Side Character Who Became the Pseudo-Protagonist

Chapter 12: Gate-09

"It’s a Midgard..."

"No wonder he’s in first place..."

"Wait, didn’t he do badly in the other tests...?"

"Yeah but did you see his Storage score? It’s insane!"

I walked to the back of the auditorium, where the second part of the evaluations were waiting to be held, trying my best to ignore the stares that bore straight into the back of my head.

’Ahh, I knew I shouldn’t have said anything when the numbers ran out...’

Arriving at the spot, I realized that at least 80% of the applicants had already failed, leading the place to feel a lot more empty than I would’ve liked.

A few machines were hooked up, placed over these glowing portals almost like a casing meant to contain them.

Logos Disruptors, as the game called them.

Their job was in their name, to disrupt the Logos signal just enough to practically "confuse" the Gates, leaving them with no coordinates, and therefore containing them in a perpetual state.

"Nolan!"

An excited voice called from behind, which I recognized was Cecilia’s immediately.

She approached with Colette, who seemed quite happy as well, seeing that they placed quite well in the preliminary rankings.

’If I remember correctly...Cecilia should be third and Colette should be fourth.’

And the second place...

I turned to look at Ruby, who was putting on protective gear on the side. Though now, she was talking cheerfully with a couple of people nearby.

But it was clear something was different about her compared to the girl I met at the testing facility. That’s for sure.

The two heroines arrived shortly, talking and laughing between each other as if they were already best friends.

’They were supposed to be neutral in the game...since when did they get so close to each other?’

I frowned, but decided it was not my place to pry regardless.

"Seems like your evaluations went great?"

Colette laughed softly before taking a jab at me.

"Was that supposed to be bragging from the first place applicant?"

"No, no...I didn’t mean it like that."

’Who knew a supposed soft girl would have a teasing side to her?’

Regardless, at least everything was on track. There didn’t seem to be any more random variance and the scoreboard seemed alright...

Although in the game, Leon Hart was supposed to be first place and Nolan Midgard was supposed to be second.

But I guess with him gone, I ended up taking first (unintentionally) and Ruby ended up taking second.

’Was Ruby always this talented in the game?’

I racked my brain hard to remember, but couldn’t exactly point it out. After all, the game had been out for a few years, and I couldn’t remember everything from the beginning.

"Alright, listen up!"

Professor Irene’s voice rang throughout the open area.

"Is Nolan Midgard here?"

I resisted the urge to stay silent, but suddenly realized a crucial opportunity that I’d been overlooking due to my desire of wanting to lay low.

Leon, as the first place applicant in the game, was able to access an extremely valuable privilege.

And that was the privilege to pick which Gate he wanted to go to.

At first glance, it didn’t seem all that important. After all, aren’t they all the same?

Since they’re controlled portals used for evaluations, most likely Class-F or Class-E, one would think there’s not much to be gained.

But that’s where everyone was wrong.

I felt ashamed to not think about this sooner, as it was the only way to compensate for Nolan Midgard’s weakness in range.

If my spells couldn’t travel any further than a meter, then all I had to do was create a Spell Driver that could make it do so.

Instantly, I raised my hand as if I had hit "Bingo", already making my way to the stage. Even the Professor had a surprised look on her face at my eagerness.

"Alright...well, since you’re the Preliminary Rank 1. You’ll be able to—"

"I choose that one."

I pointed straight to the Gate located all the way at the very back.

[Gate-09: Class-E]

Professor Irene looked at me like I was a psycho with a death wish.

"You know...even if you’re Rank 1. It’s not necessary to prove anything to anyone—."

I shook my head, answering easily.

"I’m not bragging at all. And besides, why put the Gate there and make it an option if you don’t want applicants to enter?"

"...Alright."

Teams were divided shortly after that, and lo and behold, guess who was on mine.

— Cecilia Solaris, the heroine with the orange ribbon.

— Colette Astaron, the heroine with the yellow ribbon.

And finally...

— Ruby Lane, the villainess with the red ribbon.

Is this what they called the protagonist’s luck? But in my case...I don’t want them! How the hell was I supposed to obtain the item I’m looking for if I have to constantly check behind me?!

Ahhh...there’s no use crying over spoiled milk.

I scanned around, realizing the teams were split off into who chose what ribbon. Each team pretty much had a rainbow on their wrists, balancing out their weaknesses.

’Surprisingly, Ruby chose Projection...?’

But as I was just thinking about the girl, a tap on the back caused me to flinch and turn. She was right there, looking away but clearly wanting to talk to me.

"Uhm...I’m sorry about what I said at the auditorium..."

"There were a lot of people and...and I really wanted to make a fresh start here. I didn’t want anyone to know about the incident..."

So that’s what that was about...I guess it was fair? Having a bad rep, especially on Day Zero, would be horrible for your entire academy life.

"Don’t worry about it. Glad to have you back on the team."

Ruby nodded slowly, pulling on her red ribbon.

"Yeah. Likewise..."

"Oh, you two are here too?"

Another voice called out from my side, but I already knew whose it was. And honestly, I felt like the universe was playing a prank on me.

Aidan Alfine stood a few steps away with a green ribbon tied to his wrist. The only color missing from our team of five.

"..."

’Of course! It fit so perfectly after all...’

Suddenly, I had a team full of named characters. There had to be a developer watching me from above and having a blast right now...

Still, it wasn’t all so bad.

Rather than having them do whatever and potentially messing up the main route, it’d be better to have them in sight.

I think...

As soon as we were equipped in our protective gear, the Academy gave us the option of picking from one of their standard-issued Spell Drivers.

A few of the students complained about wanting to use their own, customized Spell Drivers, as they’d be more familiar with them.

But Spell Drivers could often act as a crutch if their specs were high, allowing the rich kids to easily be able to clear Gates even if they were a mediocre Operator.

Though somehow, Aidan was able to sneak by with his special swords, so I guess they weren’t too different from standard-issued ones?

Both Ruby and Colette stuck to Bracelet-type Spell Drivers, a bit slower casting-wise as they had to be activated manually. But the trade-off was that they’d be able to retain sequences better, leading to stronger spells.

Cecilia stuck to a Glove-type Spell Driver, which I had experienced first-hand. Those were the fastest in terms of casting at the trade-off for a bit weaker of a spell.

Still, her character in the game was known for strong close-combat skills as well, so the pick made sense.

The issue was though...what was I gonna pick?

I had gotten lucky that Ironmane Wolves were the only monsters during the prologue incident. But through that, I realized that having no range really hindered me a lot.

What was I supposed to do when encountering a flying or swimming monster? I’d be screwed.

But that was when I realized an unconventional method might be better, deciding to take a Gun-type Spell Driver instead.

Professor Hayes took one look at my decision before giving a small nod.

"Compensating for your weakness...smart."

The advantage of a Gun-type Spell Driver was that it could fire a whole Logos formula in a fixed range up to 20 meters. That way, I could finally use [Firebolt] with my trash Projection.

In simple terms, I wasn’t shooting a bullet of fire at an enemy, but more like shooting the "instructions" for a small explosion of fire.

How did I know this?

Because it was one of the only ways to make Nolan Midgard actually decent in the mid-game and was the only way to play him if you wanted to use him outside the first Acts.

And intuitively, Spell Drivers, Logos, Sequences, and everything that’s been mentioned so far matched pretty closely to the game, just in a different form.

It was no different than Weapons, Mana, and Spells/Skills, in my head after all.

As soon as everyone was ready, the Logos Disruptors were shut off, the glass casing on them opening, revealing the Gate on the other side.

I could feel a strange connection to it, and it seemed everyone else could too.

Nervousness spread throughout the open field as groups slowly stepped up to the entrance, Spell Drivers in hand and hopes in their heart to pass this round of evaluations.

"Remember everyone, safety should be your first priority!" the professor’s voice came from a loudspeaker.

"Don’t get yourself killed trying to play the hero! Our workforce is dwindling as is!"

I put one foot inside the Gate, already feeling the increase in temperature on the other side. I knew what I signed up for, but damn...it was hot.

But well, all I had to do was clear it.

It shouldn’t be so bad.

Right?