Chapter 140: Did You Do It?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 140: Did You Do It?
A few days had passed since the kidnapping of the children by the unidentified spider monster.
"Aven, do you have a moment?"
I was busy studying, skimming through a set of model answers for the Airship Operator License exam that Ms. Alfi had managed to procure from somewhere, when Theodora spoke to me.
"I guess we have about three days left?"
"In Roanmarie? Yeah, I suppose so."
It felt like it had already been about ten days since we arrived in Roanmarie. If I stayed exposed to this modern civilization for too long, I feared my body would become unfit for the underdeveloped life back in Calax. I’d already grown quite fond of the bed in this luxury lodging.
The biggest concern was Ravi. The bed she usually slept on at the Sateria Appraisal Office was just a place where customers were temporarily laid down for skill appraisals. It was little more than a crude iron frame with some boards and a thin layer of cloth on top.
"My mother says she’ll have some time the day after tomorrow. Shall we go to the Arena?"
"Really? I’d love to."
I desperately wanted to buy the tickets myself, but unfortunately, the Lymain mother and daughter were the type of people who were welcomed without needing tickets at all. They were, after all, the very people who supplied many of the monsters consumed at the Arena.
Naturally, they wouldn't be charged for tickets. Even the premium seats, which were always kept vacant, were apparently reserved for the Lymain family and other sponsors of the Arena.
When I gave my affirmative answer, Theodora gave a bright smile and nodded. Then came Ravi’s turn to quiz me.
"Then, next question! Which of the following is NOT a requirement for a Grade 2 flight technique? Number one: The flight altitude can exceed 30 meters above the ground! Number two: At a speed of 50 kilometers per hour, the braking distance must be within 30 meters! Number three—"
"It's number two."
"Ooh! Correct!"
After staring at this for three days straight, I felt like I could solve the problems with just a glance. If I thought of it like a driver's license exam, it wasn't particularly difficult.
"Do you want to go take the test tomorrow?"
"Hmm, that’s a bit sudden."
"I think you'll do fine, so why not? You have no problem with the practical part, right?"
"That's true."
I suspected this was the reason Lady Lymain had sent Ms. Alfi to manage the lodging. By attaching someone with a license, she had provided me with a legal opportunity to practice for two weeks. It also explained why Ms. Alfi had suddenly brought over the exam's model answers.
Thanks to that, I had practiced the practical portion to my heart's content. There were plenty of wide-open spaces I could use under the Lymain family name. Accompanied by Ravi and Ms. Alfi, I had significantly improved my flight skills; now, I could soar through the air with ease even while carrying both of them.
Practical: check. All that remained was the written exam.
"Yoo Eon, you're quite good at studying...?"
"Well, not particularly."
"Even the students I saw at the Academy weren't this fast at learning..."
From what I knew, the Academy—this world's equivalent of a school—involved enrolling at age ten and graduating at seventeen after the coming-of-age ceremony. Apparently, even attending such an academy was considered a high level of education, reached only by the top 25 percent.
Unfortunately, I had been drafted into the military immediately after being accepted into Earth's strongest Kyungpook National University, but I was still someone who had gone through twelve years of elementary, middle, and high school with the intent of graduating college. I might have a slightly better "study brain" than the people here.
"Indeed, the young master's learning ability is excellent."
"Is that true?"
"Yes, it is true, My Lady."
"Hmm, maybe I should teach him how to handle the business later."
"Dora... I'm an explorer, you know...?"
Well, regardless, it always felt good to be praised for my intelligence. After three days of practicing flight whenever I went out and studying for the written exam whenever I returned to the lodging, I had gained quite a bit of confidence.
"I'll go take the test tomorrow."
"I'll be rooting for you, okay? It'll be embarrassing if you fail."
"Haha, alright."
* * *
"This is... impressive."
"Is it?"
There was no need to worry; the practical exam was a guaranteed pass. Licenses were categorized into grades based on the level of the flight skill, and mine was fast and had excellent braking.
A high-quality flight skill with good turning ability and no defects was Grade 1. Grades 2 and 3 indicated flight skills in poorer condition, with the scale going down to Grade 5.
"It's Grade 1. You've obtained a very enviable flight skill."
"Haha, yes. Well."
The examiner recognized my wings as Gargoyle Wings at a single glance. Among flying monsters—excluding the Dragon Species—gargoyles had quite massive bodies.
Because their flight level was high and they were relatively humanoid, they were used as the textbook example for aerial combat by people aiming for another professional qualification: the 'Aerial Combat Technician License.'
Thanks to that, I passed the practical exam with a proud Grade 1, even receiving a few bonus points for having Gargoyle Wings.
The examiner seemed to think it was simply a skill that sprouted gargoyle wings from my back, and he looked at me with envy, calling it a fine flight skill.
I stumbled a bit on the written exam, but I passed that as well. Consequently, I had obtained my Airship Operator License just five days after getting the Gargoyle Wings.
However, that didn't mean I had any intention of returning to Calax and spreading my wings wide to fly through the air.
Roanmarie had a large population and many people who used flight skills or magic, so there were quite a few people floating around in the sky.
Naturally, the locals were used to it, and it didn't draw much attention.
But in Calax, at least while I was there, no one went floating around in the sky. There was no reason for me to be the first to try it.
"Are there people who don't pass the written exam on their first try?"
"Oh, don't even get me started. There are tons of them. Plenty of ignoramuses can't even tell the difference between hourly speed and per-second speed."
"I see."
"The illiteracy rate isn't low either, so we often conduct oral exams. Looking at your handwriting, it seems you learned to write at an early age."
"Haha..."
Of course, the script I used on the exam paper wasn't Hangul. For some reason, ever since I fell to the surface world, I had been able to read and write this language. The common tongue of this other world was deeply embedded in my mind as if my memories had been altered.
I had wondered if this was also a manifestation of the Labyrinth's will, but that was a dilemma I’d resolved back in my first month of being transported, when I was rolling around in the dirt because I couldn't use my skills properly.
"Good work on the exam."
"No, thank you. By the way, when will the physical license be ready?"
"I'll make it for you right away. Please follow me down to the first floor."
Surprisingly, they could make the physical license on the spot. With this, I could now be considered a professional with a qualification in this other world.
Well, not quite; this was an 'Operator' license, so it felt more like a driver's license. The 'Technician' license for aerial combat I mentioned earlier was more like the kind of professional certification that would have carried weight in my previous world.
"Please place your hand here and breathe in a little mana."
"Yes, understood."
By infusing my mana, it became a flight license that could definitively prove it belonged to me. It felt like a thin card made of an unidentified metal; it seemed to be made by putting it into a mana press to engrave the letters and then infusing it with mana.
It ended with the engraving of the testing center's seal. While the lodging I stayed at was located in the wealthy northern district of Roanmarie, the testing center was slightly south of the western central district, so it was quite a distance away. It had taken about an hour by rented carriage to get here.
Normally, I would have had to run hard or walk all day to get back to the lodging.
"But who am I? A Grade 1 driver's license owner."
It meant I could now fly back through the sky. It was incredibly fast and there were no obstacles, so traveling in a straight line was very convenient. The only slight drawback was that my eyes got a bit dry. Since the wind hit my face directly, I was thinking about buying a pair of goggles.
* * *
"Whoa."
"What is it? Why that foolish reaction?"
"Ahaha, is it because I met someone so beautiful? My head went blank for a second."
"Hmph! Flattery will get you nowhere. I heard you went to take your exam. Seeing as your hair looks like a bird's nest, it seems you passed properly."
I had finished a brunch earlier, done some last-minute cramming as a final push before the exam, and set off for the testing center around 4 PM. After an hour's carriage ride, a forty-minute exam, and a twenty-minute flight at maximum speed, I arrived back at the lodging to find that Lady Lymain had come to visit.
Seeing my hair all messed up from the wind, she must have realized that I had passed the exam.
"Yoo Eon! Whoa, did you actually fly here? That's amazing!"
"Yes, I flew."
Ravi also came out to the foyer to meet me, jumping up and down with envy after seeing my hair.
Being able to move by flying really is convenient. I might have to rethink things. Now that I know how comfortable this is, I might reach a point where I can't live as a pedestrian anymore.
—Gurgle
"Oof, all that flapping made me hungry."
"Come on in, Aven. You must be covered in dust; why don't you take a shower before dinner?"
"Hmm, should I?"
I took off my coat and handed it to Theodora. She took the garment, went into my room, and hung it on a hanger. Then she came back out and brought me a towel.
"Aven, come here for a moment."
"Ah, yes, ma'am."
A sudden summons from Lady Lymain. She led me into the room where I stayed alone. Did she have something to ask me?
Flump.
Lady Lymain, whose superior lower body displayed her excellent qualities as a married woman, sat down on the plush bed and had me stand right in front of her.
"Is something the matter?"
"Hmm. It's just..."
Dressed in a form-fitting suit, she sat with her legs crossed seductively from the thigh. She turned her head away for a moment, her lips quivering, before finally looking at me and speaking.
"Have you mated with Dora?"