I Became the Academy’s Munchkin Sniper

The next day.

I headed to the stream early in the morning to wash up.

“Is this good enough?”

Since Artena Academy was the continent’s most prestigious educational institution, I needed to present myself with proper appearance and dignity. 

If I were to attract unnecessary criticism, academic life could become difficult. 

Even if that weren’t the case, after the exhausting hike yesterday, I felt uncomfortably grimy.

After finishing a simple shower, I cleaned up my clothes. I scrubbed off the dirty spots with water and straightened my sleeves and collar neatly. 

In the meantime, I also caught another fish using my sniper rifle.

Tsk. Tsk.

“I wonder if I can still use this.”

I stirred the campfire with a stick. If there were any remaining embers, I could reuse them.

Sure enough, there were a few glowing red coals left. I added some tinder and blew on it, reigniting the fire. 

I set the fish to cook, dried my clothes and body, and cleaned up the cabin. 

Time passed quickly.

“Let’s head out.”

Finally, thirty minutes later, I finished all my preparations. 

Running my hand through my wet hair, I made my way toward Artena Academy.

———-

The Artena Academy entrance exam. 

The Act 1, Scene 1 of Artena Academy, marked the beginning of the grand narrative in the original story.

Depending on the character chosen by the player, the exam process varied, but it was generally divided into a first and second test. 

Commoners started with the first test, while nobles began with the second. 

The intent was to weed out only the most capable.

“Of course, I have to start with the first test.”

As a fallen noble, I had to climb from the bottom. 

I pulled out the slip of paper I received from the registration office.

[Time: 3:00 PM]  

[Location: Catlic Hall]  

[Time Limit: Ten minutes]

The slip listed the time and place. These details were different for every participant. 

Some unfortunate people ended up having their test at the crack of dawn, but luckily, I had a reasonable time.

I headed to the exam hall accordingly.

At 2:50 PM, I arrived.

I arrived at the destination.

“So this is it.”

Catlic Hall.

This hall was only used for outdoor events such as duels and practical training classes. 

If you followed the episodes, this place appeared a few times. 

Seeing it in person brought back memories, but those feelings didn’t last long as the area was buzzing with noise.

“Haha! Heard you failed this time?”

“Don’t even mention it! You’re probably next. Let’s just get it over with and grab a drink.”

“We’ll see about that. Haha.”

Two large men were walking in my direction. 

One of them, with a noticeable scar near his eye, checked the paper he was holding and said.

“This is the right place.”

Tear!

He ripped the paper apart. 

It appeared like they were exam participants as well.

I narrowed my eyes.

‘It happens sometimes. When the time slots between exams are only ten minutes apart.’

Normally, when using the same location for multiple exams, there was a 30-minute gap between time slots. 

But as with any administrative work, things don’t always go as planned, and participants sometimes cross paths.

‘Kyle and the player had just such an encounter.’

In the original story, Kyle didn’t pass the first test and ended up bullying the player—throwing punches and insults.

 And what happened next?

The player retaliated, Kyle got beaten up, and then immediately expelled by the exam proctor.

‘But that’s not going to happen this time.’

Because the original third-rate villain was gone. I was now playing the role of that character.

Kyle would pass the first test, and the main plot wouldn’t change. 

My real concern was the second test. The one on ‘Nightmare’ difficulty.

That was the true challenge of this entrance exam.

‘The first test is practically a free pass.’

So I simply waited for my time slot, which was just ten minutes away. 

As I reviewed the details of the first chapter and acted in my mind…

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Dammit! What the hell am I supposed to do!!!”

A loud shout erupted from nearby.

The time was 2:59 PM—just before failure.

The man was pounding on the door in frustration.

“There’s nothing here, so what the hell am I supposed to do?! Open the door! Open it!”

‘That’s not going to work.’

I shook my head.

The first test was very simple. Recognise the magic circuit and infuse it with mana. 

But for some reason, he didn’t seem capable of sensing the mana or figuring out the circuit. Instead, he was just banging on the door.

‘Am I seeing the original Kyle in this guy?’

It was obvious this would end poorly.

While I was lost in thought, the man suddenly turned and marched toward me.

“Hey, you! You’re taking the exam too, right?”

He strode closer.

“If you know something, spill it. It’ll be better if we both pass, right?”

“Haha. You think that’ll work?”

“I don’t know. But these bastards don’t tell you anything about how the test works. It’s their fault. Haha.”

“Do you really think this guy knows anything?”

“You’re right, but it’s better than doing it alone. Hey.”

After talking with his companion, he stood in front of me, scanning me with a mocking grin.

“Let’s do this together, yeah?”

He looked ready to cause trouble if I refused. 

I didn’t see any point in fighting him, so I thought to myself, ‘Maybe I should just play the role of an extra.’

As soon as I thought that, my facial muscles seemed to move on their own. 

I started sweating nervously, like an anxious extra character who was panicking after watching the person in front of them take the test.

“I-I don’t really know….”

I was trembling without saying much, and the man burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! This guy’s not gonna make it either, huh?”

At that moment, the clock struck 3:00 PM, and his failure was confirmed. 

Now it was my turn, so I walked up to the door.

Sure enough, there was a mana circuit engraved on it.

“Grrr…! How am I supposed to…!”

“Wow! Looks like you’re really nervous. Haha!”

I pretended to be flustered as I placed my hand on the door. 

The first test was simple; find the circuit engraved on the door and infuse it with mana. Once you did, the wall would ripple and reveal a passage.

This passage led directly to the second test.

I gathered a small amount of mana in my hand. Carefully, I started infusing the circuit with mana, and a blue light began to fill the pattern.

“Huh?”

The man stared at me with a dumbfounded look. It was clear he realized something was different. 

I gave him a mocking grin, one I could only pull off at this moment.

“Oh. Would you look at that? It works.”

“You…! You tricked me? How dare—!”

Just as he began to lose it, I stepped through the door. 

I felt a floating sensation, and followed by a shimmer of light, another door appeared before me.

I stepped through the door and found myself in a massive hall. 

A chandelier lit up the room, and numerous participants were seated, waiting. 

This was the waiting room for the second test.

It was where the nobles and those who passed the first test gathered.

I glanced around the room.

“Wow. Everyone’s here.”

From the game, I could see the main characters were all alive and present.

Princess Elena Valencia sat in the highest seat, and next to her was Ciel Dunhart. The one known as the Ice Princess. 

It was clear that the other students found it difficult to approach them. 

After all, these two belonged to the highest ranks of the noble society.

Just then, a new student entered behind me.

“Ugh. Should I even be here…?”

Where there were protagonists, there were also supporting characters. The ones who brought lighthearted moments to the player.

It was Cedric, the gloomy boy with brown hair. His head hung low, and he hugged his chest with both arms, standing there awkwardly. He was my role model, the perfect embodiment of an extra.

“Cedric! No need to be so tense! As long as we’re together, there’s nothing to worry about!”

Behind him came a muscular man who had his black hair combed back—Roden. 

Roden gave Cedric a hearty pat on the back and laughed loudly.

In any academy, there was always one character with brute strength. That was Roden’s role.

It was nice to see both main and supporting characters appear one by one.

‘Don’t stand out.’

I quietly sat in the farthest corner seat. 

All of the students who passed the first test were commoners, while the ones already here were nobles. 

The seats were divided like the parting of the Red Sea, leaving a whole row of empty seats.

That made the corner of the room the safest place, where no one wanted to sit. 

Or so I thought.

“Hi?”

Before I knew it, Lumina had rushed over and sat down next to me.

“Did you sleep well? I don’t think I slept at all. I’m so nervous about this test. Aren’t you feeling anxious?”

Despite not being particularly close, Lumina casually struck up small conversation, showing her social charm as a popular figure at Artena Academy. 

This was why I needed to maintain my distance from her.

Being around her only drew unnecessary attention.

Just by talking to her, people were already whispering things like, ‘Wait. Is that guy talking so casually with a noble?’ or ‘Is he sponsored by someone? I’m so jealous.’

 The entire hall’s attention was focused on us.

I had to find a way to keep things awkward with Lumina.

Time to act like an aloof jerk.

“Not really. I’m not nervous.”

“Really? Wow, you must be confident in your skills. My heart’s been pounding all morning. If I fail, I’ll have no choice but to return home. Ugh…”

“…”

“Can we do it? Let’s do our best together!”

“Yeah…”

Lumina clasped her hands together, making a determined vow. To me, it was a bit amusing.

‘Is this a joke…?’

In the original story, Lumina ranked within the top ten of the magic faculty. 

The real issue here was me, not her. 

My goal was to stay under the radar, get through the first chapter, and barely scrape by to pass.

“Yeah. Let’s give it our best.”

“Oh. Did you just cheer me on? That makes me happy!”

“…”

I couldn’t seem to say anything in front of Lumina, so I just clamped my mouth shut.

A moment later, a figure stepped up to the podium.

“Ahem! We will now begin the entrance exam for Artena Academy.”

It was the head professor of the Magic Department, Professor Mason. With his glasses and neatly combed hair, he exuded an intellectual aura.

Professor Mason was known for having his own episode in the original story since he was highly dedicated to student discipline. However, his methods were somewhat extreme, earning him the nickname ‘cold-blooded’ among the students.

As he scanned the hall with his icy gaze, the room fell silent. He began to speak.

“But before we begin, an explanation is in order.”

Artena Academy’s exam—the very exam I’d memorized like the back of my hand—was calmly recited by Professor Mason.

“First, you will be heading to the southern part of Magic Mountain. The exam area is sealed off by a barrier, and you will engage in a survival competition there.”

Survival.

The rules were simple, but the students’ reactions were intense.

“We’re supposed to compete against each other…?”

“I don’t even know basic magic yet….”

“What are we going to do…?”

Most of the murmuring came from the commoner side.

It made sense. 

Nobles had typically graduated from a basic academy, meaning they were somewhat proficient in combat magic. 

In contrast, commoners, who had little to no access to proper magical training, were much weaker. They had to rely on self-study or learn from a single magic book.

However, if they couldn’t handle that, they shouldn’t have applied to the Magic Department of Artena Academy in the first place. Other departments had much easier entrance exams.

“As you all know, Magic Mountain is divided into safe zones in the east and west, the hazardous south, and the forbidden northern zone. You will be sent to the southern part, where low-level magical beasts roam free. They will also be part of the survival test. You will earn 1 point per beast, 5 points per surviving student, and the test will end when the number of survivors matches the available spots in the Magic Department, or when the time reaches 6 PM.”

The Artena Academy exam was designed to rank students, adding a competitive element to motivate them. 

The ones who eliminated the most competitors would secure the top and second positions. 

According to the original story, those spots belonged to Ciel Dunhart and Elena Valencia. 

My plan was to stay low, focus on hunting magical beasts, and just wait for the exam to end.

“Now then.”

Snap!

When Professor Mason snapped his fingers, a bunch of bracelets from the podium flew into the air, easily numbering in the hundreds, and distributed themselves among the students.

“This is a basic protective magical tool. It has a compass function that points to the nearest participant. If it gets destroyed, you are immediately eliminated.”

I put the bracelet on, and right now, the compass was pointing towards Lumina.

“Look at this! It’s pointing at each other. Cool, right?”

“Yeah. But weren’t you nervous a moment ago?”

“I think I’ve calmed down now. If we meet during the test, let’s help each other, okay?”

“Do as you like.”

In the original story, some students formed groups. They all ended up betraying each other and meeting a bad fate… But Lumina didn’t seem like the type for that, so it was probably safe to trust her.

“The exam proctors will be observing. If you find yourself in an unforeseen situation, you can break the bracelet voluntarily.”

With that, Professor Mason stepped down from the podium, straightened his robe and fixed his sleeves. 

As he was about to leave, a student raised their hand and asked a question.

“You mentioned the exam was about to start…?”

Without turning his head, he responded, “Ah! I forgot.”

Snap!

He snapped his fingers again.

“Teleportation.”

At that moment, intricate patterns began to carve themselves into the floor of the hall. Pillars of light, resembling auroras, shot up between the geometric designs.

Immediately after, the entire room was filled with a brilliant light.

The students looked visibly startled.

‘So, I get to see this firsthand.’

I could only marvel at the sight.

This was Professor Mason’s signature spell; teleportation magic.

I savored the sensation of my body being lifted off the ground.

In an instant, we were transported.