A Needle in a Pouch
In the room where the swordsmanship examiners for the Academy entrance exam had gathered, the instructors sat watching the screens floating before them. The screens broadcasted real-time feeds of the examinees currently undergoing the third stage of the exam.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Sigh, I knew that would happen."
"Huh? If you dodge like that—ah..."
"Well, look at that! Slipping in like that? Not bad."
The examiners' hands and mouths moved busily as they graded their assigned examinees in their own respective ways.
The third exam was a dungeon raid. The dungeon was a linear structure where navigating a corridor filled with traps and obstacles eventually led to a room containing combat targets. A single corridor and its corresponding room constituted one gate. The criteria for grading were how many gates the examinees cleared and how much they contributed to the process.
"Group 4 wiped out the moment they stepped into the corridor of Gate 2? They must have let their guard down after defeating the combat targets. Or maybe their focus is just that weak. Well, either way, everyone except number 211 is a lost cause."
"Oh dear, these kids are hopeless."
"Wiped out by the combat targets of Gate 3? Hmm..."
"Haha, I wonder how they even managed to pass the second exam."
Consequently, the examiners did not waste much time or attention on examinees who were eliminated at the lower gates. There was simply very little to grade in the first place, and they saw no need to painstakingly search for minor details to award points. Naturally, like water flowing downward, their attention shifted toward the more outstanding examinees—specifically, the top performers among their assigned groups.
"Hmm, looks like things are mostly wrapped up here."
"Now, let's see..."
Their focus expanded further, shifting toward the exceptional examinees assigned to other instructors. By the time most of the examinees had been eliminated or had clearly reached their limits, the examiners' attention converged on a select few who possessed talent that stood head and shoulders above the rest. Leaving their seats, they gathered behind the instructors in charge of those prodigies to watch the screens together. Thus, the examiners split into two major crowds.
"Oh, you're here?"
"Yes, I got assigned some pretty decent kids. They were eliminated at Gate 4, but they showed a lot of promise, so I'm a bit late from grading all their details. What gate is Drin at now?"
"Haha, prepare to be amazed."
"Let's see—good heavens, Gate 6 already?!"
"What took you so long?"
"You missed Drin Libringer clearing Gate 5. You've truly missed out on one of life's greatest pleasures."
"Oh, please..."
"No matter how I look at it, she's not at the level of a freshman."
"Those rumors didn't come out of nowhere, after all."
One crowd was watching Group 1, which included Drin Libringer.
"What gate is Kasha Hanahan on right now? I heard Drin Libringer is on Gate 6."
"Ah, she's also currently in the middle of clearing Gate 6."
"What?! She's tied with Drin Libringer?"
"Haven't you heard? Kasha Hanahan beat Drin Libringer in the second exam to take first place."
"Well, I heard about it, but... to think she was this good."
"Hmm, still, compared to Drin Libringer, she seems slightly lacking—or rather, a bit unpolished."
"Considering the quality of their teammates, Drin Libringer definitely seems to have the upper hand."
The other crowd was watching Group 2, which included Kasha Hanahan.
"Wow, by the way, whether it's Drin Libringer or Kasha Hanahan, they really have the charisma of great families. Or should I call it luck with people? Their teammates are actually quite decent."
"Well, you never know—"
"If Drin Libringer and Kasha Hanahan lead from the front like that, almost any examinee would look that good, wouldn't they?"
"Ah, true."
"Man, this brings back memories of when I took the Academy entrance exam. If only I had teammates like Drin or Kasha back then..."
"Just how long ago was that, Instructor Togun?"
"Hehehe."
Drin Libringer and Kasha Hanahan. The examiners judged that there was no better choice than to watch these two at this moment, and they focused entirely on them.
"Huh?"
Right then, the gaze of Yuron, one of the examiners in the crowd, drifted toward a corner of the room. Someone was still sitting in their original seat. It was Instructor Herion. He was silently filling out his grading sheet while keeping his eyes glued to the examinees he was in charge of. Yuron approached Herion and spoke to him.
"Instructor Herion, aren't you going to watch Drin Libringer and Kasha Hanahan?"
Herion replied, his eyes never leaving the screen.
"There is still a group I haven't finished grading."
"Ah, I see."
He really is diligent to a fault, Yuron muttered with a wry smile. Herion was famous for his earnest personality. He would undoubtedly grade even the examinees who failed at Gate 1 with meticulous care. The group he's grading now probably failed at Gate 4 or 5 at best, right? With that thought, Yuron followed Herion's gaze and stared at the screen he was watching.
"...?!"
Yuron's eyes widened. He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes to get a closer look at the screen, and muttered in sheer disbelief, "Gate 7...?"
Their progress was higher than both Drin Libringer's and Kasha Hanahan's.
"This is impossible..."
Yuron had just witnessed with his own eyes how absurdly skilled and talented Drin and Kasha were compared to the other examinees. Yet, here was a performance that surpassed them both. Who among their peers could possibly achieve such a feat? With a serious expression, the examiner checked the faces of the examinees on the screen.
"Ah."
He nodded immediately, understanding dawning on him. Agion. On his own, he fell short of Drin and Kasha. However, his teammates were Adela and Melchen. Each of them was skilled enough to be the core of any other group had they been assigned elsewhere. And those two had been grouped with Agion, who was already rated just below Kasha and Drin.
"What an incredible team composition. With this lineup, it's definitely—"
It wasn't entirely impossible for Drin and Kasha, who were paired with average examinees, to fall behind. Furthermore—
"At this rate, they might even reach Gate 8."
The consensus among the examiners watching Drin and Kasha was that neither of them would be able to clear Gate 7. Yuron had agreed with that assessment. Yet, looking at Group 13, which Agion belonged to, Yuron judged that they might actually surpass Gate 7.
Yuron began to calculate. What if Group 13 really cleared Gate 7 and reached Gate 8? In that case, the members of Group 13—most notably Agion—would have the opportunity to showcase far more action than Drin and Kasha. This meant they would also have the chance to earn significantly more bonus points.
"Unbelievable..."
Yuron felt a strange tension in the air. The top spot of the Academy entrance exam. A position everyone had taken for granted would go to either Drin or Kasha might actually be claimed by someone else entirely. An upset was brewing.
"Yuron, Herion. What are you looking at so intently—wait, what?"
"Huh? What is everyone doing over here?"
"They're currently on Gate 7?!"
Sensing something unusual, the examiners began joining them one by one to watch Group 13. This newly formed third crowd grew larger and larger, while the original two crowds steadily shrank.
"Ah...!"
A collective sigh echoed from the Group 2 side a moment later. It was the moment Kasha Hanahan failed to clear Gate 7 and was eliminated.
"Huh?"
"What's going on over there?"
Belatedly noticing the crowd gathered around Group 13, they migrated over. Soon after, another collective sigh erupted from the Group 1 side. Drin Libringer had also failed to clear Gate 7 and was eliminated. They, too, naturally joined the crowd around Group 13. Thus, all the examiners, who had been absolutely certain that the last group standing would be either Group 1 or Group 2, were now watching the sole survivor: Group 13.
"That Melchen kid is doing much better than I expected."
"Indeed. It looks like they agreed to let him take the frontline, and he's performing his role flawlessly."
"He looks like the type who wouldn't listen to a single word, so this is quite a surprise."
"Hehehe."
"If you're talking about surprises, Adela is even more shocking."
"Adela of the Espien family, right? Man, she looked like she had a massive ego..."
"I know, right? But somehow, she's supporting them perfectly from the side without overstepping her bounds."
Group 13 was showing a level of performance and coordination in a region that Groups 1 and 2 had failed to reach. Of course, the examiners knew this wasn't because they were individually superior to Drin and Kasha. It was simply a stroke of good fortune, the result of being paired with highly capable teammates. The examiners were well aware of this fact.
"Was that Agion kid always this good?"
"My thoughts exactly."
"It looks like he's... still growing even now?"
Despite knowing the truth, the constant external stimulation—the sheer brilliance of Group 13's performance—broke through their rigid preconceptions and influenced their evaluations. Agion Morci. It was true that he was receiving active support from Adela and Melchen, who were far superior teammates compared to those of Drin and Kasha. However, it was also an undeniable fact that his current performance was far more outstanding than those of Drin and Kasha.
"Ah...!"
Finally, a collective gasp erupted from the examiners. It was incomparably louder than the previous two. Gate 9—two whole stages higher than Groups 1 and 2. This was Group 13's final record, and without a doubt, the highest score of the third exam.
Soon, Herion finished his grading and nodded. The moment the exam ended, the first thing that came to his mind was his bet with Sinia. It was a bet to guess which of the six examinees, including Agion Morci, Sinia had her eye on. Herion recalled one name without a single shred of hesitation. He was absolutely certain. The owner of the talent Sinia had been watching, and the top scorer of this exam.
"Agion Morci."
Herion stood up abruptly from his seat. He looked around, searching for Sinia, who he assumed would be mingled within the crowd.
"...Huh?"
Strange. Sinia was not in the crowd. Stepping away from the group, he scanned the room. True to her nature, Sinia was sitting all by herself in a secluded corner. Excited to discuss Agion Morci with her, Herion walked straight over and spoke without hesitation.
"Instructor Sinia, it's Agion Morci. He is the examinee you had your eye on, isn't he?"
But Sinia's reaction was odd. She didn't even notice Herion approaching, completely absorbed in something else. She was staring at her screen with an incredibly thrilled expression.
"Hmm...?"
Herion found her behavior strange. The Sinia he knew was not someone who would perform her duties as an examiner so diligently—especially if she wasn't in charge of examinees with exceptional talent like Drin Libringer, Kasha Hanahan, or Agion Morci.
"Huh? Oh."
Belatedly noticing Herion, she looked up and grinned.
"When did you get here? How did it go over there?"
"It's Agion Morci."
"Hmm? Ah~ the bet?"
"Agion Morci has taken first place, surpassing both Drin Libringer and Kasha Hanahan."
"Surpassed Drin Libringer and Kasha Hanahan? But wasn't the setup far too advantageous for Agion to put it that way?"
That is exactly what I was about to discuss. Just as Herion was about to show her his recorded data, Sinia pointed at her screen, her tone suggesting that such trivial matters—and people like Drin Libringer, Kasha Hanahan, and Agion Morci—didn't matter in the slightest.
"Well, whatever. More importantly, why don't we watch this together?"
She pointed at her screen.
"They're currently in the middle of clearing Gate 10."