Chapter 20

(1)

1.

Noa’s complexion was very bright upon their reunion.

It seemed she had made up for her miserable performance in the Enchantment exam during the other special skill tests. She asked with a beaming smile.

“How was the exam? Did you do well?”

“It was better than I thought. How about you?”

“Ehehe, of course, I did well. There was an unexpected obstacle in Talismans, so I got an A-rank, but in Curses, I got an S-rank. Plus, I received plenty of praise from the examiner!”

Noa laughed triumphantly.

Ulan nodded.

“It seems you won’t have to return to the prairie.”

“Of course! Didn’t I tell you? You never know the result until it comes out.”

Noa made a smug face.

But it was only for a moment.

“By the way, Ulan.”

“What?”

“I’ve been curious about something since earlier.”

Noa narrowed her eyes.

A strange curiosity was in her gaze.

After a moment, her question continued.

“Why is your butt glowing blue?”

“Ah, this is……”

I know what she’s asking.

Just as I was about to explain the reason.

Gurgle!

Suddenly, a loud noise came from my stomach.

My face stiffened along with it. As my complexion suddenly changed, Noa asked with a worried tone.

“Are you okay? You don’t look well.”

“It seems it’s about to come out.”

“Come out? What?”

“The orb.”

“Orb?”

Noa tilted her head repeatedly.

At that moment, Ulan turned his body. As if he couldn’t hold it any longer.

“I’ll go take care of some bowel movements.”

“……Just say you’re going to the bathroom.”

Geez, how crude.

Noa frowned. Just as Ulan disappeared to the bathroom to take care of his business.

Figures presumed to be professors appeared.

“Now, we will announce the final successful candidates for the Arsen Academy entrance exam.”

As soon as those words ended.

The bustling hall quickly quieted down.

Everyone held their breath and looked at the podium.

Delia was no different.

Of all times, to go take a dump. Ulan really has no luck. As I was thinking that, the professors spoke again.

“First, there were a total of 2,754 applicants for this entrance exam, and 201 successful candidates.”

“The final grades were calculated including the written exam and physical fitness test, and students who received recommendation letters were given full marks in both exams.”

Students with recommendation letters get full marks.

This is extremely unfair. But no one objected to this statement.

‘Well, that makes sense.’

Only royalty and grand nobility can write recommendation letters.

In other words, only those born with a silver spoon.

And in this worldview where class is determined at birth, such things don’t even fall under the category of discrimination.

It was just that natural.

‘At least it’s fortunate……’

That Ulan and Noa also received recommendation letters from Count Dermore, a grand noble. So, they started with full marks in the written exam and physical fitness test.

“Finally, candidates who demonstrated outstanding talent in the special skill exam were given special bonus points by the examiners.”

Special bonus points. Each examiner could give up to three, and it was announced that the scores with bonus points were marked separately.

“Now, we will announce the results!”

The announcement was made in reverse order.

From 201st place onwards.

Soon, Noa’s name appeared.

【122nd place. Noa Darshen】

【Special skill grades: D/A/S+】

Special bonus points were marked with a plus.

And Noa received special bonus points in Curses. It was probably because she achieved the goal of the curse in the shortest time.

‘But 122nd place……’

That means below average.

Noa had a displeased expression.

‘Sigh, it’s all because of Enchantment.’

If it weren’t for that, she would have been above average.

She should have chosen a different exam. As she was grumbling, another familiar name appeared before Noa’s eyes.

【99th place. Ivella Elea’ad】

【Special skill grades: B/A/S+】

The future swordswoman hero. As Ivella’s grades were revealed, Noa tilted her head.

‘Huh? Surprisingly low.’

Ivella is a genius in swordsmanship.

Moreover, her character rank is S-rank. So, she thought Ivella would be in the upper ranks, but her rank was lower than expected.

But the doubt quickly disappeared.

Because an even bigger concern arose.

‘Why isn’t Ulan’s name appearing?’

The successful candidates had already been announced up to 30th place.

There were occasional names of those who had obtained S-rank twice, but Ulan’s name was nowhere to be seen.

‘Could he have failed?’

Even if he received S-rank twice, if the remaining one was F-rank, it would be an automatic failure.

As that thought came, she suddenly felt scared.

Until two months ago, Noa had a similar thought to Ajuheuh. That it would be better for Ulan to train on the prairie and fulfill the mission of a hero in the future rather than entering the academy.

‘But now……’

The situation has changed a bit.

Since entering Arsen Academy, she had to take all the hidden pieces and rewards here, but Noa alone couldn’t do it.

She needed Ulan’s help.

And one more thing.

There was another problem.

‘……I don’t want to be left alone now.’

This is a world inside a game.

It’s a familiar space for Noa. But even so, the thought of being left alone here made her feel anxious first.

On the other hand, if Ulan were by her side, the story would be different. They had become close after spending nearly two months together, and he had become quite reliable.

‘I can’t do it without Ulan……’

Suppressing her anxious and uneasy heart.

Noa watched the list of successful candidates.

But even after the top 10 were announced, Ulan’s name didn’t appear. Gradually, a look of resignation began to appear on Noa’s face.

Just as her shoulders were about to slump helplessly. The professors announcing the successful candidates suddenly changed the topic.

“Before announcing the top 10 outstanding achievers, we will first announce the top scorer of this entrance exam!”

At the mention of the top scorer, the eyes of the successful candidates sparkled with curiosity. Except for Noa. She already knew who the top scorer was.

‘The Star Witch, Delia Arpen.’

A big shot who, along with the swordswoman Ivella, belongs to the future seven heroes. And like Noa, she was also a person blessed with the Blessing of Mana.

But that’s not important now.

Who would have thought Ulan would fail.

Noa let out a low sigh and made a gloomy expression. Just then, the professors announced the name and grades of the top scorer.

【1st place. Ulan Bator】

【Special skill grades: S+/S+/S+】

And at that moment.

Noa’s face froze.

“Huh?”

What? Did I see wrong?

With a dazed expression, she rubbed her eyes and looked forward again. But the name of the top scorer didn’t change.

After standing dazed for a while, Noa soon muttered in a thin, trembling voice.

“……Is this real?”

It was real.

An overwhelming performance that received the highest scores and special bonus points from all examiners. The hall buzzed, and Noa laughed as if relieved.

The barbarian freshman who passed in first place.

On the day the unprecedented result was announced. The person in question, Ulan, was busy with his bowel movements.

2.

Meanwhile, at that time.

While the announcement of the successful candidates was in progress.

The leadership of Arsen Academy held an emergency meeting. The agenda was about the top scorer of the entrance exam, ‘Ulan Bator.’

The one who called the meeting was Berge Erkazhan.

At seventy-five this year, he had gray hair and a beard, as if proving the passage of time.

But his eyes were intense.

Well, it couldn’t be helped.

Berge had spent his entire life in the military, protecting the western part of the empire.

Moreover, he was the main character of the victory that ended the long-standing western war about six years ago. And now retired, he served as the dean of the Military Department at Arsen Academy.

With such a splendid career, he was a powerful figure second only to the chancellor at the academy.

With such a person issuing a summons, most people wouldn’t be able to refuse.

As a result, the three examiners who had overseen Ulan’s exams entered the conference room one after another.

The examiner of ‘Great Duel,’ Ethan Arnoff.

The examiner of ‘Monster Hunting,’ Stella Natalia.

The examiner of ‘Magic Detection,’ Diplyn Cernio.

Huh? Wait, Diplyn Cernio?

At the sight of the young girl who entered with brisk steps, Berge’s eyes widened.

“No, why are you here?”

“Because I was also an examiner.”

“What? But here, the examiner for the Magic Detection exam is Professor Dirck……”

“Professor Dirck suddenly collapsed during the exam. I happened to be nearby and took over as the examiner.”

Strictly speaking, Diplyn was the one who caused Professor Dirck to collapse.

But there was no need to reveal that.

So, she deliberately hid it.

Berge looked at her with a somewhat uneasy expression, but he couldn’t find anything particularly suspicious in her beaming smile.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s get to the point.”

Being from the military, he wasn’t used to beating around the bush. So, he immediately stated the reason for summoning them.

“Is this year’s top scorer, Ulan Bator, really such an outstanding talent?”

S-rank is not an easy grade to achieve.

Anyone would agree that one must have strong talent or potential to receive it. So, there were many exams where no one received an S-rank.

But Ulan received S-rank from all three examiners, and on top of that, he also obtained special bonus points.

It’s only natural to be suspicious.

Berge’s eyes shone like sharp blades. The conference room was engulfed in a quiet silence under his interrogative gaze.

Then, someone spoke.

“That guy is a born fighter.”

Ethan Arnoff.

The examiner of the Great Duel and a professor in the Military Department. And he had a connection with Berge since their time in the military.

“His fighting style and combat sense are the best among the students I’ve seen so far.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, Your Excellency, if you see him fight, you’ll probably fall for him at first sight.”

When Berge asked in surprise, Ethan grinned. At this answer, Berge couldn’t hide his surprised expression.

“That’s unexpected. You, who are known to be stingy with praise, would say that much.”

“It’s not that I’m stingy with praise, it’s that there aren’t many talented enough to deserve it.”

“Usually, that’s called being stingy.”

After finishing the conversation with Ethan.

His gaze turned to the green-haired woman. The examiner of Monster Hunting and also a professor in the Military Department, Stella.

“Next, I heard there was an incident during the Monster Hunting exam, what kind of incident was it?”

“Ah, we were supposed to summon a 3-star monster, but due to an accident, a 5-star monster was summoned.”

“Hmm, that’s definitely an incident.”

A look of concern appeared in his eyes.

Perhaps noticing this? Stella continued her answer with an expressionless face.

“But you don’t need to worry. We’ve identified the person who tampered with the summoning magic circle the day before and are currently tracking them.”

“Good, I’ll leave that matter to you. Anyway, how was Ulan in your opinion?”

As soon as Berge’s question ended.

A crack appeared on her expressionless face.

After a moment, Stella made an ecstatic expression and muttered as if entranced by something.

Chapter 7. Result Announcement

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