Chapter 9 : Academy Entrance Exam (4)

The atmosphere itself was still strange.

Unfamiliar silence and tension were scratching each other.

In the meantime, names were called up one by one.

And not long after, they came down with faces that looked as if their life force had been drained.

The repetition was endless.

It was such a short time that one might wonder if they were just looking at their faces and coming down, but the results were disastrous.

‘Hmm, is that all?’

There wasn’t anything particularly great, was there?

For me, who passed the test by just clicking the trigger once, this situation was just strange.

!!!

“Ha. I need to look for flights.”

“You said you were going to Japan, right?”

“It’s not as good as Korea, but the Japanese academy is also quite famous. I’ll have to go and try.”

“You’re living diligently.”

“What. It’s obvious that I’ll just die a dog’s death if I go up the tower as an unofficial.”

Their conversation was tinged with bitterness and resignation.

The movements of packing up and preparing to leave were slow and heavy.

They didn’t stop giving me glances.

Some people glared quite blatantly.

Do they think I can’t see?

Even though I’m wearing sunglasses with my eyes closed, I can feel everything with Ideation.

“They’re staring a lot.”

[Isn’t it because a kid much younger than them got first place in the written test and passed the practical exam first? The emotions that humans harbor are obvious.]

“You’re talking as if you’re not human.”

[Well, I transcend human…]

“Hey, kid. You’re amazing?”

I read the broadly spread Ideation.

Red-haired boy.

No, actually, it wasn’t a boy.

‘That cross-dresser.’

It was the person who helped me at the reception desk.

Memories came back with the familiar energy.

“Oh, hello. Thank you so much for helping me last time.”

“Hahaha! Well, it was nothing.”

She waved her hand lightly and continued.

It seems light, but there is a strange dignity to this person.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Jeong Chaemin. I’m from Busan.”

“I’m Kim…….”

“Kim?”

For a moment, the name of the past came to the tip of my lips.

But I barely stopped.

My three-letter name has become like the name of a noble lady.

Since the system and academy registration information will all be in the new name, I had no choice but to get used to it now.

“No, I’m Ernian.”

“Wow. Your name is very pretty too. Since 4 letters are too long, how about shortening it to El?”

“Well, I don’t think it matters.”

She arbitrarily shortened my name to El and smiled naturally.

Is that what you call a father’s smile? No, in this case, is it called a mother’s smile?

‘Her name is probably a pseudonym too? Because she’s cross-dressing as a man.’

“Our El is young, but she speaks Korean fluently? Aha. It’s natural because you’re a perfect scorer on the written test?”

Jeong Chaemin nodded, understanding herself.

Indeed.

It’s not surprising that foreigners speak Korean fluently.

Since Korea has the world’s highest level of hunter power, Korean has become a global language.

‘Well, my case is a little different.’

Even if you tell me to speak English, I can’t.

I only look Western.

Inside, I’m Korean to the core.

Even though my whole life has been reversed, the DNA engraved deep in my soul hasn’t changed.

“You said you were from Busan, but you speak Seoul dialect quite well.”

“Really? I was being mindful of it, but you recognize it.”

Busan.

I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard that it’s a city of tough guys.

A city that lives with the rough sea.

In particular, the sea is famous as a terrifying space inhabited by monsters that pop out of the gate.

People living in such a city are said to be tough and strong in spirit.

After hearing that, the lively energy and free atmosphere I felt from her were understandable.

The complete extrovert, the opposite of me.

‘She’s definitely going to start with E in MBTI, right?’

The moment I blinked, thinking that, I felt a warm touch stroking my head.

“Isn’t it too cute to be polite and respectful?”

I was momentarily stunned.

No, should I say I was embarrassed.

My long hair was messed up by the touch of her hand.

Because I can’t see, I’ve never cared about my appearance, so it doesn’t matter how my hairstyle is, but·

“Ah, um…. You don’t have to touch my hair….”

“Ah, sorry! You’re so cute that I did it without realizing it.”

Cute?

Me?

It was the first time I’d heard that.

I guess looking like me is cute.

“Everyone who came here to take the entrance exam must have heard that they were a genius at least once. I was also called a genius in my neighborhood. But

That means.

Did other people all watch me take the exam?

I passed first and was sitting quietly in the waiting room for successful applicants, so how would I know.

‘So that’s why everyone was glaring at me.’

Others couldn’t pass, but I passed the exam with a single click.

Even I would be resentful and angry.

“When will the next test start?”

“Huh? Did you come to the academy without knowing anything?”

Even this insignificant nod seemed different to her eyes.

How should I put it.

Like a person who discovered some rare creature, she was at a loss, but looked at me happily.

‘It’s all obvious.’

If you want to hide that you’re a woman, you shouldn’t act like that.

Come to think of it.

She’s been speaking in a serious voice, but when she laughs, it seems like her tone goes a little high.

“Hehe. Ah, next is the interview.”

“Interview?”

Ah. I think it will start soon?

“There are so few successful applicants, will it start right away?”

I don’t think there are even 20 people?

At that, Jeong Chaemin shook the acceptance necklace hanging around her neck and said.

“I guess it’s because it’s a hell of a year this year. The number of successful applicants is significantly lower than in previous years. Besides, in the practical exam, that Blink Sword was glaring with bloodshot eyes…………. The academy isn’t stupid, so they’ll probably do additional admissions for the number of people who didn’t meet the quota.”

It is common to use additional admissions or a waiting list to maintain a certain selection standard.

Most schools or institutions select prospective candidates when they fail to fill some of their quota.

They are notified of acceptance in order according to the waiting order, and are operated in a way that supplements the number of people who are short.

‘It’s the same as college entrance exams.’

I’ve never taken the SAT.

The additional admission to the academy that Jeong Chaemin mentioned would be similar.

“In places with high competition rates like the Hunter Academy, it’s common to additionally select prospective candidates with outstanding potential if the number of people who meet the criteria falls short in the selection process.”

The acceptance necklace hanging around her neck sparkled in the light.

That small object seemed to condense the atmosphere here.

The scarcity of successful applicants, and the weight that scarcity created.

‘I passed such a test, right?’

My shoulders rose on their own.

Meanwhile.

The practical exam was also finished, and it was my turn to have an interview.

“Ernian Ludwig, enter the main building.”

It seems that I’m going to see it first this time because I got first place in the written test and first place in the practical test.

Jeong Chaemin encouraged me.

“Even S-ranks are human, so don’t be intimidated in front of the professors and speak confidently. Fighting!”

I nodded, got up from my seat, and headed to the main building with Hayang.

[Ho. It’s a huge building.]

Even a World Boss from another world would admire it.

I stretched out my Ideation, but all my attempts to gauge the height were scattered into the void.

‘What kind of building doesn’t even fit in the range even if I stretch my Ideation to the end? It’s not even a shrine where God resides.’

I couldn’t even tell how many floors the building had.

Only its endless height and enormity stood overwhelmingly in front of me.

The guide at the entrance said calmly.

“Go up to the top floor.”

“Is there no elevator?”

The top floor.

It is a natural question for me to look for an elevator.

There’s no way an elementary school student has the stamina to climb to the top floor by stairs.

Moreover, I’m a girl.

But, she looks at me with the eyes of someone looking at a strange person.

…

‘Could it be…………… there really is no elevator? The discrimination against the disabled is amazing.’

But come to think of it, it might not be strange that there is no elevator since hunters fly in the sky and run around buildings.

“There is one over here.”

Fortunately, it wasn’t that there wasn’t one.

And then.

I reached the top floor.

An antique and imposing door stood in front of me.

As I approached, Achilles said seriously.

[Hmm. There is such a being even in this place.]

“Is there a problem?”

[Beyond the door is a being that cannot be fully explained in human language. I’ll say it again, you must never open your eyes. You must be careful with every movement. Never let go of the spark of reason, and let all your senses learn silence.]

I wonder why he’s making such a fuss.

I nodded slightly and opened the door.

‘Could there be a God of War here?’

However.

As soon as I took a step into that space.

A sound like thunder rang out in my skull, and a thrill slipped down my hair to the end of my spine.

“A rather strange child has come in.”

My Ideation was suppressed.

It wasn’t that the opponent did something.

In front of the vast and great narrative that she had accumulated, my Ideation was intimidated and couldn’t do anything.

As soon as she finished speaking, the Ideation surrounding me shattered like ice shards.

My Ideation melted away, screaming in front of her enormous narrative.

All information was blocked, as if I had become a completely visually impaired person again.

I became just a dot.

“I greet the God of War.”

I recognized it right away.

There can’t be more than one person like this in the world.

A person who is called Cheonhajeil (Under Heaven, Number One).

‘No, the interviewers are S-rank hunters!’

The woman in front of me was a national-power-level hunter who could confront a country as an individual.

In the darkness where I couldn’t see an inch ahead, her voice was heard.

“A bold child. I will ask, what is your relationship with the Reaper?”

I swallowed hard.