[Official Document]
[Leo, Crafting Hunter, 2nd year at the Academy. Exceeded 30 failures to break through the lowest designated area.]
[Judged as having an 'extremely low' chance of future survival]
[Leo is to be incorporated into the 'Dropout Special Management Program' until progress is shown.]
Those who have given up on attacking the Rift.
Those whose skills are so poor that it would be better to give up.
In our industry, we call them 'Dropouts.'
Because any Hunter who cannot properly explore even the lowest Rift faces the fate of a death row inmate awaiting 'Final Disposal.'
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Yes, I should have known this better than anyone else here.
In the end, I couldn't escape this fate. I crumpled the paper I received and threw it on the floor.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"It's not like you're going to die, so why the long face?"
"That's right, you can always grow and come back later. Don't worry too much."
The consolation of my classmates buzzes in my ears.
It's disgusting. I want to say it honestly.
What the hell do you guys know?
"...Yeah, thanks. It'll work out somehow."
But I can't say it.
Because these guys don't know what fate awaits a Dropout waiting for Final Disposal.
The very game that was famous for its extreme difficulty and hopeless story, but at the same time captivated me, 'Dominant Evil.'
I was in that game, where I am now.
***
To be honest, when I first got hit by a bus advertising the game, and found out that I had fallen into this world for such an absurd reason, I thought it wasn't so bad.
Although the game's worldview was a dark background depicting the desperate struggle between humanity and monsters cast out into the world within the Rift, I thought I could grow faster than anyone else.
But the reality was different.
There was no player buff, only repeated failures.
And the result is this.
'Dropout Special Management Program.'
In the game, it's practically the same as character deletion. Once a character is dragged there, they practically never return.
A program that drops Hunters with little chance of survival off a cliff to forcibly increase their survivability.
It's practically like sending a level 1 character to a level 10 hunting ground.
'I can't give up yet.'
I gritted my teeth.
There must be a way, there definitely has to be!
"Leo."
Then a cold voice came from behind.
It was Instructor Seraphine.
Famous as a master of Ice Magic, she was known as an elite instructor with a personality as cold as her sharp Ice Magic.
"...Instructor. You're here."
"You're here early. But why haven't you started training yet? I told you before that you have no choice but to train. Do you want to be disciplined from the start?"
"I'm sorry. I'll prepare right away!"
Her job is to oversee the Dropout Program within the Academy.
Specifically, her main task was to help Dropout students pass the standard in the 'Dropout Reorganization Test' conducted by the state every three months.
'In reality, most of them end up being Final Disposed of.'
Dropout Management Program.
It sounds good, but in reality, it's just repeating training and combat.
It's just that the speed is greatly accelerated, pushing them to their limits.
I loosened my body lightly and slowly lowered my waist, taking a defensive stance.
Because training with the instructor is always filled with real combat, I had to prepare for the magic that might fly at any moment.
"Begin."
Just like now!
As soon as she closed her mouth, the air inside the training ground became rapidly cold, and a chilling coldness that seemed to cut the skin began to circulate.
A cool aura of Magical Power brushed against my skin, and soon small, transparent ice crystals surrounded her.
Instructor's specialty, Ice Magic.
'It's coming.'
With a calm gesture, Ice Awls vibrate in the air.
Experience gained through several training sessions.
It was a sign before the Ice Awls would pour down on me.
I reflexively ducked and dodged.
Thwack─!
Thwack, thwack─!
As soon as she flicked her finger, Ice Awls slammed into the air, above my head, and on the walls of the training ground where I had been standing just a moment ago, making dull sounds.
Instructor is controlling her power so that I won't die even if I get hit...
It hurts. It hurts a lot!
And for some reason, I know that well...
'Ugh!'
Another Ice Awl flies again.
\Without missing the timing, I jumped to the other side.
But as always, Terrain Magic comes after the Ice Awls.
How many steps had I taken? A chilling coldness rose through the soles of my feet, momentarily shaking my balance.
A thin layer of ice had already formed on the floor.
"What did I tell you about how to deal with icy roads?"
"By using the slip to our advantage...!"
As I had learned countless times, I twisted my body as if sliding on the ice and threw myself. But another Ice Awl flying straight at me fills my vision.
'Too fast!'
Thud!
I raised my arm to defend. The sensation of the ice tearing my skin was vivid.
The embedded ice fragments broke into several pieces and fell apart, like a snowball that had been smashed against a wall.
"Ugh!"
If this were a real battle, it would have been a penetrating wound...
"Your reaction speed is still lacking. But it's 15 seconds longer than yesterday."
"Haa, haa... I, is that so?"
"I should add the word 'barely,' though."
Originally, her training is unreasonable for me.
Crafting Hunters grow by crafting weapons that suit them.
If my crafting skills had met the minimum standard, I probably wouldn't have had to learn these combat training methods...
"Leo."
"Yes, Instructor."
"Let me be frank. At your current level, you will definitely fail the Dropout Reorganization Test at the end of the month."
"...I know."
"Do you know exactly what that means? Low chance of survival. In other words, you'll die. There's only one way for a prospective Hunter to escape this cycle. Only by accumulating proficiency levels and earning points."
She spread her index finger and said.
"I've learned after dealing with you for two days. Your talent is truly the worst. It's hard to raise your proficiency through training. The only way for you to survive is to cross the line between life and death in actual combat!"
"..."
Easy to say.
You have to get stronger to enter the Rift.
You have to invest points in attack skills.
But I'm a Crafting Hunter.
Even if I break through the low probability and come back alive to earn points, will there be a future after that?
I clenched my fist tightly.
To be honest, the last way to pass this damn Dropout Reorganization Test isn't such a conventional method.
A way for the incompetent to attack the Rift right away.
A way to get experience for free.
Isn't it time to rely on the kindness of others...?
"Your physical abilities are slightly better than the average person, but your intuition to sense threats is getting sharper every day. If you continue to train diligently at home—"
"...Instructor."
"What is it?"
"I, if, if you would party with me, I could attack the Rift and level up too. So I—!"
"Stop."
At that moment, Instructor's eyes turned sharp.
"Then let me ask you. If you hire me, how much compensation can you provide? What resources can you give me?"
"Huh? Th, that's..."
"Yes, you, who are barely scraping by on scholarships, wouldn't be able to afford it. If it were such an easy problem to solve, why have I been standing still until now? Do I look easy to you?"
"..."
I couldn't bring myself to say anything.
"If you're a Hunter, think about standing on your own. If you say the same thing again, I won't teach you again."
At the firm answer, I bit my lip and lowered my head.
I knew this answer would come back, but hearing it makes it even more painful.
"...I'm sorry, Instructor."
"I don't know why you do things you're sorry for."
Instructor turned around coldly and finished the class.
I returned to my dormitory room with heavy steps.
It's not like I wanted to ask for such a favor, but I feel a sense of self-loathing.
"Why can't I make a single thing properly even though I awakened as a Crafting Hunter? If that's the case, why did you give me talent in crafting?"
Is the only path left for me really to give up or be given up on? Is that the only choice?
"...No way."
Common sense in Dominant Evil.
Hunters have skill levels instead of levels, and the higher the level of skills or the more diverse the skills a Hunter has, the more superior they are in the survival competition.
Theoretically, Hunters can acquire skills through simple repeated practice. The training with Instructor a moment ago was exactly that.
And the level of my crafting skill is 3.
A level raised only through simple crafting.
I had already been working to increase my crafting skill proficiency even before the training.
"Actually, Instructor, there's one more thing I'm sorry about. There's something I'm making without your knowledge."
In one corner of the dormitory room, something covered with a white cloth.
Carefully removing the cloth, the beautiful figure of Instructor Seraphine is revealed.
It was Instructor Seraphine, a 1:1 scale full-body doll that looked exactly like her!
'I'm glad I haven't been caught until now.'
For the past six months, since right after the possession, I've been obsessed with making this doll, using Instructor as a model, like a madman.
The reason is simple.
To increase the proficiency of my crafting skill.
I've never taken the crafting route in the game, but I remember reading community guides from time to time, so I understand well how to grow efficiently.
Rather than endlessly crafting low-level items, one high-level work of art.
It was much easier to gain proficiency this way.
'The reason why it's Instructor is... well, her appearance and body are all suitable for modeling, and she was the person I could observe most closely at the Academy.'
I was definitely terrible at creating something from nothing, but I was different when it came to imitating something that already existed.
Two hours a day, sometimes three hours.
Every day after training, I would come back and breathe life into Instructor's doll.
I put my heart and soul into it for a total of 6 months. Now it was time to face the results.
"Oh..."
Black hair flowed smoothly down to her shoulders, and her pale white skin had a subtle sheen.
Her doll, as if sleeping, seemed to precisely capture even her strict patience and determined will...
I made it, but it was definitely amazing.
"If I can continue to make things like this in the future, maybe someday I can become a proper Crafting Hunter?"
If only I had enough time left...
I sighed deeply, then slapped both cheeks with my palms to steel my heart.
Now there was only one thing left.
To remove the subtle cracks remaining on the surface of the doll and perfectly combine the background and the doll to create a single piece of art.
I carefully trimmed the joints and adjusted the subtle balance.
"Done...!"
The moment I looked at the completed doll, I knew instinctively.
That this doll would be the best work I had ever created.
And——
At that moment, a small, faint light began to bloom from my fingertips!
[You have acquired the 'Clone Creation' skill!]
[Clone Creation]
-Category/Grade: Summon/Mythic (Lv.1)
-Description: A skill that allows you to precisely imitate an observed subject and create a clone with the same specifications as the real thing.
-The clone has a degraded spec (80%) of the main body, and can absorb half of the experience and proficiency acquired by the clone.
"Th, this is..."
Clone Creation, a Mythic-grade summoning skill.
It was a skill name that even I had never heard of before!