Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Entrance Exam (2)
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The two of them registered together, received their numbers, and headed inside the exam hall.
A large crowd was already waiting inside.
But what stood out was that they had already split into their own cliques.
"Uh, Aren? I don't think we should go over there…?"
"Why not?"
"Th-that's because they're nobles. If we go there for no reason and they pick a fight… ugh."
She shuddered as if just imagining it made her skin crawl.
"…Did something happen back home?"
Lydia hurriedly shook her head and whispered into Aren's ear. She leaned in so close that he could vividly feel the soft sensation of her body.
"Ah, n-no. Nothing like that. Still, it's better to be careful. Our empire has less noble arrogance compared to other countries… but nobles are nobles, you know."
"…Are you looking out for me?"
"Of course."
Lydia nodded readily.
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"We just met today. Plus, we're competitors."
Whether they could truly compete was another matter, but on the surface, that's how it was.
Not everyone waiting in the exam hall could pass. Someone had to fail, and it might be Lydia.
So normally, people didn't go this far for a stranger…
"Still… it would be nice if we both did well."
Aren quietly looked down at Lydia, who gave an awkward smile.
'It would be nice if we both did well?'
…She sure knows how to say it prettily.
Her score in his mind just went up another notch. She seemed like the type who'd raise kids right. He could already see the qualities of a wise wife and loving mother. He genuinely hoped things worked out for her.
Finally, Aren flashed a grin.
"I see. It would be great to pass together and take classes side by side. Since we'll both be mages, after all."
"Classes with Aren… hehe. I have to pass no matter what!"
—Fighting!
She grinned brightly and clenched her fist.
That said…
'People are staring at us a lot.'
Well, they couldn't help it.
A girl like Lydia, who could hold her own against noble ladies—in fact, utterly outshine them—was sticking to a guy and laughing.
With all the arm-linking and skinship, her chest was emphasized, drawing scorching gazes from the men.
Did she even realize?
She was the one warning about nobles, yet she was doing the most attention-grabbing thing herself.
Aren had been enjoying it so far, but if it went on, Lydia might end up in trouble later.
"…Tch. Disgusting couple."
"Calling them a couple in this sacred exam hall… they're definitely failing."
"Commoners acting vulgar in the exam hall… tsk."
"That girl's number is… 267? I should remember it. If she fails the academy, she'll make a fine concubine for me."
"Concubine? She's more than enough for just one night with you, young master!"
See?
Guys were already badmouthing them from behind.
To Aren, it was laughable. A handful of brats strutting around just because they were born to good dads.
The empire was great in many ways, but maybe the nobles' standards were a bit low.
'But didn't Lydia say the empire was better than other kingdoms?'
…Then how pathetic were the nobles elsewhere?
Aren began harboring a reasonable suspicion that the messed-up state of this world might be the nobles' fault.
As he chatted with her, time flew by, and finally, the exam began.
It was simple.
They had to attack the combat power gauge—made of mithril, a rare ore mined only in the northern continent—in their own way.
The initial pass/fail for the academy was decided based on the gauge's record and the instructor's observation.
Then, among the passers, they would spar to gauge rough combat levels and select the top entrant.
"Phew… I'm nervous. How about you, Aren?"
"I'm not really tense."
"Really…?"
"Yeah."
What was there to be nervous about? Aren chuckled lightly and turned to Lydia.
"Anyway, we're obviously going to p—"
"Exactly. No need for trash like you to be tense. You'll fail without showing anything decent anyway. Just prepare to go home, commoner."
"……?"
A noble suddenly appeared beside them, his eyes filled with blatant contempt toward Aren.
"What are you staring at? Lower your head."
"??"
Aren looked baffled at the sudden insult.
Ignoring him, the noble turned to Lydia, who had been clinging to Aren's side. More precisely, to her chest.
Lydia flinched and hugged Aren's arm tighter. She had shrunk back completely.
"Hmph… If you fail the academy, I'll specially take you as my concubine, so be grateful."
"N-no?"
"Heh."
The moment he lifted his chin arrogantly, a number was called.
"Finally, my turn. Commoners! Watch me closely!"
He strode to the center of the exam hall and began casting a spell. Watching the geometric magic circle form in the air instantly, Aren thought.
'A fellow mage, huh.'
His level… about that of the drunken adventurer Pedric.
'Nothing special.'
Once the spell completed, lightning shot out and struck the gauge.
A roar followed, and a small scratch appeared on the mithril gauge.
"Gasp…!"
"A scratch on the gauge!"
"That was definitely made of mithril, right…?"
"As expected of one of the Magic Tower's top recruitment targets… impressive."
The onlookers all admired Bertan Young-sik. As he came down from the platform, he planted himself in front of Aren.
"See that? Now bow your head, you commoner scum."
There was only one response for that.
"Nothing worth seeing."
…
"…What?"
The air around them chilled rapidly. Commoners and nobles alike, everyone watching was shocked by Aren's words.
Lydia especially looked on the verge of tears as she tugged his arm.
"A-Aren…!"
"…You. What did you just say…?"
"What was there to see?"
Really, nothing noteworthy.
He couldn't even break that, yet he strutted around like it was a big deal. Aren couldn't comprehend it.
And the crowd was looking at this no-name noble with envious eyes, making it even worse.
Aren didn't know. He had no idea how impressive it was to even scratch mithril. Having spent his whole life after arriving in this world under his master's tutelage, he had no grasp of the world's common standards.
As Bertan Young-sik's forehead vein bulged and he opened his mouth, another number was called.
"Number 259!"
My turn.
"It's my turn."
Whenever she had been shaking his arm in horror, Lydia now clenched her fist with a spirited expression.
"Gasp…! Do your best, Aren!"
"Of course. We promised to take classes together, right?"
"Yeah…!"
Aren walked confidently to the center of the exam hall. Bertan Young-sik's face twisted in rage at being thoroughly ignored, but Aren couldn't care less.
As he reached the center, he felt countless presences murmuring while watching him.
"What do we do… that guy's pitiful. He has to go right after the heir of the Bertan count family."
"Yeah… his face is totally my type, but so sad. He's gonna get compared hard."
Even Lydia, who had been cheering him on moments ago, now looked at him with worried eyes.
'…No need to worry that much.'
Once he showed his power, people would shut up. After the test, their gazes would flip like nothing happened.
The looks of contempt would turn to Bertan Young-sik, not him.
"What's your specialty?"
"Magic for now."
"For now…? Whatever."
The instructor scribbled something on his paper and looked at Aren seriously.
"Hit that gauge with your best attack. That ends the first test."
"My best attack… you sure that's okay?"
"What?"
"It'll break."
"……"
The instructor was momentarily speechless.
Break? From a mere student's level, on a mithril gauge?
The onlookers who overheard thought Aren was joking and started murmuring.
"…Did you hear? He said it'll break the gauge."
"Pfft… must've lost it going right after Bertan Young-sik."
"His face was cute, but with a brain like that…"
"Tsk tsk. He's done for."
Of course, he ignored the chatter.
"My best attack. You're sure?"
"Yeah. Stop joking and do it seriously. Tsk…"
"If you insist."
He shrugged.
Snicker—
Ignoring the gazes of contempt pouring from around him, he extended his right hand. Vast mana aligned, beginning to devour the space.
"Hup…!"
"Wh-what's that!"
"What kind of mana…!"
He ignored the reactions.
What was his best magic—no, Shu Art.
He recalled his childhood before descending the mountain.
'Master! What's the strongest Shu Art?'
'Hmm… it varies by user so far, but by my standards, Blue Heaven is the strongest.'
'Blue Heaven?'
Blue Heaven.
It meant the blue sky. Master's original Shu Art, now one of the pinnacle techniques passed to Aren.
'But by your standards as my disciple, it might differ. Shu Arts ultimately vary wildly by user. So if you create your own unique Shu Art, that could become the strongest.'
From then on, Aren delved into research upon research.
What was his own Shu Art?
He spent over a month immersed in creating an original, producing an incomplete but tangible result.
A technique fusing two inspirations from his past life's comics.
His calm eyes flashed briefly.
And then.
Virtual Form: Ultimate
White and black mana extend from the right hand, intertwining to form an infinite state. The infinity becomes immense mass and surges forward.
It wasn't even full power, nor perfectly deployed, yet Virtual Form: Ultimate effortlessly swept away everything before it.
————————————………!!!!!!!!!!!
As the dust settled, everyone in the exam hall gaped in shock.
The spot where the gauge had been… was cleanly gone.
Amid cries of astonishment from all around, only Aren looked down at the instructor with arrogant eyes.
"That good enough?"
"……"