Position Test

I manufactured about 18 items overnight.

There were about five of us in the assassin track, including me, but we needed practice, so I prepared extras in case any failed or were lost.

"Hold this in your hand and imbue it with mana. I've charged it a little, but it won't activate unless the mana you add is greater, so don't hold back."

The students fiddled with the mini conch shells they had been given. Then one of the boys raised his hand.

He looked troubled.

"Lady Raebi, this has a fairly large capacity. It's a bit much for me as a C-rank."

"You don't need to fill it completely. It will only make a slight difference to the barrier's durability; it won't affect its function."

I had filled them with only a little mana in preparation for this situation. As long as the amount injected at the moment was greater than the amount already inside, there shouldn't be a major problem.

We each ran through a practice round, and even some of the children who had been worried let out cries of amazement when they experienced the item's power.

We all headed to the training ground at nine, when class began.

We arrived at the training ground. Since it was still a little early, Instructor Eva had not appeared yet.

Instead, someone I particularly didn't want to meet was watching me.

I greeted her, doing my best to conceal my annoyance.

"Good morning, Richin."

"Yes. Good morning, Lady Raebi."

......You're different from usual?

Unexpectedly, Richin's expression was utterly gentle.

Whatever had her so pleased, her usual prickly air had vanished without a trace, leaving her looking utterly peaceful.

Though I felt a little uneasy, I chose to take it positively and exchanged greetings.

"I was too sensitive last time... If I'd known you were the top student, I would've acknowledged you from the start."

'Exactly. You only brought me more attention, you damn bitch.'

"No! It's precisely that meticulousness that raises the quality of the academy's students!"

"Oh my, do you really think so?"

"Of course. So please don't worry too much."

Richin's lips curled upward.

"I see... You're truly magnanimous—just as impressive in character as in ability. Are you planning to finish today's test in a single day as well?"

"Yes. It seems so."

"I thought so. Then do your best!"

She tossed out words that might or might not have been encouragement and left. It felt too ominous to call it a thaw in her feelings, but I decided not to think much of it.

Compared with the top families I'd faced during the first semester, whatever she did now only made me laugh.

Eva arrived a little while later.

We immediately applied to take the test, and Eva led us to the testing ground with an air that suggested she'd expected it.

Perhaps because it was the first test, I saw the other students following in a crowd behind us.

Eva stood in front of the testing ground and turned to face us.

"First, there's something I need to explain. Unlike last year, there have been some changes."

"Yes? What kind?"

"Starting this year, we've been instructed to strengthen assassin-track training. As a result, there are more traps, and there's a score penalty for failure. Rash decisions are fatal to assassins."

'......Is this a coincidence?'

No, I could feel someone's gaze on us. At the far right edge, someone was watching this way with a snicker.

I wondered why she'd been speaking to me so cheerfully today, but apparently this was the reason.

When Richin heard that all the Korean students would be taking the test together, her mouth stretched even wider. The malice in that smile was painfully obvious.

I didn't know how she'd persuaded the Cavendish family, but it was clear she'd made some kind of move.

But there was one fact she hadn't considered.

We had items designed to blast through the course. No matter how many extra traps they added, they would be useless if they weren't even a threat.

"We'll begin!"

The tests proceeded in order, starting with the lowest rank. When the boy who had asked me a question earlier used his item, a translucent white membrane enveloped him.

It soon took on a conical shape, and at the same time his body shot forward as if it had been launched.

BOOM!!!!!

The goblin-shaped reinforced dummy burst into powder and scattered in all directions. The target was destroyed in the blink of an eye. Although there had been many obstacles, round holes had been brutally punched through all along the path he had taken.

There were signs that various traps had activated, but the boy was perfectly fine, without even a scratch on his clothes.

He returned with a confident smile. Eva nodded in satisfaction and declared that he had passed.

"Instructor! I object! That isn't an item the examinee just made!"

'Of course.'

Sure enough, another bout of Richin's hysteria began. Apparently laboring under another serious misunderstanding, she badgered Eva with an argument that had no chance of getting through.

She'd already been chewed out by Enrico once, but confusion and fury seemed to have blinded her now.

Eva pretended to deliberate, then said to her,

"The assassin position's role is to protect party members from surprise attacks and secure advantageous terrain. Thorough preparation cannot be counted as a demerit. Therefore, the decision to pass him will not be overturned."

She was just as decisive as Enrico. Judging from that firm attitude, the changes to the test really did seem to be because they were necessary, not because of any collusion.

Richin retreated, suddenly unable to get a word out.

The tests continued, and the Korean students smoothly earned perfect scores using the same method.

But when my turn came, Richin spoke up again.

"Instructor Eva. Please prohibit the use of the same item this time. I don't think the enemy will keep being defeated by the same method."

......Hmm.

Eva turned to look this way.

"I agree with that, but... I can't force it. It would be unfair."

'That's right!'

"However, Lady Raebi."

"Yes?"

"You made that item, didn't you? As the top theory student, could you show us another way to clear the test? Of course, the choice is yours."

'......That look of curiosity.'

It was a familiar gaze.

I could recognize it at once, since it was the look everyone—teachers and students alike—who passed by in Eight City had given me.

After making a quick decision, I said to Eva, who was watching expectantly,

"I'm inexperienced, but I'll give it a try. However, even if I clear it, I won't be able to explain how I did it. Is that all right?"

"Of course. As long as you succeed without taking a hit."

Of course, I could have refused.

But during the previous semester, I'd learned that it wasn't wise to hide everything from mad teachers whose research fever had been stoked.

Besides, I rarely had the chance to move my body freely, so this was also an opportunity to assess my own capabilities.

‘It looks easy enough for now.’

The B-rank side I was about to test happened to be a familiar jungle-type course.

However, what I needed to be careful about was that the terrain and traps changed every time someone took the test.

Therefore, advance preparation was impossible, and I had to rely entirely on my reflexes to clear the route.

'Or figure out what the moving testing ground really was.'

"I'll start!"

Ding-

[Skill 'Blade Claws' activates.]

Ding-

[Skill 'Curse Transfer' activates.]

Ding-

[Skill 'Confusion' activates.]

Whoosh!

I shot forward with my reflexes boosted to A-rank by Blade Claws.

I began running at a moderate speed so no one would notice anything strange.

I smoothly broke through the terrain I knew best, and had no trouble avoiding the fixed traps along the way.

Various things kept flying at me, from tiny poisoned needles to high-pressure streams of water.

Their power was weak, but their speed alone was genuinely threatening.

After running for about ten seconds, I saw something.

Patter-patter-patter...!

'There it is!'

A goblin-shaped reinforced dummy.

I smashed it with my fist—crack!—and the test-completion notice appeared.

Everyone sent me puzzled looks at the anticlimactic end, while Eva stood with her arms folded, staring intently down at the testing ground.

"......Lady Raebi, you've passed. That was an interesting approach."

"Did you figure it out?"

"Of course."

Eva bent down and whispered into my ear.

'The ones you made fools of are my summons. I even gave them protection against mental attacks, so I'm amazed you broke through that as well. A perfect score.'

"Hehe, thank you."

Just as I thought.

There had been something strange as I watched the earlier tests.

Even if it was a facility built with the latest system at great expense, wasn't it strange for the trap layout to change in real time? Besides, the damaged plants withered away, and different ones appeared anew.

There didn't seem to be any special machinery inside, so there was only one conclusion left.

'Living, moving traps.'

So the rumor that Eva de Chateaubriand was an ability user who could create artificial dungeons and small Gates had been true.

"Kim Daehoon, Lee Hansu, Heo Jihee, Oh Yeonjeong, and Raebi Na. The entire Korean team has cleared the test perfectly! Let's give them all a round of applause!"

As she called our names in the Korean style, the students gave us an admiring round of applause. Eva added that this was the first time three or more students had achieved a perfect clear in a single day.

A few nobles approached me, perhaps curious about my method, but I asked them to wait until after graduation.

Richin quietly headed back to the training ground ahead of us under the students' hostile stares. Later, I saw that she was forcing the Chinese students to gather, apparently plotting something else.

Thinking how despicable she was, I called April and tattled.

*

"Mr. Chahun. I'm here."

"Oh-ho, everyone! Come see our cute little fairy!"

"......Get everyone away before they smash all the items I brought."

With some free time during the testing period, I helped Livi's group and Kim Chahun's group with their tests. The magic track had to master controlling and using mana, so I provided only simple accessories, but Kim Chahun's test involved striking and tanking, allowing me to provide useful items.

Kim Chahun's group passed in three days, and everyone in Livi's group passed within five.

Considering the position-test period was two weeks long, that was a fairly quick clear.

But that wasn't the end of it.

"Hmm... So you're a healer, Ms. Gaeul. No wonder I heard you received government support."

It was a student who had organized the questions from previous tests. Since high-level healers were the top recruitment targets, they were sometimes admitted to the academy with government support.

Healer training was unusual as well. Rather than specifically treating injured people, they learned basic self-defense.

Passing was already guaranteed, and they were scored on how efficiently they could identify who needed treatment.

So there wasn't much I could do to help.

Unlike the other positions, students from all over the world were getting along and socializing.

"Still, thank you for looking out for me. I thought I was being ignored because the healer position has no nobles."

Kim Gaeul said playfully,

"Oh, right. There's a high-ranking noble who would like to meet you, Lady Raebi."

"Me? They could have simply asked me. Why..."

"They said they've become more cautious since the social gathering. You've seemed so busy lately that I didn't dare mention it, but would you like to meet them briefly while you have the chance?"

"Hmm... All right."

Kim Gaeul rose from her seat and walked off somewhere. A handsome Asian man with striking features began walking toward us alongside her.

'Uh... Huh?'

I opened my eyes wide.

Because of the earlier Bella incident, I'd memorized the faces and personal details of the incoming students from the top families, so I recognized him immediately.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Wishuan."

"I'm glad you recognize me. I am Wishuan Weirui. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Raebi."

Wishuan calmly extended his hand.

I uncrossed my arms and took it.

After we shook hands, he asked whether he could get straight to business, since I must be busy.

When I said that was fine, he spoke with a complicated look on his face.

"Lady Raebi."

"Yes."

"I want to get closer to you."

"Yes...?"

What was with the hearts filling his eyes?

Could I be imagining it? There was a strange tension in his syrupy tone. It felt just like confessing to someone you had a crush on.

At the thought that he might actually mean it, my mouth fell open, and Wishuan said in a complaining tone,

"For the record, what happened to Douglas Kim has nothing to do with the Weirui family. If any trouble arises, contact me. Things are quite complicated in China right now."