Chapter 4. Royal High Academy Entrance Exam – (3)

***

“My name is Grecia. The name of my Talent is Breeze Control. My Talent level is 3.”

As Grecia’s calm self-introduction continued, the eyes of the examiners looking at her changed completely from before.

ー Breeze Control.

A Talent with an extraordinary name from the start.

“Breeze Control…”
“It seems to be a Talent belonging to the wind element category.”
“Seeing that she’s carrying a sword, perhaps it’s a Talent that can only be used when wielding a sword?”

As not only Kali, who had only shown a reaction to Han Chunsung so far, but also the other two examiners showed interest in Grecia, she wore a bright smile.

“It’s not a Talent limited to swords. The sword is just the medium I used. I can also control wind with my hands.”

As she said this and raised her hand, a subtle air current began to flow along Grecia’s hand.

“Then this can be seen as a Talent with tremendous potential.”
“If there’s magical talent, she could really stand out in wind attributes.”

As the two examiners other than Kali kept expressing their interest, Grecia smiled softly.
And unlike her, the eyes of Chunsung, who was watching together in the exam hall, twitched slightly.

‘The attitude is too different.’

The examiners who hadn’t uttered a word to me or other examinees. Now they’re asking questions non-stop like fish in water.

Watching this, I didn’t feel very good.

Without even properly demonstrating her Talent, just hearing the name of the Talent elicits such a reaction…

“So, Grecia. What’s the grade of your Talent?”

As Kali asked a question she hadn’t asked anyone else, I immediately thought of the grade.

‘Unique.’

Breeze Control was a Talent I had seen in the novel too.

“It’s Unique grade.”

As Grecia answered Unique as expected, the examiners’ eyes sparkled even more as they expressed their curiosity.

“This… A rare talent has appeared.”
“To have raised a Unique Talent to level 3, that’s truly remarkable.”

Not only did the two examiners speak brightly, but even Kali wore a faint smile, and I couldn’t hide my disappointment at the sight.

Clearly, she and I had the same Talent level, yet their reactions were completely different.
Although Kali showed a friendly attitude towards me too… the other two examiners were completely different from before.

‘Well, it’s Unique grade after all.’

I understood it logically, but my heart was bitter.

If I had even a Rare grade Talent, the other examiners would have shown some interest in me too.

Spearmanship, a common grade Talent… was that insignificant.
But in contrast, the [Breeze Control] Talent that Grecia possessed was quite highly valued within the Royal High Academy.

Although her appearance wasn’t frequent as she wasn’t a character who matched well with the protagonist, the name Grecia, who always ranked at the top in the Academy, was familiar to me.

‘I thought her specs were unusually high for an extra, but…’

To think I’d meet her in the same group at the entrance exam.

It really couldn’t get any worse than this.

“Then we’ll start the test now.”

As Grecia headed towards the dummy, I was still curious about her.

‘I wonder.’

How capable would a Unique grade Talent, which I was seeing for the first time in this world, be?

ーーー!

The moment Grecia seemed to lightly swing her sword, I widened my eyes.

‘Fast!’

Even to me, with the highest Agility Talent, the speed of her sword swing was incredibly fast.

The moment she seemed to swing her sword. A strong wind had already completely engulfed the entire dummy.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!
Striking the entire dummy incessantly, countless marks were being engraved.

Even after the sword left the dummy, intense winds continued to swirl around the dummy’s entire body.
……

After a few seconds, the strong winds subsided, but the sight of the dummy afterward was truly miserable.

‘This is broken.’

Nearly hundreds of sword marks were engraved all over the dummy. Even at a glance, the power was unbelievable.

Click.

As Grecia leisurely retrieved her sword. I felt it anew.

‘This is what a Unique grade is.’

The difference from the common grade ‘Spearmanship’ Talent I possessed was incomparable.

It felt like a difference so great that I couldn’t even feel jealousy.

“Grecia, was it? You can expect good results.”

As one examiner smiled with satisfaction, Grecia lightly bowed her head and headed towards the exit.
Following right behind her towards the exit, my feelings were peculiar.

‘So from now on, I’ll have to attend the Academy with these monsters.’

Not all cadets entering the Academy would be like Grecia with her Unique grade Talent, but there would be quite a few similar monsters.
It felt like I was becoming aware of reality again.

Step. Rustle…

As I left the exam hall keeping a certain distance from Grecia, I saw several people outside the exam hall.

“Sob…”
“What should we do. It’s all over.”
“…Damn it! I could have done so much better.”

The examinees who had come out earlier seemed to have already predicted their entrance exam results. They were in despair.

‘Tsk.’

…Seeing them, I clicked my tongue briefly.

A Talent level of 3 might seem impressive in some ways, but from my perspective, it was a level that anyone could achieve if they put in bone-grinding effort for two months.

Even with a low common grade Talent.

‘If you’re going to regret it like this now, why didn’t you raise it like your life depended on it?’

Even if it was like threading a needle, it could have been done if they tried.
Even if not all of them could have passed, maybe about half could have.
This too… might be because I knew all of this that I could put in the effort, but…

Step.

The acceptance results of the entrance exam would be posted on a large bulletin board when we return here.

And we would be able to see which class we were assigned to as well.
Until then, as I was about to take a light rest,

Grab.

“Wait.”

…As my arm was suddenly grabbed, I was forced to stop walking.

The person who grabbed my arm was a familiar face.

It was the woman who had exited with me.
Grecia.

“…?”

As I turned my head wondering what was going on,

Unlike her previous cold expression, Grecia was looking at me with a complicated expression.

***

“Wait.”

Even as I grabbed the man’s arm to stop him, I couldn’t understand.

The man passing by me now.
The result shown by the man named Han Chunsung.

With a Talent level of 3, I thought it was natural that he would pass.

But contrary to my expectation that he would receive cold indifference from the examiners, Kali, one of the examiners, seemed to have acknowledged this man.

As a result, this man was able to keep the ‘confidence’ he had spoken of.

Instead of showing a cowering or intimidated appearance in the exam hall, he completed the entrance exam with a completely different confident attitude from the other examinees.

And even after the test ended, he remained to watch me as if evaluating, and even that gaze felt unusually significant.

‘He’s different from others.’

Despite having an insignificant Talent, all of his actions seemed extraordinary.

That gap made this man even more incomprehensible to me.

“Why?”

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the man who answered briefly while looking at me.

Then I opened my reluctant mouth.

“…I’d like to have a conversation with you for a moment.”
“A conversation?”
“Yes. You seem to have passed the entrance exam too. I’d like to talk as fellow successful candidates.”

What I didn’t understand, I had to understand to settle my mind, so I wanted to understand this man too.
At my words, the man named Han Chunsung suddenly smiled at me.

Probably expecting to pass. The smile he gave while looking at me felt crooked.

That was understandable.

‘I looked at him with an unfavorable gaze in the training ground.’

Even today, when our eyes met in the training ground, I had coldly turned away from this man.

So it wouldn’t be strange if he had an unfavorable impression of me.

“……”

As the man stared at me without answering, I awkwardly fidgeted while still holding his arm.

‘Surely not…’

Just as I was wondering if I was being rejected by this man with such an insignificant Talent,

“If you put it that way, I’m grateful. Actually, I wanted to talk to you too.”

As the man spoke with a suddenly bright expression, I stared blankly.

As I was bewildered by the sudden change in temperature,

Step.

Suddenly, I felt strength in my hand.

“Ah?”

Rustle.

“Then let’s go to a café and have a leisurely conversation. I’ll treat you.”

As I was being led by his hand in a daze, I blinked my eyes.

‘What on earth is this man…?’

Surely my cold gaze must have seemed unfavorable to this man too.

Now as he calmly held my hand and led me, I matched his steps while feeling confused about how to react.

Thud.

“Still, let go of my hand…”

Thinking that moving while holding hands was not right no matter how I looked at it, I removed my hand and it was easily released.

“What? You grabbed my arm first, so I thought hands were okay.”
“…That was just by chance.”
“Oh? Alright then.”

Even as I watched the man walking nonchalantly, I felt strange.

He was a strange man that was hard to explain.

‘With such an insignificant common Talent…’

How could he treat me like this even knowing I had a Unique Talent?

Even this behavior was hard to understand.

…

Click.

“This café is quite nice, the atmosphere is good and the prices are reasonable.”

As the man handed me a cup with a grin, I received it while feeling skeptical.

“…Right. Thanks.”

Although I had grabbed this man, I was at a loss for what to say.

“Ah, first, my name is Han Chunsung.”

As I heard this and raised my head, the man was staring at me.

“I thought we should start with introductions.”
“…I’m Grecia.”
“Grecia. Yes. That’s a nice name.”

Even as I looked at the brightly smiling man, my feelings were peculiar.