Rustle.
"Ugh..."
Blinded by the bright light, I sat up and looked around.
"Strange ceiling."
With a chuckle, I quoted a line I had always wanted to use, while trying to figure out where I was.
The clean clothes on my body and the curtains surrounding suggested a possibility.
It definitely looked like... a hospital room?
The last thing I rember before losing consciousness was using the counterattack and then getting hit on the head with my liquor bottle.
"Ow."
As I rembered, I rubbed my head where indeed, a small bump had ford.
So, what happened after that?
Did I fail? How much ti has passed since then? What should I do now?
These worries briefly filled my mind before a headache started to set in again.
Damn the curse.
That damned curse of alcohol dependency had relapsed as soon as I woke up.
"Need... alcohol..."
But scouring the hospital bed and various drawers, I found nothing resembling alcohol.
Of course, which insane hospital would keep alcohol in a patient's room?
Even if I left here, I wouldn’t be able to buy alcohol without money.
I wasn't even sure if there was a convenience store or a supermarket nearby...
"Ugh..."
This was dangerous. As I realized this, my eyes caught sight of a hand sanitizer on a table by the door.
"Surely, that's alcohol-based, right?"
A thought crossed my mind that no sane person would typically entertain.
"...No way, that's not right."
Right, hand sanitizer isn't ant to be ingested...
[ntal strength decreases...]
Damn it, this isn't the ti to be weighing pros and cons.
Just like before using Fajing, I could feel my ntal strength rapidly declining.
It would be nearly impossible to go about daily activities without being drunk, at least while awake.
Dragging my stiff body, I quickly squeezed the hand sanitizer into my mouth.
Squeeze.
"Ugh!"
As expected, hand sanitizer tasted horrendous.
But at least it seed to perform sowhat the role of alcohol...
Creeeak.
Just then, a woman dressed as a nurse opened the door and our eyes t.
"Ah." "What, what are you doing!!!" "No, it's just..." "Throw up right now! Do you think hand sanitizer is made for people to eat?" "Well... thought it might be a bit like alcohol..."
I felt a murderous intent from the nurse and promptly shut my mouth.
"What are you even..." "But it tastes really awful." "Of course, it does!! What are you swirling around in your mouth!! Spit it out!!!!"
Soon, a group of people who seed to be doctors and nurses gathered around to check my health and scolded severely.
Fortunately, they said my health hadn't suffered too badly.
"I've been watching during the exam, but why do you keep drinking? You're still at a student's age." "If I don't drink, my head hurts." "Hmm... Alcohol dependency? Or sothing else..."
The doctor seed to ponder upon hearing my explanation but diagnosing it wasn't going to be easy.
It was a curse, after all.
I vaguely rember sothing from the description about the curse being engraved on the soul itself.
"Anyway, never eat that again. If you need alcohol, ask for sothing with a lower alcohol content. It's better for your health." "Yes, can I get sothing with lower alcohol content, then..." "...Yes."
The doctor looked at with a slightly sad expression.
...
So, while sipping on so alcohol brought by soone else, I listened to them talk about what happened after the competition.
"Unfortunately, after the competition ended, you did not receive a pass token." "Hmm."
I guess it turned out as expected.
Directly knocking down the Red Giant with just a pressure burst from a counterattack was a long shot.
Having higher-proof alcohol might have helped, but at that ti, all I had was diluted alcohol, and thinking of another strategy was also difficult.
Anyway, this ant I had to look for another smaller academy instead of the Central Academy.
The standards there would obviously be lower, but they would have doctors too.
"But, there was an exception this ti."
However, what the doctor in front of said next was quite unexpected.
"What?" "Twice a year, in the first and second halves, the professors can recomnd a participant they liked from the exam. It's kind of like saying, 'You're mine, co here!'" "Oh, okay."
What did that have to do with ?
The alcohol was slowly starting to hit, and I was still too sleepy to think straight.
"And... this ti, that recomndation was for you."
"..."
This was unexpected.
I was already aware of the recomndation system in Dreaming World, but the actual likelihood of it being used on a player was extrely low. The community forums were filled with speculative posts about how to secure such recomndations, but no one had managed to pinpoint a working thod.
There were ridiculous theories—like being the last one standing, swearing at a professor, or dancing naked. All of which, of course, were ludicrous.
Given the slim chances, I hadn't seriously considered it as a possibility.
"Typically, the participants who catch the professors' eyes enough to earn a recomndation are those who already have the skills to pass on their own. It's an uncommon occurrence," the doctor explained.
That made sense; if soone was getting a recomndation, they were likely capable of passing the test through their own rits anyway.
"But this ti, the performance you showed? It must have been quite impressive."
Was that really a performance?
I had just scrambled together whatever I could think of in a frantic situation.
Nevertheless, the news that I had barely made it through to Central Academy was quite uplifting, so I asked the doctor with a hopeful tone, "Oh. Who recomnded then?"
"Uh... that would be..." The doctor hesitated before revealing the nas, which made smack my forehead when I heard them.
"Professor Philia from the Physical Training Departnt and Professor Noel from the Literary Studies Departnt." "Oh."
I sighed because there were reasons for my reaction.
First, Professor Philia.
She valued physical training above all else, believing that the body's strength alone could move mountains and cross seas, and that physical training could outright dominate all other disciplines.
She also valued martial arts highly, having a keen interest in the long traditions of boxers and fighters.
It was clear why she might have recomnded . Likely because of Fajing.
Though Fajing is a 'skill' others can't use, from an outsider's perspective, it seed like a simple movent that caused trendous destruction—understandable to soone like her.
Especially since the target was the Red Giant, the visual impact must have been significant.
She probably thought, 'If a girl without proper muscles can send the Red Giant flying with that technique, what could I do with it?'
"Phew..."
I could almost see a future filled with intense physical training.
Either she would want to learn the skill from or train further.
"A muscle-packed future...?"
No, that couldn't be part of my future.
I had undergone TS; muscles were out of the question.
As for the other recomnder, Professor Noel.
He wasn't particularly difficult to get along with.
He contributed to the magical departnts by understanding and researching ancient texts and interpreting various traditions, an indispensable figure in the academy and a renowned decipherer worldwide.
Annually, the fees just for the commissions he refused in order to focus on academy duties would amount to billions.
However, that's what was known publicly.
While Philia might just be soone I'd prefer not to deal with due to her personality, Noel was soone to be wary of.
Yes, Noel tends to beco almost invariably hostile to players in the latter stages of their paths.
He's often found involved in various incidents.
It's puzzling why he would recomnd .
As I pondered this, the doctor approached again.
"You seem to be fine now, so you're free to leave the hospital. You can stay if you prefer." "Is that okay?" "Our hospital is affiliated with the Central Academy, so as ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) long as you're enrolled, you can use the facilities here for free!"
With that kindly offer, the doctor left.
I watched his retreating figure and thought.
'Is this world just a ga?'
No, considering everything, the scenario of being possessed seems more credible, but the ga called Dreaming World was just too realistic.
Every NPC in Dreaming World responds differently every ti they are asked the sa question, almost as if they could think for themselves.
Though unlikely, what if the characters in the ga were actually alive?
It changes nothing, but after such an absurd event as possession, I'm left to entertain such ordinary theories.
"If they were alive, then..."
"My actions could change the outco."
I don't believe in fatalism, but I do think that people's futures are sowhat predetermined.
Yet paradoxically, I imagine that fate can always be changed by choices.
"Umm... I don't know."
There are no destined villains.
Just paths that are set to be chosen.
But all this is a story for another ti.
Gulp, gulp.
"Ah... comfortable."
For now, slipping into sleep in a comfy hospital bed was the priority.
With the alcohol setting in, I closed my eyes.
...
...
...
And ti sped on until the day of the matriculation ceremony approached
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