Chapter 20: Midterm Exam (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 20: Midterm Exam (1)
Lately, I've been feeling increasingly skeptical about my luck. The common idiom, "What sin did I commit in my past life to deserve this...?" kept coming to mind.
As an ordinary citizen who vividly remembers his past life, I can say with absolute confidence: I didn't live a life of sin. Seriously.
Even if I made a massive concession and accepted that getting tangled up with the main heroines was just a fluke, I could somehow comfort myself by chalking it up to a miraculous twist of fate.
'But fuck.'
It finally happened. If it's the protagonist, Leon von Reinhardt, that's a completely different story. Even if I knew in my head that this was a byproduct of my own choices and therefore my responsibility, accepting it at face value was another matter entirely.
The moment I heard Leon was the group leader, I tried to protest and undo it, but the approval had already gone through. When I went to the faculty office to investigate, I found out that Rachel, that foxy bitch, had realized I didn't have a group and had already registered me as one of theirs.
I let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded. I wanted to slice her down in a single stroke. If she was going to run around being that proactive, she should have just been the group leader herself. Why dump the responsibility on poor Leon?
A social media post I once saw by chance, titled "K-Group Project Reality," flashed through my mind. Back then, I hadn't gone to college, so I couldn't relate, but now I knew exactly what that felt like.
It was absolute shit.
As I slumped back into my chair, completely drained, Chloe hesitantly approached, cautiously reading my expression.
"Geomma, is something wrong? Ever since that bi— I mean, that blonde girl left, you've looked really upset."
"It's just... being in the same group as the Star Class kids makes me nervous and a bit pressured."
"I'm sure there's no one in the Star Class stronger than you, Geomma. I guarantee it!"
"...Thanks."
Chloe cheered me on, clenching both her fists. Her gesture was sweet, but it wasn't enough to easily soothe my gloomy mood.
I considered asking the instructor to let me leave the group even now, but since I was the one who had coaxed Chloe into joining, slipping out by myself would be incredibly irresponsible.
Right, it's just this once. Let's not look at things too pessimistically. Come to think of it, the group I'm in right now is made up entirely of cadets from the so-called celestial realm.
Chloe of the Auditore family, a House of Order, whom I had coaxed into joining; Rachel's acquaintance from the Dragon Class; Rachel herself, the fourth rank of the Academy and heir to the Spear Saint Family; and Leon, the strongest munchkin and protagonist of the story.
Just hearing the lineup made my chest swell with awe. While other cadets were running around the lobby trying to form groups, I had somehow stumbled into what was practically the strongest party in the Academy.
'Actually, this is better.'
It'll be enough for me to just play a background role and clean up. My blessing, which is basically a 30-second sprinter ability, won't be of much use anyway.
Regretting it now is pointless. My Academy life has been like duckweed drifting aimlessly on water, but I've managed to sort things out in my own way each time to get this far.
Of course, I fully intend to punish Rachel for shoving me into the group without my consent. I don't mean I'm going to slice her up like sashimi... No matter how unhinged I might be, I wouldn't pull out a sashimi knife over something like this.
'That settles it, then.'
Once my mind was made up, a relieved smile spread across my face. Seeing that, a pleasant smile bloomed on Chloe's face as well.
"Chloe, what time was our group meeting this afternoon?"
"Oh, that blonde girl from earlier said to meet at the main building's cafe at six!"
It seemed Rachel was now simply "that blonde girl" to Chloe. I pulled out my phone to check the time. There were roughly two hours left.
Even though it was just a simple group project meeting, I felt nervous. The reason, of course, was Leon. On his first day, I had only seen him from afar, squeezed among the other cadets. Actually meeting the character I used to play gave me an indescribable sense of excitement.
Resting my chin on my hand, I suddenly spoke to Chloe.
"Have you ever been to the main building's cafe?"
"Yes! I go there often because their avocado smoothies are delicious!"
"How much is it?"
"It's about 50,000 won!"
I was left speechless.
* * *
Inside the Starbox cafe in the lobby on the first floor of the Academy's main building.
Chloe and I arrived about fifteen minutes earlier than the scheduled time. The cafe was packed with fresh-faced teenage boys and girls. Fortunately, Leon, our group leader, had reserved a meeting room, allowing our group to hold our discussion in a private space.
...But.
Standing in front of the counter and looking at the menu, I couldn't help but clutch my forehead.
What the hell? Why is an Americano 25,000 won? Even with the faculty discount, it was still around 20,000 won. Apparently, because it was an outsourced business and not directly run by the Academy, the discount rate was low.
No matter how sky-high coffee prices could get, this was way too much. At this rate, it was the price of an Omakase Set A at the restaurant where I used to work.
Once again, I realized just how different the financial sensibilities of nobles and commoners were.
'This is fucking dizzying.'
As I stared at the menu with a low groan, Chloe peered at me.
"Geomma, have you decided what to drink?"
"Yeah, an espresso."
"I can't drink that, it's too bitter."
"You just don't know yet. Espresso is the true taste of an adult."
"Heh, that's so cool..."
Chloe stared at me with sparkling eyes. I couldn't bring myself to tell her that I only chose espresso because it was the only thing in the ten-thousand-won range. A man has his pride, after all.
Unlike me, Chloe familiarly ordered her usual avocado smoothie. The price was a whopping 48,000 won.
'Insane.'
A moment later, we picked up our drinks and entered the meeting room with translucent glass walls. Inside, there was a long rectangular table and a strong antique vibe. We awkwardly took our seats as far into the corner as possible.
"No one's here yet."
"Yeah. Maybe because it's still ten minutes early?"
"Well, probably."
Right on cue, as if they had been waiting, the glass door slid open.
"Oh, Geomma and the kid. You guys are already here?"
Rachel waved cheerfully, holding an iced Americano in one hand. Two male students followed behind her. One was the acquaintance Rachel had mentioned, and the other was Leon von Reinhardt.
Rachel's acquaintance was a handsome guy with two-toned hair and a punkish look. He gave a brief nod of greeting and slumped into one of the empty seats.
'A delinquent?'
Immediately after, my gaze was drawn to Leon like a magnet. Seeing Leon von Reinhardt's face up close was truly something else.
I instantly understood why the heroines fell for him the moment they made eye contact. He had golden hair that shimmered like the sun and brilliant blue eyes. On top of that appearance, he had a gentle personality, so how could women not swoon over him?
While I was silently marveling, Leon offered a bright smile and reached out for a handshake.
"Nice to meet you."
His voice was intelligent, perfectly carrying an air of elegance. I shook the hand Leon offered.
"I'm Kang Geomma."
He gave another pleasant smile and took a seat.
"The subspace sparring match you had a few days ago was impressive. I feel reassured having you in our group, Geomma."
It was a textbook protagonist line. But coming from Leon, it didn't feel out of place at all.
"Shall we start with introductions?"
"Agreed!"
Rachel, who was busily chewing on her straw, raised her hand in agreement. Her acquaintance sitting next to her gave a nonchalant nod.
"I'll start as the group leader. I'm Leon von Reinhardt from the Star Class. Somehow, I ended up as the leader. I might be lacking in some areas, but I look forward to working with you all during this exam period."
"Since everyone already knows me, I'll skip my introduction!"
Rachel giggled, passing the turn, and looked toward the delinquent-looking guy.
"I'm Speed Weapon from the Dragon Class."
Speed Weapon... For a name that sounded like he would explain things incredibly fast, he was a man of few words. Following Leon's lead, Chloe introduced herself next.
I thought she would be shy, but Chloe introduced herself much more cheerfully than expected, making everyone except Leon look surprised.
Then, everyone whipped their heads around to look at me. Scratching the back of my neck, I spoke up.
"I'm Kang Geomma, from the Wolf Class, same as Chloe."
Once I finished my introduction, Leon gave me a warm smile and pulled a laptop out of his bag, opening it.
With a few clicks of the mouse, light projected from the top of the laptop, casting a holographic image. It was a moment that reminded me once again that this was not Earth.
The holographic image was a map of the island where we would be taking our exam.
In the bottom right corner, there was a figure indicating the island's area. It was a massive island, spanning 163.6 square kilometers.
Perhaps because it was the best academy in existence, even the scale of a mere first-year midterm exam was on another level.
Leon asked if everyone could see it clearly before beginning his explanation.
"During lunch today, our class's head instructor distributed files to the group leaders. This is the map of Scopuli Island, where we'll be taking our exam."
Leon took a sip of his coffee to wet his throat and continued.
"First, on the day of the exam, we'll be transported to this island via a subspace gate. However, only the gate is in subspace; the island itself is a real-world location, so you can get physically injured by magical beasts. Please keep that in mind."
As he spoke, Leon tapped on the keyboard to zoom in on the hologram.
"Our assigned area is that spot on the northeastern coast. Three groups, including ours, will be hunting Mermen in that zone. The key to this exam is which group can subjugate more of the limited number of magical beasts."
A steady tone and a way of speaking that naturally made listeners nod along. He truly had the makings of a protagonist. I just listened quietly from the side with my arms crossed.
"Now, does anyone have any questions?"
When Leon turned his head to ask, Speed Weapon, who had been listening silently, raised his hand slightly.
"If it's Scopuli Island, Mermaids are also known to appear there. What are the risks associated with that?"
"You don't have to worry about that. The instructors have already completed a preliminary inspection."
"I see."
"Next question?"
Surprisingly, Chloe cautiously raised her hand after reading the room.
"...Um, is there any chance of ambushes or combat between groups assigned to the same area?"
True to her assassin family background, her way of thinking was certainly unique. Rachel and Speed Weapon looked dumbfounded by Chloe's question. On the other hand, Leon gave a characteristically protagonist-like smile and replied.
"The purpose of this exam is strictly focused on subjugating magical beasts, so combat between cadets will likely result in disqualification. Does that answer your question?"
Chloe nodded slightly a couple of times to show she understood.
"Great. Then that's all for today's meeting. We have one week until the exam, so let's work together and get a great score."
As soon as Leon finished speaking, everyone stood up and left the meeting room, leaving him behind to pack up his laptop. Since my seat was in the very corner, I waited for the others in front of me to exit first.
Just as I reached the door, Leon, who had finished packing up, called out to me.
"Hey."
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Geomma, where did you come from?"