Chapter 89

Chapter 89

[What to Believe (2)]

The first training center of the Seoul Secondary Academy.

The training center, which is usually used by secondary academy students to train, was occupied by children who were about to graduate from elementary school.

Wow, is this all a line?

Euna couldnt believe her eyes when she saw the line of kids lined up around the inner wall of the training center.

The entrance exam for the Secondary Academy was divided into morning and afternoon sessions. Each class was divided into groups A, B, and C, and the exams alternated.

Nevertheless, there were a lot of people in the training center waiting to take the test.

I heard the teacher say earlier that there are more applicants this year than ever before.

No kidding. Wont it all be over before the afternoon exam starts?

Euna listened to the kids in line in front of her.

She, too, was thinking that the test might not end on time.

But she was wrong.

As soon as the test began, the line quickly began to thicken.

Luckily, itll be over on time.

Its only a mana test.

Huh? Oh, I see.

Euna nodded at the girls words, which she had heard from the proctor earlier.

Hi. Im Heeji Choi.

Nice to meet you. Im No Euna.

The girl who introduced herself as Heeji had been sharing information about herself with the other kids in line since the beginning. In this way, she was building friendships with them.

Euna, on the other hand, was just waiting for the line to move out of the way so she could talk to them.The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

Normally, she would have talked to them, but she realized that they were nervous and didnt want to approach them.

Heeji, on the other hand, spoke to her first, which was a nice change of pace.

Euna, which elementary school are you from?

Im from Doan Elementary School. What about you, Hee-ji?

Im from Jonggak Elementary School. Its the closest elementary school to Cocoon, which is located in Jongmyo Shrine.

Huh? ah, I see.

Euna brushed off Heejis proud description of her elementary school, as there were children among her friends who also took pride in attending Doan Elementary School.

Theyre quite confident.

Euna observed Heejis approachable nature towards the children, her pride in her elementary school, and her claims of being the best at handling mana at school. Based on these observations, Euna realized that Heeji exuded confidence, which made her somewhat uncomfortable.

Even now, it remained the same.

As Heeji continued to talk about herself or the things she knew, Euna found herself in the position of merely nodding along.

Euna, do you know how this examination is conducted? Heeji asked when the conversation didnt flow.

Heeji frowned for a moment as she saw Eunas monotonous responses.

She silently lowered her assessment of Euna by one level and introduced a new topic.

Yeah, its about testing the mana within your body, right? I heard its as simple as touching the crystal ball, just like we did in elementary school.

My sister attends the junior academy. According to her, the results of the mana examination are also considered in the admission evaluation.

Really?

Isnt it just a regular examination?

The other children who had been silently listening to the conversation chimed in.

Heeji enthusiastically nodded her head and explained the mana examination process.

Of course, Euna was already familiar with the content from the beginning. Shin Seoyoung had informed her in advance that those applying to the

Player Academy were obliged to undergo a mandatory mana examination.

Furthermore, the measured values from the examination were relatively reflected in the admission evaluation.

The proctor did mention that there would be no deductions for those with low internal mana, but they didnt mention any disadvantages.

The players world was talent-driven.

While the Player Academy outwardly stated that there were no requirements to become a player, they were secretly hoping to attract players with a significant amount of mana.

It was an unavoidable reality.

Outwardly saying they werent penalizing people, while secretly penalizing them, was rampant in society.

It was better to have an open secret than no secret at all.

Therefore, there were quite a few people among the test takers who knew the secret.

So, Heeji, you learned how to manipulate mana from your sister?

Of course.

Meanwhile, the children surrounded Heeji and chatted about the mentioned exams and the fact that her older sister was currently attending the Player Academy.

Then Heeji turned to Euna, who was waiting for the line to clear.

Euna, what about you?

Huh?

Euna, who taught you mana control, or did you learn it in elementary school like everyone else?

Um.

Should I say it?

Euna pondered as she looked at Heeji, who sent her a prompting gaze.

If she said she learned it from her younger brother, no one would believe her. On the other hand, if she said she learned it from the renowned Shin Seoyoung, it seemed she wouldnt be able to handle the consequences.

I learned everything in elementary school classes.

So, she went along with the atmosphere where everyone claimed they had only learned everything in elementary school.

Heeji replied, I see, and turned to talk to another child.

After that, Heeji never approached Euna again. Euna also refrained from joining the childrens conversation and simply waited for her turn.

Now its my turn.

Finally, it was Heejis turn. She walked confidently over and placed her hand on the crystal ball in the center of the training grounds.

The crystal ball used in the secondary academy was much larger than the one used in the elementary school.

This meant that it could measure the mana in her body more precisely.

As Heeji touched the mana crystal, half of it emitted a faint light, and a satisfied expression appeared on her face.

Im sorry, but I have to show off a little in front of you.

The second test was also based on relative evaluation.

She had a plan to outperform the children in her line with an overwhelming difference and achieve the highest score.

This year, there are many talented kids.

The general supervisor monitored the children while drinking coffee from a mug.

Other supervisors, who were also teachers at the Secondary Academy and were taking a break, were also watching the video of the training center.

This years harvest is really impressive. Teaching these kids next year will be rewarding.

The childrens internal mana levels are even better than last years test.

Each of the supervisors shared stories about the students who applied to the Secondary Academy this year.

They also mentioned candidates they are keeping an eye on.

The most mentioned examinee was a girl with light blue hair reminiscent of a pale blue hydrangea.

Is she Ryu Yeonhwa?

Yes, her internal mana levels were outstanding among the applicants.

There shouldnt be any doubt about her ability, either. No matter what anyone says, she was recognized as <The Seed> even before she entered the Secondary Academy.

The supervisors nodded in agreement.

No one expected Ryu Yeonhwa to fail the entrance exam.

Thats why the supervisors felt sorry for the children who had to run alongside her.

The entrance exam for the academy was based on relative evaluation using absolute scores.

So even if Ryu Yeonhwa finished the second exam with the best performance, they could still get the same score as her if their record was similar to hers.

Not likely.

The proctors had no doubt that Ryu Yeonhwa would outscore the other children by an overwhelming margin and earn the highest score by herself.

The kids behind her would be scored a few notches lower on the absolute scale, and test takers with similar records would be scored differently on the relative scale.

That was the general expectation.

What am I seeing right now?

The proctors were astonished to see what was happening beyond the monitor.

As soon as the test began, Ryu Yeonhwa sprinted around the track, leaving the children behind. She leapt over obstacles with feather-light movements and dodged the traps that had been set for her, as if she had predicted them.

So far, so good.

All cameras in the second training center. Return them to Ryu Yeonhwa, number 40, and 39.

The general supervisor gave the order.

Soon, all the monitors showed the faces of Ryu Yeonhwa, who was in the lead, and the girl number 39, who was following her very closely.

Whats the name of number 39?

Shes No Euna.

Really? Any peculiarities? Is she also from <The Seed>?

No, I dont think so.

But still, shes performing like that?

The chief supervisor couldnt believe the skill of No Euna, who was chasing after Ryu Yeonhwa.

Like Ryu Yeonhwa, she showcased aerial acrobatics, effortlessly evading obstacles and smoothly nullifying the time-delayed magic traps.

The second test held at the training ground aimed to assess examinees physical abilities, reflexes, instant judgment, and mana utilization skills.

Therefore, the magic installed in the training ground didnt activate in a predetermined order but rather had time delays or triggered based on specific conditions.

Nevertheless, No. 39 was chasing after Ryu Yeonhwa in a way that was hardly characteristic of an elementary school student.

Of course, Ryu Yeon-hwas moves were also hard to recognize as elementary school students.

Still, isnt there a difference between elementary school students who are recognized as <The seed> and ordinary elementary school students?

Theres another rookie.

Now, both of them were even avoiding advanced magical techniques effortlessly.

What was even more astonishing was that instead of hesitating momentarily to evade the magic, they continued moving forward even when the magic was triggered.

It was an acrobatic feat that even regular players found challenging.

Their aptitude as players was outstanding.

The supervisors leaned forward, pressing their bodies against the monitors to closely observe the test of the two individuals.

Well, teaching them next year will be extremely rewarding, wont it? To have <The Seed> members, promising talents, and even rookies.

Maybe the next Twelve will be born from next years jockeys.

It could be.

The supervisors wore satisfied smiles as they watched the two individuals running at an almost equal speed.

Their faces soon hardened, however, when they heard the voice of the assistant overseer operating the monitor.

By the way, neither of them seem to be using any mana at all?

It looks like theyre taking the test on pure physical ability alone.

How could that be?

The examiners looked at each other, wide-eyed.

No one answered their questions.

[Second Training Ground Morning Session A-4 Test Results]

1st Place 06:36, Number 40 Ryu Yeonhwa, A+

2nd Place 06:39, Number 39 No Euna, A+

3rd Place 08:42, Number 38 Choi Heeji, D+

4th Place 08:44, Number 32 Kim Miyeon, D0

5th Place 08:45, Number 34 Geum Suni, D0

6th Place 09:50, Number 31 Yeom Minjeong, E+

7th Place 09:55, Number 36 Kim Misook, E0

8th Place 09:58, Number 33 Jo Yeona, E-

9th Place 10:02, Number 35 Jang Bo LEE F0

10th 10:11, Number 37 Kim, Malja F0