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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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The preliminary exam consisted of three parts, each assigned a score and the total determined whether the applicant passed or failed.
Physical Ability Assessment.
Magic Ability Assessment.
Knowledge Assessment.
The majority of applicants were confident in their physical abilities and, conversely, apprehensive about the knowledge assessment.
“Haha! Back home, no one could match my strength!”
“I’ve been an adventurer for years. I won’t lose to some brats.”
“Physical and magical abilities, I get, but why knowledge?”
“Damn it, isn’t it enough to be good with a sword?”
Reactions to the magic assessment varied.
Some were indifferent, unsure of what to expect, while others tried to hide their nervousness and anticipation.
‘I’ve heard that talent alone gets you halfway with magic. Maybe I have some hidden power!’
‘What if I get an incredibly high score? Important people might come looking for me.’
Hmm, I could pretty much guess what they were thinking.
Such expectations were the same whether it was fresh-faced youngsters or grizzled veterans barely making the age cutoff.
Well, getting older didn’t mean you stopped buying lottery tickets. In fact, the desire for a life-changing windfall only intensified with age.
And it didn’t take long for those vague hopes and confidence to shatter.
Three categories: physical, magical, and knowledge.
A minimum of 10 points out of a maximum of 30 in each category was required to pass.
However, most of the thousands of applicants who confidently challenged the preliminary exam were soon met with dismal scorecards.
“Number 271. Hans. Physical Ability 3, Magic Ability 2, Knowledge 1. Total 6 points. Fail.”
“H-hold on! Didn’t you say it was out of 10?! That’s too harsh!”
“As previously stated, failure to comply with instructions during the exam may result in immediate disqualification.”
“Ugh.”
The red-haired young man with a flushed face, who had been about to argue with the examiner, stepped back with a frustrated expression.
No one mocked him for being intimidated.
Or rather, even if they thought so, no idiot would voice it aloud.
-Clank.
-Thud.
Exam proctors clad in silver full-body armor…in other words, soldiers dispatched by the Empire exuded a heavy presence with each step. Their gazes, visible through the visors of their helmets, shone intensely.
With such individuals swarming the testing site, no one would dare to cause a scene and declare the exam invalid.
The situation was similar for most of the other applicants.
Many young men who boasted of their strength in their respective fields averaged 3 or 4 points in the physical ability assessment.
Those who exceeded 5 points were rare, and those with 6 or more could be counted on one hand.
The average score for the magic assessment was 3.
However, there were occasional cases of scores exceeding 6 or 7, so compared to physical ability, a larger number of applicants received good scores in this category.
And the knowledge assessment?
“Excuse me, how do you read this character?”
“…1 point.”
“W-wait! I was joking! I’ll try it properly!”
“This isn’t multiple choice. It’s a written answer. You can’t guess.”
“…Uh, what’s a written answer?”
“Guards! Remove this individual!”
It was a disaster.
More than half of the applicants couldn’t even read, let alone take the exam. And of those who could read, half couldn’t comprehend the content.
Those from wealthy families or of noble birth fared slightly better, but even they didn’t have an easy time.
[Five suspects are being interrogated at a murder scene. If four of them are telling the truth, who is lying?]
[Look at the image below and choose the symbol that fits in the blank space.]
Most of the questions weren’t about specialized knowledge or common sense, but tested the applicants’ comprehension and judgment.
The majority of applicants received 1 point, and the average score was 2.
Watching many crumble before the 10-point hurdle, I thought,
‘As expected, the “Template” candidates are cheats. In the game, I could easily pass the preliminary exam even without any preparation in the first year.’
Of course, doing that would result in getting completely destroyed in the main exam later, but it was a testament to the protagonists’ exceptional talent.
Even the original “Greedy Prodigal,” known for their mediocre physical and magical abilities, easily scored a total of 12, and it was common for the “Nameless War Ghost” to secure at least 14 points despite bombing the knowledge assessment.
So, how would we fare, after two years of thorough preparation?
“Number 277. Chrom Midas. Physical Ability 6, Magic Ability 5, Knowledge 7. Total 18 points. Pass.”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd at the examiner’s announcement.
The highest score so far.
They seemed surprised that the individual in question was a member of the infamous Midas family, and even more surprised that a skinny young man who looked to be not even twenty had received the same physical ability score as the burly, muscular men.
But it was only natural for me.
I had invested a fortune in improving my frail body, consuming top-quality medicinal herbs that wouldn’t even acknowledge silver and required gold to be taken seriously.
Considering the physical training I had also undergone, 6 points felt almost disappointing.
It was all because of that damn father of mine, who relentlessly worked me instead of letting a growing child sleep peacefully.
The commotion didn’t end there.
“Number 278. Regret. Physical Ability 9, Magic Ability 7, Knowledge 5. Total 21 points. Pass.”
“Number 279. Fiore Midas. Physical Ability 2, Magic Ability 5, Knowledge 9. Total 16 points. Pass.”
The other applicants weren’t the only ones astonished by the consecutively high scores.
The examiner’s voice trembled slightly, as if he hadn’t anticipated such high scores, and the soldiers acting as guards whispered amongst themselves.
It was understandable.
While 10 points was the maximum score, that was only in theory.
From my perspective, having played “Planetarium” and experienced the Academy storyline twice, the Empire’s evaluation criteria were as follows:
1-2: Lacking ability.
3-4: Not lacking, but not exceptional either.
5-6: Excellent talent or well-trained.
7-8: Possessing exceptional talent, worthy of scouting even if other abilities were lacking.
So, what did 9 and 10 signify?
Genius, or monster.
Considering that 10 points was a score achievable only by 2nd or 3rd-year players after specializing their stats for achievement hunting, 9 points was effectively the highest score.
‘The original “Nameless War Ghost” had a physical ability score of around 7 at this point, so it’s increased by 2 points. That’s comparable to the “Proud Barbarian.”‘
Considering the “Proud Barbarian” possessed monstrous physical abilities even among all the templates, this was an encouraging result.
The problem was…
‘…Why is Fiore’s score so high?’
Her physical ability score matched her appearance, and her magic score was understandable, given her prior training at the temple.
The problem was her knowledge score. 9 points wasn’t a number easily achievable through simple cleverness.
‘This is second-tier among the countless potential allies in “Planetarium,” and even first-tier depending on training methods.’
Considering that players often chose allies based on appearance and personality as much as stats, someone with such striking looks and decent abilities wouldn’t have been omitted from strategy guides or online discussions.
But at least among the Midas-related characters I knew, there wasn’t a single one like Fiore, or even close.
There were three possibilities.
「She’s a resident of this world, unrelated to “Planetarium.”」
This was the most plausible possibility.
I had known from the beginning that this world wasn’t exactly the same as the game.
It wouldn’t be strange for there to be characters or events I didn’t know about.
「The result of history changing due to my actions.」
If I had acted like the original Prodigal, my elder brother, Holter Midas, would already be dead.
Bern Midas wouldn’t have focused on collecting Cubes, and Theo Midas wouldn’t have become a key player in the succession struggle.
It was possible that Fiore, who might have died or faced a similar fate in the original timeline, was now safe and active.
And the last possibility:
「She’s a character from “Planetarium,” but I haven’t realized it yet.」
There were characters who appeared in the game but whose faces were unknown to the player, such as those who wore masks, possessed transformation abilities, or never removed their helmets.
If Fiore was such a case, it was natural for me to not recognize her.
I was curious about her true identity, but there was no easy way to confirm it. And having strong companions was a good thing, not a bad thing.
As I placated Regret, who expressed disappointment at not reaching 10 points, and Fiore, who complained about the grueling physical assessment, I pushed my doubts to the back of my mind.
In any case, we had passed the preliminary exam.
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Well, would you look at that, I wasn’t expecting Fiore to be a mastermind-type