Chapter 41 Entrance Exam (2)
“Since we won’t see each other for a week… should I give you a hug?”
Damian’s face was hidden, as he was wearing a mask.
He picked up his wooden sword and climbed down from the carriage.
“I’ll be back.”
Silveryn pouted her lips. Even after giving many signals of feeling let down, Damian only remained cool and detached.
He shut the carriage door and made his way toward the entrance exam venue.
Silveryn sighed softly.
It had taken a lot for her to offer such a gesture, and seeing Damian’s reaction made her question if perhaps she had been too presumptuous.
She could understand it, though. Damian was about to stand on his own, and with the entrance exam just ahead, it made sense that he would have a lot on his mind.
However, after having advanced a few dozen steps, Damian suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Then, unexpectedly, he turned around and started to hastily approach the carriage.
“…Huh?”
Silveryn looked around the inside of the carriage.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything left behind.”
As Damian came to the carriage and reopened the door, Silveryn began to speak.
“Did you forget some…?”
Without a word, Damian suddenly embraced her.
He rushed in so unexpectedly that her body nearly lay down in the seat from the force.
“Oh my…”
Even Silveryn was a little taken aback. This was the first time Damian had done something so impulsive since they had been together.
His rapid heartbeat conveyed through their bodies in contact, revealing that beneath his silent facade, he was quite nervous about the upcoming exams.
Silveryn’s lips curved into a gentle smile, and she slowly stroked his back.
“Do well and return, my apprentice.”
Gradually, Damian’s racing pulse began to settle down.
After a moment, he released her from his embrace and gently laid Silveryn back onto her seat.
Then, without another word, he left again for the entrance exam hall.
“…….”
Silveryn remained lying there, so stunned that she didn’t think to close the open carriage door.
While Damian had calmed down, oddly, Silveryn found it not so easy to soothe her own stirred feelings.
She lay still, continually fanning her face with her hand.
“……It’s quite warm.”
***
The expansive grassy field that lay at the foot of Grace Mountain, at the outskirts of Eternia’s fortress, was the site for the entrance exams.
And at the boundary between Grace Mountain and the examination field, a massive barrier had been erected.
It was meant to prevent unauthorized access and to deter any cheating, restricting entry to those who were not officials.
Candidates began entering the test area one after the other, having said goodbye to their companions at the edge of the grassy field.
She spotted several faces she knew.
‘It turns out to be true – a lot of celestials are taking part in this exam.’
Luna, Cecil, Victor, Nyas, Iris, and others. Scions of noble houses who had made a name for themselves even before their entry were not a rare sight.
Slowly, the place started to fill up, getting increasingly crowded.
Shortly thereafter, the crowd’s attention was drawn to the entrance of the exam grounds, and they began to chatter loudly.
Someone was entering.
Lilith swallowed nervously as she watched.
‘He’s really here.’
Gale Varienne, the eldest son of the Varienne family, who guarded the frontlines of the continent’s north from demonic beasts. Their family’s renown was so great that to say all nations, including the Empire, owed a debt to the Variennes would barely be an exaggeration.
And now Gale, who had already hunted down large demonic beasts at such a young age and had gained the title of ‘Weapon Master’ from the northern folks, was here.
His broad shoulders, towering stature, sharp jawline, and combative gaze emitted an immense sense of intimidation. On his back, he carried an axe as tall as a man.
Even just by appearance, he radiated an immense aura of intimidation, but now, covered in blood from whatever he had done, he seemed even more fearsome.
Other candidates made way for Gale, overpowered by his presence.
With Gale’s arrival, half of the entrants who were admitted through recommendations were accounted for.
There could be more names on the recommendation list, but out of those known, the only ones left were ‘Sion’ and ‘Damian.’
While rumors about Damian had circulated from the Weisel Knighthood, his accomplishments and status seemed marginal compared to his peers.
He was presumed to be one of those who might have secured their recommendation through influence rather than merit. To some extent, this was accepted; even an academy like Eternia saw its fair share of such admissions every year.
But Lilith wasn’t waiting for Damian.
A few minutes after Gale had passed, the entrance exam venue fell as quiet as a graveyard.
Lilith could sense it.
‘The star of the show has finally arrived.’
At that moment, Sion Izarel made her way into the examination field.
The crowd fell so silent that the sound of footsteps on the grass could be heard despite the number of people present.
One of only ten Swordmasters throughout the whole continent.
Known as a ‘Dragon Slayer’ for beheading a dragon, she was the esteemed disciple of the swordsman Gaston Grigg.
The rumor that Sion sought out anyone deemed a strong enough opponent and challenged them was already widespread.
Most of the notable applicants, including Victor and Gale, had been resoundingly defeated by Sion.
She was, in essence, the strongest here.
There were even rumors she had soundly beaten several second and third-year students, lending further credence to her dominance.
The top spot of this entrance exam was, in both name and reality, Sion’s to lose.
In practice, the most intense competition was for the second place.
‘Huh?’
And seizing the moment when all eyes were on Sion, a man quietly slipped into the examination grounds unnoticed.
Her brow furrowed in displeasure.
It was a silhouette deeply etched in Lilith’s memory, and not in a good way.
‘Was that guy also an applicant for admission? Seriously, should I be glad about this?’
One hand resting casually on the wooden sword at his hip, he took a leisurely survey of his surroundings.
It was the very man in the mask that she had been unable to find, no matter how hard she looked.
***
Once all the applicants had gathered, their number was close to a thousand.
When the appointed time came, ten examiners and thirty assistants from Eternia entered the examination ground.
The examiners lined up in front of the barrier, and soon the assistants began handing out maps to the applicants.
Gael, standing in the center of the examiner’s row, shouted loudly.
“I am Gael, associate professor of the combat division, and I will be overseeing this entrance exam. Listen carefully as I explain the procedure and objectives of this test!”
Flynn stood behind the candidates, arms crossed, listening. He was tasked with helping Gael and was on guard duty to prevent unauthorized entrance.
The map depicted the geography of Grace Mountain, marking the safe areas to prevent unwanted encounters with demonic beasts.
“Your goal is simple. Reach the summit of Grace Mountain and press your handprint onto the magical slate.”
Of course, this wasn’t merely a simple hike. Along the way, obstructions lay in wait to hinder the applicants.
“Plantaras will bar your path and harry you to the brink of death.”
The map showed six routes, labeled A to F, leading to the summit.
The fastest paths to the summit were routes A and B, but these two were heavily guarded by Plantaras — an unusually secure defense designed to sift out the upper echelon.
The majority would have to circumvent along routes C to F.
“While reaching the summit quickly is a primary task, we advise that you remember the value we place on teamwork and the importance of cooperation and collaboration.”
Flynn reminisced about his own time taking the entrance exams. He, too, had formed a team with two Magic Engineering department applicants and reached the summit together, earning extra points.
“Also, each department has additional tasks, detailed on the back of the map. Make sure to check them.”
The candidates began turning over their maps.
The additional tasks were as follows:
The Alchemy department was to identify plant life and collect specified herbs for submission. A special potion created from these would confer extra points.
The Magic Engineering department was instructed to craft a tool freely from materials on Grace Mountain and to submit everything to the examiners after the test.
The Magic department had no specific task, but points would be given for healing other candidates.
The Combat department had none. Their sole priority was to break through to the summit.
“Refer to the back of your maps for other specific rules. With that, this briefing is over.”
This entrance exam was so intriguing that even Flynn wished he could participate directly.
The presence of the divine Sion Izarel, Gale Varienne, and above all, Damian, made it all the more thrilling.
Most probably believed that Sion would clinch the top spot without question.
But Flynn felt differently.
Even remembering the sparring session from a month ago still sent shivers down his spine.
It evoked a bitter smile, thinking about how amongst those applicants hid a monster comparable to Sion, staying quiet.
He was almost dying of curiosity to see what kind of upset this individual would cause.
‘Let’s get started already…’
The examiners began collecting the magical orbs that maintained the barrier.
“Let the entrance exams begin in earnest now. I wish you all the fortune of war.”
Then, the massive barrier which had been in their way vanished with a thunderous noise.
Koong- Koong-
Following that, the ground started to tremble.
A Plantara legion, in the thousands, burst through the woods from the base of Grace Mountain to meet the applicants head-on.
This was the first gate.
The applicants, fired up with fighting spirit, began to run.
A massive battle ensued as Plantaras clashed with the candidates, reminiscent of a full-blown war.
Amidst them, Gale naturally became the leader of the vanguard, sweeping away Plantaras with his axe.
Elsewhere, about ten silver wolves appeared, flinging Plantaras through the air — Luna had manifested the Wind Spirits.
Iris and a few other Alchemy department applicants threw potions. Wherever these landed, thick vines grew rapidly, restraining the Plantaras.
Brilliant lights sparked from fireballs and electric shocks, dazzling onlookers.
Flynn watched with keen interest.
Some were swayed by the examiners’ mention of the value of ‘cooperation.’
Others sought to stand out among the numerous applicants by showcasing their capabilities.
All aspired for their own reasons, pouring their best efforts into pushing back the Plantaras.
Without the slightest inkling that this was all a trap.
***
Lilith stopped momentarily as she dashed forward when she spotted the man in the mask.
‘What on earth is he doing?’
All the applicants had raced off to fight, yet the man was sauntering along as if having no intention to engage in battle.
‘It seems he has no plans to cooperate with others or gather points that way.’
A few Plantaras that had entered from the rear rushed towards the man, but he nimbly sidestepped, letting other people fight them and then ran off.
It wasn’t just once. He kept repeating this tactic over and over again.
Lilith’s mouth dropped open, astounded.
“What a despicable character…”
As she watched, fury bubbled up inside her.
A coward with not a shred of honor to be found.
Feeling he was unworthy of further attention, Lilith turned away from the man and sprinted towards the front lines.
The battle raged on for several hours.
And as the sun began to set and evening hues colored the sky, Lilith realized something was amiss.
Despite all the fighting, dozens of Plantaras still remained.
They didn’t attack but firmly blocked the entrance routes to Grace Mountain.
Plenty of candidates were left, but all were either injured or exhausted to the point that they could fight no more.
‘This makes no sense.’
Nearly seven-tenths of all applicants hadn’t managed to leave the examination ground from where they had started.
Lilith gazed at the faces of the demoralized candidates. Each one had exhausted their full strength battling the Plantaras.
The man in the mask had likely foreseen this outcome. No matter where she looked, there was no sign of him. He must have already entered Grace Mountain.
‘That man, what exactly…’
She had to admit it.
Despite being cowardly and cunning, he was looking ahead.
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