Entrance Exam (1)
Seong Hyun-jin looked at his admission ticket. It said to report to Exam Room 3. He checked the bulletin board with the numbers posted and headed down the hallway.
Not just Seong Hyun-jin—some of the other examinees gathered in the lobby were heading the same way. He gave them a quick once-over.
…None here.
Serena, the one he'd seen just moments ago, was nowhere in sight. He clicked his tongue in mild disappointment.
She looked strong.
He'd thought it might be fun to test himself against her, even if not in a proper spar—just in the exam. Still feeling a bit let down, Seong Hyun-jin scanned the crowd once more. There were a few who seemed competent enough, but none matched Serena's aura of strength. Fiddling idly with his sword hilt out of regret, he suddenly found someone standing before him.
“Examinees assigned to Exam Room 3, welcome.”
A black nameplate marking her as a Terastial Academy instructor was pinned to her right chest. She addressed Seong Hyun-jin and all the other Room 3 examinees.
“I am Hayes Penrel, the first-year instructor for the Combat Department at Terastial Academy. I'll be guiding you through today's exam.”
The rowdy atmosphere instantly quieted under her confident, resonant voice, everyone's attention snapping to her. As the examinees' gazes converged, Hayes spoke again.
“From this moment, you will all take the exam on equal footing, with equal status. Forget whatever position you held before or the path you walked to get here. Remember only that you are all aspiring students of Terastial Academy.”
Her words were essentially a warning: don't pull any nonsense—just focus on the exam. They might have sounded offensive at first glance, but the unyielding integrity in her voice swept away any such notions. Seong Hyun-jin watched her with budding interest as she effortlessly took control of the chaotic group.
If the Combat Department teaches actual combat rather than specializing in specific weapons…
He hadn't been particularly drawn to it before, but Hayes's presence piqued his curiosity. Even if he joined the Swordsmanship Department, he had no intention of changing his master's sword style. In his eyes, Karin's technique was already perfected. And as Karin herself had said, he already fully understood it. The issue was his body couldn't yet execute it perfectly.
So why bother with the Swordsmanship Department? He had no desire to learn new styles anyway. If he could just build his stamina and refine his physique, the Combat Department—which focused on battle tactics—might actually be the better choice over wasting time on unnecessary sword forms.
“Then, examinees, please enter the exam room.”
“Aren't you going to tell us what the exam is?” one examinee asked.
Hayes replied curtly.
“You'll find out once you're inside, examinee.”
“Ah… yes, ma'am.”
“Enter one by one, in order.”
Hayes guided the examinees with practiced ease. She quelled their excitement—mingled with tension and anticipation from the unfamiliar setting—and led them in perfect order. The sight sparked one question in Seong Hyun-jin's mind.
Does this academy have a lot of people like her?
If so, descending the mountain as his master had suggested would be worth it. His earlier disappointment from the exam differing from his expectations swelled back into anticipation.
“Submit your admission ticket and proceed.”
The examinees handed their tickets to Instructor Hayes and entered. Finally, at the end of the line, Seong Hyun-jin's turn came. He submitted his ticket, and Hayes—who had been impassively waving people through—glanced at him.
“Examinee.”
“Yes?”
“Are you a reincarnator?”
Seong Hyun-jin nodded. Hayes cut straight to a somewhat odd question.
“Do you have any mental issues related to your past life or any ongoing psychological conditions?”
“No, nothing like that. Why do you ask?”
“Just confirming to prevent any issues during the exam.”
It seemed a reincarnator had caused trouble before. To Seong Hyun-jin, her precaution hinted that the exam could stir deep emotions.
“If there's no issue, you're good. Enter.”
Seong Hyun-jin stepped into the exam room as instructed.
“The dean said it would be fair…”
Does that not apply to reincarnators or transmigrators? He wondered, only to freeze in slight surprise at the sight inside.
“Huh?”
All the other examinees who'd entered before him were gone. It wasn't as if they'd all flown to the sky or sunk into the earth—where had they vanished to?
Seong Hyun-jin swept his gaze around and grasped the situation instantly.
“Spatial translocation? A form of spirit magic?”
“Spot on, examinee.”
A clear voice echoed from the empty space. It was a deep yet somehow cheerful male tone.
“Just as you said, each examinee has been scattered to a separate space.”
The voice's owner appeared right after.
“It's for the exam, so don't worry. You'll return here once it's over.”
Seong Hyun-jin's eyes first caught the uniform marking him as a Terastial Academy student. Next was the small pouch at his waist. Quickly assessing, Seong Hyun-jin asked,
“You look like an academy student. Who might you be?”
“Me?” The man grinned broadly. “Just a test proctor.”
“So I'm not fighting you?”
“What? Haha!” The man burst into hearty laughter and waved it off. “Why would I fight an examinee? No matter how tough the exam, they don't make you duel from day one.”
“Then what's the exam?”
“What you have to fight is right here.”
The man opened the pouch and upended it, spilling its contents before Seong Hyun-jin. At the sight of the object that popped out, Seong Hyun-jin instantly understood why Hayes had asked about his past life.
“Looks like you know what it is, examinee.”
The man said,
“Then you should know what to do next, right?”
Terastial Academy's exam was neither too dangerous nor unfair—it was highly discerning. Just as Dean Eleonora had claimed, it fit the bill perfectly.
The entrance exam required examinees to confront and overcome their greatest fear. Seemingly impossible, but the mysterious object from the pouch made it feasible.
This bizarre, slime-like thing was called a Realizer. The pinnacle of spirit magic research and the era's finest magical invention.
It read the target's deepest fears and manifested them physically. The goal was to defeat it. While it perfectly replicated the form of one's utmost dread, the manifested abilities were scaled to the target's own strength. Thus, it took the appearance of pure terror while matching the difficulty to the examinee—ideal for accurately gauging wildly varying talents.
Gazing at the sluggishly wriggling Realizer, Seong Hyun-jin replied as if he'd known it all along.
“A Realizer, right? That's what it's called?”
“Exactly. Fight the form of your greatest fear and show us your ability—that's the exam's core.”
Gigs Crowell, second-year in the Combat Department and class vice-valedictorian, was intrigued that Seong Hyun-jin recognized it. It wasn't something you saw every day—how did he know? Even he, the second son of the renowned Crowell family from the Magic Kingdom, hadn't encountered one until his own entrance exam.
As Gigs marveled, Seong Hyun-jin muttered to himself, lost in thought.
“…So that's why Instructor Hayes asked.”
“Hm?”
“Nothing. So you're just the proctor?”
“Pretty much. Also safety backup for any mishaps.”
Gigs briefly explained the exam.
“Touch the Realizer lightly, and it'll transform. Defeat the changed form as quickly as possible—that's it. Simple, right?”
“Got it. But…”
Seong Hyun-jin asked, looking puzzled.
“Does this exam even mean anything?”
“Can't really answer that. I'm not the one grading.”
Gigs replied, though inwardly puzzled. A Realizer exam was plenty discerning—straightforward, clear goals, appropriately challenging. Questioning its purpose? Maybe he'd heard of it but didn't grasp it fully. Experiencing it would change his mind.
Gigs thought, then said,
“Ready? Let's start.”
“…Sure.”
Seong Hyun-jin touched the Realizer, figuring it'd be more fun to spar Gigs instead.
Only one thing it'll turn into anyway…
Across his past and present lives, Seong Hyun-jin's greatest fear was crystal clear. His past life didn't even factor in—nothing from it compared to what now loomed.
Watching the Realizer shift, Seong Hyun-jin remained unfazed, but Gigs's eyes went wide.
“Uh…!?”
The Realizer transformed into a woman in otherworldly, elegant attire with a katana at her waist—her beauty so chillingly stunning it raised goosebumps.
How can a person be that…
Gigs knew it was just the Realizer, yet he couldn't tear his eyes away. Snow-white skin like fresh powder, black hair like the night sky, and a bewitching gaze that would captivate any man.
But Seong Hyun-jin regarded her casually, as if accustomed, and bowed lightly.
“…Long time no see.”
No reply came, but he greeted her simply.
“Master.”
Sword Star Hakodate Karin. The Realizer had manifested Seong Hyun-jin's greatest fear: his own master.
Seong Hyun-jin had expected her. She was the one he admired most—and feared most. Still, he wasn't thrilled with her appearance here.
“Senior.”
“Huh? …Ahem, what's up?”
The issue wasn't Karin herself.
Yet he raised a problem with Gigs.
“There's a problem.”
“Problem? What kind?”
“Doesn't this thing manifest the target exactly?”
“Yeah. It replicates what you're thinking of precisely…”
“It's not the same.”
“…What?”
Seong Hyun-jin sighed deeply, his voice rising with agitation.
“First, Master doesn't dress that modestly.”
“……?”
“She always wears her clothes showing her shoulders, back, and cleavage. I don't get why it's comfortable for her, but she insists it is—and struts around practically seducing this disciple!”
“…She's your master?”
“Yes!”
Gigs was dumbfounded as Seong Hyun-jin confirmed it. Having such a stunning master was one thing, but calling her a seductress? A disciple spouting such irreverent nonsense?
“And second, Master's breasts are bigger than that!”
“Uh… uh-huh.”
“Precisely 101 cm bust, 70 cm underbust!”
“What…?”
Gigs stared at him in disbelief. First guy ever to complain the Realizer made his master's chest too small. And how did he know her exact measurements?
Ignoring Gigs's stupefied glare, Seong Hyun-jin grew even more fervent.
“But this one's a full 5 cm smaller in bust! And it's missing the mole on her left breast that should be there!”
“Uh… yeah…”
Thus, Gigs learned intimate details about the beauty.
“You said it manifests your fear perfectly. How could it err on something this crucial?!”
“…Maybe it doesn't need to replicate that?”
Gigs's perfectly reasonable point drew another heavy sigh from Seong Hyun-jin. He placed his hand on his sword hilt.
“Blasphemy. This insults Master.”
“…Isn't that overkill?”
“Botching the imitation dishonors her divine form… This unworthy disciple cannot abide it.”
Drawing his sword, Seong Hyun-jin declared,
“…Master, watch over me.”
His eyes burned with unyielding resolve. He would cleave this shoddy impostor in one stroke for daring to mimic his master imperfectly.