The Story Only the Parties Don't Know (2)

"This year, there are a total of five notable prospective first-years."

"Five already?"

"Yes. Three from magic, two from martial arts. I'll introduce them one by one."

Every professor in the first-year faculty meeting room fidgeted with excitement at the prospect of seeing new faces. Last year there had only been two or three worth noting, but this year there were five. Their eyes burned with hunger for talent, and every face looked genuinely pleased.

'Please, please, we absolutely cannot get caught.'

'We have to keep it hidden... I'm worried it'll come to light.'

Well, to be precise, that was the expression on every professor except Gainard and Lee Hwaryeong. The two of them sat restlessly chewing their lips, their gazes fixed on the screen in the center of the room. Displayed there was the awkward smile of a still-youthful boy.

"Name: Woo Dohyun. Martial arts applicant. He appears to possess an innate talent for the sword."

On the screen, Woo Dohyun struggled at first during the practical exam, but the moment he picked up a sword he transformed completely. The instant he grabbed the blade an orc had dropped, flashes of sword light erupted and monsters fell lifelessly one after another. One strike, one kill. His pace only slowed after the troll appeared.

"He cuts the legs first, then severs the neck before it regenerates... I didn't expect him to cut that deep with a cheap iron sword."

"No need to watch further. We can decide based on the results. How far did he go?"

"He defeated the ogre."

"I see. Next?"

"Yu Sohyun. Magic department, specializes in water magic and..."

Woo Dohyun, whose background was completely unknown aside from his sword talent. Yu Sohyun, a commoner who reached the ogre using self-taught water magic. Mi Juran, princess of the Mudanard Kingdom that had unified the vast continent through sheer force. Velos Velon, fifth son of the emperor of the ancient and overwhelming Skeria Empire. And finally, Meiri, who came from Sinmibi, the absolute forbidden land that outsiders could never enter.

Once the explanations for all five were finished, the professors nodded with satisfied smiles.

"This year's class is going to be a pleasure to teach."

"Excellent."

"Truly outstanding."

The reason they were analyzing only these few out of 1,523 new students with video footage was simple: to determine the rankings. Theoretical exams could be converted into scores, but practical exams contained too many factors that raw combat power alone couldn't measure. Potential, in particular, required careful observation of how they handled monsters, so extra caution was necessary. The rest of the applicants could be evaluated by absolute standards, but these five existed on an entirely different level. This meeting existed precisely to judge the minute differences that absolute standards couldn't capture.

'Is it going to pass us by?'

'As long as they don't mention him, it'll be fine. His class is already decided anyway. If we just stay quiet, it'll all pass smoothly.'

Lee Hwaryeong and Gainard participated actively in the ranking discussion while praying for the moment to end quickly. The ideal outcome was to finish the rankings as fast as possible and let the rest be decided by absolute evaluation. What if Lee Seokhyun's existence caught the other professors' attention?

'They definitely wouldn't let it slide.'

'Because everyone thinks the same way.'

But the world was fair. A needle in a pocket would eventually poke through.

"I think we forgot someone."

"What?"

Just as the meeting was about to begin, a professor sitting in the corner raised his hand and made his presence known. Kerar, the first-year external studies representative professor—an explorer who had discovered multiple hidden new continents and created an international world map at a young age. He stood up and walked to the screen controls, his expensive-looking shoes clicking loudly with each step. His impeccably tailored suit had an empty left sleeve flapping loosely, and the soles of his luxury shoes were completely worn through. His narrowed eyes and smiling gaze gave no hint of his thoughts. A true eccentric had appeared, and silence spread through the room.

"I said our department is missing one of the notable students. Three from magic, two from martial arts—that's all we've heard so far, right? There's a cute one in external studies too."

"No, that's..."

"Feel free to think I'm being stubborn. But I submitted the materials, and it seems some of you conveniently omitted them. That's why I'm speaking up now—it's unfair."

Kerar laughed heartily as he glanced at Lee Hwaryeong and Gainard. The two of them avoided his gaze, pretending to look elsewhere.

"After accepting him through absolute evaluation... someone tried to snatch him up when his ranking was ambiguous and no one else wanted him. Even though I don't show my face at the academy often, stealing talent is still unacceptable."

"Professor Kerar, what on earth are you—"

"Ah, sorry for interrupting. Please take a look at these materials first."

Kerar displayed the documents on the screen with a relaxed smile. The first image was a theory exam paper, showing the answers and solution process on the first page.

"...? He solved that?"

"I thought Professor Lee Hwaryeong had put it in out of spite..."

"That artifact question... that's from the advanced major course."

But their eyes widened even further moments later. Every single solution and answer was circled. It was a perfect score with no partial credit allowed—nothing was wrong.

Kerar didn't stop there. He immediately played the practical exam footage.

"Huh, did you see that? He took down an orc party in only twenty-five seconds."

"He understands the werewolves' habits perfectly."

"Did he just take down a troll? Bare-handed? He gouged ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out its eyes and cut its brain by himself?"

Gasps of admiration and shock came one after another, but everyone fell silent the moment the ogre appeared. They had once wondered whether it was possible to show desperate will in the virtual space of the practical exam—a place where you couldn't actually die. That question was answered cleanly in that moment. The first thing the student did upon seeing the ogre wasn't to panic, but to manipulate the terrain.

"Those things coming from his hands look like wires... He ran all over the forest to create even the slightest chance. Waiting for the ogre to trip over the bridges between trees."

"Did you see how he immediately adjusted his actions after getting hit? His pain tolerance is impressive."

Even with a broken leg, he kept moving by throwing webs. Even when his arm was about to be torn off, he never stopped attacking. If he had no teeth, he would use his gums. Even if it meant trading bone for flesh, he would inflict at least one wound before dying. This wasn't the level of fighting spirit a seventeen-year-old should possess.

"He collapsed."

"Does that even make sense?"

After thirty minutes, the student finally fell. But he hadn't fallen alone. The ogre lay collapsed as well, staring blankly at its severed ankle with an exhausted expression.

"He spent thirty minutes running around, targeting only the left ankle. No matter how tough the hide, repeated attacks will eventually create an opening."

"Even knowing he would fail the exam, even knowing it was all fictional, he still produced this kind of result..."

It was over. Gainard and Lee Hwaryeong hung their heads with grim expressions. They had gone so far as to omit the materials on purpose to prevent this exact situation, but Kerar's actions had rendered it all meaningless.

'Lee Seokhyun is special in a different way.'

'He's out of our hands now.'

The reason they had tried so desperately to hide Lee Seokhyun was simple.

"He hasn't used mana yet, and he doesn't seem to have learned any particular martial arts. That means he hasn't been refined yet."

"Then it would be right for me to take him, wouldn't it? After all, I can say I've watched the most first-year students here."

"Now, now, even sewage has hierarchy. How can you decide it that way? Obviously, here we should—"

It was because Lee Seokhyun was in a completely pure state, having learned nothing. The previous five already had their paths somewhat decided. Take Yu Sohyun for example—she was confirmed to go to the magic department and would obviously major in water magic. She was interesting and special, but she couldn't be called a completely unrefined gem. But what about Lee Seokhyun? Even when his life was threatened multiple times while fighting the ogre, he hadn't pulled out any particularly special techniques. In other words, he was overflowing with undiscovered potential. If a child with that level of talent chose their department and became their personal disciple, what then? The professors, lost in that fantasy, smiled happily and opened their mouths. Or rather, they tried to.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

"Why do you think I showed you this?"

Kerar calmed the noisy meeting room with cannon-like applause and continued.

"I showed you in advance because I knew this would happen. He chose external studies because he hasn't discovered his talent yet. Obviously, if he meets us, he could change his mind... become my disciple, that sort of thing. I'm not begging you not to do that—I'm warning you."

He slowly centered his smiling eyes and gave a thick grin.

"Lee Seokhyun belongs to external studies, and I'll be taking him. I've already received permission from the chairman, so I won't accept any objections."

Kerar smiled amicably as he pulled out the appointment letter from his coat and showed it to the professors. A chill ran down their spines. Faced directly with Kerar's rarely displayed emotions, the professors coughed and steadied their breathing. The once-friendly meeting room instantly froze over, turning into a freezer. Through it all—

"Shall we resume the ranking discussion then? I really wanted to participate too. Please take care of me."

Only Kerar continued to smile slyly and move cheerfully. In that moment, the name Lee Seokhyun became firmly etched into the minds of every first-year professor.

It already came? That was fast. I had been lounging lazily on the bed when ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the innkeeper's words made me bolt upright. The exam had been on Monday, and today was Saturday. For processing tens of thousands of applicants, this was an incredibly short ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠amount of time. These kinds of details hadn't appeared in the game, so discovering them one by one was its own kind of fun.

Thud. Rip rip rip.

After ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tearing through three layers of sealing and completing the blood authentication, the acceptance letter finally revealed itself from the envelope.

'Obviously I passed.'

Despite my casual words, my hands were trembling. I took a deep breath and slowly opened the acceptance letter.

"Phew... huh?"

There, alongside the word "Accepted," was the ranking: 6th place overall.

'What did I even do?'