Becoming the new Protagonist of the Game's World

10. Melina Sloane

After exiting the Alliance Research Building, I went directly to the cafeteria. The written exam, the presentation, and the meeting with the directors—a lot of things have happened in just half a day. I was satisfied with my current progress. Tomorrow, the whole Ephiosa will learn about my theory, and my name will become famous. As a bonus, I was also able to get the elf director on my side. I don't know exactly what she is thinking right now, but I'm sure she fell into my trap. Knowing her real identity, I know she will become a useful tool for me in the future.

I have also realized that there are no restrictions on my actions. I was a little doubtful that I could really do whatever I liked in this game world. But I guess I'm totally free, and my earlier presentation proved that. There's a reason that the theory I presented was only available in the game during the 3rd year of the academy. Now that I have introduced it three years in advance, the end of this world will definitely be accelerated. If the person who sent me here didn't want the world to be destroyed, he would have definitely stopped me from introducing this theory.

I can think of three different reasons why he didn't stop me. Firstly, he doesn't care about this world, and I am only a form of entertainment for him. Secondly, for an unknown reason, he can't interfere with this world. And lastly, he trusts my intellect. He knows that anything I do, no matter how bad it is, is done for a reason.

There are no events during the first semester of the academy. Most gamers usually spend less than an hour trying to either increase their favorability with the heroines or kill the protagonist, then skip to the second semester. Unfortunately, I can't use the skip feature anymore. So to avoid the next four months being too boring, I made sure that some unexpected villains would visit the academy soon. With the whole world's attention on me, thanks to my theory, I will act as bait. I don't know who or when they will come, but that's exactly what makes living more interesting. I know that I'm weak right now, but there are different ways to win against someone stronger than you, and that's what I'm best at. If I lose and die, then that just means I wasn't good enough.

When I finally reached the cafeteria, I found out that the place was totally crowded with candidates. There were a total of 9653 candidates who took the written exam. And after the physical exam, only 1000 will be accepted by the academy. The physical exam is a typical battle royal in a virtual reality simulator. I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't be able to try this amazing technology, but there will be more opportunities in the future.

'Damn, I'm really hungry right now, but there is no place to sit.'

I was thinking of coming back when the physical exam started, but I suddenly recognized a girl sitting alone in the far corner of the cafeteria. Everyone was avoiding her because of the ragged coat she was wearing.

Her name was Melina Sloane. She was one of the heroines of the game. Her childhood was like that of the Disney princess Cinderella. After her parents deaths, she was taken by a distant family who employed her as a maid. That was until she awakened, and through her system, she learned that she had high potential. For years, she kept saving her money to be able to take the entrance exams at Caelestis Academy.

I didn't expect to meet any of the main characters today, but since she is here right now, I decided to take full advantage of this opportunity. I just want to introduce myself to her to make future interactions easier. I don't plan to take any of the protagonist girls. I brought some food, then went directly to her table.

"Excuse me, is this chair free?"

When she lifted her head to look at me, I could see her small, round face that was being completely hidden by her straight, long orange hair. Her bright orange eyes looked completely shocked that someone was actually talking to her.

***

"Excuse me, is this chair free?"

I lifted my head reflexively and was stunned to see that someone was initiating a conversation with me. It was a short human boy, around the same height as me. He had pretty white hair and a handsome face, but his black eyes gave me a strange sense of uneasiness.

'Maybe he just wants the chair to sit somewhere else.'

"Yes, you can take it if you want."

To my surprise, the human boy, instead of taking the chair, sat there with his food and started eating comfortably.

"Why are you sitting here?" There was a chance that he was just here because he lost a bet. But he looked at me confusedly, as if I had asked him a strange question.

"Because that was the only place free."

I looked around and noticed that he was right. The human boy continued to eat his food comfortably, ignoring the whispers of other candidates around us.

"My name is Melina Sloane. My hobbies are reading and learning." I introduced myself perfectly, just like what I read in a book about how to make friends.

"I'm Alex Fawn."

The boy, Alex, introduced himself without even looking at me.

'Maybe he is shy.'

"Are you nervous about the results of the written exam?"

"No."

Again, he replied without even looking at me. Maybe he thinks I'm annoying. I kept starting at him while he continued eating. The only sound between us was the sound of his spoon hitting his plate. After a few minutes, when his plate was completely empty, he stood up.

"Thank you for letting me eat here, Melina. Let's talk again when we see each other in the future."

Without giving me the chance to reply, he just left, leaving me completely dumbfounded.

'What do you mean, talk again? All you did was eat.' I was annoyed by his attitude, but then I remembered his first sentence. 'He was actually listening to me and even remembered my name. Alright, next time we meet, I will make sure to have a proper conversation. But I hope we can meet again. What if one of us fails the entrance exams?'

While I was thinking about it, my smart watch started vibrating. I noticed that everyone's smart watches in the cafeteria had the same reaction. This could only mean one thing. I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself, then opened the message.

——————————————————
Congratulations, MELINA SLOANE, for passing the written exam. With a score of 95/100, you were ranked =2nd.

Proceed to the 3rd year training facility within 1 hour for the physical exam. ——————————————————

I felt completely relieved after reading the message. But the same thing wasn't happening with other candidates around me. I could see a few who were happy, but most of the candidates in the cafeteria had a gloomy face. I could see the elf girl who kept whispering bad things about me earlier, crying loudly. I then remembered the white-haired boy, Alex.

Along with the congratulations message, I also received two other messages. One of them was a map to the 3rd year training facility, and the other was the ranking of all the candidates who passed.

'He said his name was Alex Fawn. I hope he also passed.' I open the ranking message, ready to search for his name among thousands of other candidates.

——————————————————
Rank Name Score

1 Alex Fawn 100

=2 Melina Sloane 95

=2 Anastasia Storm 95

4 Julian Drexter 92

5 Shaina Lux 91

. . .

. . .
——————————————————

But the first name I read took away all the air in my lungs. I was shocked and confused. It took me several seconds to be able to regain my senses. I checked the ranking again to see if what I saw was really true. I was happy that he passed and amazed that he was even ranked first, but what actually shocked me was his score. After awakening, I spent years studying for the exam. But I couldn't even understand the last five questions. So how could he have answered all of them correctly?

'Someone like him was eating with me a few minutes ago.' I still couldn't believe it.
I started feeling both admiration and respect for him.

***

Outside the cafeteria, Alex was also checking his messages.

——————————————————
Congratulations, ALEX FAWN, for passing the written exam. With a score of 100/100, you were ranked 1st.

You were granted exemptions for the physical exam.

Your dorm room has been assigned. Proceed to the first-year dormitory building to receive further information.
——————————————————

With an expressionless face, he started walking leisurely in the direction of his new home. Unknown to him, a shadow had been closely following him since he left the Alliance Research Building.


[BONUS]

Name : Melina Sloane

Age : 16

Race : Human

Job : Priest

Strength : F- / S-

Stamina : F+ / B+

Agility : F- / B-

Perception : E- / A

Magic : E+ / S+

Intelligence : B+ / S+