Chapter Six: The Entrance Examination

Chapter Six: The Entrance Examination

After paying the registration fee, Shuster made his way to the registration point, waiting in line while perusing the "Oriental Empire White Emperor Academy Enrollment Guide" in his hand. "Heh… Anyone between sixteen and twenty who has reached the third rank must be a genius," Shuster muttered to himself. Geniuses on the continent? Of course, there aren't many. But every genius fights tooth and nail to get in, showing just how formidable White Emperor Academy is.

"Next! Shuster!" It was his turn. The examiner, having just expelled someone pretending to be twenty and still only at the second rank who tried to sneak into the academy, called Shuster forward with impatience.

Shuster stepped up to the counter and handed over the completed registration form. The examiner glanced at the information, then finally looked up at the young man before him…

This can't be real! It must be a joke—how could a boy look so beautiful? Oh, the unfairness!

"Young man… grasp this crystal for the test," the examiner said, handing over a crystal slightly larger than those used by the Mercenary Guild. As before, the crystal lit up…

"Age: seventeen. Rank: Intermediate sixth," the crystal announced honestly.

"See you around, sir!" Shuster said cheerfully, walking through the now unshielded magical barrier, leaving the examiner staring after him in a daze.

"But I'm only twenty-nine!" the examiner wailed, tears streaming down his face as he recovered.

An hour later…

Is this really a dormitory? Shuster stared at the luxurious villa before him, the corner of his mouth twitching. This place could easily house twenty people—was it really meant for just him? Silently, he left the villa and headed to the spot where Catherine and the others were waiting for him.

Along the way, Shuster’s striking beauty drew countless predatory glances, but he, long accustomed to this, ignored them entirely and walked straight to Catherine.

"Go, find out who she is, what class she’s in. Check with the freshmen," murmured more than a few onlookers, eager for news about Shuster.

"Shuster, over here!" Emily waved and shouted.

"Coming!" Shuster smiled and walked toward Catherine and the others. In the sunlight, his delicate features seemed to bloom like a flower, dazzling so much that some people nearly drooled with envy.

"My, Shuster, you had half the academy drooling just now," Emily teased.

"Let them be. As long as they don’t bother me, I don’t care," Shuster replied coolly, as if nothing in the world could surprise him.

"Well, your indifference is founded on your strength. We’re considered geniuses in this continent, but compared to you, we’re nothing," Emily sighed.

"Exactly! You’re only a year older than me, so why are you three ranks higher?" Somia pouted her adorable lips.

"His strength comes from hard work. If you put in some effort, you’d be at the fifth rank by now," Catherine said, pinching Somia’s cheek.

"Aw, I’m still young! Why do I have to work so hard?" Somia protested cutely, covering her face.

"By the way, they assigned me a dormitory, but it’s so big it’d be a waste just for me. Why don’t you all move in with me?" Shuster finally remembered what he wanted to ask.

"Great! I won’t have to stay in the group dorm anymore!" Somia cheered.

"In that case, we’ll gladly accept your hospitality, little brother," Catherine agreed.

"Alright, pack up and let’s go. I’ll cook tonight," Shuster said happily.

The next day, the group arrived at the exam site.

"Little brother, we’re going to submit our grades from the holiday. You take your exam here," Catherine said at a crossroads.

"Got it!" "Good luck, Shuster!" "Wishing you success!" "Go for it," the others encouraged Shuster.

He entered the examination hall, which immediately caught his eye with its grandeur. His entrance also turned the heads of everyone inside.

"Wow, what an elegant beauty of a warrior. Do you know who she is, brother?"

"Stunning! The campus gossip magazine just found its next headline!"

"What a dashing beauty—I’m smitten…"

…

A cold snort echoed through the hall as the examiner released an aura of authority, quieting the room instantly. His gaze grew serious as he looked at Shuster. Under the pressure of a primary sixth rank like myself, there’s not even a flicker of reaction? Who exactly is this person?

"Ahem. Time’s up. Now, let’s split into classes: mages to the left, warriors to the right, other professions in the center."

"Wow, to be in the same class as such a beauty—what an honor," the warriors whispered among themselves.

"Regret! Why did we choose to be mages and miss out on her? Regret!" the mages bemoaned their fate.

"Wait, why is she going left? Excuse me, could you please wait a moment?" the examiner called out to Shuster, puzzled.

"Yes? Is something wrong?" Shuster looked at him in surprise.

"Uh, aren’t you a warrior? The warrior exam is to the right."

"I’m here to study magic," Shuster replied calmly, shocking everyone present.

"Haha—a warrior dressed like that, but wants to study magic? Hahaha!"

"Yeah, I thought she was someone important! Turns out she’s a fool. Doesn’t she know warriors can’t learn magic?"

"Beauty, this isn’t the place for you. Stick with me—I’ll guarantee you a life of riches and glory."

A massive aura, suffused with killing intent, swept across the hall. Everyone below the fourth rank was forced to their knees, hands pressed to the ground. Even the fourth ranks had to unleash their battle energy to barely withstand it, and even the examiner broke out in a cold sweat.

With a dismissive snort, Shuster withdrew the aura and killing intent, glancing disdainfully at those on the floor. "Any more questions?"

"N-no," the examiner stammered. What kind of monster is this? Not even twenty, but at least an intermediate sixth rank.

"I’d like to take the test," Shuster said coolly, stepping before the mage examiner on the left.

"Ah, of course. Please place your hand on this crystal," the examiner replied respectfully, recovering under Shuster’s overwhelming presence.

"Another crystal? This is the third one today," Shuster muttered, somewhat vexed, as he placed his hand on the crystal.

A towering pillar of lightning shot skyward. If not for the protective barrier around the hall, the bolt would have been seen throughout the city.

"Boom… a Lightning Elemental Body! It’s a Lightning Elemental Body! At last, I have a successor! Hahaha!" The doors to the hall burst open and a disheveled old man in mage’s robes with an explosive head of hair stormed in, shouting as he looked around wildly.

"Where? Where is it? Huh? Why is it a warrior?" After a long search, the old man finally spotted Shuster with his hand on the crystal. Noticing the warrior’s attire, he approached in annoyance.

"You must be the lightning magic instructor here?" Shuster asked, eyeing the elderly man who radiated no magical energy.

"That’s right, I am Jason Key, seventh-rank high-level war mage. Little girl, give up being a warrior and study magic with me," Jason Key said, wearing an expression that begged for admiration.

"Very well. Defeat me, and I’ll become your student." Shuster drew his Blood Dance Crescent Sword in a flourish and faced Jason Key.

"Child, it’s good to be proud, but too much pride is arrogance, you know? I’m a high-level seventh rank, after all," Jason Key replied, his face darkening.

With the salute of a Magic Sword Order knight, Shuster said coolly, "Shuster Redona, intermediate sixth-rank thunder magic swordsman, challenges you."

"…Very well! An ancient vocation, the magic swordsman? I accept your challenge," Jason Key replied, his demeanor shifting as he finally regarded Shuster in earnest.