The Entrance Exam (1)

I seemed to have fallen into a far more troublesome situation than I’d expected. The Mark of the Seven Sins. And the first stigma that had been unsealed—Pride. In this world, the word “Seven Sins” carried a weight that was anything but light.

Disasters born after the ancient war of the gods. The Seven Sin Species. I recalled the original novel. “They never appeared after the war.” In the story, the Seven Sin Species were already creatures of legend—beings that existed only in records by the current timeline.

So why the hell did I have one?

I opened the status window again.

The description of the Mark of the Seven Sins was as cryptic as ever.

There was no information on the ability’s effects or how to use it. Just the name and those cryptic sentences. I let out a dry chuckle.

“How considerate.”

It was clearly telling me to figure it out myself. I closed my eyes and focused my mind. Mark of the Seven Sins. Pride.

…Nothing happened. No flow of mana, no change in my body.

“Not an activation type?”

I tried several more times, but the result was the same. I closed the status window. Still, one thing was certain.

“It definitely won’t be ordinary.”

There was no way a name like Seven Sins was just for show. I turned my gaze out the window. The village lay quietly asleep in the darkness. The guard’s words came back to me.

“Two months from now.”

The Arcadia Academy entrance exam.

“Two months…”

Short if short, long if long. I pulled up the status window once more.

“…It really is plain.”

Honestly, it looked a little weak. My mana was fairly high, but I shook my head. I wasn’t aiming to become a mage. Recalling the original novel, Arcadia Academy was broadly divided into two departments: Martial and Liberal Arts.

Liberal Arts was exactly what it sounded like—centered on academics. Theology, law, medicine, philosophy, even magitech. But that wasn’t where I was headed.

Martial Department. The combat-focused track. And even within it, there were further divisions: Magic Studies, Divine Studies, and Swordsmanship.

“The answer’s already set.”

Magic wasn’t bad. In fact, looking at my stats, my mana value was quite high. But learning magic properly in just two months was unrealistic. I’d need textbooks and grimoires, and I didn’t have a single coin to my name.

I glanced down at my waist. A single worn-out sword hung there—the one I’d borrowed from the guard. I slowly drew it. The quiet scrape of metal rang out.

It felt familiar in my hand.

“Knight Division.”

That was my goal. I could learn magic later. The fundamentals were combat. And the sword.

The problem was the exam itself. The Arcadia Academy entrance ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠test consisted of two major parts: written and practical. I thought for a moment.

“The written test… should be fine.”

I’d been confident in math back in my original world, and I could read the language naturally now—probably some transmigration perk. The issue was history. Dates, events, names of important figures.

“…I’ll have to memorize that.”

And then the practical. I gripped the sword again. It felt more familiar than magic. Moving my body was something I could handle. I stood up.

“Alright.”

Two months. The things I needed to do during that time were clear.

Training.

From the next day onward, I headed into the forest every morning. At first it was simple—running, building up my body. My breath would catch in my throat, my legs would tremble. But I didn’t stop. One day, two days, several days passed, and it gradually got better.

Once my body was warmed up, I picked up the sword. Swinging, swinging again. Cutting, thrusting, blocking. Basic forms. At first my posture was a mess. The blade shook, my balance collapsed. But I repeated it. Hundreds, thousands of times.

“Lower your elbow.”

One day a voice came from behind me. It was the guard. I corrected my stance.

“A sword isn’t swung with strength alone.”

He took my hand and adjusted my posture.

“Move with your entire body.”

When I followed his advice, the sword moved noticeably smoother.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“Yes. That’s it.”

After that day, he occasionally watched over my training. Thanks to him, my swordsmanship improved bit by bit.

At night I went to the record hall. The village’s small archive was filled with old books. The founding of the Astrea Empire, the subjugation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the Demon King, the history of Arcadia Academy. I flipped through the pages, muttering to myself.

“It’s more manageable than I thought.”

Math was easy. I just had to memorize history. And so I repeated training and study without rest.

One day the guard ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠said to me,

“You’ve gotten quite decent lately.”

I lowered my sword.

“It’s all thanks to you.”

He shrugged and asked,

“So, which department are you applying for?”

“…The Knight Division.”

A brief silence.

“The exam’s coming up soon.”

I bowed my head.

“Thank you for everything until now.”

He waved his hand dismissively.

“Come back after you pass.”

“…I will.”

“Ah, I still haven’t heard your name.”

‘Should I use my original name… or pick a new one…’

Well, it was another world. After a moment’s thought, I answered.

“My name is Leon.”

“Alright, Leon. Take care.”

The moment the conversation ended, the status window flickered and changed.

The part that had been ??? had changed to my name. It was a small change, but it made something inside my chest feel strangely solid.

I left the village. The small village where I had stayed for two months. In the distance, a massive city came into view—the capital of the Astrea Empire. That was where Arcadia Academy stood.

I slung the sword over my shoulder and began to walk.

……

How long had I walked? Even though the morning sun had only just begun to rise, a colossal gate towered before me. A structure built massively of iron and stone. In the center of the city walls that encircled the capital, long lines of people stretched out, waiting to enter.

I joined the crowd and waited for a long time. Finally, I was able to pass through the gates.

“That was close.”

The scene from a few hours ago flashed through my mind.

“Leon. You have an identification tag, right?”

Huh? Identification tag? While I stood there dazed, the guard continued.

“Follow me.”

Late at night, I followed him to the village hall. There, they issued me a temporary identification tag with my name on it.

“What would you have done if I hadn’t said anything?”

He grinned as he stood in front of me. I held the metal plate in my hand. My name and a number engraved on it caught the morning sunlight and glinted faintly.

Only after pausing to think did I realize I had been so focused on the novel’s world that I’d completely forgotten about realistic procedures. Seeing that small tag made me truly feel that I had become a person of this world.

——

Back to the present.

After passing through the gates, I headed straight for the academy entrance exam registration desk. I had to apply today if I wanted to take the test tomorrow. Out of the several counters, I chose the one that looked the least crowded from the outside.

When I opened the door and stepped inside, I saw countless people around my age as well as some applicants with unbelievably massive builds. Did I really have to beat all of them?

Nobles didn’t need to come to the registration desk in person even if the test content was the same. Using recommendation letters granted to each family, it was essentially guaranteed acceptance. Even without a letter, they could apply separately under their family name.

After waiting for some time, my turn finally came.

“May I see your identification tag?”

I handed over the metal plate with my name engraved on it. The clerk examined it carefully and nodded.

“Yes, identity confirmed. Which department are you applying for?”

“Martial Department, Knight Division.”

“Understood.”

The clerk handed me a single sheet of paper.

“Please arrive at the location written here by ten o’clock tomorrow.”

I took the paper and left the registration area.

Hoo… Could I really pass?

What I currently possessed were stats I’d raised a little through training, basic swordsmanship, and… perhaps the most important thing of all.

The power of the stigma.

At first I hadn’t known what it could do, but after many attempts I had confirmed that I could use something similar to telekinesis through this ability. I’d initially thought it was just moving things with mana, but when I asked the guard, he told me that mana was generally used to strengthen the body or weapons, or to spread it outward to sense the surroundings. Beyond that were specialized techniques like magic, sword energy, or aura—things I had never learned and didn’t know how to use.

In the end, I decided to define the Authority of Pride from the Mark of the Seven Sins as telekinesis. The moment I did, the status window flickered and updated.

I stared at the screen for a moment. Mana flowed, but this wasn’t a power that manifested according to formulas like magic. My will itself became power.

I reached out and lifted a small pebble lying on the roadside. Then I moved it slightly. The stone stopped in midair exactly as I willed it. A chuckle slipped out.

“…I really got a troublesome ability.”

The second ability would probably only appear in the status window once I figured it out myself. But I no longer regretted it.

The two months I had spent preparing. The sword, stamina, studies, and this small authority. Everything was a stepping stone toward the exam hall.

I took a deep breath and looked at the scene before me. A narrow alley leading to the testing grounds—the place where my challenge would begin. The entrance exam was about to start.