Academy Entrance Exam (1)
The sniper hides his eyes. Chapter 6. Academy Entrance Exam (1)
People born with visual impairments often have slightly awkward eye movements or unfocused gazes. Others tend to find it unnatural. In any group, those who truly understand the disabled are always in the minority. I’ve already heard far too many whispered comments behind my back. Expecting kindness only ends up hurting me, so I wear these dark sunglasses. It’s become a habit.
They were the only daily necessity that survived the corner of the room swept clean by the World Boss. I’ve grown strangely attached to them.
“How do they look? Do they suit me?”
Hmm. Even I, who knows nothing of the fashion in this world, can tell. You truly possess… absolutely zero sense.
It was humiliating. To think I’d be told I had no fashion sense by a dog.
“Why? I’m not sure if I’m cute or pretty, but when I looked in the mirror last time, I thought I looked pretty decent?”
It is not a matter of appearance. With that tiny frame trying to imitate an adult, you look like a child playing dress-up. Like a cursed ghost that only brings misfortune wherever it goes.
“A ghost?! Are you saying I look gloomy? You really don’t hold back when talking to a kid.”
Still, I believe hiding those eyes is the correct strategy. Simply knowing you can see through everything will make countless people try to either eliminate you or use you.
“Hmm. I’ll give you that. If I were them, I’d want these eyes too. Especially since they can even appraise card packs and spell scrolls.”
You must never speak carelessly about what you see with those eyes, nor show off that power. Hide it completely. Any hunter above S-class will quickly realize your eyes are no ordinary thing.
Achilles’ serious advice made me nod. Honestly, even I wouldn’t leave a child with eyes like these alone. It was painfully obvious that if someone coveted my ability, they would try to get their hands on me by any means necessary. Kidnapping and forced labor? A completely plausible scenario. How many people would want to use my power to uncover the Tower’s secrets and sweep up all the treasures? Or perhaps some secret research facility would quietly abduct me and dissect me without anyone ever knowing.
What is the secret behind these eyes?
By what principle can they see everything?
They might carve up my body to find the answers to such questions. Hunters with appraisal abilities are extremely rare. I heard it on the radio once. The Tower might hide secret missions or treasures, and even if you obtain items, they’re all in an unappraised state. That’s what they call money.
Even though I could see now, I still had to keep my eyes closed for a while. At least until I grew strong enough.
“But who’s that blonde girl?”
“Looks like she’s disabled.”
“A kid that young is trying to become a hunter and came to the Academy?”
“Are service dogs even allowed in the Academy?”
Just because I wore sunglasses didn’t mean I could completely hide the fact that I was visually impaired. The tightly gripped harness—designed so the disabled person and guide dog could communicate movements and walk safely—and the lead at its end connected to Hahyang-i. Plus the service dog tag attached to Hahyang-i’s body. Anyone could tell at a glance that I was disabled.
The murmuring coming from all directions. The gazes pouring over me felt like they were crawling across my entire body. In their eyes, I could sense discomfort and rejection born from failing to understand something. The atmosphere practically screamed exclusion. It made sense. This was the Hunter Academy, a place that trained those who would stand on the front lines of the world. Hunters always had to win. Defeat was never permitted. If a hunter died or failed a mission in the Tower, it didn’t end with a single life lost. It triggered a chain reaction that could destroy countless lives and sometimes even change the fate of an entire nation.
Since the weak were never welcome in the world of hunters, my future school life looked rather bleak.
“I can feel the stares.”
To already be so aware of others’ gazes. You handle mental perception with surprising skill.
“I’m used to using senses other than sight.”
I scanned the surroundings with mental perception. In this place filled with cutting-edge technology and the world’s most promising hunters, there wasn’t a single facility for the disabled. No, it wasn’t that they didn’t exist—they had never even been considered. The Academy seemed to assume that disabled people had nothing to do with this place. There weren’t even the usual Braille blocks. That said everything. If I hadn’t learned mental perception before coming here, I would have been in serious trouble.
Even so, aren’t they staring a bit too openly? The people of this other world are truly strange. It’s as if they’re looking at a spectacle. If one cannot respect the weak, they cannot be called a hero. Tsk tsk.
“Awakened kids my age probably aren’t common. And a visually impaired one would be even rarer.”
As expected of the nation with the world’s most authoritative hunter forces, Korea’s Academy enjoyed global fame. The best in the Republic of Korea. Perhaps even the best academy in the world. Anyone who dreamed of becoming a hunter wanted to come here. Naturally, many foreign students came to study abroad. The fact that I looked Western wasn’t particularly strange here. The problem was that I was a small child with a tiny frame. And the fact that I was visually impaired stood out far too much.
That was why the receptionist’s attitude was so terrible. Is this kid messing with me? If I opened my eyes, that thought would probably be written all over his face. His tone was dripping with annoyance.
“You’re here to register for the Academy entrance exam?”
“Yes.”
“May I see your ID?”
Even without seeing it with my eyes, I could sense it through mental perception. The way he sat with his legs crossed, leaning lazily against his chair. Even the sound of his fingers tapping on the desk. Everything about him screamed ‘I couldn’t care less.’
I told him I’m here to register for the exam. Why is his attitude so bad?
I sighed inwardly and took out my disability registration card. I was used to discrimination, so it didn’t really bother me.
“Excuse me, student. I asked for your ID, not a welfare card.”
“That is my ID.”
He frowned as he looked down at the disability registration card.
“What? This is your ID? Ah, whatever. Give me your resident registration card, driver’s license, or some kind of national certificate.”
“I’m still too young for any of those.”
He clicked his tongue in clear irritation, as if my answer displeased him.
“Are you kidding me? What kind of brat comes here to mess around? Did you even awaken properly?”
He looked me up and down, searching for something to criticize, then spotted Hahyang-i and snorted.
“And what’s with this dog? Is this a place where you bring pets? Kid, this is where the Academy entrance exam is held. Animals are not allowed. Stop playing around and go home.”
“She’s not just a pet. Look, she has a service dog tag. Don’t you know it’s illegal to deny entry to a service dog for the disabled? You could get fined for that.”
Even so, he waved his hand dismissively and said,
“Fined? What fine? Some kid who still has milk on their lips is threatening me? No, I said no. And if you haven’t even registered yet, just leave.”
The argument had already drawn a crowd. People were starting to murmur louder. Damn it. It was always like this. This was exactly why visually impaired people stayed indoors and never left their rooms.
That was when it happened.
“Wait a moment.”
A clear, bright voice rang out. The owner of the voice was a boy who looked like a high school student.
“You did register for the exam, right?”
He approached me and asked. His tone was kind. I answered awkwardly.
“Um… they said I did.”
“If you registered, then you registered. What’s with ‘they said’? Anyway, you did, right?”
When I nodded, he turned toward the receptionist like a charging bull.
“A disability registration card is legally recognized as an ID. Why are you saying it’s not valid?”
“That’s… I’ve never received a disability registration card while working here before.”
“If you’re not sure, shouldn’t you check the name first? If the name is on the list, there’s no problem. If not, you can ask for additional identification. There are actual laws like the Disability Welfare Act and the Anti-Discrimination Act. If you respond like this, you’ll really face administrative punishment.”
I could sense the staff member hesitating. The boy pressed further.
“Especially at a public institution like the Academy, if a discrimination complaint is filed, you won’t just get fined—you could face disciplinary action against the person in charge. So please stop rejecting her unreasonably like this and process it properly.”
Wow. He was good with words. The boy’s argument was reasonable, and with everyone’s eyes now on him, the staff member seemed to have no choice. He reluctantly started typing on the computer. A moment later, his hands stopped.
“Your name? It says Ernian Ludwig on the disability registration card. Is this really you?”
“Yes, it is.”
The staff member muttered my name in confusion and looked up.
“Ernian? Ernian? Wait a second—this is the person who was recommended by Professor Park Hangyeol?!”
His words caused the surrounding crowd to stir even more.
“Park Hangyeol?”
“You mean that hunter who was part of the Tower’s frontline raid team?”
“Who is that?”
“You idiot!”
“Ow! Why’d you hit me?!”
“How can someone trying to enter the Academy not know Park Hangyeol? He’s that guy. The S-class hunter known as the Flame of Roaring Energy.”
“Whoa, really?”
Just the mention of the name seemed to have a magnetic pull on everyone’s attention. The staff member in charge of registration broke into a cold sweat and quickly bowed his head.
“I-I’m sorry! I was terribly rude. I’ll process it right away!”
He hurriedly finished registering me for the entrance exam. With that, the situation was over. I politely bowed to the boy who had helped me—a deep, sincere bow from the waist. Even I thought it looked perfectly executed. Achilles was also pouring out praise.
Hoh. Stepping forward so readily for the weak. I can sense the bearing of a true hero!
“Thank you. You really saved me.”
“It’s nothing. I have a younger sibling just like you.”
He turned away as if it were no big deal. So cool. Given how the people around us were reacting, he had every reason to be curious about me, yet he showed zero interest. He simply walked away naturally, as if nothing had happened.
As I quietly watched his retreating figure, I suddenly realized something.
“Oh, I forgot to ask.”
What is it?
“That person wasn’t a boy. She was a girl.”
Huh? You can already manipulate mental perception to that extent?
“No, no. The staff member was just so annoying that I slightly opened my eyes behind the sunglasses and saw. That’s all.”
Well, the world had all kinds of tastes. There was no need to pry. I’d just respect it.
By the way, what is the first test?
“It’s a written exam, apparently.”
A written test? Will you be fine without studying?
His words made me pause in thought. A written exam. Literally, it meant sitting at a desk and writing answers. In that case, I had nothing to worry about.
“I can just cheat. Duh.”