his head, dismissing these silly thoughts. He finished his morning bathroom routine by taking care of his skin. He applied moisturizer and serum to his face. Fortunately, this internet café had basic supplies for customers.

Afterward, he went back to the computer room and deleted all browsing history as a precaution. Now these traces were extremely dangerous for someone unofficially wanted like him. 

High-level assassins would continuously search different places until they found him. That made entering the academy an urgent priority for Ryoshu. 

'It's not always that a simple target like me is worth half a billion RC...'

He packed his belongings, or in this case, stored them in the ring. Ryoshu looked around the room one last time with a regretful expression. 'Time to go take the test at Spiral Academy, huh?'

----0w0----

Enjoying the softness of the seat on the vehicle, hearing the conversations of other pleasant passengers, smelling a rather soothing scent from the automatic fragrance sprayers. And all these sensations only enhanced the scenery outside his window.

The buses here didn't run on gasoline like before; they had been modified to use Mana to fly. More precisely, they hovered about half a meter above the ground to prevent shaking and to keep passengers from getting dizzy or nauseous. Ryoshu used to be prone to motion sickness, so this was one of the first advantages since coming to this world.

Suddenly, several passengers on the bus looked up toward him, or rather, behind him. 

"Is that Spiral Academy?!" 

"It looks so impressive."

Some young people came to stand close to the windows to get a better view of the academy campus. So after a difficult week, Ryoshu had finally reached the territory of Spiral Academy.

The school actually sat atop Oliver Pigeon Hill. Normally, no one would be able to see it from afar like this. However, because the structure was enormous and extremely magnificent, everyone could see the academy from where they stood. Moreover, the school grounds were so vast that they had to take a bus from the main gate to reach the school entrance.

'Traveling in the game is fun... but because the scale is so realistic, it's incredibly tiring to move around.' - He recalled the torturous time when he had to walk around the academy. That was one of his worst experiences playing this game.

The passengers beside Ryoshu meanwhile were still discussing that world-class school. It was no wonder that getting into this academy was the dream of most young Awakened, with a bright future ahead.

"Oh my god, I want to study there so badly, man." 

"Stop dreaming! Are you crazy, do you think someone like you could get into one of the world's top academies? Only the best have a chance to enter the school." 

"You dog, do you have to rub salt in my wounds like that?!"

Ryoshu looked at the two peers arguing passionately about the place he was about to enter. 

'Actually, getting into the school isn't that difficult... I remember that besides a letter of recommendation, there are only two fairly simple conditions: one is to have a government Awakened certificate and two is to take the school's entrance examination.'

As long as you have two stats at rank F or higher, you'll be recognized as an Awakened. Previously, he didn't even have Mana, but he could still enter this school as usual. 'The entrance exam here seems to only require a fairly easy theory test... Besides normal subjects like Math, Literature, and English, there will be additional special theory tests like Magic or History of the Third War.'

But those subjects only required memorization rather than a deep understanding of nature. Therefore, if you study properly and review frequently, you'll definitely secure a place at the school. That's why a trash character like Ryoshu could also get into the school without needing extraordinary skills.

But the harsh part was when you were already inside the academy. First-year students would always have a quality assessment test. Each year, Spiral Academy usually expels at least 10 students due to poor quality or insufficient performance. 

'Perhaps my character also belongs to the type of character who would soon be expelled because of my terrible skills and stats. I wonder why that kid tried so hard to get into this damned school with such poor combat abilities? Maybe it's... admiration, delusion, or... because of love?'

According to what Ryoshu remembered from yesterday's encounter with the protagonist, Esther had said that the boy whose body he was occupying probably liked Charlotte quite a bit. That was probably the main reason that boy transferred to this school. 

'But who would have thought he would also fail at confessing.' - Ryoshu felt somewhat sorry for his own character.

So that answered some of the questions he'd had since arriving in this world. Knowing a little more about the character he was controlling wouldn't hurt. On the contrary, if he knew nothing and met characters who were already acquainted like Esther or Haruki as before, Ryoshu would look even more suspicious. 

'But probably because of my injury, they didn't think too much about it... or maybe they weren't that close and were just acquaintances.'

"Hey, I heard the annual student quality assessment test is extremely difficult!" 

"That's right... What's important isn't whether you can get in or not. It's whether you can handle the pressure of studying there."

Suddenly, two more girls appeared from behind those two boys. One black-haired girl looked quite ladylike, while the other was an energetic type with short brown hair. They chattered away, seeming quite knowledgeable about Spiral Academy.

"At an academy where most students are either prodigies or talents trained from a young age, you'll be nothing special. So naturally, all the best things are already in the hands of those elite students. Including scholarships!" 

"Not to mention you'll be under extreme pressure when studying alongside such brilliant people. You should know that many times, even before the entrance examination, weaker students will voluntarily withdraw from the academy!"

After hearing this, the face of the young man who wanted to enter the academy turned pale. Perhaps this was the feeling when one's dream was continuously crushed like that.

Ryoshu, seeing this scene, could only laugh inwardly. What those girls had just said was completely accurate. And he would have to go through all of that continuously in such a terribly competitive environment for the next few years. But most importantly, he would face those challenges as the weakest student in the academy.

Back to today's meeting, this was the first gathering of first-year students in the Combat Department, which of course included Ryoshu. 

But it was also the exam day to divide the 500 students into different classes, specifically from Class E to Class A. Class A included the highest quality students, while Class E was the lowest.

Although there were other departments, combat ability was the most important factor in becoming a Hero or at least a powerful Awakened. 

'If you want to save others, first you must have the ability and strength to save yourself. Otherwise, you won't be able to save anyone.' - That was the famous motto that Ryoshu really liked from the principal of Spiral Academy - Thomas Oliver, the official owner of that hill.

"Next stop is Spiral Academy." - A clear voice sounded from somewhere in the vehicle. And a moment later, Ryoshu could already see the destination.

After reaching the bus stop, the bus stopped to let the students out. The stop was placed quite close to the academy gate.

Students streamed into the grounds of Spiral Academy. And some of the passengers from earlier on the bus were also first-year students in the Combat Department. Ryoshu also got off the bus but seemed more timid than the other students.

The rich kids who had been whispering near him now looked at Ryoshu with what appeared to be admiration. But they couldn't look for long as the face of the prettiest lady-like girl wrinkled up, seeming quite disgusted by his ugliness. And of course, Ryoshu saw everything that was happening. 'You don't need to... make that face. My confidence will hit rock bottom.'

The students walked to the school gate together but didn't greet or talk to each other. Perhaps partly because they didn't know each other and partly because of the tense feeling. He didn't care much about that either since he belonged to both categories.

Entering the grand, antique-designed school gate, Ryoshu could immediately see some supporting characters along with hundreds of nameless crowd characters. However, he couldn't find the main characters. 'Ah... there's Esther and Haruki... No wonder I felt a chill down my spine.'

The crazy girl who cursed him on the street last time - Esther White - was currently several dozen meters away at his ten o'clock. They were standing together near the cherry blossom trees that were blooming brilliantly.

The falling cherry blossoms further accentuated the beauty of the two main characters. They were talking and laughing very charmingly. 

'She does have many beautiful features... but quite an unpleasant personality.' - Ryoshu could clearly see her glance in his direction.

There was no denying it when talking about Esther White, the second-ranked student at the academy with smoky white hair and the red eyes characteristic of the White family. Her limitless arrogance also came from belonging to one of the Five Great Families. 

'I think in the game she likes the male protagonist Takahashi Haruki, right? Ah... youth and springtime and all that...' - Ryoshu looked at the person standing next to Esther.

After spotting Ryoshu, Takahashi Haruki, the male protagonist of the game Rainfall Disorder, turned and waved at him with a bright and friendly smile. 'With such a beautiful smile, no wonder so many girls fall head over heels for him. They fall like dominoes.'

He also waved back and didn't pay much attention to his own expression. After greeting, Ryoshu turned away and continued his market research: 'Let's see... are there any potential characters... whom I could get to know later to benefit- utilize them?'

After all 500 students had arrived and were standing somewhat disorderly, he had also found some key characters for the future. While thinking, suddenly, he heard the sound of fingers snapping, echoing from nowhere to here.

In the blink of an eye, each student including Ryoshu was sitting on a chair. Around them it was dark until suddenly there were stage lights. The stage lights pointed to a tall figure.

That person stepped onto what could be considered a podium. Each step they took emitted a strong aura and felt like it could kill ordinary people if not restrained further.

"Welcome, students, to your first year at Spiral Academy! I am Thomas Oliver and somehow I am the principal here." - He finished speaking and smiled at the first-year students, the promising future generations of Spiral Academy.