“Ugh…”
Elia, sitting next to me, let out a rare deep sigh.
She then completely slumped over the table.
Her warm-looking yellow hair spilled out, and her sizable chest pressed firmly onto the table as another sigh escaped her lips.
Her expression was filled with exhaustion.
This was a rare reaction from Elia, who usually had a positive outlook on everything.
I took a sip of cocoa, which was being sold at outrageous prices, and listened to the surrounding voices.
– “Ugh, damn it…”
– “Is this even right? It feels like the average score has crumbled!”
– “Who solved Problem 39 of Dungeon Exploration?”
The café, bathed in the soft glow of sunset filtering through the window, was filled with gloomy groans.
“It’s so hard…”
Elia didn’t seem uncomfortable as she let out another sigh, lamenting.
“Honestly, this exam was overall tough. I was in such a rush that I just solved it without thinking.”
The one responding to Elia’s complaints was Baek Ahrin, who was sitting at the table across, sipping her coffee.
Even Baek Ahrin, who claimed the top spot in the entrance exam, admitted it was challenging.
…But as per the original work, Baek Ahrin was supposed to ace both the theoretical and practical parts again this time, securing her top position.
“It wasn’t just difficult; it was outright madness! Some of those problems were things I couldn’t even begin to approach.”
“If only Yeonhwa had studied like usual… Never mind.”
“What? What do you mean? What did I do? Trying to dodge after saying almost everything, huh?”
Hong Yeonhwa, who was sitting next to them, had also buried her head on the table.
This was right after the first day of the midterm evaluations had come to an end.
We had just gathered in the same café to check the preliminary tournament roster, which was set to be announced soon.
“Basic Magic, Magical Theory, Dungeon Mechanics, Dungeon Exploration… None of it is easy…”
Hong Yeonhwa muttered, her head still resting on the table.
I nodded inwardly at her complaints.
The evaluations conducted at Shio-ram were widely known for their horror.
With the high level of education, many classes were overwhelming, and the regular evaluations were particularly difficult.
The midterm theoretical evaluation had a notorious reputation.
While practical evaluations were generally manageable thanks to years of effort, the written part was particularly tough.
There were no multiple-choice questions.
Most of the questions required elaborate explanations and complex procedures.
With time constraints, if you hesitated and thought too long, you’d run out of time for the later questions.
You had to write down your answers as you thought to barely meet the time limit.
It was said that grading also took quite a while.
Even with numerous assistants and administrative staff mobilized, it took ages. When combined with the correction period, it was even longer.
Thanks to this, professors during the midterm evaluations were said to be too busy to dry their wet hair.
Professor Riana was no exception, expressing her exhaustion as she taught Elia and me elemental magic while juggling public lectures and midterm exam preparations.
Moreover, the written evaluations weren’t over yet.
Although we had completed more than half of the day’s theoretical exam schedule, there were still subjects we hadn’t taken.
And…
“Seriously, this time it was particularly hard…”
The theoretical evaluation was exceptionally tough.
Since I’d been desperately trying to keep up after my discharge, I could feel that acutely.
The overall difficulty felt like it had climbed up a level.
“I heard they raised the difficulty considering the level of this year’s first years.”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t it well-known that Shio-ram adjusts the questions based on the students’ levels? I heard this time, they rated the first years higher and thus raised the evaluation difficulty.”
“That’s ridiculous. Why would they make it harder? It’s already making my head spin…”
As Hong Yeonhwa sighed heavily after Baek Ahrin’s comment, she buried her head back onto the table.
She was a classic hands-on learner who preferred practical tests over theoretical ones.
To be fair, she was smart but just chose not to utilize her brain.
So while she complained about her poor performance, her actual exam results would probably be quite high.
If her theoretical scores had been dismal, she wouldn’t have snagged the second-best spot anyway.
In a way, it seemed she was being deceptive as she shook her head while her forehead was pressing against the table.
Her ruby-red hair flopped around with her head shakes.
But she didn’t seem to care much about that.
Neither did Elia, who was leaning on the table, or Baek Ahrin, who was tapping away at her smartwatch.
“……”
I was a bit concerned.
As I observed her with the Power of Observation, my fingers involuntarily twitched.
The disheveled hair was really bothering me. In a way, it was a little uncomfortable.
Of course, even disorganized, Hong Yeonhwa’s hair was beautiful, but wouldn’t it be nicer if it were neatly arranged? It just felt a bit off-kilter.
After pondering for a moment, I subtly reached out to tidy her messy hair.
As my fingers intertwined within the soft strands, I couldn’t help but marvel at the sensation.
Was this the feeling of an aristocrat’s hair, treated with oils and fragrances?
Though I usually kept my emotions in check, the silkiness felt immensely appealing as I touched it more than usual.
But thinking back, Hong Yeonhwa was among the aristocrats who were considered top-notch even among nobles.
Was she using various methods to care for her hair too?
Considering the time and trouble involved, I figured that her personality would make such tedious tasks unappealing.
“……!”
Suddenly, Hong Yeonhwa’s shoulders jolted as she was dozing off, her body trembled as if an earthquake had struck, and she glanced at me.
With her damp red eyes looking at me in bewilderment, I realized I’d made a mistake.
[Ah]
[I’m sorry if it was uncomfortable]
“No! No… It’s fine. Not uncomfortable at all.”
Just as I was about to pull my hand away while apologizing, Hong Yeonhwa blinked, shaking her head vigorously, as if to deny any discomfort while keeping her cheek pressed to the table.
Relieved, I continued to smooth her hair into place.
[It’s super soft.]
“…T-thank you.”
Hong Yeonhwa raised her upper body, rubbing her newly arranged hair with her fingertips.
There was a slight sense of pride in the neatly arranged strands, more than usual.
It would’ve been nice to use the portable comb I usually carried around to finish the job, but pulling that out felt like a hassle.
“…..”
“?”
A strange emotion flickered in Hong Yeonhwa’s red eyes. It was different from the earlier bewilderment.
What could I even call that? It felt like she was holding back some kind of impulse.
As I tilted my head in confusion, an image of a predator looming over its prey suddenly crossed my mind.
It was an inexplicable vision. I couldn’t understand why such a scene came to mind.
– Ding
– Ding, ding, ding!
As Hong Yeonhwa was enveloped in that peculiar aura, everyone else in the café received simultaneous notifications on their smartwatches.
“Oh, looks like the matchups are out already.”
With her half-closed eyes blinking awake, Elia shot up from her slumped position.
As she did, her chest returned to its usual size, which was almost mesmerizing.
Elia, along with Baek Ahrin and Hong Yeonhwa, began checking the preliminary tournament matchups on their smartwatches.
– Ding
My holographic projector also went off.
Fiddling with the projected interface hanging around my neck, I brought up the hologram.
‘Who am I going to face…’
There was practical evaluation from the afternoon of Day 3 to the morning of Day 4, and if it went as pre-announced, victory would probably lean towards me.
Of course, I wouldn’t let my guard down, but I couldn’t help but want to focus on the tournament.
This tournament was especially tight on schedule.
The preliminary rounds began on the afternoon of Day 4, funneling straight into the main match for deciding the winners.
Day 5 would just roll through non-stop, separating the champion of the day.
The schedule was quite packed. With hardly any breaks, investing too much energy in one match would make the next match much harder.
But there was no discontent among the students. This structure had been a tradition since the founding of Shio-ram.
In real combat, the chances of getting breaks are slim to none when facing monsters or environmental challenges.
Reflecting this, the limited breaks between tournament matches were intended to encourage students to manage their stamina accordingly… or so they said.
‘If I get an easy opponent, the match could be easy, but will I get anything from it?’
Honestly, I didn’t think I would win, but I still hoped for a decent rank.
The main tournament matches would be broadcast externally.
With the Power of Harmony channeling the match content widely, various factions and clan representatives would likely come to watch.
That brought a certain pressure.
The thought of embarrassing myself in front of others made me slightly anxious.
Though I didn’t particularly care about my pride or reputation…
What worried me was my mentor.
Having already lost a student in the past, he’d overcome that pain and regarded me as his pupil.
Since then, he’s been training me with utmost dedication.
If I were to perform poorly in front of him, it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience.
It wasn’t about my pride or reputation; I was concerned about my mentor’s feelings.
Thus, I had no intention of settling for a mediocre result, if only for his sake.
Ultimately, I would advance to the main match. I needed to showcase my best self so that my mentor wouldn’t be disappointed.
With that resolve, I opened the loading tournament roster file.
[Preliminary Tournament Matchups (Group ㉲)]
1. Emily Ramos │ Daria Rostanova
2. Ha Yeon-jae │ Haruka Fujiwara
…
6. Lee Ha-yul │ Aidan Reynolds
‘Hmm…’
As I checked my first opponent, I let out a low hum in my mind.
Aidan Reynolds.
Someone I’ve crossed paths with in many ways.
The person who challenged me to a duel when I was still a novice in swordsmanship during class.
Also someone I was placed with in the dungeon practice and attended the same Ipchun Class, sharing the same public lectures.
I held no ill feelings about him. He claimed not to have harbored any hostility during our duel.
He also spoke casually during our dungeon activities.
No malice here at all.
[Revenge?]
…No malice, certainly.
I only vaguely remembered how I felt somewhat perturbed after he apologized for an incident I didn’t think much of during dungeon practice.
*
In a certain café.
Aidan, still shaken by the shock of botching the first day of written exams, flinched when he saw the name of his first opponent in the tournament matchups.
[Preliminary Tournament Matchups (Group ㉲)]
…
6. Lee Ha-yul │ Aidan Reynolds
…
Lee Ha-yul.
Seeing that name caused Aidan’s eyes to sway in confusion. The coffee cup in his hand trembled.
– Thud thud
“The matchups are out already. Who’s your opponent?”
Atilla, who had set down her slice of cake that she had picked up from the counter, approached Aidan and casually glanced at the matchups.
Upon spotting the name Lee Ha-yul, alongside ‘Aidan Reynolds’, she couldn’t help but blink her cat-like sharp eyes.
Unable to find the right words to say, Atilla paused for a moment to collect her thoughts.
After a brief moment, she finally found the words.
“Good luck.”
After a moment’s contemplation, that was all that came to her mind.
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