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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Shio
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“This year, there are five noteworthy prospective first-year students.”
“Five?”
“Yes. Three in magic and two in martial arts. I’ll introduce them one by one.”
In the faculty meeting room reserved for first-year professors, excitement buzzed through the air.
Last year, there were only two or three noteworthy students, but this year, there were five.
All the professors, their eyes gleaming with the thrill of discovering new talent, were in high spirits.
‘Please, please, it absolutely must not be discovered.’
‘We need to keep this hidden…I’m worried it might be exposed.’
These were the thoughts of all professors except Gainad and Lee Hwa-ryeong.
The two of them chewed their lips nervously, eyes fixed on the screen in the center of the room.
Displayed on it was a young boy with a youthful face, smiling awkwardly.
“Name: Woo Do-hyun, martial arts applicant, shows innate talent with the sword.”
On the screen, Woo Do-hyun initially struggled in the practical exam but transformed once he picked up a sword.
When he grabbed a sword accidentally dropped by an orc, monsters fell helplessly with each flash of his blade.
One sword, one strike.
Woo Do-hyun’s speed in dispatching monsters with single strikes only slowed after the troll.
“Cutting the legs and beheading before it recovers… I didn’t know it was possible with a cheap iron sword.”
“No need to see more. We can look at the results. How far did he get?”
“He defeated up to the ogre.”
“I see. Who’s next?”
“Yu So-hyun. Magic department, specializing in water magic…”
Woo Do-hyun, with innate sword talent but otherwise unremarkable.
Yu So-hyun, a commoner who reached the ogre using self-taught water magic.
Princess Mijuran of the Kingdom of Mudanad, a nation that unified a vast continent through strength alone.
Bellos Belon, the fifth son of the Emperor of Skeria, an ancient and majestic empire.
Lastly, Meiryka from Shinmibi, a forbidden realm said to be shrouded in mystery.
As the introductions concluded, the professors nodded with satisfied smiles.
“This year’s class will be enjoyable to teach.”
“Excellent.”
“Impressive.”
The reason for focusing on a few out of 1,523 new students with videos was simple:
To determine rankings.
While theory exam scores could be converted to points, practical exams had aspects that couldn’t be measured by combat ability alone.
Potential had to be observed through the monster-defeating process.
For the rest, they could use absolute evaluation standards, but these students were on a different level.
This session was meant to judge those minute differences that couldn’t be captured by absolute standards alone.
‘Are they going to skip over it?’
‘As long as it’s not mentioned, it’s fine. The class is already decided anyway, so we just need to quietly let this pass.’
Lee Hwa-ryeong and Gainad actively participated in determining rankings, hoping this moment would pass quickly.
It would be ideal to set the rankings and then move on with the rest according to absolute evaluation standards.
If other professors noticed Lee Seok-Hyun…
‘They definitely wouldn’t just let it pass.’
‘People tend to think alike.’
But the world has its way of balancing things.
“I think we’ve forgotten someone.”
“Pardon?”
Just as the meeting was about to begin, a professor in the corner raised his hand.
It was Professor Kerrar, the first-year representative for Other Studies, an explorer who had mapped several uncharted continents at a young age.
He rose and walked to the screen control area, his shoes clicking with each step.
His perfectly fitted suit had an empty left sleeve, and his brand-name shoes, though expensive, showed signs of wear.
Silence spread as this eccentric figure approached, his squinting eyes and inscrutable smile making his thoughts unreadable.
“I’m saying we missed one of our noteworthy students. You mentioned three from magic and two from martial arts, but we have a gem in Other Studies too.”
“No, that…”
“You can think I’m being stubborn if you want. But I submitted the materials…It seems some data was omitted, so I’m speaking up because it’s unfair.”
Kerrar cast a pointed look at Lee Hwa-ryeong and Gainad, feigning a laugh.
Lee Hwa-ryeong and Gainad avoided Kerrar’s gaze, pretending not to notice.
“It seems someone tried to admit them through absolute evaluation…and take advantage of their ambiguous ranking. Really…I might not frequent the academy often, but snatching away talent is unacceptable.”
“Professor Kerrar, what exactly…”
“Ah, sorry for interrupting. I’d like you to look at this data first.”
Kerrar displayed the data on the screen with a smile.
The first screen showed a theory exam paper with perfect answers and solution processes for the first page.
“…? They solved that?”
“I thought Lee Hwa-ryeong included it out of malice…”
“That artifact problem is from advanced specialized courses.”
But their astonishment grew as all solution processes and answers were circled. A flawless answer sheet.
Kerrar proceeded to play the practical exam video.
“Did you see that? It took only 25 seconds to defeat the orc party.”
“They perfectly understand the werewolf’s habits.”
“Did they just defeat the troll? Bare-handed? Plucking out its eyes and cutting its brain?”
The room buzzed with exclamations of admiration and shock. Then, silence fell as the ogre appeared.
Could a virtual space truly convey desperation?
Lee Seok-Hyun’s actions dispelled doubts. He didn’t fear the ogre but manipulated the terrain to create a chance.
“That wire-like thing coming from their hands… they went around the entire forest to create even a slight chance. Waiting for it to trip and fall between the trees.”
“Did you see how they adjusted their actions after being hit by the ogre? Their pain tolerance is exceptional.”
Using spider silk when a leg was broken, continuing to attack even with a torn arm.
The determination to inflict at least one wound before dying.
This level of tenacity was extraordinary for a 17-year-old.
“They’ve fallen.”
“Is this even possible?”
After 30 minutes, Lee Seok-Hyun collapsed.
But he didn’t fall alone.
The ogre, exhausted, had also fallen, staring blankly at its severed ankle.
“For 30 minutes, they focused solely on the left ankle, constantly targeting one spot to create an opening.”
“To achieve this despite knowing they’d fail the test, even though it was all fictional…”
It was clear.
Gainad and Lee Hwa-ryeong hung their heads, their efforts to hide Lee Seok-Hyun’s talent having failed.
‘Lee Seok-Hyun is special in a different sense.’
‘It’s out of our hands now.’
Lee Seok-Hyun hadn’t used mana or any specific martial arts techniques.
He was still unrefined, brimming with undiscovered potential.
The five mentioned earlier had somewhat predetermined paths.
Yu So-hyun, for example, would likely specialize in water magic.
Lee Seok-Hyun, on the other hand, had no such constraints.
If he chose a specialization and became a top disciple, the professors’ imaginations ran wild with the possibilities.
Before they could fully articulate their excitement:
Clap! Clap! Clap!
“Why do you think I showed you this?”
Kerrar’s applause silenced the room.
“I showed you this to prevent such a situation. ‘He chose Other Studies because he hasn’t discovered his talent yet. If he meets us, he could change his choice…He should become my top disciple.’ I want to make a sincere request…no, give a warning not to say such things.”
He fixed his gaze on the room.
“Lee Seok-Hyun is in Other Studies, and I will be in charge of him. I’ve already received permission from the chairman, so I won’t accept any objections.”
Kerrar produced his appointment letter with a friendly smile.
Shudder.
The professors, faced with Kerrar’s rarely shown emotions, tried to calm their breathing.
As the once warm atmosphere turned icy:
“Shall we determine the rankings again? I really wanted to participate too. I look forward to working with you all.”
Only Kerrar moved cheerfully, his sly smile reappearing.
Lee Seok-Hyun’s name was firmly etched in the minds of all the first-year professors.
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“Student! Student! It’s here! It’s here!”
“My underwear arrived already? That’s incredibly fast.”
“No, not that! The acceptance notice!”
Already? That was incredibly fast.
I was lying leisurely on the bed when I suddenly sat up at the inn owner’s words.
The exam had been on Monday, and today was Saturday.
It was an incredibly short turnaround, considering they had to sift through tens of thousands of examinees.
This aspect wasn’t shown in the game, so it was fascinating to experience it firsthand.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
After breaking through three layers of seals and completing the blood authentication, the acceptance notice finally emerged from the
envelope.
‘Of course I passed, right?’
Despite my casual words, my hands trembled.
I took a deep breath and slowly opened the acceptance notice.
“Phew… huh?”
There, alongside the word “Accepted,” was an indication of my overall rank: 6th place.
‘What the fuck?’
For the first time in Lee Seok-Hyun’s gameplay history, an unexpected situation had arisen.
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[Shio here~!
And here Seok-Hyun was out here preparing to enter the academy as a janitor or something LOL!]
Lmfao, he thinks he is weak
Well, technically he is indeed weak: first of all he’s 6th place, which means he’s the lowest ranked “Main Character” even though he’s getting a bonus from having the best theoretical knowledge, then there’s the fact that he can’t use mana and has no combat Skills(his Main Skill is sealed, his Sub-Skill is for training and his Hidden Skills require special conditions and long cooldowns), he even had to depend on a Unique-Rank Weapon, so yeah he’s “weak” in comparison with the challenges he has to face, even though he’s stronger than most people
Gotta wonder how strong his physical strength is lol