Chapter 2. Royal High Academy Entrance Exam

 

***

 

“How embarrassing.”

 

As I left the training ground, I unconsciously touched my face.

 

Honestly, even though I had fallen into this world of <Royal High Academy>, my body hadn’t changed.

 

I waved my hand out of habit without realizing it, but that shouldn’t have been a reason for such a cold gaze.

 

‘Why on earth did she look at me so coldly?’

 

The joy of achieving Spearmanship level 3 was short-lived, and now my mood was peculiar.

 

To begin with, I thought confidence was important no matter what you do, so I considered my face to be quite decent.

 

But the way that woman turned her head as if she’d seen something unsightly…

 

“It’s not… that unbearable a face.”

 

Even as I muttered this, the feeling of disappointment grew stronger.

 

For two months, I had seen opportunities to approach her, but the atmosphere was too strange.

 

She was the type of person who would become more distant if I approached clumsily. Exactly that kind of person.

 

I had hoped we might become close, but in the end, not a single opportunity arose in those two months.

 

That was a bit disappointing.

 

‘If I had connections with someone of high Talent…’

 

It would be beneficial in many ways.

 

Thinking this, I raised both hands.

 

Clap.

 

I lightly patted my cheeks and then shook off the thoughts.

 

In about an hour, I would take the entrance exam, and I couldn’t be bound by such thoughts now.

 

“Let’s go with confidence.”

 

I had raised Spearmanship to level 3, so I had done the best preparation I could, and if I could just take the entrance exam with confidence, that would be it.

 

Step.

 

As I took a step forward, looking at the majestic Academy building in the distance,

 

Han Chunsung.

 

He was unaware.

 

“……”

 

That there was a strange gaze watching him from a distance.

 

***

 

“…Level 3?”

 

“Is that really true?”

 

“I’m telling you, it’s true. That light was definitely the light that appears when you reach level 3.”

 

“That’s impressive. But even with all that effort, it’s still just Spearmanship.”

 

“Still, doesn’t that mean he’s guaranteed to enter the Academy?”

 

“What’s the use of entering? No matter how high his Spearmanship Talent is, it’s probably worse than a level 1 magic Talent.”

 

As a few people in the training ground exchanged these words, a woman frowned slightly as she walked.

 

Rustle.

 

With blue hair cascading down to her waist, a youthful appearance but with a cold impression and sharp eyes that were striking, as she moved,

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

Most gazes turned towards her.

 

Her aura was completely out of place for an ordinary training ground. Everyone felt the dignity that was difficult to approach casually.

 

Amidst such gazes, the blue-haired woman who calmly walked was named Grecia.

 

In fact, Grecia was thinking about the man who had just left the training ground.

 

‘Han Chunsung, was it…’

 

When she first encountered him in the training ground, she didn’t even give him a glance.

 

He was rumored to have a low Talent like Spearmanship. But as days passed, that man kept catching her eye.

 

It was undeniable that his effort was extraordinary.

 

Every day, from morning, he would enter the training ground and focus on training his Talent, thrusting his spear all day long.

 

Usually, when people get such a trivial Talent, those who are going to give up early abandon the thought of entering the Academy altogether.

 

Everyone knows what their future will be.

 

But.

 

The man with the strange name ‘Han Chunsung’.

 

He alone was different.

 

He thrusts his spear alone in the training ground. Just stabbing the air again and again. Taking a step and thrusting, and so on.

 

Repeating only the simplest movements.

 

That was all there was to it.

 

Despite there being no phenomena like the wind that rises when I swing my sword, that man didn’t show any signs of fatigue.

 

For two months after the Talent test, I saw him repeating the spear thrusts every day.

 

‘Why on earth doesn’t he give up?’

 

I thought the man’s behavior looked foolish.

 

A person without talent, coveting talent and making efforts.

 

It seemed like he was pouring futile effort into hoping for fire to catch on ashes where the embers had already gone out.

 

How could this man put so much effort?

 

…I couldn’t understand how my [Breeze Control], which I had reached after two months of effort, was at the ‘same level’ as that man.

 

It was hard to believe that he had actually raised that trivial Talent to level 3.

 

Click.

 

As I was leaving the training ground, I unconsciously stopped.

 

That man was standing not far away.

 

His characteristic black hair and pitch-black clothes looked as shabby as before.

 

As I was naturally turning my gaze away from the man.

 

Clap.

 

I flinched for a moment at the sound of cheeks being patted.

 

“Let’s go with confidence.”

 

Hearing such a spirited voice, I blinked involuntarily.

 

‘Confidence?’

 

Having such a worthless Talent as Spearmanship, yet talking about confidence.

 

As the man started walking, I unconsciously checked the direction he was heading.

 

That direction was towards the Royal High Academy.

 

Thinking about it, it was natural.

 

There was less than an hour left before the entrance exam.

 

Rustle.

 

As we were heading in the same direction, I found myself strangely unable to take my eyes off his back as I followed him.

 

“……”

 

That man would probably pass the entrance exam too.

 

Since he had raised his Talent level to 3. I could predict that much.

 

‘But can he really maintain that confidence?’

 

I wondered if he could endure the cold gazes of the examiners with such a trivial Talent as Spearmanship.

 

The entrance exam I had seen once, following my older sister.

 

I still vividly remembered the scene of the exam hall I had seen as a child.

 

The heavy atmosphere in the exam hall that would crush ordinary people.

 

I thought that the man named Han Chunsung walking ahead of me now would also be unable to maintain his words of confidence.

 

***

 

Tilt.

 

…Chunsung looked around, turning his head.

 

Buzz.

 

The Academy entrance exam hall he had arrived at now was filled with a multitude of people lined up to take the test.

 

Chunsung was also in line with them, waiting his turn, but he was feeling something different.

 

‘What on earth is it?’

 

The back of his neck kept feeling chilly.

 

Feeling like someone was constantly watching him.

 

Even though he looked around several times and peered about, there was no one who seemed to be looking at him.

 

“Am I imagining it…?”

 

Muttering to himself, he rubbed the back of his neck for no reason.

 

Having barely achieved level 3 in his Spearmanship Talent, he was confident about the entrance exam. But he wondered if he was unknowingly nervous.

 

Even now, he could see the numerous people gathered to take the entrance exam in his field of vision.

 

And most were tense and intimidated people. While some seemed confident and relaxed as they stood in line, they were just a tiny minority.

 

‘I guess the people with good Talents are smiling, and those with ordinary or close-range Talents like me are intimidated.’

 

…As he thought this, a hollow laugh escaped him.

 

Among the many people in line now, 90% wouldn’t be able to smile.

 

Rather, if 10% passed, that would be considered a high pass rate.

 

That’s how many people didn’t receive good Talents.

 

Yet, the people in line now were those who had gathered to take the entrance exam, grasping at straws.

 

Everyone thinking ‘just in case’, all standing in line with the naive hope that they might pass by luck.

 

‘How pitiful.’

 

Thinking inwardly, he shook his head.

 

Over time, the line began to shorten faster than expected.

 

ー Examinees number 401 to 410, please enter.

 

The call to enter the exam hall was heard again in less than 10 minutes, and the sound felt ominous.

 

‘Even if they’re just looking at Talents.’

 

How could the entrance exam test take less than 10 minutes when ten people went in?

 

As the line to the exam hall quickly shortened, it was soon my turn.

 

“Examinees number 491 to 500, please enter.”

 

As my number was called, I took a vigorous step following the person in front of me.

 

‘There’s nothing to be nervous about.’

 

I already know the content of the exam.

 

So, I knew that I could pass this exam with my current self.

 

Click.

 

Just before entering the exam hall like that. I put strength into my whole body.

 

“Huk!”

 

“Wh-What!”

 

Even as the examinees who entered ahead of me immediately fell to their knees or stopped in place, I showed the composure to pass by them without hesitation.

 

Step.

Step.

 

My number was 496.

 

As I straightened my body in the sixth position,

 

“Oho.”

 

“Not bad.”

 

As I received the gazes of the examiners all at once, I felt a sense of satisfaction rising.

 

I was the best of those ten, after all.

 

But then I stopped short.

 

I thought the examiners were looking at me. But they weren’t watching me now.

 

“…”

 

As I turned my head to the side in a daze, there was a woman standing nonchalantly not far from me.

 

With blue hair cascading down her waist and a cold impression, she looked familiar.

 

‘Why on earth is that woman here…’

 

Why is she in the same group as me for the test?