Chapter: 50
The folks gathered in the Soul Academy’s conference room were all looking pretty haggard.
The problem was that the entrance exam had been interrupted due to an accident that occurred during the process.
Since that day, all the professors at the academy had been burning the midnight oil nonstop for nearly a week to sort out the aftermath of the incident.
To put it in a nutshell, after enduring a heap of hardships that could fill a whole novel, the professors finally succeeded in wrapping up the exams in two weeks.
Now, all that was left was to pick who would be selected as the special admissions candidate, and then everyone could breathe a sigh of relief.
In the conference room, professors were boasting about whose dark circles were the biggest, all of them desperate to finish the work quickly.
Amidst this chaos, the academy’s principal, Judy Albert, cleared her throat and spoke in a voice that sounded drained.
“The next candidate for discussion is Lucy Alrn, the young lady from the Alrn family. She’s one of the victims involved in this incident, and I think everyone knows her given her notoriety. Professor Luca, could you share why you’re recommending her?”
“Yes, of course.”
Luca stood up, and with his bloodshot eyes, scanned the room before speaking.
“The reason I’m recommending Lady Lucy Alrn for special admission is…”
What he was about to say was everything everyone expected.
She overwhelmingly defeated Meryl Baines from the Baines family.
She showcased excellent leadership skills during the dungeon’s entrance exam.
She saved all her party members during an unexpected situation caused by the curse of Agra.
“If someone with such accomplishments doesn’t qualify as a special admission, then who would?”
The other professors didn’t refute Luca’s words as he passionately spoke, his voice hoarse.
Everyone was thinking along the same lines.
It was true that Lucy Alrn had wreaked havoc in the past, but that was just history now.
What she had demonstrated recently was more than enough to place her in the divine ranks of the continent.
“While it’s true that Lady Alrn has shown enough merit to be eligible for special admission…”
However, someone wasn’t having it.
That someone was Molly, the vice principal of the Soul Academy.
She met Luca’s sharp gaze and, seemingly unfazed, shared her thoughts.
“Just a heads up, the special admission system is designed to pass those who haven’t succeeded in the written exam but have shown excellent practical skills.”
“I know that, Madam Vice Principal. But isn’t that all the more reason why Lady Alrn should qualify?”
Everyone knew Lucy Alrn wasn’t exactly known for her smarts.
According to her former tutor, she lacked any desire to study at all.
Even with her supposed change of heart, how could she possibly ace the Soul Academy entrance exam after just one year of studying?
Most of the combat studies professors nodded, agreeing with Luca’s perspective, but others felt differently.
The literature professors all wore bemused expressions.
“No. Lady Alrn scored sufficiently high marks to pass even without special admission.”
This shocking claim prompted whispers among the combat studies professors.
The notion that Lucy Alrn could achieve high grades was simply unbelievable.
“Yes?”
As Luca blinked in disbelief, one of the professors responsible for literature raised a hand.
“Lady Alrn scored 87 in her Korean language exam. A solid score for the top tier.”
Following that, the history professor chimed in.
“In history, she pulled a 98. She made a mistake on a contemporary issue question.”
“Her score in magic studies isn’t great—68. That’s barely average.”
And the dungeon studies professor let out a sigh as he spoke.
“We’re still debating how to quantify scores in dungeon studies.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because a perfect score might not even be enough.”
After saying that, the dungeon studies professor relayed one of Lucy’s exam responses.
“First, regarding the question, it was an essay on how to deal with undead hordes.”
‘The rotting undead bastards are a pain to deal with because, while they seem pathetic, they’re annoyingly persistent like bugs.’
“Wait, hold on.”
One of the combat studies professors interrupted at the first line of her answer.
“Did Lady Alrn seriously write that?”
“Yes. I’m quoting her verbatim. Why else would I throw around words like ‘bastards’ and ‘pathetic’?”
“…My apologies. Please continue.”
Though the answer certainly contained a fair bit of profanity, cutting that out revealed that it was, in fact, a solid answer.
It discussed the things to keep in mind when facing undead foes.
How to respond to contingencies.
What the optimal party composition for tackling a dungeon filled with undead would be.
Lucy Alrn’s response was precise enough to convince one that a veteran dungeon diver had penned it, worthy of a full score.
But that was just the beginning.
“What comes next is the crucial part.”
‘The undead are so dumb that if there’s no commanding entity, they’ll just be a bunch of fodder milling around like a horde of rabid animals. Even a brainless dungeon lord knows this, so they usually place a commanding entity among the undead.
…The intelligent high undead don’t just see through their own eyes while commanding; they keep a few of the lowly fodder around to relay battlefield information before making commands.
In other words, if you take out the ones passing the info, you can turn the commander into a clueless fool not knowing what’s going on. To find those fodder…”
When the dungeon studies professor finished, the conference room fell into a hushed silence.
What was written there shattered their previous assumptions.
“Is this really the kind of innovation Lady Alrn came up with?”
The intensity in Luca’s bloodshot eyes suggested he couldn’t understand it—this was too groundbreaking for just one student.
“Yes. It’s hard to believe, but yes.”
“Remarkable. If what Lady Alrn wrote is true, facing the undead will become significantly easier.”
It was common knowledge to prioritize taking out the commander when up against the undead.
The moment that command is lost, the undead turn into a disorganized mass.
Yet, maintaining that common sense was incredibly challenging.
Even high-level undead typically possessed greater intelligence than most humans.
They understood the implications of their own demise.
As a result, high-level undead are rarely visible at the frontlines.
Attacking the hidden commander behind the horde of undead is basically impossible, making the strategy of dealing with them theoretically sound but practically unfeasible.
However, using Lucy’s method changes the game altogether.
It provides a way to disrupt the commander’s control without actually hunting for them.
“In addition, Lady Alrn’s exam responses contain a number of shockingly radical ideas for a noble who’s never even tackled a dungeon.”
“That’s not the end of it?!”
“No. That’s why I mentioned the 100 points might not be enough.”
As the once-quiet conference room began to swell with noise, Molly cleared her throat to regain control.
“I think we get the picture by now, right? Professor Luca, Lady Alrn is not a candidate for special admission.”
“I understand.”
With enough scores to land in the higher tiers and exceptional practical abilities, Lucy Alrn was essentially a shoe-in for the Soul Academy.
“At this point, rather than worrying about her acceptance, we might as well be curious about her rank.”
As Luca sat back down, he stated this matter-of-factly.
*
“Then let’s get started. Young Lady.”
‘Ready.’
“Bring it on, loser.”
At the moment I took my stance, Karl swung his sword.
The speed was already beyond what I could track with my eyes, but it was all good.
I had my iron wall skill to back me up.
As the skill guided me, I raised my shield, and his sword clanged against it immediately.
I could feel my arm jolt from the impact.
This guy hasn’t been holding back lately at all.
What if he ends up scarring the face of his precious master?!
[Girl, now’s your chance!]
With my teeth gritted, while I was taking Karl’s relentless attacks, Grandpa’s voice echoed in my mind.
As soon as I heard it, I mentally chanted a prayer.
‘In the name of the God who cherishes Eliott, let miracles flow forth so that the devil’s attacks may not reach him.’
Suddenly, divine energy surged within me and formed a barrier in front of me.
Karl frowned at the sight of it, but there was no turning back now.
His sword, blocked by the barrier, ricocheted, creating an opening.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I dashed forward past the barrier, swinging my mace.
Did he think he was too late to recoil?
Rather than countering my blow, he opted to evade with a swift movement.
I could see his eyes focused intently on me.
[Now’s the time! Shine bright!]
‘At the time when the world was shrouded in darkness, all gods gathered to proclaim the light, and a single ray of brilliance rained down from the sky.’
As I chanted inwardly, I closed my eyes.
The moment my eyelids fell shut, a bright light burst from within, and when I opened my eyes again, I saw Karl stagger back in disbelief from the flash.
Nice!
Seeing Karl floundering from the blinding light, I exaggerated my steps.
Even if he was dazed, he should still be able to sense my presence.
So clear that he would have to suspect it was a trap.
My intentions hit the mark perfectly.
Even though I raised my mace, Karl didn’t make any move.
This was my chance.
Finally, after all his tormenting, I could land a hit on the knight!
As I swung my mace with all my strength, Karl moved his hand.
Clank!
I definitely thought I swung down hard, but as my mace bounced away, my iron wall skill alerted me of the danger.
But it was too late to respond.
I waited with wide eyes for the incoming attack.
However, Karl’s blade never found its target.
Looking at the sword that stopped just short of me, I saw Karl retract it.
“Excellent, young lady. I really thought I was in danger this time.”
‘Come on, don’t lie to me.’
“Loser. Do I look like a fool who’s tricked by nice words?”
“I’m serious, young lady!”
No matter what I said, the knight’s nodding assurances felt utterly untrustworthy.
[You idiot! I told you to stay calm in crucial moments, and yet…]
‘I’m sorry.’
[Let’s do it once more.]
‘Yep!’
After receiving Grandpa’s nudging, I took my stance again.
Karl, standing opposite me, raised his sword once more.
“Lady!”
Just then, a maid rushed in from afar, calling my name.
I lowered my weapon, curious about what was happening, when she handed me a letter.
‘What’s this?’
“Loser maid, what’s this?”
“This is a letter from the Soul Academy!”
The Soul Academy?
There’s only one reason for a letter from there.
It’s the notification about whether I got in or not.
So this one letter determines my fate?
Taking a deep breath, I tore open the letter and checked the contents.
Once I read what was written, I froze in place.
“Lady, what does it say inside?”
‘Um, well, I did get in…’
“I got in, but… what on earth is this pathetic academy thinking assigning me to give the student representative speech?”
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