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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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I am the only human who has seen the end of Eternity Sword Saint Chronicle.
Naturally, I have all the important information memorized.
Where to go and what to do to obtain a certain Noble Armament, the strategies for each Demonic Beast, and even the backstories of all the main characters.
But the questions on the written exam were of a completely different nature.
Optimal effective range, mana concentration, blah blah blah… it was just a long list of incomprehensible words.
And then, a convenient message appeared.
[Pass the written exam!]
[Minimum passing cost: 500 SP]
“…Hah.”
It was so absurd I was speechless.
The “Beginner’s Benefit” I was given at the start was 1000 SP. And the points needed for Noble Armament resonance was 500 SP.
This was a ridiculous condition that basically meant if I had chosen a moderately suitable Noble Armament instead of Gram and gotten lucky enough to pass the practical exam, I could use the remaining 500 SP to pass the written exam.
The Beginner’s Benefit was nonsense; they just gave me enough to cover the mandatory expenses.
I’m so grateful I could just kill them.
I was grinding my teeth at the system’s “thoughtful consideration” when it happened.
“#362 Gwak Jin-yong, eliminated.”
─Noooo!
One of the candidates was dragged out by the teaching assistants.
‘…What was that?’
Don’t tell me he was cheating?
I blinked, looking at the empty seat in disbelief.
I had heard about people getting disqualified for cheating on the college entrance exams, but this was the first time I had witnessed it with my own eyes.
But that was only the beginning.
“#341, #327, #378, disqualified!”
…Is this really a written exam?
Is it some kind of survival test?
My brain froze as I watched the seats empty out one by one.
It was cheating, alright, but while the word was the same as the ‘cheating’ I knew, the genre was completely different.
I couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like all sorts of strange methods, from magic to curses, were being mobilized.
This was a system where only the people who actually studied were the suckers.
More than that, something had been bothering me for a while, so I glanced to my side.
A single eyeball was floating, its black pupil rolling around as it peeked at the test papers. But no one else seemed to care.
…Don’t tell me I’m the only one who can see that?
Just then, the proctor standing at the podium scanned the classroom and spoke nonchalantly.
“Looks like we’ve weeded out most of the cheaters. Well, if you didn’t get caught, that’s a skill in itself.”
…Ah, so that’s how it is?
Despite the proctor’s personal opinion that cheating was also a skill, the eyeball was still busy peeking at the test papers.
I looked at the girl sitting next to me, who was wearing a large witch’s hat pulled down low.
‘It seems like she’s the one doing it…’
The girl, feeling my gaze, seemed surprised and her eyes widened. Then she winked and brought a finger to her lips.
Before I could respond, the proctor continued.
“Everyone, stop what you’re doing and pay attention. It’s time for the theory evaluation.”
A theory evaluation during a written exam?
The other candidates seemed to feel the same confusion as me, as they all looked at the proctor with puzzled faces.
“Theory is useless if you can’t apply it. The theory evaluation is a time to see if you can apply it.”
Well, I guess it’s something similar to a listening test.
The proctor tapped the blackboard and said.
“Everyone, come up to the blackboard and write your name. That’s how I’ll evaluate your theory.”
One candidate asked with a bewildered expression.
“Is that really all we have to do?”
“The first candidate to write their name will pass the written exam.”
“……!”
A momentary silence fell over the exam room at the proctor’s bombshell announcement.
And the candidates realized this wasn’t simply a matter of writing their names.
They didn’t know what it was, but it was bound to be difficult.
Just then, a candidate shot his hand up.
“What happens if we can’t write our name?”
“You just go back to solving the test paper. However, anyone I judge to be falling behind will be immediately dismissed. Any more questions?”
The proctor scanned the room and smirked.
Forget asking questions, everyone was busy getting into position to dash out.
“If not, let’s begin.”
As soon as the proctor finished speaking, the candidates shot out of their seats.
And.
“Heok!”
“Ugh!”
They couldn’t take a single step before being pushed back.
“W-what is this?”
“Suddenly, a chill…”
As the pale-faced candidates panicked, the proctor grinned.
“Didn’t I tell you? This is a ‘theory evaluation’.”
Theory evaluation.
Seeing that and the candidates who had retreated, I immediately understood.
‘It’s a magic formation.’
A magic formation is a magical space that restricts the movement of things within it.
Just like how the candidates were pushed back.
I remained seated, not getting up.
No matter how fast I ran, I couldn’t be faster than those who use mana.
Rather than waste my energy, it was better for my mental health to give up early and just watch. But…
‘This changes things.’
If this is the situation, then I have a way too.
But first, a confirmation.
“Are you sure it doesn’t matter what method we use?”
“That’s right, as long as you write your name on the blackboard.”
“No take-backs later, okay?”
When I asked again for confirmation, the proctor smirked.
“If I go back on my word, I’ll grant you anything you desire, at my own discretion.”
*Screech—*
At those words, I pushed my chair back and stood up.
***
There are two ways to break a magic formation.
First: Find the axes where mana feels thick and move in order, like moving pieces in a Yut game.
Second: Brute force your way through with your own power.
Either way was impossible for me, who had no mana.
I couldn’t feel mana, and I certainly didn’t have the ability to break through a magic formation.
But it was precisely because I had no mana that there was a method only I could use.
“What? Why is he leaving?”
“Is he planning to go around through the front door?”
“Proctor! Is that allowed?”
The candidates who saw my actions caused a commotion.
He said it didn’t matter what method we used, but he didn’t say it was okay to leave the ‘exam room’.
But what could I do?
If they had a problem with it, they should leave too.
If they could, that is.
“Uwaaaah!”
“Keuk!”
The candidates who tried to leave through the back door were sent flying back before they could even cross the threshold.
That’s because a ‘Mana Detection Barrier’ was spread across the exam room door.
It was a barrier that prevented anyone from leaving the exam room without an assistant until the exam was over.
And this barrier reacts to a target’s ‘mana’. In other words, only I, who had no ‘mana’, could pass through it freely.
“What, how did he get out?”
“Did he steal a staff card?”
“This is cheating!”
The candidates crowded around the back door, clamoring like monkeys in a cage.
They were convinced that Lee Haesol had used some kind of trick.
However, a few of the candidates and the proctor knew that wasn’t the case.
Lee Haesol hadn’t used any tricks; he had simply passed through the barrier purely on his own.
“…Hah.”
Eun Gaye’s mouth fell open in surprise, and Han Se-yeon’s eyes sparkled.
Passing through a Mana Detection Barrier was an incredible feat.
To avoid mana detection, one had to hide their mana so perfectly that it couldn’t be caught, and that was not as easy as it sounded.
No matter how carefully one tried to contain it, a faint amount of mana would always leak out.
To perfectly conceal it without leaking a single drop meant that Lee Haesol’s mana control ability had already surpassed the student level.
Moreover, Lee Haesol didn’t even show any signs of difficulty.
Even if he wasn’t panting from exertion, it would be normal to at least break a sweat.
“…That bastard, don’t tell me he has no mana?”
One candidate muttered in disbelief.
But everyone knew that couldn’t be possible.
Even the candidate who said it was just speaking out of sheer shock. And so, the correct answer was passed over like flowing water.
Meanwhile, seeing the candidates’ astonished gazes, I realized my mistake. I had passed through the Mana Detection Barrier too easily.
Should I have pretended it was difficult?
I inwardly regretted it, but what’s done is done. Vowing to be more careful in the future, I opened the front door and entered. As expected, the proctor, just as surprised as the students, greeted me with wide eyes.
“Did you awaken a Gift at your age? Incredible.”
I couldn’t say yes, but I couldn’t say no either…
With a sigh, I silently wrote my name on the blackboard, and the proctor nodded as if he understood.
“So it was a Mana Control Gift after all.”
Mana control, my ass.
You need mana to control it in the first place. I felt unfairly judged but didn’t bother to correct him.
It’s not like I was going to come out and announce I had no mana.
If I did that, I couldn’t complain even if I was immediately packed up and kicked out, forget about passing.
I let out a deep sigh and asked.
“Haaah, is it over now?”
“Yes, you pass.”
As the proctor said with a grin, a status window message appeared.
[Quest Complete: Enroll in Eternity!]
[500 SP and Projector of Ideals awarded as completion rewards.]
[#Ep2. You have entered the Academy Scenario.]
***
…In the empty exam room after the written test had ended.
Proctor Jeong Hae-jun was flipping through the test papers submitted by the candidates when his eyebrows twitched.
“Doodles.”
A test paper filled with drawings of fluffy clouds was stuck in the pile.
And when Jeong Hae-jun read the name written on the paper, he couldn’t help but let out a smirk.
“Hoo, he’s an incredible guy in many ways.”
This year’s entrance exam was flooded with talents for whom the word ‘incredible’ was an understatement.
Among them were some who, despite not being official superhumans yet, were as famous as one, and there was even a rising star recommended by the Association President. But none had surprised Jeong Hae-jun as much as the owner of this test paper.
It made sense. Anyone who could control mana with such precision could easily break through the magic formation used for the theory evaluation. They wouldn’t even need to find the path; they could just let the formation’s mana flow past them.
It would have been as easy as flipping their palm for that kid. But he didn’t. As if the formation was too boring, he didn’t even get up from his seat. And what he chose was to break through the Mana Detection Barrier, which was much more difficult than the formation.
That was something not even in Jeong Hae-jun’s calculations.
“Ha, what a funny guy.”
Jeong Hae-jun let out a dry laugh as he scanned the test paper.
There wasn’t even a trace of him having attempted the problems.
“A guy who passes the written exam with a blank paper.”
Jeong Hae-jun felt a sense of amusement as he imagined the reactions of the written exam professors when they saw the blank test paper.
And so, the only name written on the blackboard,‘Lee Haesol’, was erased.
***
“…Ughhh.”
After returning from the exam, I immediately collapsed onto the bed.
There wasn’t a single part of my body that didn’t ache.
The after-effects of synchronizing with Gram were only now showing up.
It would have been stranger if my body, which had only ever exercised by breathing, was fine after moving so frantically.
But the moment I opened the status window, I shot up from my seat.
“…Oh.”
[Projector of Ideals]
─You can project objects or abilities by consuming SP.
[Player Lee Haesol]
[Remaining Points: 6500 SP]
As I had expected, the Projector of Ideals was a reality manipulation-type Gift. Moreover, there weren’t even any restrictions on projecting abilities.
“This is completely broken.”
Eternity was a world where ability was synonymous with skill.
As a simple example, Eun Gaye had toyed with the candidates like they were rag dolls with just her Gravity Gift alone. The Projector of Ideals meant that I could acquire such abilities without any restrictions.
“…Do I just have to imagine it?”
I tried to form an image in my head of whatever came to mind.
▶Player Lee Haesol can handle all Noble Armaments.
My imagination appeared as text in the status window.
“So it’s like this.”
It was a little creepy, but I decided not to think too deeply about it. This world was a game, after all.
Anyway, the ability to handle Noble Armaments was the one I needed most.
If I don’t have mana, I’ll just have to push through with the power of items.
But.
[Ability to handle all Noble Armaments]
[Cost: 1,000,000 SP]
“Hmm.”
Are my eyes getting blurry?
How many zeros is that?
Pass, for now.
After browsing through a few more, I realized.
The more shameless the ability, the more expensive it is.
‘I can’t even touch the Gift section.’
Abilities in Eternity are largely divided into ‘Talents’ and ‘Gifts’.
Talents, as the name suggests, represent an aptitude for a specific field. On the other hand, Gifts are special powers that interfere with reality.
Eun Gaye’s gravity and my Projector of Ideals fall into this Gift category.
They are abilities that are as rare to awaken as they are overpowered, and even when awakened, they are difficult to control.
I had secretly wanted to project a Gift, but with my current points, it was out of the question. I had no choice but to think of a trait I could use right away.
▶Player Lee Haesol is a genius of the Art of Flying Blades.
….
[Talent: Prodigy in the Art of Flying Blades]
[Cost: 3000 SP]
[You have enough points. Projection is possible. Would you like to project?]
‘Yes.’
[Consuming 3000 SP.]
[Projecting Talent ‘Prodigy in the Art of Flying Blades’.]
An updated information window appeared.
▶Player Lee Haesol
[Stamina: 1.5]
[Strength: 0.8]
[Agility: 2.8]
[Endurance: 1]
[Dexterity: 3]
Owned Gift: Projector of Ideals
Owned Talent: Prodigy in the Art of Flying Blades Lv1
[Remaining Points: 3500 SP]
….
The Art of Flying Blades.
At a glance, it might not seem like much, but in Eternity, there are few abilities as easy to use and as efficient as this one.
To put it simply, it means that even throwing a rolling pebble or a leaf can turn it into a weapon.
This becomes more lethal as one’s proficiency increases.
Even so, it’s treated as a non-mainstream skill because using a gun or magic is much more effective, but considering its synergy with Gram’s Gift [Fission], the Art of Flying Blades suited me better.
Since I can’t use mana, it would be difficult to expect much power, but…
“Shit.”
The more I think about it, the more unfair it feels.
How can I not have mana?
Does that mean if I project a special ability, I can just spam it without any cost?
As if in answer to my question, a status window message appeared.
[You have projected an ability for the first time. 1000 SP is granted.]
[Player System, ‘Ki’, will be implemented.]
[The activation cost for Ki is 3000 SP.]
[You have enough points to activate Ki. Would you like to activate it?]
“Ki?”
I calmly read the entry for ‘Ki’. Then my jaw dropped.
…It seems I won’t be needing mana or whatever it’s called.
“This is how it should be.”
I shouted with joy and immediately activated Ki.
In that instant, a light flashed, and a yellow gauge bar appeared at the bottom of my vision, just like in a game.
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I translated it as Ki but it could also be seen as Stamina or Energy.
Ki is fine