The Entrance Exam
There was a game like this. Raising the Academy Lady. A romance fantasy otome game where the ultimate goal was to raise the heroine and marry her off. The capture targets were diverse: the crown prince, the eldest son of the Northern Archduke, a Swordmaster, even a yuri affair with a married woman. There were plenty of other marriage options besides those.
‘But none of that matters.’
There was only one reason I had started playing this game.
The heroine’s friend, the sub-heroine who met a bad ending in every single route.
Ruby Fayrot.
I’d only come across her by chance on the internet, but I fell completely head over heels for the character. So for the first time in my life, I played a female-oriented romance fantasy game. And I poured hundreds of hours into it. I even spent around three hundred thousand won to buy every DLC and play them all.
Why?
‘Because I wanted to find a worldline where Ruby doesn’t die.’
But the result?
Ending Collector
Completion Condition — 100% Ending Collection Rate Achieved
“…”
Staring blankly at the monitor after seeing the achievement message, I could only sit there in a daze.
‘For real? That’s it?’
I’d devoured the main story and every DLC. Yet the ending I wanted didn’t exist. Even in the side story DLC, Ruby only met a horrific fate.
“…Ha.”
It was infuriating, but there was nothing I could do. The DLC releases had stopped long ago, and the developers were already focused on their next game. Nothing would change at this point.
‘Still, I have to stop other victims from appearing.’
Tap. Tap-tap-tap!
I poured every ounce of my vocabulary into writing a scathing review tearing the game apart. The moment I posted it on the forum—
Ding!
An alert popped up immediately. Curious, I opened it to find that the game company had replied to my review. It was far too fast for them to have actually read the whole thing.
‘A macro, maybe?’
Thinking that, I checked the content.
Your feedback will be actively reflected.
“Huh?”
That single line was the entire response.
‘What the hell is this?’
It was the first time I’d ever seen a one-line macro reply. Feeling suspicious, I checked the replies on other reviews.
‘Those look normal.’
Every other response was thoughtful and detailed.
“…What is this?”
A strange sense of unease crept over me, raising goosebumps on my skin. Right then—
Whoosh!
A blinding white light burst from the monitor and swallowed me whole.
I had transmigrated into a fantasy world.
And not just any world — the exact one from the game I’d poured my soul into, Raising the Academy Lady.
‘Good thing I memorized almost the entire setting.’
Thanks to that, I immediately recognized where I was.
In any case, by some strange twist of fate, the year I was born was seventeen years before the game’s main scenario began. In other words, I was the same age as the protagonist.
‘Hmm.’
I had no idea whether this was good luck or if someone had deliberately manipulated time, but there was no point dwelling on it.
‘I can actually meet Ruby!’
That was my first thought. But it didn’t take long for me to realize something.
‘…This isn’t going to be easy.’
To meet Ruby, I had to enroll in the Royal Academy. And that meant—
“Abel, are you serious? A countryside orphan like you wants to attend the Academy?”
What was the Royal Academy? It was either a playground for nobles who had won the parent lottery or a stage for monstrously talented geniuses to show off. The chances of a street kid from the countryside getting in were practically zero.
So what did I have to do?
‘Become insanely strong.’
I had no choice but to become a pure effort-type.
It was the sixth year of training my swordsmanship in order to meet Ruby. I was already twelve years old.
The results of all that training?
‘Quite a lot, actually.’
For starters, I had awakened my Aura. Considering that Aura Awakeners got a free pass into any knight order, it was a significant achievement.
However.
‘This alone isn’t enough.’
To survive the original story’s scenario, I needed to become even stronger. And my ultimate goal wasn’t mere survival.
‘I’m going to save Ruby.’
I wanted to lead her to a happy ending. To do that, I needed overwhelming power.
‘Let’s work as hard as possible.’
That was what I was thinking as I headed out to hunt monsters.
“Abel, heading to the forest again today?”
The village guard captain called out to me.
“Yes. I can’t afford to slack off on my training.”
“Hahaha, if only my old knight division comrades had been as diligent as you!”
He laughed heartily and slapped me hard on the back.
Thud!
A sensation like my entire body was vibrating. The guard captain had pretended to slap my back while actually injecting Aura into me.
‘This crazy old fart!’
The Aura swirled violently, tearing through every blood vessel in my body. At this rate, I would definitely lose consciousness.
‘I have to seize control…!’
I barely managed to wrest control of the Aura and calm it down.
“Huk, huuuk…”
“What? You already stabilized it?”
The guard captain looked at me with a surprised expression.
“How many times do I have to tell you? Your Aura is so hard to control that it hurts!”
“Abel. To become a true knight, you need to overcome even this kind of stress.”
It was the same old routine. He always said that while pumping Aura into me, and I couldn’t really argue with him.
‘When you think about it, it’s beneficial for me.’
His Aura-injection training method was surprisingly effective. He only poured in as much as I could barely endure, forcing me to stabilize it somehow.
‘The training efficiency is ridiculous.’
If not for him, I probably still wouldn’t be able to handle my Aura properly.
‘He really was a former Imperial Knight Division member.’
Despite his hair having turned pure white with age, his specs were impressive. Former Vice Commander of the Imperial 2nd Knights Division. He earned the rank of Semi-Knight through distinguished service in war. He was injured during a dragon subjugation campaign and retired. Now he lived as the guard captain of his hometown village…
“Cain.”
“Eh? What’s this? You’re actually calling me by name.”
“…How do I become stronger?”
Cain was also an orphan who had grown up in this village. Yet he had risen all on his own and entered the Imperial Knights Division?
‘He’s a monster.’
Even though I was annoyed that he beat me up every day, his advice was worth listening to.
“Abel, listen carefully.”
“Yes.”
He looked at me with an unusually serious expression.
“Your talent far surpasses mine.”
“…Is that so?”
“It’s not even on the level of simply surpassing me. You’re a genius so exceptional that comparing you to me would be an insult.”
His expression didn’t look like he was lying.
“I awakened my Aura at sixteen. But I only started properly handling it at twenty.”
He pointed at me with his finger.
“You awakened your Aura the moment you turned twelve. And in just a few months, your control has already become decent.”
“…”
“I’ll say it plainly. You have the makings of a knight.”
A knight. One of those beings also called Swordmasters. They were the ones who led the Imperial Knights Division and were treated as tactical weapons. Nations grew wary the moment they moved. In simple terms, they were medieval tactical nukes.
‘Me, becoming a knight?’
That was far too much of a stretch. Especially the part about me being a genius talent.
I was a pure effort-type, damn it!
“So Abel, there’s no need to rush. Just keep doing what you’re doing now.”
“Yes, thank you for the advice.”
I half-ignored Cain’s words and headed into the forest.
‘I’m not interested in becoming a knight anyway.’
Once I saved Ruby, I planned to hole up in the countryside and live quietly. Becoming a knight wasn’t even on my radar.
It was the eleventh year of sword training. After getting beaten up by the guard captain every day and growing accustomed to Aura, I had somehow turned seventeen.
‘It’s already time for the Academy entrance exam.’
First, I had to head to the imperial capital to take the entrance exam. I finished packing my bags and was about to leave the village when—
“Abel, you’re leaving already?”
The guard captain spoke with a hint of regret.
“I’ll come back after I graduate, so don’t get too lonely.”
“Alright. I’ll be waiting.”
He chuckled and handed me a single sheet of paper.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a letter of recommendation I wrote myself. Submit it when you register for the entrance exam and they’ll let you skip the interview.”
The document listed his affiliation and title.
Imperial 2nd Knights Division, 41st Term Vice Commander, Cain.
“…Cain, you really were an incredible person.”
“Kahaha. After living together for over ten years, you’re only realizing it now?”
I smiled lightly and began to walk away.
“Anyway, I’m off. Please take good care of the village while I’m gone.”
“Got it. Don’t worry and go on your way.”
It wasn’t a bad connection at all.
Time passed, and the day of the entrance exam finally arrived.
“Applicants for the Royal Academy’s first entrance exam, please come this way!”
I arrived at the testing site.
“May I have your name?”
“It’s Abel.”
“Yes, confirmed. Please wait in the Group E waiting room.”
Following the instructions, I headed to the waiting room.
‘There are a lot of people.’
Quite a few had already gathered in the waiting room.
“It’s finally time for the real test. I’m so nervous…”
“I can use up to 4th-grade magic, so I should pass for sure, right? Please let it be so.”
Everyone looked tense, but there was one girl whose atmosphere was completely different.
“…”
A red-haired girl sitting with her legs crossed — Celine Eckhart. She was calmly inspecting the condition of her sword.
‘I get to meet one of the original story’s main characters right away.’
Celine played a fairly significant role in the story. She even felt like Ruby’s rival.
I knew her very well.
“Hey, isn’t that Celine?”
“From the Eckhart Count family?”
“Whoa… I heard she reached Aura Level 1 recently. The swordsmanship department’s top spot is definitely hers.”
Even while sitting in my chair, I kept hearing people talk about Celine.
‘Aura Level 1, huh.’
It was the stage Cain had reached at twenty — the point where one could truly begin using Aura. Reaching it at only seventeen was an impressive talent, but…
‘It doesn’t necessarily mean she’s better than Cain.’
How quickly one awakened their Aura wasn’t that important. What truly mattered was breaking through one’s limits. To gain overwhelming power like Cain, you had to shatter your own limits again and again.
‘I don’t have much confidence in that.’
Cain had always told me I had the talent to become a knight, but…
‘That can’t be right.’
I spent the time thinking such things, and before long—
“Group E applicants, please exit the waiting room!”
It was finally my turn to take the test.
The first test was striking a Straw Dummy Golem. If you could inflict even the slightest damage on the golem, you passed.
‘No one in my group has passed yet.’
Out of twenty people, seventeen had already failed. That meant none of those seventeen had managed to leave even a scratch on the golem.
Now only three remained, including me.
“Next, applicant Celine Eckhart!”
The red-haired girl stepped forward toward the golem.
“You pass by inflicting any damage on the golem. Damaging the core is not recommended, but… since it’s impossible to actually destroy it, please don’t worry.”
“Understood.”
After the formal exchange, Celine, now ready, charged at the golem.
Clang!
Her sword strike dug halfway into the golem’s left thigh before stopping.
“As expected of the Eckhart family.”
The examiner smiled faintly as he spoke.
“Your posture and destructive power were excellent, and your attempt to target the leg first to break its balance was impressive. You pass.”
“Thank you.”
She bowed her head and walked away.
‘Just one more and it’ll be my turn.’
I steadied my mind and drew my longsword. At that moment—
“…Your sword is in terrible condition.”
Celine, passing by me, spoke in a sharp tone.
‘She’s right.’
Her character setting was that she was extremely serious about swords. She collected multiple blades and even maintained them herself as a hobby. Seeing my sword, it was no wonder she looked ready to have a fit.
‘It’s practically on the verge of breaking.’
Still, once I infused it with Aura it became sturdy, so I had kept using it. It also felt like a waste of money, so I planned to use it until it actually snapped.
“If you swing that at the golem, the sword will just break. Why don’t you give up now?”
“It doesn’t matter to me. This is enough.”
“Haa?”
Celine frowned and spoke.
“You’re saying it’s fine even if the sword breaks? Or are you not taking this exam seriously in the first place?”
“It’s not like I’m going to fight a dragon. There’s no need for a good sword, is there?”
“…This is ridiculous.”
She looked at me with eyes full of disdain.
“There’s no point in watching. Someone like you isn’t going to pass anyway.”
She shot me a cold glare and left the waiting room.
‘…That was kind of fun.’
I didn’t feel offended at all. If anything, I was moved by the fact that I had actually spoken with one of Ruby’s rival characters.
‘I’m finally starting to feel it.’
The senses that had grown dull from staying cooped up in the countryside all this time were coming back to life.
This world was inside Raising the Academy Lady.
And that meant?
‘I can really meet Ruby.’
My heart began to pound wildly.
“Next, applicant Abel!”
My turn had come at the perfect moment. I calmed my excited heart and walked toward the golem.
The Straw Dummy Golem with a red core embedded in its torso.
‘I’ll just cut off the head.’
Thinking that, I drew Aura from my heart.
Rumble…!
It felt like boiling steam was filling every blood vessel.
“Huu…”
I exhaled slowly and manipulated the Aura.
Aura Manipulation Stage 1.
‘Release.’
Shaaa.
Black energy flowed out of my body. The Aura enveloped my entire form and began covering the surface of my old longsword. Normally, this would have been enough, but—
‘Should I push it just a little?’
Celine’s words had sparked a bit of motivation in me. The second Aura manipulation technique I had reached last year. It was still unstable, but I could use it a little.
‘Bestowal.’
Srrrrk!
The nature of the Aura completely changed and fully permeated both my longsword and muscles.
Thud. Thuuud!
An explosive sound rang out from within my body.
‘Was this too much?’
If I maintained this state for too long, my body might actually explode.
‘Let’s finish this quickly.’
I gripped the black-tinted longsword tightly and—
Boom!
I shattered the ground beneath me and leaped toward the golem. My target was its head.
“Wait, applicant Abel! Hold on!”
The examiner shouted urgently, but—
“Hup—”
I had already swung my sword downward.
Kwaaaaaang!
With a massive roar, my longsword split the golem’s head apart. I thought it would stop there, but—
‘Why isn’t it stopping?’
The blade kept carving through the golem’s body. As a result—
Thuuuud!
The core was completely destroyed, and the golem collapsed to the ground. Even the incredibly rare core had been utterly shattered.
“…”
I slowly turned my head to look at the examiners.
“Was… that something that could be broken?”
They were staring at me with expressions of utter disbelief.