Chapter 4
"There are many incredible kids among this year's applicants too."
"Indeed. Honestly, I thought last year was the peak."
The professors grading the applicants on the screen showing the first test.
Their main topic of discussion was none other than the level of this year's students.
They had heard rumors, but this year's academy applicants were of an exceptionally high caliber.
That alone was certainly amazing enough.
But what was even more surprising was that the academy was in its third consecutive year of producing a golden generation.
The current third-year students, with a few exceptions, didn't have very high top scores, but overall they had the best average of any year.
The second year had none other than the daughter of the Dark Star and the Saint of the Holy Order.
Because of that, they thought last year was the peak.
But this year broke that limit again.
Every single one of them was an incredible talent.
But in exchange, so to speak...
"The overall level is quite low. Extremely so compared to last year."
"Well, isn't it amazing that the average is still slightly higher than last year?"
The students' low scores were extremely low.
The lower-ranked ones were at a level that would never have been admitted compared to last year.
While that was concerning, the internal atmosphere wasn't that bad.
Even though the level was low, it was still higher than average.
And because the top scores had truly broken records, the mood couldn't help but be good.
It's a bit awkward to say, but rather than dozens of ordinary students becoming ordinary heroes...
It's more helpful for the professors if an exceptionally talented student makes a name for themselves with incredible achievements.
"By the way, did you see this one?"
At that moment, one instructor handed a grading sheet to another instructor.
A grading sheet with scores and evaluations written cleanly without a single correction.
The name written on that paper was none other than Kang Shin-woo.
"Of course. In terms of uniqueness alone, he's arguably the best this year."
"A shaman, huh... I've only seen them twice in my life, I never expected to see one here..."
Shamans 23re rare.
No, they're more than just rare.
They're so rare that an ordinary person living an ordinary life might see one once in their lifetime, if at all.
They're significantly fewer in number than magicians, who are already known for the extreme disparity in talent.
For magicians, all they need is the talent to gather mana in their heart and control it.
But for shamans, the talents needed are the 'Spirit Eyes' to see souls and 'Shamanic Power', which is an unusual power in itself.
Each of these abilities is already extremely rare on its own.
Even having just one of them would make someone be called a psychic, so having both is truly a once-in-a-generation occurrence.
"Didn't they say the youngest of the Abe family only had Shamanic Power?"
"Yes, I heard she can't see ghosts because she doesn't have Spirit Eyes."
Abeno Rin, the youngest of the Abe family, Japan's representative psychic family.
She's a case of having only Shamanic Power without Spirit Eyes.
Even so, the fact that she's making a name for herself as the next psychic and onmyoji shows how rare these abilities are.
So it's safe to say that 'true shamans' like Kang Shin-woo, who possess both Spirit Eyes and Shamanic Power, are almost non-existent.
Then how do they know he has both Spirit Eyes and Shamanic Power?
"He used both Possession and Shamanic techniques, so it's pretty clear, right?"
"Possession requires the ability to see souls, and Shamanic techniques require Shamanic Power, so unless there's some variable we don't know about..."
According to the professors' analysis, what Kang Shin-woo used in the first test was:
Firstly, Possession, summoning fox ears and tails made of red flames.
Secondly, the Shamanic technique used in the formation.
This alone proves that he had talent in both areas.
After discussing him for a while, one professor pointed to the rank written next to Kang Shin-woo's name on the grading sheet and said:
"I'm looking forward to it. It's been a really long time since an applicant who isn't the successor of a famous person ranked within the top 10."
Shaman Kang Shin-woo.
His rank in the first test was 3rd.
***
"I think I did pretty well, didn't I?"
This was what I said while moving to the waiting room for the second test after the first test ended.
I did well.
No, it was more than that.
At this rate, it wasn't just a matter of getting into S class, but it was undoubtedly certain that I would be in the upper ranks.
"It's all thanks to your abilities, my lord. Congratulations!"
"Your fox fire was more powerful than I expected, to a degree that shouldn't come out at that level."
"Hehe, I'm so happy to hear you say that."
And the reason for this was the power of the fox fire, which was much stronger than expected.
If the expected power was about 10, the actual power of the fox fire demonstrated was close to 18.
Almost double the power.
'It must be thanks to Hwa-ryeon's assistance.'
Her assistance did a much bigger job than I expected.
As expected, her proficiency was extraordinary, probably because she was the original owner of this skill.
"More than that, there are a lot of stares. I didn't expect this."
"Fame and popularity naturally follow those who excel. It's only natural in your case, my lord."
While I was thinking about the test just now, there was something I couldn't ignore.
It was the stares following me in the waiting room.
No matter how much I tried to ignore them, there were too many blatant stares following me.
"Hey, do you know where that guy's from?"
"No. I've never seen him before."
Interest, envy, jealousy, or admiration.
These were the typical reactions of the applicants.
It must be surprising to see a student they've never seen before suddenly scoring near the top.
The upper ranks of the academy's S class were always related to someone well-known.
But since I'm not the type to care much about others' stares, these didn't particularly bother me.
What really caught my attention were things like this:
"..."
Karen staring at me intently from over there.
She was looking at me with her blue eyes behind the eye mask she only uses when fighting.
Another gaze was from Yoon Kang-woo, who was pretending not to be interested but was clearly showing curiosity towards me.
Or Baek Seo-yun, the descendant of the Sword Saint, who was still weak and unknown in the early parts of the story, but becomes stronger than anyone by the latter half.
If not that, then...
"Mr. Shaman!"
Rin, who went beyond just staring and directly called out to me.
"You were really amazing earlier! I was in awe!"
"I think you're more amazing than me. You're definitely going to be in the upper ranks, right?"
"That's a separate matter! Admiring and praising someone is different. And you're not much different from me, Mr. Shaman!"
Rin, smiling as if genuinely impressed, poked my arm repeatedly.
For a moment, the evil spirits faintly visible behind her bothered me, but I ignored them.
Those things weren't in a form that could properly interfere with reality right now, and...
"Don't touch our lord, you evil spirits."
Even if not exorcism, Hwa-ryeon, being a spirit herself, could suppress them.
"Mr. Shaman, do you know?"
"Don't call me Mr. Shaman, call me Kang Shin-woo."
"Then, Shin-woo, do you know?"
"The feeling suddenly changed completely, and... know what?"
At my words, she who was looking at me for a moment suddenly pressed against my side and started touching my arm.
What's this, is it Hwa-ryeon?
"Hmm, a girl of this caliber might be acceptable as a fellow wife."
Wait, where are you suddenly going with this?
Besides, you're not a wife either, you know?
I was taken aback for a moment by Rin's sudden action and Hwa-ryeon's comment.
Rin turned her head and suddenly started walking away while speaking.
"Never mind! It's embarrassing, so I won't say it."
"...? What is it?"
"It was an unintentionally very confession-like question, anyway, good luck on the next test too! Do well!"
With those words, Rin waved her hand and disappeared into the crowd in an instant.
I wondered what the question was.
I had that thought, but there was no time to think deeply about it.
"The second test will begin soon! Applicants, please move to the prepared location!"
The second test.
It was time for the Time Attack.
***
As I mentioned before, the academy's entrance exam consists of three parts.
Limit Test.
Time Attack.
Survival.
Among these, the Limit Test evaluated the highest score an applicant could achieve.
The Time Attack evaluates how well applicants can utilize their abilities over a long course.
"Five applicants will take the second test at once."
Unlike the first test, multiple people take the second test at the same time.
It's much longer than the first test, and...
The 'variables' that occur when multiple people take the test at once are also at the applicant's discretion.
"The top two finishers will pass."
Only two people pass at a time.
More than half would fail this test, but it wasn't particularly strange.
Even after filtering through the first test, there were still this many people.
And then the examiner, after finishing the basic explanation, added the final explanation.
Perhaps the most important explanation for this test.
"Attacks between applicants are not allowed. However, interference with others' progress is allowed as long as it doesn't directly harm the other person."
Attacks are not allowed.
But the applicants' attention was focused on the latter part of the sentence.
Interference with other applicants is possible.
This alone would probably change a lot of things.
"Now we will begin the test! Please come forward as your examinee number is called!"
And so, the applicants who would take the test started to be called one by one.
There were a total of 4 tracks, so the voices were confusing, but...
Whether by magic or not, the numbers were clearly heard by the students.
At that moment, there was one name that was heard.
"Examinee number 121, Karen Astana!"
The name could be heard from track 3.
And the moment that name was heard, the number of people who could pass on that track was reduced to one.
Because one spot was already decided.
'It's the death group.'
What about the people on that track?
Given Karen's personality, she probably won't actively interfere, but they'll have to fight fiercely among themselves...
"Examinee number 147, Kang Shin-woo!"
"What the hell?"
At that moment, my name was called.
And the track where that name was called was clearly track 3.
Why me?
You're really quite surprising, Mr. Examiner.
"Good luck, my lord! Win proudly in first place!"
"Ugh..."
I didn't want to go, but I couldn't not go when the examiner called.
So as I moved towards that direction, I could see Karen who was already waiting.
"...Hmm."
Staring at me with those blue eyes.
Karen, smiling very slightly.