Qualification Test
When I arrived at the academy, there were people everywhere.
Wow.
Flote Academy was without question considered the finest academy in the country, so it was only natural that so many people wanted to be admitted. The one that stood out most of all was none other than Min Sua, the girl I’d seen earlier.
She must have left after me, and yet she got here faster than I did.
When our eyes met, Min Sua quickly looked away. But I didn’t pay that much attention to her. The person I needed to focus on now was Choi Daeun. The girl who, after the test, would be attacked by a monster and nearly die.
Where is she?
I looked around for Choi Daeun, and after a moment I found a girl who seemed tense and nervous. When I got closer, there was no doubt about it. It was Choi Daeun.
“Ah...!”
The moment Choi Daeun saw me, she backed away with a startled expression.
I botched the first step already.
I could understand why she was so startled. Imagine someone picking up your dropped wallet for you, only to suddenly start cursing and shouting at you the moment you showed up.
From my perspective, I’d been in the middle of a battle with the Creators, so I’d cursed in confusion. But from her point of view, I’d probably seemed like a total lunatic.
“Um, my name is Lee Taehoon. I was too flustered earlier to thank you properly. Thank you for picking up my wallet.”
Choi Daeun gave an awkward smile, and I hurriedly added, “And I’m sorry about what happened earlier. I had some unpleasant things happen recently, so I overreacted.”
There was no need to pile on excuses. It was better to apologize cleanly. If I started babbling about regression or anything else just to clear up the misunderstanding, she’d only become more wary of me.
“Ah...It’s okay. I-I’m busy preparing for the entrance exam, so I should get going...”
Choi Daeun bowed her head and moved away to another spot.
“Hmph...”
It looked like it would take quite a while to smooth out that misunderstanding.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Lee Taehoon took a brief look around outside before entering the entrance exam hall. Since he didn’t know anyone here anyway, he planned to get the test over with right away.
The receptionist looked at Lee Taehoon and said, “Um...you want to take the physical ability measurement?”
At a glance, he looked gaunt enough to be mistaken for underweight, with a narrow frame that could only be called skinny. He was still in the middle of growing, so he was short as well. And on top of that, he had a bag slung over his shoulder, but not even a weapon that looked like a sword in his hand.
A mage?
Seeing his appearance, the receptionist was certain he had to be a mage, and that he must have come to take the exam as a mage. It was only natural—there was no way someone built like that would be aiming to get into Flote Academy, the best in the nation. Assuming he must have some extraordinary magical talent, the receptionist stamped the mage application and handed it over to him.
“Your application is for the wrong track. I’m planning to take the swordsman exam.”
“A swordsman?”
Without meaning to, the receptionist ended up speaking rudely. It could easily have sounded like, You’re taking the swordsman track? But Lee Taehoon didn’t seem to care.
“Yes. I’d appreciate it if you gave me the swordsman application instead.”
When Lee Taehoon spoke politely, the receptionist grew awkward and quickly corrected the form before handing it back to him.
“Thank you.”
Lee Taehoon gave a slight bow, took the application, and left. Another receptionist came over to the spot he’d just vacated and asked, “What happened? Why did you suddenly change the form?”
“Ah...You saw the student who just came in, right? I naturally thought he’d be a mage, but he said he was taking the swordsman exam.”
“Huh? As a swordsman, he didn’t have any muscle, no calluses on his hands, and didn’t even give off much of an aura. His frame was skinny too.”
“That’s why I misunderstood and gave him the mage application.”
“What a shame. It’s good to dream, but doing that at Flote Academy of all places...Once the exam starts, he’s going to get crushed by all the other monster-level students. I hope he doesn’t lose heart.”
“Exactly...He’s such a pitiful student. I hope he doesn’t get hurt.”
The receptionists watched the place Lee Taehoon had disappeared from with pity in their eyes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The physical ability test was over in about an hour.
“You said your name was Lee Taehoon? As I said before, I’m Instructor Jong Junhyeok. The results of your physical score measurements are in. Would you like them printed out on paper, or should I tell you verbally here?”
The result was obvious no matter how you looked at it. Thinking that, Lee Taehoon answered, “Just tell me verbally.”
“Is that all right?”
“Yes.”
“Good attitude. If you did your best, then no matter how high or low the result, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Always keep that confidence.”
Jong Junhyeok looked at Lee Taehoon with clear approval and read out the scores. “Jumping power, F. Back strength, F. Long-distance run, F. Standing long jump, F. Flexibility, F. Side step, F. Shuttle run, F...F...F. Overall, F.”
Lee Taehoon nodded calmly. He’d expected as much. He really had done his best in the test, but what was he supposed to do with a body that stood 170 centimeters tall and weighed barely forty kilograms? Mana use wasn’t allowed in the physical ability test. If he ran even a little, he was left gasping for breath. His body was thin, but he had no muscle to speak of, so even with such a light frame he felt heavy and stiff. He’d pushed himself until it felt like he was dying, but on a grading chart made for the other monster-like students, Lee Taehoon was still judged to be F-grade.
Still, it’s fine. There’s a special admission track at the academy. One test remains. If I get the highest score there, I can still get in.
The qualification test was still ahead. It carried the most points, and if he scored high enough, he could be admitted through special consideration, so there was no need to lose hope yet. Seeing that Lee Taehoon remained composed, the instructor patted him on the back and said, “Don’t be discouraged. This instructor saw how hard you tried. If you keep putting in that kind of effort, you’ll surely become a fine swordsman someday. Getting F-grade in every category only means you’ve got nowhere to go but up. Don’t be discouraged—keep moving forward. Don’t be ashamed of your results. I’ll be here next year too, and the year after that, so come back and take the entrance exam whenever you’d like. I’ll make sure to watch your growth from the side each time.”
Jong Junhyeok looked at Lee Taehoon with a pleased expression. He was below standard in every area, but the student had pushed himself so hard in the measurement tests that he’d even vomited from running. Everyone gave their all during the entrance exam, of course, but this student had fought through it as if he were truly risking his life. For now, his physical ability was lacking, which was why he’d received an F-grade, but if he could maintain that kind of admirable spirit, next year he might reach D-grade, and after that even C-grade might be within sight.
Then a voice came from behind them.
“Geez, Instructor, don’t praise him that much. Nothing’s crueler than giving hope to people with no talent.”
In an instant, Jong Junhyeok’s face hardened.
“Don’t belittle someone’s effort like that. And don’t judge people by your own standards so carelessly.”
“You’re too soft, Uncle. I’m saying this for his own good too. He’s not just average—anyone can see he has no talent. Talent includes build and stamina. Those are absolute factors for a swordsman. What are you going to do if you give hope to a guy who can’t even hold a single sword properly? You’re not the one who’ll be responsible for his life.”
“Song Minwoo! I’m your instructor here, not your uncle! One more insolent move and I’ll drag you before the disciplinary committee the moment you’re admitted.”
“Yes, yes. Still, let me say one thing to this poor guy.”
Song Minwoo approached Lee Taehoon and whispered, “If you’re that talentless, just give up. I watched you from over there, and it’s pathetic how desperately you’re trying, so I’m telling you. Go find another path, like magic or something. I’m not trying to insult your effort—I’m saying this because I pity you. Even if ten years pass, even if twenty years pass, you’ll still be stuck in the same place, so what’s the point of wasting your life like that? Not many people will tell you this so directly. Take it to heart.”
Lee Taehoon didn’t get angry. Just as he wouldn’t get enraged if a five-year-old charged at him waving a toy sword, there was no reason to be offended. In his eyes, Song Minwoo looked no different from a cute little brat.
“Thanks for the advice. But what about your scores?”
“Mine? Obviously all A.”
In the ranking system of S, A, B, C, D, and F, S only appeared in extremely rare cases, so A was effectively treated as the highest score. Which meant Song Minwoo really did have outstanding natural talent.
Of course, that was only physical talent. The physical ability test he’d just taken was related to swordsmanship, but it wasn’t influential enough to outweigh everything else. No matter how much muscle covered your body, if you couldn’t find the proper path of the sword, it was useless.
“Anyway, don’t get too discouraged. And don’t blame me too much either. The world’s unfair from the start. But if you keep searching for your path, you might find something you’re good at.”
At his words, I let out a faint laugh before asking the instructor, “What’s the next test? I heard there’s still one left.”
“The next test is the qualification test. It’s the exam that evaluates the most important quality a swordsman should possess.”
I already knew what the test involved. So, with anticipation, I answered, “I’m ready to take the test.”
“No...I told you to give up. Your physical ability is already hopeless, so why are you acting like this? Do I need to put it even more bluntly before you’ll understand?”
Song Minwoo looked at me with an exasperated expression, and I said to him, “It’s not good to judge people by appearances. Guys like that die quickly.”
“What? Hey. You done talking?”
As Song Minwoo flared up and tried to rush me, Instructor Jong Junhyeok grabbed him and dragged him away.
“I’ll go give this brat a little lesson, so could you wait a bit? Sorry, but I’d appreciate it if you’d watch the qualification test being held by the other group for a while. The qualification test applies equally to everyone, so seeing it in advance will help you too.”
“Uncle! What are you doing? Didn’t I say something right? Didn’t you hear him saying he’d die and this and that? No, seriously, why are you only doing this to me?”
“Shut up. Before I rip that mouth off your face.”
Song Minwoo was dragged off by Jong Junhyeok, and I shoved my hands into my pockets and looked over at the other group.
Oh, perfect. Min Sua’s taking her test right now. Might as well see how strong she is.
Just as I was thinking that and watching Min Sua, she moved her lips to whisper at me.
You’re pretending to be weak, aren’t you?
I’m not pretending. My physical ability really is weak.
I shrugged, and Min Sua shook her head with a disgusted expression before mouthing at me again.
Watch closely. I lost earlier, but this time I’ll win. You’d better take this test seriously too. Don’t act.
She seemed to think I was only pretending to be weak. Unfortunately, my stamina and muscle strength were genuinely trash at this point. Well, after seeing me carve a deep sword mark into a rock with nothing but a branch, I could understand why that would be hard to believe.
With a resolute expression, she soon lifted her sword.
“The sword qualification test will now begin.”
I snorted softly and watched her.
Sorry, but there’s no way you’re beating me.
The sword qualification test.
The final entrance exam, and the one that carried the greatest weight, was a test of mental strength.