Supernatural Ability Evaluation (2)
Along with the call of her name, the princess stepped forward with that usual confident attitude of hers. Her flowing red hair swayed back and forth in time with her steps. It would be hard to pull off a color like that unless you were exceptionally beautiful, and seeing her again, her appearance certainly lent credibility to the royal bloodline. Were all members of the royal family this attractive, or was the Fourth Princess simply in a league of her own?
A haughty cat that would scratch you the moment you tried to touch her...? A wicked little fantasy flashed through my mind, but I quickly shook it away. If I ever let something like that slip out loud, I’d be in serious trouble….
When the door closed, I caught a glimpse of the princess smiling confidently through the window. Soon the mannequin began assembling its joints just like before, preparing to charge at her. The instant the princess thrust her arm forward and the mannequin leaped—
“Whoa!”
Even without the sound, the ferocious flames that erupted forced me to instinctively step back. The blaze that swirled through the room like a bomb going off was less fire and more like a violent storm. The inferno burned so fiercely that the princess inside was completely obscured. As the flames slowly died down, the mannequin finally became visible again—collapsed on the floor, burned pitch-black and utterly unrecognizable. It no longer moved.
“…That’s enough.”
At the teacher’s quiet command, the princess opened the door and stepped out. She took a moment to steady her breathing, then looked at the teacher with the corners of her mouth lifted.
“It looks like that thing is unusable now… What should I do about it?”
Despite her confident tone, the teacher didn’t bat an eye. He simply pointed back into the room.
“Look again.”
“…!”
The mannequin that had seemed charred beyond repair had regained its pure white color and was creaking its way back to its original position. At the same time, the princess’s ranking appeared on the electronic board.
1st Place: Jeong Wol-ha
Royal Flame / A-rank (7,860 points)
“Wait… that’s not S-rank? Then what exactly does it take to get S-rank?”
“Still overwhelming, though…. The royal family really is on another level….”
While the students whispered among themselves in amazement at the score, the princess glared at the board with a deeply furrowed brow. The teacher looked at her and let out a small chuckle.
“Did you underestimate the Academy’s technology? Destroying that ‘Variable Response Module’ with skill like that is impossible. You should train a little harder.”
“….”
Whether she was furious about missing S-rank or simply irritated by the teacher’s words, the princess wore a thoroughly sour expression as she returned to her spot. Beside her, Kim Yeon—who had been pushed down to second place—looked completely lost as she tried to speak to her.
“Next, Wi Ha-yeon!”
Before the commotion could settle, the next name called made the atmosphere burn even hotter.
“Whoa, Wi Ha-yeon right after the princess?”
“This has to be one hundred percent intentional, right?”
The teacher, who would normally have shut down the noise, let the lively chatter continue without interference. Meanwhile, Wi Ha-yeon walked forward with a gentle smile, receiving encouragement from the students around her. For a brief moment her head turned toward where the princess stood. I could feel the princess, still wearing a sullen expression, meeting her with an unfriendly gaze. After offering a small, polite bow, Wi Ha-yeon turned and entered the room.
Hmm. The way they acted in the classroom, the subtle atmosphere among the students surrounding them… it really didn’t seem like they got along. Had something happened between them before? Or was this yet another thing I was the only one who didn’t know about…? I’d have to ask Na-rae about it later.
When Wi Ha-yeon entered the room, the same wave of anticipation that had surrounded the princess settled over the students once more. As she calmly took her position, erased her smile, and stared straight ahead, an icy, unapproachable aura seemed to radiate all the way out here. Even as the mannequin clanked back to its feet and assumed an attacking stance, Wi Ha-yeon remained completely still.
“What? Is she just going to stand there?”
Right as the murmuring among the students grew louder again, someone noticed something strange and shouted.
“Ah! The room… the floor’s completely frozen!”
Only then did I realize what had happened. She had frozen the entire room in an instant, so the mannequin was stuck to the floor as if glued in place. I hadn’t even noticed her using her ability… That was incredible.
Then she extended one arm, pointed with her index finger, and sharp icicles surged from the air, striking the mannequin’s joints with lethal precision. Under the continuous assault, the mannequin’s body finally gave way, collapsing and rolling across the floor.
“That’s enough!”
The moment the mannequin was rendered combat-incapable, the teacher’s command rang out again. I had been watching the scene with my mouth hanging open in a daze when my eyes suddenly met Wi Ha-yeon’s as she emerged. She gave me a soft smile, then turned and returned to her original position.
Y-yeah… the atmosphere really does change completely when she smiles. A cold beauty’s smile seems to possess terrifying destructive power. Actually, it’s not just the smile—the person herself feels overwhelmingly powerful….
1st Place: Wi Ha-yeon
Ice White / A-rank (8,210 points)
With a clear ding, the new name pushed the princess out of first place. No one dared speak openly while watching Jeong Wol-ha’s reaction, but I could still feel an unusual ripple of excitement spreading through the students. Still, even Wi Ha-yeon hadn’t reached S-rank. Well, if people started getting S-rank the moment they enrolled, the Academy would lose its purpose….
When I sneaked a glance toward the princess, I saw Jeong Wol-ha from behind, ears burning bright red even though she was clearly trying to hide her emotions. Beside her, poor Kim Yeon looked even more anxious than before as she tried to comfort her.
Hmm… that girl’s life doesn’t look easy either….
After that, many more students were called forward, but first and second place remained unchanged, the gap between them overwhelmingly wide. My roommate’s name was called during that time and she went up, but since I had already decided to treat her strictly as a business roommate from now on, I didn’t pay much attention.
…Well, I still watched.
Yoon Jeong-a
Smoke Vaporization / C-rank (4,750 points)
My roommate’s ability was… surprisingly—well, maybe not that surprising. She could turn her body into smoke and move freely. For a second I felt a pang of guilt, wondering if her smoking grape-scented cigarettes had something to do with her ability, but then I realized it obviously didn’t. Fire users don’t walk around carrying matches all the time, after all.
I’d briefly wondered whether she would be naked when she reformed after turning into smoke… but no, her clothes disappeared and reappeared along with her. That was probably for the best; otherwise things would get extremely awkward. Still, the ether consumption seemed quite high—she couldn’t maintain it for long, which was likely why her rank was lower than I’d expected. The sight of the thick smoke surrounding the mannequin as it tried to crush its arm was genuinely frightening, though.
Yeah… I’d better live like a dead mouse in our room from now on. Sob sob.
And then there was Na-rae….
Yu Na-rae
Marionette / F-rank (930 points)
“Hic… I’m trash…”
“I-it’s okay…. You can work hard from now on.”
Na-rae’s ability was supposedly the power to grant objects their own intelligence so they could move, or to control them. The name and explanation sounded impressive, but… after some back-and-forth inside the room, the mannequin tore off parts of its own body (which strangely regenerated) to create small jointed dolls. Those dolls just flopped around limply before getting smashed to pieces by the mannequin. Na-rae got scared, backed into a corner, and couldn’t do anything. The evaluation ended with her eyes full of tears.
Given her personality, she probably never even thought about using this ability to attack anyone normally…. If she keeps working hard, maybe she can get out of F-rank?
I patted the shoulder of the sobbing Na-rae as she threw herself into my arms.
And then—
“Next…. This is the last one. Baek Seol.”
Finally, my name left the teacher’s lips.