Chapter 208 |
[Entrance Exam (4)]
«What’s wrong with Parang?»
«…His face is a mess. How many times did he get hit by a ball?»
«It’s all self-inflicted.»
Eunha replied to Seona and Eunhyuk as they approached him.
Jin Parang was lying under the shade of a tree.
He had skipped lunch, claiming he lost his appetite after getting hit.
This hyung doesn’t know what he’s doing.
Eunha clicked his tongue as he looked down at Parang, who had faint bruises on his face, and shook his head.
It was Hayang’s lunchbox.
«Dad wants me to share it with you guys! Let’s eat this and gather strength for the remaining exam!»
«Wow! Truly, Hayang’s dad’s cooking needs no words!»
Eunhyuk opened his mouth wide in admiration as he saw the lunchbox Hayang had opened.
It was filled with mouth-watering food.
The kids eagerly used their chopsticks.
«The rolled omelet is really delicious! At home, we usually eat it with salt, but it’s not bad with sugar!»
«I like the sandwich!»
Minji, who was devouring the rolled omelet, and Seona, biting into a large sandwich, were both full of excitement.
Eunha and Eunhyuk didn’t lag behind.
Both of them swallowed the food with determination to finish it.
«…This is healing.»
«Tch, what’s that. Hey, kids, let’s drink tea together. It might help with mana recovery.»
Eunha felt a soothing sensation as his mana began to replenish.
The other kids seemed to be feeling the same way.
The kids who had consumed a considerable amount of mana during the second exam smiled contentedly as they held barley tea in their hands.
«Captain, I really thought I was going to die. I had to deploy the mana detection net and move my body at the same time, do you know how difficult it is to multitask like that for ten minutes…?»
«But you did it. You did well.»
«…Well, I guess I managed to do it while I was at it.»
«Did you all do that? I just deployed the barrier and stayed still…»
«»»……»»
Hayang said casually.
The children stared at her as she sipped her steaming cup of barley tea.
«…Captain, isn’t she overdoing it?»
«I know Hayang has a lot of mana, but I’m still envious.»
Eunhyuk and Minji were devastated.
No wonder.
They were running around sweating, and she was getting high grades while standing still.
«Don’t be envious of what others have. Use that time to think about how to use what you have effectively.»
Eunha admittedly envied Hayang.
But he could imagine the care she must have taken to maintain her barrier for such a long time.
If she could smile like that now, it was only because she had to work so hard.
«Come to think of it, there was someone else who deployed the same barrier as me.»
«She had a lot of mana, too?»
«Yes, I think she did. I learned it from Eunha, but she must have been self-taught, and she was good at it.»
Hayang spoke up as if she had just remembered something.
Eunha had listened to her and Seona’s conversation in moderation.
While it was impressive that someone at this age maintained the barrier for a long time, that was all there was to it.
There were many promising members of the golden generation in the 031st.
That’s what he thought.
«…What’s this? Where is this delicious smell coming from?»
At that moment, Parang, who had been lying still, suddenly sat up.
With wide-open eyes, he vigorously wagged his wolf tail, staring at the lunchbox. His mouth was filled with saliva.
«Oppa Parang, you can eat the bread they distributed at the academy. This lunch is for us.»
«It’s Parang’s fault, there’s nothing left.»
«Kim Minji, Jin Seona, don’t be like that! Give me your chopsticks!»
Parang swallowed hard and extended his hand to Hayang.
Smiling awkwardly, Hayang handed him the chopsticks.
«Oppa Parang, you can’t just eat like that!»
«That’s right, Parang, you have to leave us something to eat!»
«We have to eat quickly before this hyung finishes it!»
«Get out of the way! You’ve been eating all this deliciousness by yourselves, you cheaters! It’s all mine!»
There was not much time left for lunch.
The kids waged a lunchbox war under the tree.
☆
«Did everyone enjoy their lunch? We will now begin the third exam!»
Until last year, after the first exam, the players at the Junior Academy were evaluated in three tests, split over two days. But starting this year, they decided to evaluate all the students at once.
Additionally, to increase differentiation, they added one more exam.
So, the morning featured the Mana Detection Test and the second exam, while the afternoon was scheduled for the third and fourth exams.
The students gathered at the exam site for the Mana Detection Test had to listen to the supervisor’s explanation with tired faces.
«In the third exam, we will assess your mana control abilities, everyone. Please pay attention to the mana I will release from now on.»
The supervisor wearing sunglasses raised the corner of his mouth. He placed his hand on his waist, as if assuming a military posture, and released his mana.
The kids focused their eyes to see the mana emanating from him.
«Do you see it?»
The supervisor asked without specifying the object.
Some kids nodded, while others furrowed their brows.
The ones who furrowed their brows were the ones not skilled in handling their mana.
On the other hand, for the kids who could capture invisible phenomena with their eyes, the mana released by the supervisor had color.
The supervisor’s mana was tinged with red.
«Currently, supervisors like me are circulating around the academy grounds, each emitting colored mana. Starting from the moment you leave this place, find supervisors emitting colored mana.»
This meant even kids who were not proficient in handling mana had a chance.
All they had to do was secretly follow those who could handle mana.
However, the supervisors denied that as if they could not possibly know what the kids had figured out.
«Supervisors will ask one person each from those who followed them and correctly identified the color.»
The kids’ faces turned gloomy.
They had to try their best to capture the invisible with their eyes, even if they had to strain.
Only then did Eunha understand the intention behind this exam.
They were trying to find kids with potential.
The ability to see the unseen was a personal sense.
Those who gained enlightenment would open their eyes to the phenomenon of seeing the unseen immediately, even if they made an effort right now.
Perhaps the supervisors intended to find kids who opened their eyes through the exam, rather than systematically trained individuals.
«Of course, this is not the only thing the exam will cover. The supervisors, who match their colors with the participants, will present specific problems
By solving the supervisor’s problems, the student will gain information relevant to the fourth exam.»
Different supervisors were assigned different problems.
If the participant failed to solve the problem given by the supervisor whose color they matched, they could go to another supervisor and solve a different problem as long as time allowed.
«Supervisors do not all have just one color. Each of them has a different number of colors they emit. I believe you understand what this means.»
Each supervisor emitted a different number of colors.
The kids were convinced that they needed to be able to see many colors to achieve high scores.
Also, they believed the problems set by their supervisors would be more challenging than those set by other supervisors.
«»»…….»»
They had to think carefully.
If they weren’t confident in controlling mana, it might be better to find a supervisor emitting only one color.
However, to achieve high scores, they had to seek supervisors emitting multiple colors.
«Any questions? Yes, you there, number 984.»
«What if someone can’t see any colors?»
A student raised their hand and asked.
The supervisor fell silent.
He looked at the students staring at him quietly and slowly began to speak.
«If you couldn’t see any colors, and if you were Academy students, I would have said it firmly. Why did you decide to become players if you were like that?»
The atmosphere with the supervisor changed.
The kids felt the heavy atmosphere pressing down on them.
Tension filled their faces.
«It’s wrong to fail the Player Academy. You think a player who doesn’t know when and where they’ll die can refuse to die because they’re not ready?
I’ll tell you up front: if you can’t handle it, get out. Give up your spot, your place, to someone else. Even if you have the power, make more room for those who don’t.»
«»»…….»»
«I’m speaking as a Player Academy instructor, and as the supervisor for this exam…, well, if someone can’t see any colors, they can stay here.
I will set the exam for them. Of course, it’s better not to expect good grades.»
The kids couldn’t say a word.
They only stared at the supervisor with fear.
Deciding there were no more questions, the supervisor clapped his hands and ventilated the area.
«We will now begin the third exam.»
☆
«What are you going to do, Hayang?»
As soon as the exam started, the kids scattered, promising to meet for the fourth exam later.
Eunhyuk and Minji set off to find supervisors and Hayang decided to observe from a high place, while Parang sprinted away, determined to find a supervisor first.
Before they knew it, only Hayang and Eunha were left near the exam site.
«I’m going to help the kids from the subsidiary companies. There might be kids among them who can’t see colors. I want to show them what to do.»
«Even if you don’t get good grades?»
With her abilities, Hayang could achieve excellent results in the third exam.
However, she didn’t seem to care about that.
That was hard to understand.
«It’s fine. I’ve done enough. There’s still the fourth exam… So I have to take care of the kids from the subsidiary companies first.»
«Did you forget what I said this morning? To be selfish…»
«This is my way of living selfishly.»
«…»
Hayang didn’t hesitate.
Smiling, she cut off Eunha’s words and deployed her detection net, feeling for the presence of kids from the subsidiary companies somewhere in the academy.
«I want to create debts for them. To make them follow my orders at the Academy and become a force that protects us.»
«…I see. I get it now.»
Even if one was recognized for their talent and abilities, it wasn’t guaranteed survival in the Academy.
The Academy was a place where people gathered.
In a place where people interacted, human relationships were an unavoidable problem.
Problems that talent and ability alone couldn’t solve.
Keeping that in mind, she was delaying this exam for a better future.
«You’ve grown a lot.»
«Huh, I’ll be 14 next year. And Eunha, we’re the same age, you know.»
«To me, you’re still a kid.»
«…We’ll see. I’ll make sure you don’t think of me as a kid.»
Jung Hayang puffed out her cheeks.
Eunha chuckled.
He hoped to pass the third exam safely.
«Alright then. Stay strong. I’ll check it out too.»
«Yeah, you too, stay strong.»
He pulled up his mana.
He ran out of the building and onto the roof.
A gust of wind greeted him.
He leaned against the railing, not caring that his hair was being pushed back.
Where could they be?
The supervisors, each emitting different colors of mana.
Considering the size the supervisor had demonstrated a little while ago, he could easily find them even from the rooftop.
Sure enough, mana in various colors was rising into the sky like a whirlwind all around.
Eunha looked away from the mana that held a single color.
What he was looking for was the mana that contained the most colors.
«…Found it.»
He had found it.
He had found the colorful mana rising near the Professor’s Hall.
It contained many colors indeed.
And yet, he could see all of the colors mixed together.
Heavenly Pace
He stepped on the railing.
He didn’t hesitate to jump off the roof.
He landed on the roof of the entrance hall and ran in the direction of the Professor’s Hall.
He passed by some students on the way, but they didn’t notice him darting through the trees.
The opponent had sensed his presence.
Perhaps they intended to lead him to the location for the problem.
He turned his body in the direction where the splendid whirlwind of colors fluttered.
After running for a while, the whirlwind stopped at the lakeside behind the Professor’s Hall.
«─If you’ve come this far, your abilities must be considerable.»
It was when he arrived at the lakeside.
He spotted a supervisor standing on the water.
«…Huh?»
The supervisor seemed taken aback.
She blinked, her silver earrings glinting in the sunlight.
He was confused, too.
Then they both burst out laughing.
«Yeah, I guess…. There’s no way you wouldn’t come up with something this difficult.»
«Noona, you’re the one who told me to find it.»
Eunha grumbled at Shin Seoyoung, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.
Seoyoung, clad in a leather jacket over her shoulders, retorted with a pleased expression.
«You’re calling me ‘Noona’ now, but I’m a supervisor now. So, student number 759, No Eunha. Can you tell me what colors I’m emitting?»
«Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, navy, purple, black, gray, pink, brown, and also… Noona, you have a full set of colored pencils.»
Eunha rambled on, listing more than ten colors.
Shin Seoyoung shouted that it was correct.
«Good job. Now, I’ll start setting the problems. I’ve been curious about your abilities, Eunha, since a while back, so this works out well.»
Shin Seoyoung took out her Mana Resonance.
Eunha manifested his inner mana, following the energy emitted by her.
I died…well, not literally, but you get the point. Hopefully, I passed physics so that when the time comes, the rest won’t really matter. As for now, the schedule will be the same! Good nightt.