SG – Chapter 1-2: Why am I the lowest in this game world?

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TLN: Hey guys, Reigokai here!

New story! For the ones out of the loop, you can check this post first before reading this. https://reigokaitranslations.com/2022/10/26/not-a-chapter-a-new-story-again-searching-for-a-new-story-still/

Anyways, enjoy this new journey!

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What in the world is going on? 

Even though I finished my accursed high school life just recently, for some reason, I am in the middle of a high school entrance ceremony all of a sudden. 

Furthermore, it is the entrance ceremony inside the game that I was thinking about beginning. 

After I graduated from high school, I was thinking about working part-time to buy a VR set and play this popular game. I am currently in the beginning of that game. 

Of course, I don’t remember having begun that part-time job, and I haven’t even seen an expensive VR set with my own eyes. 

However, I had already bought a strategy guide for the game and flipped its pages, so there should be no mistake that this is the beginning point of that game. 

At the stage before my eyes, the curtains for the Cherry Blossom High School’s entrance ceremony were pulled back, the characters that appear in the game were lined up around me, and they are listening to the Academy Principal who is talking with a serious face on the stage, so there’s no way to deny this.

Even though the curtains have Japanese writing, the people around me have a wide array of hair colors. 

This sight that I could only call a prank was on the verge of stopping my heart. 

The Principal is saying stuff like ‘I welcome you all who are willing to put your lives on the line for your country’.

If I remember correctly, in the early Showa Era <1926> a dungeon that leads to the underworld suddenly appeared, and the Cherry Blossom Academy, which serves as a sort of military school, was built on top of that. 

Time passed, and the Imperial Army pulled their hands away from the Kanto Dungeon. As such, the military school changed into an exploration academy. 

That’s basically the backstory of the game. 

It was built in order to fight off the unknown threats at first, but with the explorers increasing their levels and the magic crystals and items that could be obtained from the dungeon monsters, it turned into a location that could shake the power balance of the nations, and its importance changed.

Since then, the academy has become the stage for a bloodbath of self-interest. 

Several dungeons appeared in Japan in the early Showa Era, but this academy is the one that’s on top of the dungeon in the Kanto Plains**.

It is the dungeon that has the most tourists and common explorers in Japan.

The whole world is currently tussling to get the resources that can be obtained from dungeons.

That’s why explorers that can obtain magic crystals and items are treated pretty favorably by the nation.

Because the magic crystals that monsters drop had outstanding power concealed in them, energy had switched almost completely from oil to magic crystals, and the weapons coming from the dungeon replaced the weapons of the outer world.

At present, even the attempt to bring those items out of the nation is not forgiven. 

Also, the power you gain from defeating the monsters of the dungeon is shown as levels, so you could say levels have already become so important they are practically everything in your social status.

The explorers that clear several floors are applauded as heroes, and there would be times when they would be given peerage which still exists in this world, and there’s also occasions where you would be appointed in the Imperial Parliament. 

If you get assigned as a noble, you will have a strong influence in society for 7 years. 

In exchange, there will be cases where you will be conscripted as a reserve soldier. 

I think that’s what was written in the strategy guide I bought. 

It had more info about the side stories than the main story, so I remember that backstory pretty well.

Even though it is a world that’s a combination of Galge**, RPG, and other elements, it had the reputation of having an awfully grand story. <A game where you romance many beautiful girls>

By the way, the ‘lives on the line’ that the principal spoke of is by no means an exaggeration. People easily dying when fighting monsters is pretty much common sense in this world now. 

That said, this is also a world where you can die even more easily if you don’t fight monsters. It is kind of an apocalyptic world in that way. 

There’s no way I would be happy about entering a game world, and because of how sudden this was, I was pretty much dumbstruck here. 

I would gaze at the ceiling, would look at one of the heroines diagonally from me, Jinguji Ayano, while doing my best to accept this new environment I am in.

The event was moving on on its own as if mocking my efforts. 

They were leaving in order with Class A  being the first, and I am the very last of the last class.

Meaning that I am obviously in the Class D admission group in high school, and the worst thing is that my seat order is at the furthest back which denotes the lowest within the class.

Class A to Class C are the escalator group that have been in the academy since middle school, and have already experienced dungeon diving. 

There’s students in Class D who have raised their levels, but if you are below 16 years old, you can’t even enter the dungeon unless you have special qualifications, and the number of those people is not high.

Even so, we would still be considered elite who have gotten through pretty strict filtering. If it is just in raw potential, this Class D shouldn’t be below the other classes. 

However, my seat order shows that I have the lowest grades within the class in the examination we had after enrolling. 

I casually put my hand inside my desk once I arrived at my classroom, and there was an awfully thick book inside.

I brought it out wondering what it was, and it was the strategy guide of this game that I bought a few days ago: Strongest Never Quest Perfect Clear -Omega Maniacs.

The color print front cover has characters in this classroom shown there as well. 

I was looking at that front cover for a while there, dumbfounded, but I felt a gaze and raised my head. 

The gazes of the whole class gathered on me for some reason.

What’s happening?

“Oi, Takasugi Takashi, respond.” 

I was told this by the teacher standing on the platform and I hurriedly responded. 

When I did, I heard the people around saying things like ‘what a weirdo, staring at a completely blank book’.

It seems this strategy guide looks like a blank book for the students around.

I immediately open the strategy guide and search for the person called Takasugi Takashi within the list of characters. 

Takasugi Takashi.

An unlucky student that has the lowest grades in 1st Year Class D.

He will eventually face the protagonist, lose, and leave the academy. 

As you progress the story, you will hear rumors about him having died in the middle of dungeon diving after he left the academy. 

His stats are low, and he is barely a threat as an enemy. 

When thinking about it, he is a pitiful student that entered this academy despite not having any noteworthy abilities. 

D-Don’t joke around. 

A life is at stake here, there’s no way you can wrap this up with just being unlucky. 

Wrapping it up with just calling it pitiful. Also, if I am going to be reincarnating, it normally has to be into the main protagonist, right? 

Why am I a character that’s not blessed with abilities and is a target for immediate expulsion as the lowest of the academy? 

Even though I was given this opportunity to get into the game world, why do I have to die in such a boring manner? 

No, wait. 

Just think about it.

Doesn’t that mean I just have to not go against the protagonist? 

In the first place, I have no reason at all to go against the protagonist anyways. 

This is a game world anyways, so it should be fine to just leave the protagonist on his own device.

Let’s direct my attention at what’s in front of my eyes instead. 

It is not like it is set in stone that I will lose here, so isn’t it just fine if I win? 

Maybe I should stealthily become the strongest? -is what I was dreaming up as I smirked.

At this time, there was no way for me to know that a confrontation with the protagonist couldn’t be avoided. 

The strategy guide in my hands felt comparable to a shining bible. 

I can’t see a future where I lose with something like this. 

Not only the protagonist, couldn’t I become super popular and be the strongest? 

Gallantly appearing in the crisis of a pretty girl, or something like that. 

There’s a lot of beautiful game heroines in this academy. 

Moreover, even the way to conquer them is written in this book. 

No, would it be better to assume that, if I were to put a hand on such events, the scenario might change and I won’t be able to take advantage of the strategy guide anymore? 

Honestly speaking, I was being super easy-going until the homeroom teacher distributed something similar to a smartphone, and I saw my status that was shown there. 

The students gathered around a male student that seemed like the protagonist and seemed to be making a ruckus. 

From the pieces of information that I could pick up from there, I felt like there was no factor I could win against no matter how much I struggled.

• Chapter 2: Worst Status

This is what was shown in the Status that appeared in my mobile terminal.

————

Takasugi Takashi Lv1

Apprentice Lv1

HP: 10/10
MP: 5/5

Strength: 9

Magic Power: 12

Agility: 7

Vitality: 13

Mind: 8

————

I don’t know what I am an apprentice of. 

It seems like it is possible to see these numbers inside your head if you get used to it. 

This is really a game, but there’s no explanation as to how it works. 

Also, it seems like it is possible to equip things like Skills and do Class Changes inside your mind too. 

I hear people at the front saying stuff like ‘I have 60 Strength at Level 1’ and ‘48 Magic Power? Wow’. 

“Hey ye.” 

I suddenly heard that voice at my side. 

I thought it was the groaning of an unknown animal, but it was actually a classmate talking to me from the neighboring seat. 

He for some reason was peeking at my mobile terminal without reservation. 

“I am impressed you managed to enter this academy with a Status like that. Aren’t you cursed? There’s a limit to terrible.” 

I was distracted by the vibrant green mohawk for a second there, but when I peeked at the mobile terminal of this guy that looks like a hoodlum, his stats were mostly around 30. 

It seems like having those stats is normal even if you are not the protagonist. 

I am already facing a despairing development here, but I had no time to feel down here, and I was hit again.

“Oi, everyone, look. The Status of this guy is crazy!” 

The hoodlum stole away my mobile terminal and went to where all the others were as he shouted this. 

I desperately flipped the pages of the strategy guide as if trying to escape from the hard to accept reality shown in my own mobile terminal. 

‘There’s no way that’s the case, there’s no way that’s the case’ -is what I unconsciously mumbled as if chanting an incantation here. 

Forget becoming strong, this development is going to lead me to die like trash. 

I flipped the pages while sweating buckets and the title of one column caught my eye. 

—The Strongest Unnecessary Build of Risemara. Possible to defeat the last boss alone. The fastest unquestionable conquest chart that you definitely won’t regret. All necessary items covered. Revised Edition (Writer: Tony Sanpei)

Preface:

If you follow what’s written here, whether it is the protagonist character or a custom character, it is possible to raise them into the strongest character. 

The path to the strongest character that can deal cap damage and allows you to defeat bosses solo.

First of all, let me state clearly that the Rapicast Magic Swordsman Twin Sword Style Tsubame Gaeshi is the strongest ability in the game. 

No, I do understand there being opinions like maining magic or there being more accessible things if it is just clearing the game.

I do get it, but the most recommended builds are frankly speaking freaking lame. 

There’s no true perfection in an easy road.

That’s why I will show you true power!

Even without bringing the game lore into this, you would still understand that levels are everything in this world. 

That’s why obtaining a stable way to gain experience is the most important piece of information.

You readers who are holding the scriptures, I promise you that I will be instructing you thoroughly in that front. 

(I am truly grateful to have gotten comments like ‘I really became super strong after trying it out’. This is the Revised Version that has trimmed out more of the unnecessary points.) 

When I checked the back of the book, it said this is the 4th Edition.

Fortunately, it seems like this book has been somewhat polished with each passing edition. 

My cold sweat had withdrawn at some point in time, and I was reading the column in a trance. 

I already am in the mood of ‘I will follow Master Tony!’.

I will become the strongest, reign supreme in the world, and maybe even create a harem while at it -is what I was thinking as my eyes were glued on the writing. 

Gufu…Gufufu… 

I was reading this while chuckling like that, and a charming voice suddenly rang in my ears. 

Pretty and slender fingers were holding out the mobile terminal that the neighboring mohawk man took away from me.

“This, isn’t it yours?” 

When  I raised my head, the person standing there was one of the heroines shown in the Strategy Guide’s front cover. 

The heroine standing grandly on 1st place in the popularity rankings: Hanagasaki Reika.

She brushed her thin hair while looking at me with an angelic smile.

The moment her face entered my vision, I felt as if the air around me had been purified.

“Y-Yeah…” (Takashi)

No matter how beautiful she is, she is in the end just a game character, and yet, I stuttered, and could only respond with what sounded as if I were in delirium.

She was about to say something more, but she simply directed a cold gaze at me and fell silent.

She must have wanted to say something about my stats, but she probably reconsidered saying it out loud.

Her bluish purple eyes cold like ice were a bit scary, but when thinking about how she might have seen my Status too, the embarrassment won instead. 

“It seems to be important, so make sure not to lose it.” (Reika)

She simply said this and left after placing the mobile terminal on my desk.

Even though the only thing she did was speak to me, I felt fluffy inside, and I was entranced by that frail and slender back figure of hers. 

Her black hair that shone purple with the light felt smooth like silk. 

I snap back and drop my gaze to my hands, flipping the pages of the Strategy Guide.

Hanagasaki Reika 

The daughter of the count from the renowned Hanagasaki Conglomerate. Nickname: Hana-sama or Reika-sama.

Her initial gear is quite exemplary, and she grows into magic specialization.

She is cute when she is all lovestruck, but until then, she is the true definition of an ice queen. 

You could say she is an indispensible character if you want to create a magic party.

Anyways, she is a beauty with a hard to approach aura. 

She is a character that even I know despite not having played this game, so that speaks volumes of her popularity. 

Just the fact that I am in the same class as her made me close to forgive the unreasonableness that has befallen upon me. 

But this game is also popular for having a high difficulty. 

It is a game that even had the selling point of having a harsh world where characters would die, so I really might end up dying if I just take it easy. 

Even the protagonist’s party has the risk of dying, so it would be more so the case for me. 

According to the Strategy Guide, there’s several conflicts intensifying in this academy for the sake of influence. 

That’s why I have to become strong enough to protect my own life at least. 

Once the ruckus of the initial Status calmed down, the students that wanted to get their Domination Crest gathered and moved classrooms. 

A Domination Crest is a cursed seal that allows the use of magic. When you engrave it on your body as a tattoo, you can obtain specific spells. 

The homeroom teacher said that, for this occasion only, the upperclassmen of the research department will be engraving us one for free. 

Only me and a few others raised their hands for this, and the others seemed to already have a Domination Crest. 

It is pretty pricey, but they must have engraved them by paying out of their own pocket because it is quite an important thing.

There were beds lined up at the classroom we moved to, and several labcoat people that are probably upperclassmen were waiting there.

I immediately followed the teachings of Master Tony and decided to get the Lightning Strike Ⅰ Domination Crest engraved on me. 

“Tch, only these many? Even though you are a trash class, there’s a good amount of people in that class that have haughtily gotten theirs engraved outside, huh.” 

One of the upperclassmen was complaining about that, but honestly speaking, the quality here is bad for engraving, so they all must have had a specialist engrave it for them. 

There’s students with no money too, so it is simply the reality that there’s people who have no choice but to have it engraved here. 

Families of nobles and large scale guilds hire exclusive engravers, and even if you are not in that category, you can still choose better ones from the domination crest stores in the city. 

Not only would it affect your initial build, you can’t reengrave, so it is normal to be careful.

That said, they are useless unless you put in a bit of EXP <Experience Points> on it, so being too careful is also not that good. 

I personally have business with a Domination Crest that’s not that big of a deal, so I won’t complain about the skills of the engraver. 

Hell, I even went to the upperclassman that looked like they had the worst skill and had no motivation to get my Lightning Strike Ⅰ Domination Crest engraved. 

Lightning Strike Ⅰ is apparently one of the most basic ones called the 1st generation, and it is a Domination Crest that was found at the beginning stages.

According to the Strategy Guide, there’s cases where power increases with the generation, but the tradeoff is cooldown** for power. That’s why it is not unconditionally good just because it has increased its generation. <Wait time between using the skill again>

If you have the Lightning Strike Domination Crest, you can use the Bolt spell no matter what Class you become, and you can learn this skill from the Apprentice Class you get in the beginning. It also strengthens the Magic Ⅰ Skill Bolt. 

Classes are basically like the Jobs you find often in RPGs <Roleplaying Games>.

If you raise this Domination Crest, it can turn into pretty decent spells, but right now I only have business with the spells that can be used in the first stage. 

At any rate, aren’t the students in this academy discriminating way too much the people that have lower levels than themselves?

It feels like they truly believe levels are everything in social status. 

The type of arrogant attitude that screams it is natural for people of lower levels to become their servants. 

When I was asked where I wanted it engraved, I answered with ‘the normal’ and was made to lie face down. They began to engrave it on me using ink on my back without any rough dragh first.

Pain strong enough to induce cold sweat assailed me. 

“I am already on the level where I have a contract with a high ranked guild. Hold pride in the fact that you are having yours engraved by me. You are one lucky bastard.” 

That doesn’t bring me any joy. 

Why are you telling me that after you have begun engraving? 

If I knew, I would have chosen someone else. 

But as long as it is Lightning Strike Ⅰ, the skills shouldn’t matter.

The classmates that hadn’t decided yet who to have the Domination Crest engraved began to line up in front of my bed, most likely because they heard what they said. 

I can’t see it because I got it engraved on my back, but the Domination Crest was engraved after 15 minutes. 

After it was all done, there was no pain and no odd feeling left. 

It is true that, even if an enemy attack were to injure me, it won’t end up in a situation where the Domination Crest would be harmed, and I won’t be able to use magic, so you could say this is logical.

That’s why the place where it was engraved was by no means bad. 

I was hit with the desire to use magic at once, but I endured the excitement and returned to the classroom.

When I went back to the classroom, they were already heating up with talk about who to party up with. 

If I want to follow the route of the Strategy Guide, I can’t group up with anyone, and I would like to avoid doing things that might affect the scenario as much as possible, so I have no choice but to sit down silently at a corner. 

If possible, I want to go solo. Or more like, there’s way too many things in Master Tony’s chart that can only be done solo. 

Within all this hustle and bustle, I was silently laying my head down. 

It is as if I am being isolated here, but the reality is that my Status is already widely known, and there shouldn’t be anyone who would want to party up with me. 

My classmates are already discussing heading to the dungeon after classes. 

I would also like to enter the dungeon too, so I moved to reading the Strategy Guide in order to plan my future moves. 

The Strategy Guide doesn’t tell me anything about who to get my Domination Crest engraved from, so there’s probably no such choices in the game. 

That’s why there should be no problems for me to have Lightning Strike Ⅰ.

Was it a mistake to have chosen the upperclassman that said has a contract with a big guild? 

I want to believe that’s not the case. 

The Strategy Guide is not for me, but for the protagonist, which is my biggest worry here. 

That’s why, even if there’s no choice showing up, there’s no assurance that I have made the right choices.

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