A Legendary Stream and a New Beginning

"I knew a day like this would come eventually."

The one letting out a soft sigh in front of me was my only classmate and friend, Yu-jeong. When I told her I was dropping out of our current school to go to the Academy, this was her reaction.

"So you expected it."

"Because ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you're special, Jeong-ah. I thought it wouldn't be strange whenever you left."

"Come on, special is a bit much..."

She went on about how I was unusual from the start, how she knew ever since I started blasting sword energy, how I looked like a noble... I cut her off before she could embarrass me any further.

"You belong in a bigger pond. It's only right."

"Alright, I get it, so cut it out. It's making my skin crawl."

Still, I was glad she didn't react as violently as I had feared.

Professor Cheon Se-rin's sole condition for adopting me was that I become a student at the Academy through her Recommendation Letter. Although it was only a verbal agreement without anything written down, it was no different from a contract. So there was no backing out.

If Yu-jeong had clung to me, crying and begging me not to go, it would have weighed heavily on my mind.

"I'll make time to come visit often, so don't worry."

"Okay..."

"And if those other kids try to bully you again, let me know. I'll come right back."

"Mmhmm..."

But perhaps finally realizing this was a real farewell at the end of our conversation, Yu-jeong couldn't hold back her tears. The moment I finished speaking, she threw her arms around me and buried her face in my chest.

I'd felt this before, but kids this age are really emotionally fragile. It wasn't like we were parting forever, so why such an intense reaction?

I lightly patted her back and said,

"Don't blow your nose on my chest..."

"Did you say there's a transfer student interview today?"

"A transfer at this time of year? In the middle of the semester?"

"It seems someone issued a Recommendation Letter. Recommended admissions always bypass standard procedures, after all."

"A Recommendation Letter? Was there a professor who still had one left? Ah, don't tell me..."

"Cheon Se-rin. That ungrateful woman issued it."

Tsk. Someone clicked their tongue in disapproval.

These were the administrative elders of the Academy. Normally, they would be wiping down orchids in their cozy offices, but today they had gathered here as interviewers.

"She refused to hand over the letter when we asked, and in the end, she used it herself."

"She hasn't used it once in years. Who on earth did she give it to? Did she take a bribe from some conglomerate?"

"According to our investigation, she's just an ordinary student. She's fourteen years old, with no particularly remarkable record. However..."

"However?"

"The student seeking admission is Professor Cheon Se-rin's daughter."

"Ha! Acting so high and mighty, yet she's no different from the rest of us. Giving a Recommendation Letter to her own daughter."

An old man huffed in anger while others shook their heads. Then, someone asked in confusion,

"But wait... did Professor Cheon even have a daughter?"

"Indeed. I heard she was unmarried, so where did a daughter suddenly come from?"

"Well, she might have had a hidden child, or perhaps she picked her up from somewhere. Regardless, the fact remains that she used her Recommendation Letter for her own personal desires!"

Watching the man raise his voice with veins bulging in his neck as if this were an absolute outrage, someone in the room cleared their throat.

In truth, almost everyone in this room had a history of admitting students after receiving bribes. Thus, the cough was a natural expression of discomfort. The statement just now was practically spitting in their own faces, but the speaker himself merely raised his eyes, looking entirely self-righteous.

"Our task is simple. We will test her qualifications. As Harman, the founder of our Academy, once said, no student without merit may enter this school."

The intention behind bringing up Harman's words was simple: they wanted to find any excuse to reject her under the guise of a qualification test. It was a petty, malicious move.

The authority of a Recommendation Letter was absolute, and since the principal had already accepted Professor Cheon's letter, the student's admission was practically guaranteed. Yet, simply because they were displeased, they were determined to throw a wrench in the gears.

Watching them conspire over what questions to ask during the interview, someone in the room sighed inwardly.

What a bunch of petty, miserable old men.

They themselves had smuggled in countless students. What was so wrong with Professor Cheon bringing in just one?

The man sitting with his arms crossed in silence, Professor Lee Cheon-seok, was the only person in the room who did not belong to the elders' corrupt faction. Rather than engaging in their pointless chatter, he focused on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the student who would be entering in a few minutes.

Cheon Se-rin isn't the type to abuse a Recommendation Letter for personal greed...

From his perspective as a decent judge of character, Se-rin was someone who drew a strict line between public and private matters. She lacked greed, ambition, or any desire for material wealth in the first place. She was not the kind of person to plant her own people in the Academy like the other elders.

Of course, he might have misjudged her. A person's true thoughts were always a mystery, so there was still a possibility that Se-rin had used the letter for selfish reasons.

Or maybe she just did it to screw with the elders.

Well, whatever the reason, he would have to wait and see. Perhaps, true to the original purpose of the Recommendation Letter, she had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠discovered a once-in-a-generation talent. It wouldn't be too late to discern Se-rin's true intentions after meeting the student.

As he was thinking this, the scheduled time for the interview arrived.

Knock, knock, knock. Finally, the door to the classroom opened, and the student of the hour stepped inside.