Chapter 12
Protagonist.
A being who leads the story and, as the name suggests, has protagonist plot armor—a cheat character with overwhelming advantages.
Of course, weak protagonists do exist, but the protagonist of this novel is anything but weak.
His talent will probably be measured as Weapon Refinement this time.
But that was only because his true talent hadn't fully awakened yet.
Roben's talent is One Blessed by the World.
Anyone hearing that for the first time might ask what on earth it means, but a select few would know.
They would know that One Blessed by the World refers to the glorious Hero.
Heroes are not supposed to exist in this world.
But the protagonist was the first person in this world chosen as a Hero blessed by the world.
The Blessing of the World has many different effects, but two of its abilities are especially overpowered.
The first is that the chance of encountering a fortuitous opportunity becomes much higher.
And the second ability is the most decisive reason the protagonist becomes so overpowered...
It's the ability to find a way to overcome any opponent and carve out a path to victory, no matter who he faces.
Simply put, it's an absurdly overpowered ability that makes the impossible possible.
That talent may not be unlocked yet, but he's still the protagonist.
Even in his current state, he should be just as strong.
Rael, who was expected to take first place at this entrance ceremony, will lose to the protagonist and have his top spot stolen.
I can't wait to see his face twist in frustration.
"Cadet Roben, would you place your hand on this crystal?"
The protagonist walked to the center and placed his hand on the crystal. A blue window resembling a status window appeared in the air.
As expected, the words Weapon Refinement were written in large letters on the window.
When such an ordinary talent appeared, various reactions erupted from the crowd.
Some people let out jeers, while others didn't care at all.
But most reactions were negative, and the looks directed at the protagonist weren't particularly kind.
Despite those reactions, the protagonist simply smiled and returned to his seat.
He seemed to be saying something to Agnes beside him, but the arena was so noisy I couldn't hear.
"Then, the next cadet, please come forward."
They checked the cadets' talents one by one, and most had talents related to enhanced strength or the four elements.
I paid no attention to the supporting characters' talents and only took an interest when someone important appeared.
This time, the person who came forward was none other than Agnes.
As she stepped forward, cheers and shouts poured down, and a few people even confessed their feelings to her.
Of course, she ignored them all.
When she confidently placed her hand on the crystal at the center, the window that appeared in the air displayed the talent Witch of Frost.
"She really did inherit her family's power."
"I'd never want to fight someone with a talent like that."
"I agree. If we fought a monster like her, we'd be lucky to make it out in one piece."
"The Four Great Families' talents are as impressive as ever."
The Four Great Families each represent one of the four elemental talents.
All of their descendants are born with talents related to one of the four elements, and the purer their bloodline, the closer their talent comes to a divine power.
Just like Agnes right now.
"What an incredible talent. Then, let's have the next cadet come forward. I'm really looking forward to this."
Rayren's expression as he said he was looking forward to it had the air of a beast eyeing its prey.
It seemed he was looking for cadets to recruit and turn into members of the Management Bureau.
It didn't really matter, since I had no chance of getting picked.
"Next, Cadet Rael, please come forward!"
The name I hated most was called, and that bastard walked to the center.
His talent was worthy of his place as the protagonist's rival.
"Could that really be Lord Rael's talent?"
"That's a talent befitting the Martial God's son. We can't even hold a candle to him."
"Lord Rael, you're amazing!"
What on earth was so amazing about that guy?
It was plain as day that the words 'I'm the villain' were stamped across his face. What was so amazing about him?
If anyone was amazing, our protagonist was a thousand times cooler.
"'Blessing of the Spear God'—what an incredible talent! This year's class truly is outstanding!"
Just as Rayren had said, Rael's talent was the Blessing of the Spear God.
When it came to spears, his strength was unrivaled.
Even the protagonist could never beat Rael if he picked up a spear instead of a sword.
That's how he must have survived alone even after the Duke died and his family was wiped out.
"Then, next..."
The talents of the cadets who followed weren't particularly special.
A few members of the Four Great Families came forward midway, heating up the entire arena once more, but none had a talent that surpassed Agnes's.
And finally, the turn I'd been praying would never come arrived.
"Haa... Hah..."
I took a moment to steady my breathing, then slowly walked forward and stood in the center.
The thought of so many people staring at me made my head spin.
"Cadet Serena?"
"Yes?"
"Please place your hand on the crystal."
"Ah, yes."
'Goodbye, my peaceful everyday life.'
At Rayren's urging, I placed the hand I hadn't wanted to lift onto the crystal.
"What's that?"
"What kind of talent is that?
"She enrolled at the Academy with a talent like that?
"And that girl's a commoner!"
The reactions around me were completely different from what I'd expected. I lifted my head and looked at the window floating in the air.
It read:
[Cleaning]
Flustered, I hurriedly called up my status window in a quiet voice to check, but nothing about it had changed.
Setting aside why the strange talent Cleaning had appeared, I had never expected a talent even stranger and more worthless than the one I already had.
If I didn't know what my talent was, I might have found it a little easier to accept.
After all, most of a maid's work was cleaning.
But I already knew exactly what my talent was, how to activate it, and what effects it had.
So why were they saying Cleaning was my talent?
"Um, that's quite a fascinating talent in its own way. You may return to your seat now."
"...Ah, yes."
I hurried back to my seat, avoiding the strange looks pouring down from the entire arena.
My mind was so full of worries about the future that I didn't notice how much time had passed.
When I finally came to my senses, the arena was once again filled with a heated atmosphere and shouts.
The freshman sparring matches everyone here had been looking forward to had begun, so it was no wonder the crowd was so fired up.
This freshman sparring event had one very unusual feature.
Namely, I was going to have to fight in it myself.
I didn't know who my opponent would be, but with all the characters in the leading roles gathered here, I had to decide.
Whether to get involved with them and interfere with the story, or avoid attracting attention as much as possible and remain a complete bystander.
"Then, we'll begin the freshman sparring matches!"
With Rayren's booming voice, the freshman sparring event—the beginning of this novel—got underway.
And the pair who would kick off this glorious freshman sparring event would be the protagonist and that bastard Rael.
"Cadet Serena and Cadet Herman, please come forward!"
...Huh?
****
The judges' private seats high above the arena.
"What do you think of this year's class?"
"Very promising. Heirs of the Four Great Families, children of major guilds—and even the Martial God's son."
"People are calling this class the Golden Generation."
The judges and guild representatives had gathered in one place, talking among themselves.
The judges assessed every new student's talent and assigned them scores, while the guild representatives searched with blazing eyes for talented students.
A guild's lifeblood is its members.
And since a guild needs talented members to raise its reputation, they were desperately preparing to scout them.
"Why has the vice guildmaster of the Prion Guild, ranked number one among the major guilds, come all the way here in person?"
"Could you back off? Your foul aura is rubbing off on the vice guildmaster."
"Foul? Saying that hurts my feelings, you know?
"Step away while I'm still asking nicely."
"How boring. Do your best. Well, it's not like you'll get to take any of them."
The fact that the vice guildmaster of the Prion Guild, the number-one-ranked major guild, had come in person meant this year's scouting competition would be fiercer than ever.
"Lady Karen, are you all right?"
"I'm fine. There's no need to be so on edge."
"But that man is the guildmaster of a guild that's practically a band of murderers. We don't know what he might try."
"If I'd let a man like that get the better of me, I never would have become vice guildmaster. For now, let's watch my adorable little sister fight."
"Understood."
And so, the freshman sparring match everyone had been waiting for finally began.