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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: bchen3
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The exam period flew by like an arrow.
Preparing for both theory and practical exams simultaneously, I was busy non-stop on weekdays and weekends alike.
For the theory portion, I prepared after school on weekdays with the help of Cha Eun-wol and Yoon Seol-ha.
Surprisingly, the two of them…
“What? Eun-wol, you also got a perfect score on the entrance exam written test?!”
“Yeah, Seol-ha got a perfect score too, right? Since you were the top student.”
“And with your magical power too. You’re amazing…?”
“If you put it that way, Seol-ha, you’re even more amazing!”
They were geniuses who had passed the entrance exam with perfect scores.
Thanks to them, Im Gang-cheol and I were able to receive personalized tutoring.
For the practical portion, we mainly prepared on weekends.
Cha Eun-wol and I took the lead in helping the others with the mana breathing method, while Yoon Seol-ha and I led the virtual combat training.
Finally, for the stat circuit training, we focused on teamwork since it was conducted in team units.
That’s how three weeks passed in the blink of an eye, and finally, Monday arrived.
The first semester midterm exams began.
“From now on, students should put everything except writing instruments into their backpacks…”
The first and second days consisted only of theoretical exams.
Gate and Fissure Introduction, Monster Ecology, Basic Magical Power Theory, and more—the difficulty level of the questions was considerable.
But…
“…They’re really coming out exactly as they predicted.”
I was able to solve them much more easily than expected.
Over 70% of the questions were from the sections that the two of them, Cha Eun-wol and Yoon Seol-ha, had pointed out.
Thanks to them, when I calculated my average score on the theoretical exams…
“Oh, Il-han got 82 points? That’s amazing!”
My average for the theoretical exams exceeded 80 points.
The practical exams, which took place from the third day to the last day, yielded even better scores.
First, magical power.
The measured magical power stat directly became the score, with 10 points per stat and a perfect score for 10 stats or more.
There, I…
-Magical Power Stat 9
I scored 90 points with 9 stats.
This was undoubtedly thanks to the Shadow.
“Both when using the footwork and since the day after the observation class, I’ve been sitting cross-legged and focusing solely on the mana breathing method.”
Thanks to it, I obtained 90 points without much effort.
Conversely, for the second part, virtual combat, I put in quite a bit of effort.
As a result…
-B+ Rank
I scored 80 points with a B+ rank, one level higher than during my bet with Yoon Seol-ha.
And finally, the stat circuit training.
Perhaps because it was conducted at an F+ difficulty level, the score was definitely lower than during the performance assessment.
Nevertheless…
[An Il-han]
-First semester midterm stat circuit training practical exam 78 points
78 points, a score that wasn’t too bad.
“Theoretical average of 82 points, practical average of roughly 82 points. Plus the performance assessment of 90 points.”
It was a score I couldn’t have even imagined at the beginning of my enrollment, let alone worrying about forced transfer.
Thus, I successfully completed the first semester midterms.
….
After the midterms…
I had a simple dinner gathering with my friends at the school store as a post-exam celebration.
“Everyone worked hard!”
Im Gang-cheol shouted, raising his drink as if proposing a toast.
Right after that, he began inhaling frozen food as if he had finished his duty.
At his consistent behavior, Cha Eun-wol grimaced while Yoon Seol-ha smiled faintly.
While enjoying the relaxed atmosphere, I suddenly opened my mouth toward Yoon Seol-ha.
“By the way, Yoon Seol-ha.”
“Yes?”
“How were your grades this time?”
“Hmm, so-so? But I probably won’t be first place.”
Yoon Seol-ha trailed off with a somewhat regretful expression.
Originally, her efforts and competitive spirit stemmed from the trauma of her father, who had dismissed all her efforts.
Even now that all problems had been cleanly resolved, her competitive spirit still seemed to remain.
“Has it already become a part of her personality?”
I thought it was quite characteristic of her.
Meanwhile, Cha Eun-wol, who had been listening, opened her mouth with a somewhat shadowed expression.
“It’s because of me that your score, Seol-ha…”
She was talking about the stat circuit training, which included team scores.
She was blaming herself for Yoon Seol-ha’s lower score due to her own performance.
To this, Yoon Seol-ha hurriedly waved her hands.
“No, no! We all worked hard together! Yes, we can do better next time…!”
While Yoon Seol-ha was frantically trying to console her…
“That’s right, Cha Eun-wol! You can do better next time!”
Im Gang-cheol responded nonchalantly.
“…You also lowered Seol-ha’s score.”
“That was my best effort, so I have no regrets!”
“…Ugh.”
In the end, Cha Eun-wol let out a groan.
Seeing this, Yoon Seol-ha added with a faint smile:
“That’s right, we’ll have many more opportunities in the future. Everyone worked hard… thank you.”
For some reason, she glanced at me as she finished speaking.
Although the last reaction was puzzling, one thing seemed certain.
“She’s completely returned to her original self.”
The trauma that the Shadow had emphasized as its “duty” seemed to have been completely resolved now.
Perhaps because I’d recalled it anew, my thoughts naturally drifted toward the Shadow.
“Was it the day after the observation class?”
The day after the observation class.
While checking my stats, status window, and videos as usual, I detected a new change.
It was in the status window, specifically in the part about the unimplemented trait.
[Trait]
-Shadow of ????
Synchronization Rate 17%
Time remaining until complete transplantation [75 : 24 : 47]
Not only had the synchronization rate exceeded 15%, but a mysterious phrase [complete transplantation] had been added.
“Seeing that it appeared as soon as I reached 15%, this also seems to be part of a new function.”
I immediately asked it about this, but the answer was incredibly vague.
“It helps build up my weight class, or something like that.”
Weight class—I roughly interpreted this as capabilities as an aspiring superhuman.
Since then, I hadn’t heard much from it.
No messages, and its actions were focused solely on training the mana breathing method.
Therefore, I was eagerly counting the days until the [complete transplantation] was finished.
“75 hours, roughly by next Monday I’ll know.”
By then, I would surely learn something.
As I was organizing my thoughts…
Thump, thump-
Suddenly, I felt a presence approaching the table.
When I slightly turned my head, unexpected figures caught my eye.
“…Baek Yu-jin? And the two behind him are Shim In-wook and Oh Yoon-seo, right?”
It was none other than the trio with impressive backgrounds.
My head naturally tilted at their approach.
“Why are they coming? Is it because of Yoon Seol-ha?”
While I didn’t know about Shim In-wook and Oh Yoon-seo, Baek Yu-jin would certainly be acquainted with Yoon Seol-ha.
After all, they had been admitted as the second and first-place students, respectively.
Perhaps that was why…
“…”
Yoon Seol-ha also seemed to be watching their approach with a cautious demeanor.
Her reaction was somewhat understandable.
Those people, especially Baek Yu-jin, were competitors and stood at the opposite end from her in terms of having solid backgrounds.
“Plus, she was also harmed by Kang Jin-sol’s gang during the performance assessment.”
I accepted that explanation and examined Baek Yu-jin closely.
He didn’t seem to mind Yoon Seol-ha’s expression.
Instead, he approached with a bright smile on his face.
Standing before the table, he opened his mouth.
“Hello, I’m Baek Yu-jin. What’s your name?”
But his target was a bit unusual.
His gaze was not directed at Yoon Seol-ha.
He merely greeted her with a slight nod.
The person he actually addressed was…
“…Me?”
It was me.
“I was sure he would speak to Yoon Seol-ha.”
I tilted my head while quietly answering.
“An Il-han.”
“Wow, that’s quite a unique name?”
“Well, I hear that often.”
At my indifferent response, he licked his lips with a strange expression.
“What’s with him?”
For some reason, Baek Yu-jin was showing interest in me.
I couldn’t even begin to guess the reason.
As I silently observed him…
“…Hmm?”
Suddenly, the expressions of the two people standing behind Baek Yu-jin, Shim In-wook and Oh Yoon-seo, caught my eye.
Their reactions were as strange as Baek Yu-jin’s.
“Oh Yoon-seo seems to be glaring at Cha Eun-wol, and as for Shim In-wook… what’s with that look in his eyes?”
Shim In-wook hadn’t spared me a glance while approaching.
But from the moment Baek Yu-jin spoke to me, he started side-eyeing me with a strange expression.
In this strange atmosphere, Baek Yu-jin continued speaking.
“An Il-han, can I call you Il-han?”
“Sure.”
“Il-han, do your parents happen to be affiliated with the Woongshim Guild?”
“…Woongshim? One of the four major guilds?”
“Yes!”
The Woongshim (雄心) Guild.
I was quite taken aback by this unexpected question.
Perhaps my feelings showed on my face, as he added with an embarrassed smile:
“Actually, I saw you doing virtual combat the other day by chance! Your footwork was amazing!”
Now I somewhat understood why he was interested.
Additionally…
“To think that even the great Baek Yu-jin would show interest, and even make a connection to one of South Korea’s four major guilds.”
I truly realized the power and value of the Black Shadow Walk.
Moreover, my expectations for the means that it had promised me naturally rose.
A smile involuntarily formed inside me, but without showing it outwardly, I shook my head.
“I’m not related to any guild. My father is a civilian.”
“Ah, I see…”
Baek Yu-jin, with an even more peculiar light in his eyes.
He immediately apologized with a clear smile.
“Sorry for the interruption, I just can’t hold back when I’m curious. Enjoy your time!”
With those words, he coolly turned and left.
Shim In-wook and Oh Yoon-seo also departed with him.
“Judging by how informally he spoke, he doesn’t seem like a bad person.”
He was clearly different from Kang Jin-sol’s gang, who put on airs with their meager backgrounds.
Of course, this observation was limited to Baek Yu-jin; the other two still felt distant.
“Well, that’s to be expected.”
I organized my thoughts and moved on.
The atmosphere had momentarily stiffened due to the appearance of unexpected figures, but…
“Whew! That was delicious! By the way, what just happened?”
Thanks to the natural demeanor of Im Gang-cheol, things returned to normal.
After spending some more time like that, we wrapped up the post-exam gathering.
….
The weekend passed in an instant, and a new week began.
On Monday, normally there would have been some form of class, but…
“Today’s practical class will be replaced with grade announcements, interviews for forced transfer candidates, and a preliminary explanation of the first semester final curriculum.”
Perhaps because it was right after the midterms, the class proceeded in a slightly different form.
First came the grade announcements.
“18th out of 200 in the class, and 78th in the entire school, huh.”
This meant I was in the top 15% of both the class and the entire school.
“If I could be even more ambitious and rise to the top 5%, no, the top 1%…”
I could get much closer to my goal.
While I was making constructive resolutions to myself…
The instructor mentioned the “forced transfer candidates.”
At that moment, the classroom atmosphere completely froze.
“…Therefore, there are a total of 28 interview subjects.”
A whopping 28 people.
About 10% of the A-class cadets had their names on the forced transfer list.
Most were discouraged, and some even burst into tears.
“It’s certainly a harsh condition, but…”
Such sentiments had somewhat faded compared to the beginning of the semester.
This was because I had directly experienced that it was possible to keep up with both classes and exams, depending on the effort put in.
After finishing the interviews during the 7th and 8th periods, the instructor began explaining the first semester final curriculum from the 9th period.
“First, the scope of the first semester final practical exam. Two subjects from the application of the magical power stat, and two subjects from practical combat. A total of four subjects.”
The instructor continued:
“Therefore, the first semester final curriculum consists of the mana breathing method stages 4 and 5 introductory class conducted by myself, and the advanced weapons course conducted under the guidance of weapons-specific instructors.”
Mana breathing method stages 4 and 5, and the advanced weapons course.
These represented the acquisition of mana skills and the first real combat experience, respectively.
Perhaps that was why they felt particularly significant to me.
“Both subjects feel like the first gateway to becoming a combat-type superhuman.”
The curriculum to becoming a combat-type superhuman.
If the first semester midterm process was a kind of preparation, the final process was the real beginning.
Amid this excitement…
“Come to think of it, the Shadow was also preparing something.”
I recalled another element that evoked anticipation.
It was none other than the Shadow’s new function.
And there were as many as two of them.
The first was the mana breathing method that it had been silently focusing on for three weeks.
“I wonder what changes there will be in mana manipulation.”
I would be able to check immediately since there was a magical power class tomorrow.
And the second was the [transplantation] that appeared in the status window when the synchronization rate reached 15%.
“Calculating the remaining time, it’s around 10 PM.”
This could also be confirmed in a few hours.
Thus, I waited for the end of the school day with a sense of anticipation.
…
…
…
Four hours later.
-The transplantation of the [skill] imprinted on consciousness has been completed!
“A skill imprinted on consciousness…? What is this?”
Along with the message I had been waiting for, an unexpected gift was given to me.
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