bookmark#1Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster.
It was a game about Taylee McLaure, a young man with zero to no talent as he goes through his academy days. The game was supposedly pretty difficult, with some people calling it the Dark Souls of Persona-likes— These people deserved to be hanged and quartered, but maybe they were right. I couldn't really say.
After all, I have never played the game. I had bought it, but as soon as I booted it up…
I got brought inside of it. I am now in a different body. "This is the protagonist, right…?" My reflection was the same as the protagonist, so I guess I am now Taylee.
I assume he was just a generic guy. I don't know if he was the type of main character who was silent and customizable, but considering the game had a bond system I was assuming this was that kind of slop. Still, I really couldn't say for certain, not when I had literally not even gotten to the title screen before getting blasted to another reality.
I knew nothing about this world and its characters— Actually, that isn't true. I had watched a few trailers before buying the game, and I had only bought the game on a recommendation from a friend, one who did ramble on about some stuff… That I mostly didn't pay attention. So I might as well know nothing.
For example, I don't know where I am, or what I'm doing.
I am in a forest, but I don't know the importance of it. Is this the prologue of the game? Before it? Maybe I actually skipped the whole story. "What a pain. Aren't stories like this supposed to be about how the protagonist reincarnates into a side-character and games the system with his meta knowledge?" That is how tropes were going nowadays.
I frowned. "Hmmmm… I do have some meta knowledge I guess." Not about the game specifically, but about how these things are supposed to go, so, I thought about checking my stats. "Status screen—" Nothing happened. "Stats. Profile. Please let me level up or I'll take my own life. Skill tree." I kept at it for a good while, but nothing happened.
Welp, that convenient cheat wasn't happening. I know I shouldn't complain, considering I got to be the protagonist, but my lack of information was slowly starting to freak me out— Also, I should get to complain! This is some kind of multiverse kidnapping! Why wouldn't I complain!?
I should complain! I shall complain now! "Gah…! This sucks! This sucks really hard!" I want to punch someone. I want to punch myself. A crushing feeling was rising up on my stomach, and I didn't even know who to blame for this mess.
My friend who recommended me this game? Of course I couldn't blame him, considering he played through it just fine, I doubt he realized isekai shenanigans would happen. Should I then blame myself for buying this game? Of course not! If playing a random ass game was a sin, then first the people who played slop 3D porn trash should go to hell first! Blame the company behind the game!? I don't even know who they are, but I think they were published by Bandai Namco, so maybe I really should blame them!
It was in this state of mind that a girl approached me. "Erm… The exam is getting to you, huh Taylee?" Her sudden appearance made me almost have a heart attack.
It's not like she sneaked up on me or anything, but I was very much not aware of my surroundings right now. "Ah! You…" I put a hand on my chest, and took a deep breath. "You really scared me…" But she was actually a character I recognized!
Her name was Ayla… something! I don't really remember her surname, but I do know who she is. Mostly because she got a character trailer all for herself. That is to say, she's an important heroine, maybe even the main heroine. Her role? Being Taylee's childhood friend. Or my childhood friend now.
She's kind of incredibly boring, at least appearance wise. It was kind of hilarious to watch everyone's trailers where they had unique looks, but then when hers came up she kind of looked like a NPC. Still a cute girl though. And also maybe my only ally right now.
Ayla's eyes widened. "I did?" I'm guessing Taylee usually didn't look as disheveled as I did right now. "Sorry. But it's going to be alright, okay? I'm sure we can find one of those marbles if we just work together!" Marbles?
We were looking for marbles? She had called this an exam, and while I still don't know what that exam is for, at least I now know what my goal should be right now. Once I get through this, and get in a safer environment, I can think about what to do next. Basically, before getting my bearings, I should probably get through this.
"Yeah, you're right of course." I sent her a shy smile.
But a worry was being born in me… Was this really how Taylee would act? I imagine like many games Taylee got to choose a few useless lines of dialogue here and there, but I didn't even know what those were. In these types of games, the protagonist also tended to develop… a hinted at canon personality.
Yu Narukami from Persona 4 was a goofy moron, Byleth from Fire Emblem Three Houses was an emotionless drone, and the list went on. This wasn't always the case of course, maybe it didn't matter how I acted, but if it did… If Ayla started thinking her friend was acting a bit too strange… It could spell my doom.
Thankfully, at least right now she didn't seem suspicious. "Good! Keep that chin up, Taylee. Your confidence is one of the best things about you." Confidence. Confidence. I hadn't actually been acting all that confident.
At least I had the excuse that this exam put me on the backfoot, but I would have to try acting a bit more confident from now on.
She continued. "And by the way, I have some good news…" From her pocket, she took out a few marbles. "While we were separated, I did manage to snag some marbles!" What a competent childhood friend! May the gods (developers) suffer a curse for making her appearance so whatever! "So really, we could probably go back to the teacher and pass right now if we wanted. There's no need to worry."
I raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Then why don't we go and do that right now?" I won't show any shame at cheating my way through this exam. Especially since this wasn't even supposed to be my exam!
Right now I was supposed to be playing a game with one hand on my controller, and another on my dick as I tried to look at the character models' panties. I wasn't supposed to be some random self-insert protagonist! So I won't hesitate at all to get through this hellish situation no matter how far I fall as a human being!
Ayla made an uncomfortable face. "Well, that's because… This is just a guess of mine, but I think the teacher wants us to find higher quality marbles. He's known to be strict, so while I'm sure he will pass us with these alone, we should find some with more mana… or maybe less mana?" So what made those Marbles special was mana?
Mana existed huh.
Magic existed huh.
It was obvious, I was now in a game world, but I still hadn't really proceeded with that information. I hadn't had the time to process pretty much anything, in fact. And instead of that information making me excited, it made me even more nervous… Mana exists, and magic exists, and while knowing nothing about it, I'm taking some exam related to it.
What if some dragon shows up from out of nowhere and makes me into its breakfast!?
Ayla noticed how my face became pale, and immediately got worried. "T-Taylee? Um…" She had been expecting her good news would make me feel better, but it just kind of made me feel worse. "Y-you know what? Why don't you take one of these Marbles and go back to the professor? Having bad grades once won't ruin your academic career." That was true.
But looking at this from a game sense, I don't know if I should give up so early. I'm willing to bet that in the game this was some kind of quest where collecting marbles was enough to complete the quest, but collecting higher quality marbles counted as a side-objective that gave better stuff.
Supposedly this was a super hard game. Every game nowadays got called the Dark Soul of whatever it was of course, but I really don't want to risk calling game journalists pussies when my life is at stake. So I should prepare for the future. I should aim to get that bonus.
But… if this game really was so hard, what if I got killed in the tutorial? I don't have some system that lets me try something over and over again. So I shouldn't risk my life…!
In the end, I did what a hero should do.
I gave up of course! "Thanks Ayla, I'll take that offer." I snatched a marble out of her hands with zero hesitation. As the hero/protagonist, I'm undoubtedly important for the future of this country! I can't die here! "I'm really embarrassed about this, but I'm feeling kind of sick today. So I need to drop early." I gave some bullshit excuse for my actions.
For now I was running away, but the next time she saw me, she would see the most confident man on the planet! I just needed time, time to figure out how I was going to go about this, but for now I would allow myself some breathing room.
To my surprise, Ayla smiled, instead of being weirded out. "It's fine! More than fine, really!" She blushed. "I… I'm always relying on you, especially recently, so it's only fair you rely on me for once." That was worrying, I definitely didn't look all that reliable right now.
It's alright. It's alright. I can't be blamed for freaking out right now. "Still, I'm really grateful!" But… there was one more thing I needed to ask. "By the way, can you point me in the direction I need to go? I kinda got lost." I was lost on a multiversal scale really, so if she could point me towards Earth that would be even better.
"Eh? S-sure."
I made a mistake. I made a big mistake.
I had assumed going above and beyond in the marble thing would only have netted me some lukewarm reward. Maybe the teacher would have given the best student some generic RPG gold, or maybe some decent equipment for early-game— Hell, maybe it was just for an achievement in-game, and in real life it really was just for better grades.
It was much more important than that…! This exam, given by the evil Professor Glast, was going to determine our ranks! It was for class assignment! This was the fucking Yu-Gi-Oh GX exam, and even with cheating, I was going to get thrown into Slifer Red!
I couldn't even blame Ayla for not telling me either. She just assumed I knew, because I should have known! Taylee was told this before I stole his body, after all!
Ayla, who was next to me, put a hand on my shoulder, and whispered. "I'm sure it's going to be fine, Taylee. You already got into the academy, so the most they can do is put you in Class F." That would be bad! I don't want to be Jaden!
Actually, the truth is that I do want to be Jaden, or more accurately, I want to be Syrus. It would be awesome to get put into the fodder class and then just laze my way into graduation. I don't want to fight dragons or evil cults or whatever the fuck, I want to go home!
But… There is a huge elephant that must be addressed, and it's not my dick. I am the protagonist. I am the chosen one metawise, maybe even literally the chosen one for all I know. This may sound incredibly arrogant, but my existence will definitely be important for the sake of every life in the world.
What if I just ruined that? There was a chance that the protagonist was supposed to get a bad class of course, but… but if he wasn't…! Fuck…!
I really should have been more confident. I shouldn't have backed away when I did. The protagonist shouldn't have run away. Heroes didn't run away.
"..." I did not answer poor Ayla.
Professor Glast passed down his divine judgement. "First of all, any brat who had the nerve to bring a marble during the first hour is in Class F." And there it was. I am officially Jaden Yuki. "Next, the brats who actually put in some work and searched for a little more will be put in Class E to Class C, depending on the quality of their marbles." Right—
Wasn't this exam kind of weird?
He continued. "Furthermore, no student has been chosen for Class B." They slaughtered my Yellow Ra bros!? "As for Class A… Only three students made the cut— Lortel, Lucy, and Ziggs. Of these, Lucy is the top student. Now if you want to check on what Class you are, check your position on the list I distributed. There will be no appeals."
With his permission, I immediately flipped over the paper I had been handed. As expected, I was now part of the not very illustrious Class F. Meanwhile, good ol' Ayla had been put into Class C. C for cocksucker.
Jokes aside, considering how everything went, she had actually scored pretty decently. Also, even if I was in Class F, considering how this teacher was going about doing this exam, I was pretty average. When failing was the norm, it stopped being failing.
So this was all okay!
Except not! Lortel and Ziggs… I recognized them! They were important playable characters! Lortel was a heroine, even! Considering they were in Class A, I'm pretty sure that is where I'm supposed to be as well! And probably Ayla too, I bet I ruined her destiny of being a winner by dropping out! Without the support of a protagonist, she must have done worse than in canon!
Speaking of her, she was now muttering to herself. "I really am not in the same class as Taylee…" Wasn't that absurd!? Childhood friends shouldn't get separated like this! I'm pretty sure the plot wouldn't allow that!
Her voice was drowned out however, mostly because most of the students were screaming at the teacher, and being ignored. They were the usual complaints one would hear in a scene like this, about how the exam wasn't fair or whatever. Naturally, they went all ignored.
Eventually one wasn't. "Explain yourself! What was the intention of this test!? What did you want to see!?"
Professor Glast glared at him. "I don't have to explain my intentions. If you wish to get into a higher class, then prove your abilities. That's all." Fair enough. Actually, it was pretty common in games to have a rank system like this, so maybe I was meant to rise through the ranks as the game went on after all.
This conversation was over.
Except one student didn't get the memo. "The hell do you mean you don't have to explain your intentions!? You're a professor damn it, of course you have to explain your intentions, you moron!" That student… was me.
I do not know what ran through my body. Maybe I was just forcing myself to be confident, since being a coward had severely messed me up. Or maybe this was just years of getting stressed during college finally exploding on some random guy.
Ayla died and went to heaven. "Taylee!?" I would join her soon.
Except not really, because Professor Glast became a demon and ate my soul— Or at least that's how his gaze made me feel. "Excuse me?" Or at least that's how his gaze would have made me feel if I was a normal student.
I'm not. I'm an adult. I'm scared of getting eaten by a dragon, but not of arguing with another adult. "I told you to do your job! If I don't even know how this exam was being graded, then how am I supposed to improve!? Teach me, teacher!" I cleared my throat. "I mean, obviously the quality of the Marbles were important, but what about them was important exactly!? Their mana quantity!? Or was it a trick where you were supposed to find Marbles with little Mana to test our sensing capabilities!?"
I clicked my tongue. "Or maybe you just want to help the slackers of class? I mean, I finished faster than them. I was more efficient. And yet I'm in Class F!? What if I'm just as good as Lucy!? Typically you reward someone for finishing something faster, not punish them! What kind of logic is that!?" This guy had no knowledge of game design!
Maybe the reason this game was hard is because it ran on bullshit old Famicom game design where you had to buy magazines to progress— Oh yes, player, if you finish the quest too fast you fail. "Also, this Exam is super cheatable! What would stop that Lucy girl from just handing out a few of her Marbles to a random boyfriend of hers!? Huh!?"
Lucy, a token loli, frowned. "I don't have a boyfriend though." She better not have.
I accept being the protagonist, but the least the world could do was hand all lolis over to me in exchange for that.
A girl got up, I recognized her as a main character as well now that she did. Penia, a princess— Wait, she didn't get in Class A? "Y-yes, now that these points have been brought up, I'm curious as well!" She frowned. "Especially the part about exchanging marbles… A second year student actually offered me a golden one that seemed incredibly important, but I refused… Now that I think about it, for all I know other students have not done the same."
Lortel spoke-up. "Hmmmmm… Those are all pretty interesting points, actually." She looked at me. "And now that I think about it, you're Taylee McLaure, aren't you? Since some guy tried to temper your entrance exams, it's only natural to get suspicious at this too." Some guy did!?
Still, this girl had just given me an excuse as to why I went off on the teacher. A bad excuse, but with her on my side, and the princess kind of on my side, maybe I wouldn't get expelled.
Ayla weakly nodded. "Yes… That did happen to Taylee." She was pretty nervous, as if she had helped somebody cheat. She had done that. We had totally cheated, and still failed nonetheless.
Professor Glast's glare only became worse and worse, and it was mostly directed at me. "I am sure the prestigious students of this academy would never fall so low as to cheat on such a simple exam." Yep, as we all know, students are all the most moral people to ever exist!
As if! I almost burst out laughing right then and there! "There's totally people who cheated!" I pointed at myself. "I did! A woman— who I won't name, was totally enchanted by my looks and gave me a marble!" I did find some more on the way back though.
Wait.
"..." The teacher became silent.
The entire class became silent.
It was a good run, but at the end of the day I just couldn't beat such a difficult game with almost no meta knowledge. This couldn't be blamed on me really. And if anybody was to blame, it was probably Ayla. She was like Satan whispering in my ear. I wouldn't have cheated in the first place if it wasn't for her. Yeah. Women were evil temptresses with their pussies and their marbles.
Slowly, a smile appeared on the teacher's face. "The intent of this exam was primarily to test the primary attributes of an archmage who seeks the truth as described by the legendary archmage Glockt. Those are magic resonance, quick and accurate judgement, and the will to explore. That is all I will say about this test." I'm cooked.
I have no magic training, so obviously I don't even know what magic resonance is. I definitely didn't show quick and accurate judgement. Cheating is not the will to explore.
Professor Glast's glare had disappeared. I could only assume he wasn't petty enough to get angry at a dead/expelled man. "Considering that, Taylee McLaur… You're the only member here to be accepted in Class B." Oh, okay.
I fucking hate anime ass exams, man. Fuck the Chunin Exams.
Ayla, perhaps still being completely lost, ended up opening her mouth. "B-but, we cheated— He cheated! I-I mean, I cheated!?" She didn't even know what she was saying at this point. "Nobody cheated! Yeah!"
The teacher raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I never said sharing marbles was cheating… mages should share knowledge and resources." Oh. "Or to be more accurate, a mage should accept receiving resources. In magic, the talented should only ever take, never give." Seriously, fuck the Chunin Exams.
But… I guess being confident worked out. Somehow. I should keep doing that.
AN: If you like my content or want to request commissions, make sure to check out my Patreon! I would appreciate any and all support! Like ReplyReport Reactions:Kukulkan, UniverseKnight, SoftFemdomEnjoyer and 110 othersFakekingThursday at 11:02 PMAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 02 View contentFakekingThe Goku of rape!Thursday at 11:04 PMAdd bookmark#3I am now the only member of Class B.
Which was kind of weird. After my rant proved to somehow be successful, many other students claimed to have done the same thing as I, but Professor Glast ignored all of their pleas. Mostly because there was no way to determine if they were lying or not at that point— According to the professor, if they wanted to complain about that, they should have done it sooner like I did.
This probably meant I was now heavily disliked by the student body. Not that I cared as I laid down in bed. "Ahhhh… This is nice." My bed was soft, my bed was fluffy, my bed was perfect.
This shit really was Yu-Gi-Oh GX.
Students were divided between three different halls depending on their class. And as a member of Class B, I got a nice bed in Ophelis Hall, the best hall. Suck it Slifer Slackers, this god amongst men is just better than all of you, because he cheated and was somehow applauded for it by the professor. Seriously though, Ophelis Hall rocked. Everything was super comfortable, my room was way too big for a simple student, there were maids running around, and the dorms were close to classes. My commute would be pretty simple during the morning.
If there was a sad point… It was that Ayla was not part of Ophelis Hall. This place only had fifty-three students amidst the entire academy, and she simply didn't make the cut. Which was kind of depressing, since she had been the girl who helped me cheat— She gave, instead of taking, and got screwed up because of it.
Though I was sure she would rank-up eventually. Also, this was actually pretty convenient for me. The less she saw me, the lesser the chance of her realizing I am actually an alien who invaded her childhood friend's body.
Speaking of that… "What to do now…?" It was finally time to get my bearings in order.
I am now Taylee McLaur. I am the protagonist of the story. I don't know the plot, but I can only assume a danger to the entire world, probably an evil dragon, or a space god, or an evil church, or all of them were involved. As the protagonist, it's my duty to stop all of this, for my own sake if nothing else.
After all, the protagonist of games like this tends to quickly rise into becoming overpowered. He is not a replaceable figure. I can't just hide and hope that some other mega chad will take my job. As much as I dislike it, I'll have to bear this burden of becoming awesome and getting all the bitches or die trying.
This means I'll have to give my all from now on—
My thinking was interrupted as someone knocked on my door.
I got up. "Coming!" It was probably a maid trying to check if everything was alright. They had moved my belongings to my room, so maybe they wanted to confirm if everything was in place— Which wasn't really something I could confirm, but whatever.
I opened the door, it was not a maid. It was a princess. The princess. "Hey, Taylee…" She waved at me. "Sorry for bothering you, but can I come in?" What the hell was the princess doing here!? She wasn't even supposed to be in this dorm, since she was a filthy Classer C!
Those of that Class weren't even supposed to be allowed near here, but I guess the maids must have been a bit too spooked to say no to a princess.
That aside, considering the way Penia was speaking… she must have already known Taylee from before. I don't know when the protagonist met her. Maybe he had some secret plot important background with her, or maybe they met during exams. It didn't matter, if she knew Taylee, I had to act as if I knew her.
Confidence, confidence was key. "Sure, but you know what it means for a woman to enter a man's room, don't you?" Maybe if I embarrassed her enough, she would leave!
Here in Silvenia Academy, all students were meant to be equal, furthermore, I was actually of a higher rank than her considering I was in Class B. So giving a princess some lip should be fine— Or I was about to get executed for what I just said. Shut up! Confidence! I had to have confidence!
She blushed. "Please don't joke around with things like that!"
I huffed. "I am not joking." Seriously, this was a matter involving my life. Please leave.
Evading the important characters forever wasn't an option, obviously, but I needed some time. Just enough time where a personality change might not be seen as something egregious. People changed overtime, after all. Also, I'd rather be the one to approach my future party, I wanted to be the one in the attack.
Somehow, she blushed even more fiercely. "Y-you are not!?" She took a step back. "Then please converse with me in the halls. If you would."
Seeing no escape, I stepped out of my room. "Alright, but you do know what it means to invite a man to a conversation, don't you?" Since she wasn't trying to make this into a private conversation, maybe she didn't want to talk about anything too important. With that realization, I felt myself relaxing.
For a moment, she grit her teeth. "What is that even supposed to mean?" She shook her head. "I just… I just wanted to ask you a few questions, that is all." She looked down. "Basically, I came here to see if I had misjudged you earlier. You were totally different in the exam, after all… and…" She was clearly struggling with something. "Look, did you accidentally stumble onto Class B, or was it all planned? Are you a cheater or not? I need to know." Hm.
The answer she wanted to hear was pretty obvious. "It was all planned." The protagonist wouldn't cheat. The protagonist was a good guy. "I am a virtuous man, not a cheater." I put my hands on my hips, and puffed up my chest.
She made a depressed face. "You're a cheater…!" I just said I wasn't! "Which meant the thing with Ed… You…" She clenched her fists. "Tell me, were you also the one who was in the wrong during the situation with Ed Rothstaylor?" Who the fuck was Ed?
My lack of knowledge was definitely biting me in the ass. "I have never done any wrong towards Ed." Taylee might have. I don't know. I don't know any of these individuals! Now get the hell out of my dorm, you C Classer…!
My words actually worked, she calmed down immediately. "Huh, I guess you didn't…" She covered one of her eyes. "But then again, can I even trust my own eyes anymore? I'm… I'm so lost…" We matched then.
I did genuinely feel kind of bad for her however. This girl was cute, so it was hard not to. Not to mention how she was one of the game's heroines. Which means she is someone who I can and should raise my bond with, someone who I might be able to date. And while my goal in this Isekai is to survive, I can add fucking cute girls as a side goal.
This was fantasy land, let me drown in fantasy! "If you're lost, let me help you find yourself!" A protagonist would have probably said that line. Now give me a side-quest. "So Penia, what's wrong? Just tell me, and I'll do whatever you need. I'll scale any mountain! Defeat any dragon!" I kinda had to. A protagonist doesn't get to say no to a heroine,
She narrowed her eyes. "You… are not lying. I think." She stopped covering her eye. "Then are you offering that because I'm a princess?" Surprisingly not.
Being a princess is nothing compared to being the protagonist. "Nope. I'm doing it because you're cute." That was pretty forward of me, but this is supposedly Dark Souls Persona. This type of dialogue tended to work!
"That's not a lie…?" She looked down. "Your intent is…!" She took a deep breath, and then looked at me. "This is very flattering to hear, Taylee. However, this is something I shall figure out by myself! Thank you, bye!" She exploded with those words, and then ran away even faster.
"..." I hope that was the correct choice.
A few days had passed as I waited for classes to start, and I ended up discovering something amazing.
Stats were real. I just didn't know how to activate them back in the forest, but as I messed around, I discovered that by pumping mana into a reflection, they would show up. As for what my stats looked like…
Name: Taylee McLaur
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Academy Year: 1st
Species: Human
Achievements: None
Vitality: 9
Intelligence: 5
Dexterity: 8
Willpower: 10
Luck: 6
Combat Skills Details>
Magic Skills Details>
Life Skills Details>
Alchemy Skills Details>
Were these stats good? I don't really know. I imagine they were decent, but not too overpowered, as one would expect from a protagonist who had just started their journey. Worryingly however, there was no convenient method of raising them by allocating points, nor were there levels. The only way to raise my stats was by good ol' practice.
Something I discovered could happen by reading a lot— My intelligence stat had been 4 at the start, but it rose to 5 as I spent my days in the library. Which is where I currently was.
"Hard at work again, Taylee?" My childhood friend whispered in my ear while she sat down next to me. "You really have been hitting the books lately." I had been hoping to avoid that, but that proved to be kind of impossible despite the dorm situation.
Ayla had like… a Taylee radar. A faulty one considering she didn't know I was Taylee, but still. "Classes are about to start, and my curriculum is going to eat me alive." Being put into Class B was actually pretty bad. Apparently I had a special curriculum for my rank, and it was way harder than what the lower ranks had to deal with. "I need to learn some magic, and just learn in general."
Currently, Taylee had one simple Magic Skill… Magic Sense, which allowed one to sense magic. It was trash, the kind of skill everyone had. And to make matters worse, Taylee's skill was at a pathetically low level of 1. How had he entered the magical academy you ask? Because this school was crazy, and I seriously have no idea. I guess he probably beat some people up in a dumb anime exam and that was that. Taylee did sign up to be part of the Combat Department after all. He had not been aiming to be a researcher, he had been aiming to be a fighter.
And speaking of that, Taylee's only useful skill was Unarmed Combat Proficiency, and while it had a decent level of 6 (I was assuming 6 was decent), it was kind of weird that a guy from a game with Swordmaster in the title, and who only used swords in the promotional material, was fucking around by punching people.
That was also something I should fix. I was hesitant however, my money was limited and so spending it felt like ripping out a nail— Especially since I don't even know where that money had come from. Parents? Part-time work? Robbery!? What kind of guy was Taylee!? I don't know.
The rest of his skills were just whatever. He had no experience in Alchemy, and his Life Skills were what you would expect. He knew how to cook, knew how to sew basic tears in clothing, that kind of stuff. This didn't matter too much though, since as a member of Ophelis Hall I had plenty of cute maids at my disposal to do my work!
My childhood friend nodded. "That's the smart move. It's kind of strange though, when it came to training, you were always the type to just… um… work out. Sweat and stuff." She blushed at the end, probably remembering some kind of fanservice scene.
At least Taylee was decently muscular. "It can't be helped. First years are supposed to specialize in two elements, and I know zero elements." That wasn't actually completely accurate to be fair. I could also specialize in spirits or alchemy or some other stuff— All which was harder to pull off, but still…!
She raised an eyebrow. "But… we are part of the combat department. It's not like we really need to learn magic." This is a magic school! I shall be learning magic, thank you very much! Besides, magic will definitely be super useful in combat. "That aside, what elements will you focus on anyways?"
"...I haven't decided yet." I'm just catching up on basic stuff. That is how I discovered checking my stats was even possible in the first place, so it has proved to be a good idea.
Especially since I was just lost in general. I did not know the History of this world, which would mean I was fucked in that part of the curriculum for example. The same thing went for Geography. I had a lot to catch up on, even excluding magic. Stuff that Taylee had probably known, but I simply didn't.
All I wanted before classes started was to learn a single spell… And that spell needed to be from a protagonisty sounding element. Maybe Fire would be my choice.
Suddenly, Ayla had stars in her eyes. "If you haven't decided on it, what if we work on the same elements…? We could match…!" What kind of distorted idea was that!? This was a disrespect to all couples who matched pictures!
Not that those couples deserved any respect. "No. Try to learn whatever elements I'm not learning instead."
"...That's mean." My friend looked like she was about to cry.
But I had not meant it as a bad thing. "You misunderstand me. It's just that if we are proficient in different things, we will obviously become the strongest pair." Basically, if I become a damage dealer, she should become a healer. That was just common RPG knowledge. "Though I'm still going to be the strongest individually speaking anyway!" It was always a good idea to inject some protagonist-brand confidence.
The stars in her eyes returned. "I-I hadn't thought of that! But you're right on the money, Taylee!" I had definitely gained some hearts with that.
But lost some with the universe. "E-excuse me?" A pink haired girl approached us. "I-I don't mean to be rude, but y-you're both being kind of loud."
"O-oh, sorry." I kind of forgot this was a library.
…
A few minutes after it, Ayla and I started chatting again. We got kicked out for the day.
For those with talent, learning Beginner Magic should be easy. I am the protagonist, I should have talent. That is what I told myself as I readied myself to cast my first spell.
I just had to concentrate on my Mana… it was a surprisingly instinctual thing to cast magic, maybe that is why only super prodigies really excelled at it. But I had trained my control over my own mana, by spamming Mana Sense over and over again. I knew what I was doing. I had prepared for this.
In the background, Ayla cheered me on. "Go on! You can do it!" Her showing up to this actually made me even more nervous. A protagonist like Taylee would not fail to cast such a simple spell, so if I did… it would be over for me.
I took a deep breath. "Here it goes…" And began casting. It took some time, since I did not have the Fast Casting Skill just yet, but eventually…! "Ignite!" I did it, I succeeded— "I wasn't aiming for a smoke spell!" I succeeded in looking like a fool. Nothing but weak smoke and a spark came out.
It looked less like I used Fire Magic, and more like I failed to set off fireworks.
Nonetheless, Ayla began clapping. "Yay! That was a great first attempt!" It was a shit first attempt!
My face paled. "My career as a mage is over…" And also my career as a human being. As a member of the Combat Department, I'm expected to fight monsters as part of my classes. Taylee, dumbass that he was, signed up to fight monsters!
I was going to die for that man's sins… I needed to have my revenge! Maybe before being devoured by horrifying monsters I would try to get Ayla in bed to cuck Taylee's soul, wherever that worthless thing had been thrown at.
My friend noticed my depressed state, and tried consoling me. "C'mon, Taylee, that wasn't bad… If magic was easy, everybody on the planet would be studying here." I was here. Magic was supposed to be easy for me. "Besides, you're a brawler anyways. You don't even need to learn magic." I am part of a magic school.
Though maybe she was right. This game was called Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster, so I'm guessing the failed part came from how Taylee was a bum at magic. That is to say, maybe I'm meant to be a Rock Lee type all along. That wouldn't be too bad, even if I'm still hesitant about spending a lot of cash on a sword.
Except… except… "Gah! That's fine and dandy, but I want to do magic, damn it!" I pointed my hand at my target. "Ignite! Ignite! Ignite!" I may be Taylee, but that doesn't mean I want his weaknesses! Let me throw fireballs!
My state probably looked pretty pathetic for Ayla, who seemed to be heartbroken. "T-Taylee, there's no need to push yourself like that!" I'm guessing she has seen the protagonist get depressed about stuff like this before. "I… Even if you have no talent in magic, you can still make it through the year." She was desperately trying to cheer me up. "It doesn't matter what kind of mage or monster you face, your fists are more than enough! You're strong! Stronger than me, even!"
Right. This wasn't a setback at all. She was completely correct.
It really pissed me off though. "No talent? Careful with what you say, C Classer." Who helped me cheat my way into Class B. Still, it was specifically because of that fact that I couldn't afford to fail. "I just… I just haven't been confident enough."
"Taylee…" I'm surprised she didn't get mad at the C Classer thing. I said that as if it was a slur.
I smirked. "Watch this. Behold, as the hero of this world marches through this wall on his path." I was just kind of saying nonsense to hype me up. I doubt confidence would help here, but I would try showing it nonetheless. Still, now that I had used the legendary watch this, it was do or die.
I pointed at my target. "Ignite!" After the time to cast, fire flew from my hand, and hit the target head-on. I learned Ignite, just like that.
"Ah…" Ayla was staring at the burned mess I left in shock. "You did it… you actually did it…" She covered her mouth. "You cast some serious magic, Taylee!" Had I just broken through my Rock Lee restraints?
I puffed up my chest in pride. "Of course. I'm the best, you know—?"
Ayla interrupted me, jumping for a hug. "You sure are!" I sure am.
Maybe I just needed to believe more in my protagonism. Not being able to cast magic? What kind of shit was that? I could do anything as long as I believed in myself—! And also probably in love and friendship!
It was time. Time for my first classes.
I was as ready as I could be. I had exercised plenty to keep up in good shape, I had studied as much as I could, and after learning Ignite I had grinded it as much as I could, raising its level. And now it was time to put all of that to the test— maybe. I don't know if we would fight monsters on the first day.
But now, the thing I most needed to prepare was my will. I was here in front of the door all alone, trying to build up enough courage to enter. Honestly, it felt kind of pathetic to be afraid of entering class when I was a grown man. In my defense, this class might involve my ass getting devoured by a monster, so it couldn't be helped.
Ayla patted my back. "C'mon, it won't be too bad, Taylee." She made a grumpy face. "Also, at least you get to pick your seat. The teacher is going to assign mine." Those were some of the legendary B Classer privileges.
Really, while we were both members of the Combat Department, the treatment we were receiving might as well be as different as heaven and hell. As a member of Class B, I was one of the school's darlings… amongst the faculty. The students probably disliked a cheater like me.
I nodded. "You're right. I just have to make an explosive entrance." As I had been learning over the past few days, a hero always had to make a show of everything.
"I don't really think that's—" I ignored her words.
I walked into the class like I owned the place. "Good morning!" Immediately, I received glares from all directions. I knew I was not popular, so this didn't surprise me much. "I hope everyone is getting ready for a day of hard study! Though none of you will ever reach me, hahahaha!" I forced myself to laugh.
They really better not match me though. I am supposed to save the world, if I suck ass, they will probably all die.
AN: If you like my content or want to request commissions, make sure to check out my Patreon! I would appreciate any and all support! Like ReplyReport Reactions:Kukulkan, UniverseKnight, JustAreader and 91 othersFakekingThursday at 11:04 PMAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 03 View contentFakekingThe Goku of rape!Thursday at 11:04 PMAdd bookmark#4The first day thankfully didn't involve killing monsters.
It did involve beating up my classmates however. Kind of. During one of the periods we were taken to an empty training field and told to do whatever we wanted— Now, if this was an average class people would just kind of slack off for an hour, but people seemed to actually be taking it seriously. Either they were sparring with each other, or if they were of a high enough Class, they were going to one of the many masters of combat hanging around in the field and asking for tips.
I could and should be doing the same, but before anything I want to test something. "I have a good feeling about this…!" I was walking towards a fake weapon with a smile on my face.
The field was littered with wooden weapons of all kinds, this was so a student could try something different and see if it clicked. Which meant I could finally test and see if I would go super saiyan upon holding a sword, or if the punch and kick merchant really was the destination for me.
"About what?" My childhood friend was following me, as usual.
To be honest, she probably shouldn't. She needed to get stronger too. "I'm just gonna attempt a new fighting style. Since I learned magic recently, I figured it was time for a change of pace." The truth is that I knew the protagonist was meant to use a sword, that's all.
She frowned. "Well, I'm not against that, but… You're already pretty good at hand-to-hand combat. So is the beginning of the year really the best time to try something new?" The beginning of the year was literally the best time to try something new.
I couldn't blame her for her apprehension though. Right now Professor Glast was watching us from the sidelines, undoubtedly wondering if he made the right choice when he threw me into Class B, and so I should try giving the school's bitchiest teacher a good show, lest he regret his decision and throw my ass into Class F. And speaking of other Classes, a bunch of other students were glaring at me too, and if I ended up looking like a joke today, they would most likely try to raise a fuss as well.
Still… Taylee used a sword in all the promotional material, the title of the game had swordmaster in it. There had to be something there.
I shrugged. "Eh, it will be fine—" And then I took a hold of a wood sword.
I felt a shiver running through my entire body the moment I did so. My mana, pretty much automatically, ran to my arm— No, it had run to the fake sword, but it just so happened that the fake sword felt as if it was now part of my arm. I had never practiced any form of fencing ever, and yet I felt as if my body had been waiting for this moment all of its life.
Yeah, there was definitely something here.
Something so noticeable that even Ayla was weirded out. "H-huh? Did something just happen…?" Yeah, I just woke up to my protagonistic power, though I imagine something like this had happened during a much more climatic moment in the game.
I looked at my own sword. "Hmmmm… Maybe. I think I'm gonna spar with someone and test it." I wish I could see my stats right now, but there wasn't any water or mirror around. Still, it was obvious that something had happened. Hell, I even had a skill forcibly pushed into my head.
Energy of Aura— It was what I was currently doing to the sword, making it a part of me, while also severely strengthening it. It might actually make things a little dangerous, considering this wooden sword was very much better than even a real sword right now.
Though then again, it's not like wooden weapons were safe either, hitting people with a solid object could hurt pretty badly. Foam was way better for this kind of stuff.
"Hey, Taylee!" As I contemplated my cheat code, a group of students approached me. "What are you doing lazing around here? Don't tell me the only Class B in our year is scared of actually training?" Oh, so it was a convenient target? Nice.
Well, I was thinking that, but the truth is that these guys might kick my ass. I had no real idea how strong I was, both before unlocking my new sword fetish, and after it. I just hadn't had the chance to test myself.
Ayla got between me and the students. "Are you guys trying to bully Taylee?" She clenched her fists. "Geez, it's always like this…! Just leave us alone for once!" Wait, people had bullied me before?
I hadn't really noticed. Possibly because the places I spent most of the time in were the library and Ophelis Hall, places where it was kind of hard to conduct bullying. It made sense for an event like this to happen though, especially if Taylee had been a Rock Lee type as I was guessing.
One of the students flinched. "T-this isn't bullying!" Ayla's disapproval actually hit some people hard. Different from MC-Kun here, she was pretty popular even during her first day— Wait, wasn't that a trope too? Was some NTR monster going to aim his claws at my Ayla!? "It's just that… all the other top students are working hard, so why does this guy get to slack off!?"
His words were actually true. Lortel and Ziggs were both sparring with one student after another, proving why they had been chosen for Class A. And while Lucy wasn't here, since she was not a part of the Combat Department, she had apparently already done enough crazy stuff that everybody knew she was that girl.
And that wasn't even mentioning some other students who were distinguishing themselves. The princess was beating people up, and so was a black haired boy who I recognized from trailers. Basically, the top stars were quickly shining, but I hadn't done much.
In my defense, this class had literally just started.
A defense that Ayla was quick to point out. "Class just started! You guys are just bullies! I'm not a moron, I heard what everyone has been whispering about Taylee!" About how he is a sex god amongst men?
Definitely not that. "It's fine, Ayla." I stepped forward, and readied my mock sword. "I think I just got something new, so I want to put it into practice anyways." Also, this was most likely a mission from the game. I wouldn't skip it.
Not to say I thought I could beat every student here, but I sure could try—! No, I had to beat everyone here. As I had been steadily learning over the past few days, in worlds like this the power of believing in yourself was actually power. Also the power of friends. And love probably. And also maybe grinding, this was a RPG.
One of the students grinned. "Hah! So you're not hiding behind a girl anymore, Taylee! I guess you grew some balls after cheating your way into Class B!" He stepped forward, wind gathering on his palm. "But I'm about to send you all the way into Class G!"
Ayla glared at him. "See!? You guys are totally bullies!" They totally were, and one might even be the dreaded NTR bully.
Which is why… "Nah, Ayla. I'm sure this fine gentleman just wants to encourage me into reaching a higher level of education— Die, you scum!" In the middle of my rambling, I suddenly jumped and attacked the wind user with my sword.
I had worried about hurting them too badly with my new skill, but it was actually precisely because of such a skill that I managed to bring him down, while also not severely hurting him at all. Well, some bones might break, but training injuries were common around these parts. Or at least they should be.
"Y-you…!" He did try firing his wind magic at me, but ended up completely misfiring.
Another student readied himself, this one with a hammer. "T-the cheating bastard attacked him! Let's get him!" And just like that, a brawl was about to start.
Ayla paled. "T-Taylee, why!?"
I clicked my tongue. "For the good of our future!" My childhood friend may look like an NPC, and not actually be my childhood friend, but she was my woman. If there was any chance of her getting stolen by some dastardly bully, I had to crush that chance.
Well, there wasn't an NTR tag in Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster. It wasn't a porn game to have that kind of plot either. Still, even a normal bully arc would be annoying as hell, so I should put a stop to it as soon as possible.
She trembled for a moment. "B-but…! Ugh, fine!" And then she summoned her Spirit. My childhood friend was primarily a Spiritualist, that is to say, a Summoner. In other words, she was potential woman.
And so, our fight started.
Sword Combat Proficiency Lv. 4
Energy of Aura Lv. 1
Those were the new skills I had gained over my little training session. Though I imagine Sword Combat Proficiency had started at level 1, it had quickly risen up as I tore my way through the students (as I got overwhelmed and got put down to the ground). Just like one would expect, things got level ups faster at the start.
The fact that Energy of Aura had not gotten a single one just meant it was super special. So that was it, I decided to throw the towel and buy a sword after class was over. And so I was running around the Acken Island right now, looking for a decent one—
This fuck ass game really was just Yu-Gi-Oh GX, because yes, the academy's territory technically expanded over an entire island. On that island there was the school yes, but also pretty much everything a person needed to live. I imagine it would be the main game hub where the player could visit shops and stuff.
"Haahhh…" My friend was not nearly as excited about this outing as I was, Ayla had left out a long sigh. "That was such a mess… I'm still hurt all over." Yeah, but thankfully that was because she had gotten beat up, not because some NTR guy got his hands on her!
Wait, since I took over Taylee, wasn't I the NTR guy? "I couldn't just ignore those guys, but still, sorry." Hopefully I had proved myself to the class now.
I hadn't done nearly as well as the students from Class A, but I had put down plenty of students before going down myself. Whether that was due to them being fodder, due to Taylee being strong, or due to my new skills being strong I didn't know. It was most likely a combination of all three.
She nodded. "I know, I'm not blaming you. But I do wish you made some friends, the teacher said the monster subjugation is better done in groups, after all." Right, that was definitely coming.
We were not forced to fight monsters on the first day, but that would happen eventually. The teacher had not given an exact date, but had said we should prepare to form groups. He had also said we would be paid as if we were normal professionals, which was one of the reasons why I was willing to spend money in the first place.
I was about to unlock a method of making more money, because after the first monster subjection class, we would be able to volunteer to attend more. I'm guessing in the game this would have been the method of taking side-quests? Anyways, I wouldn't be able to take a mock sword with me, so I needed to have my own by then.
Speaking of friends though… "You're right about that…" I put a hand on my chin. "I should start trying to socialize more." It was time to raise bonds, but how was I supposed to go about that?
Actually, I had a genius idea brewing in my head right now!
Ayla smiled. "Yeah, it's good to hear that. Typically you would have just ignored me and went on to train even more instead." She slightly narrowed her eyes. "You really have been acting super differently recently." And there it was, the real reason why I needed to make friends.
I needed to get close to someone who wouldn't constantly wonder why the hell my personality had shifted out of nowhere. "W-well, Class B changes a man. Blame the maids." I faked a cough. "Now let's go already! Shops await my money! The economy needs me!" Knowing how RPGs went…
By the end of the year, I would be spending hundreds of thousands regularly.
I had not been aiming for some super expensive magic sword, just a normal sword would have been fine.
First of all, I did not have the budget for a super expensive magic sword. Second of all, the big advantage that came with Energy of Aura was making any sword that I was holding at least decent. And so, all I really needed was a sword that didn't look like it was about to fall apart, and I would be good to go.
Still, even if my standards were low I had expected to get into a bunch of hijinks as blacksmiths tried to sell me trash. It just sounded like something one would expect from this kind of tale— Maybe a guy would have tried pawning off a ceremonial sword to a newbie fool, that kind of trope.
But nope, I found a good sword pretty easily. "I think I'm taking this one." I was swinging the sword around as a test, and it seemed to be pretty good.
As part of my new skills, I had gained more than enough sense to appraise whether a sword was good or not, and this one was very much good. It also wasn't all that expensive, not nearly as expensive as one would expect from a sword, which was typically a tool used by nobles to show off wealth.
I suppose it must be due to the place where I was buying from. Most of the customers around would be mages in-training, so scamming them would not exactly be a smart move.
Ayla, who was a bit far away from me to not accidentally get hurt, sent me a thumbs up. "Great!" But there was a bit of disappointment in her voice. "Though I was… kind of hoping we would get to explore a bit more…" She had mumbled those words to herself at the end.
I quickly reassured her. "Don't worry, this trip still isn't over." I still had a bunch of things to purchase, so this little adventure was nowhere near the end. "We are going to wander around until the Sun sets!" I had something I needed to acquire for my bonding plan. Also, getting a layout of this part of the island sounded like a nice idea.
My childhood friend immediately cheered up. "That's nice to hear—!" But once again, disappointment quickly took over. "Though then again, I'm kind of hurt all over… But spending time with Taylee sounds fun… Ah, what a dilemma." She shook her head. "Screw it, I'm definitely going with you!" Who ever said she had the option of not going?
A classic date between childhood friends. That is what Ayla had most likely been hoping for.
That is not what Ayla had gotten. "A-are we going to buy even more junk, or can I go back to the dorms?" She looked like she was about to fall over at any moment. We had wandered around for quite a bit. "I'm so tired…" Her dreams and hopes were shattered. Ayla was a husk of a woman.
And my wallet was a husk too, I was pretty much broke right now. "Yeah, all of my budget is gone, so this trip is over." I had bought a bunch of things.
A bunch of random things. Books, different types of food, flowers, accessories, some random gadgets… Basically, it was like Ayla had called. I had bought a bunch of junk. I had what I considered a pretty good reason for it though.
How did one raise bonds in games like these? By giving gifts of course. So I bought a huge quantity of random cheap items to test the waters, to see what my classmates would like and dislike. Well, what certain specific classmates of mine would like or dislike, since naturally I was only going to try and befriend the important characters.
And even then I would have to be stingy, since my time was limited with all the studying, and now sword training that I needed to do. So, I was going to focus all my gift giving on girls. This was a decision made in the name of efficiency, so I cannot be blamed for it, it's simply a smart move.
Ayla paled. "Y-you used all your money on random stuff!? Your parents are going to kill you!" I have parents? As in, my parents are currently alive? Man, I am lame protagonist, aren't I? "A-and how are you going to pay for your t-tuition now!? Are you crazy!?" Woah, this had to be the most freaked out she had been thus far.
Besides maybe the cheating incident. "It's fine, I still have my tuition money." Taylee had actually left that separated from the rest, most likely as a way to tell himself to not spend it in a moment of weakness. It was a nice move for him, since it helped the guy possessing his body. "I just used my spending money."
This did not calm Ayla at all. "But still! What about school supplies!? A-and what if an emergency comes!? You definitely shouldn't have used it all!" She looked at the bags I was carrying. "H-hey, maybe we can return these and get your money back! Y-yeah, that sounds like a good idea—"
I cut her off. "Ayla, it's fine…" I made a smug face. "A hero like me needs to take risks occasionally! And I'm just gonna make all of this money back with the monster subjection classes." It was normal to be constantly broke at the beginning of a RPG.
Typically it just so happened that you would snowball into becoming insanely rich later.
"Ah…" Ayla stopped, taking a deep breath. "Well, I don't want to discourage you, so if you think it's fine… I believe you." I see. So Taylee's past of being a loser Rock Lee was saving me. Great.
Taylee was a great guy. As a return gift, I will use this body to bang his childhood friend one day. "I'm glad you understand. Besides, everything I bought is just a way of making friends, like you recommended. I'm going to use these as gifts."
Ayla's jaw hit the floor. "Taylee, that's…" And then tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. "So sad!" Huh? "You're a great person! I know you are! And that's why you don't need to go around bribing people to make friends! I know just being yourself is more than enough!" I wasn't bribing people.
I was abusing game mechanics. That was a completely different thing. "Geez, don't act crazy about this. It's gonna work, trust me…" I started messing with one of my bags. "And speaking of giving gifts, here's one." I handed her a green hair clip.
"Oh…?" With wonder in her eyes, Ayla carefully took the hair clip from me. "That's… It's beautiful!" It's like I had just handed her the keys of a mansion, instead of something so cheap. Childhood friends were so damned easy.
Later I needed to make a note about this… Hair accessories were a successful present when it came to Ayla— What? It was good to keep track of things like this in this type of RPG. "I'm glad you like it. I thought it would match your eyes." I thought it would take her a little away from NPC land.
My childhood friend deserved better than being a NPC. Now the next step was convincing her to do something crazy with her hair!
With a blush, Ayla started playing with her hair. "I-I'm happy to hear that, Taylee. Y-you shouldn't waste something like this with me though, since we are already friends and all that."
I made sure to give her the most protagonistic smile that I could. "And what if I want to be more than just friends?" Ayla did it, with my words she became the world's first red human. "What do you think?" This was a complicated move.
I was aware that I was moving a bit too fast here, especially since I had barely talked with any other girl yet, but it didn't matter. In games like this I always went the route of trying to date as many girls as possible, even if it got me punished. So even if this was that kind of game, I wouldn't hesitate!
A hero deserved his bitches! If I'm going to save the world, I demand pussy!
"U-um…!" Ayla started looking around. "I… I think I need to go! Sorry!" Yeah, I had definitely pushed things a bit too fast, because she did her best to run away. Which was kind of funny, seeing as she was limping due to the beatdown she received in class.
I sighed. "Ah… What a failure." I wouldn't give up on the Ayla route so easily though. All girls who got trailers should belong to me…! And maybe some girls who didn't get trailers as well…!
I would just try raising bonds with whomever caught my attention, that is what I have decided. For the sake of the world.
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