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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 4
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"My name is Glacia. The name of my ability is 'Wind's Guidance.' My ability level is 3."
As Glacia's calm self-introduction continued, the examiners who had been watching her completely changed their expressions from before.
—Wind's Guidance.
An ability whose name alone was far from ordinary.
"Wind's Guidance, you say..."
"It must be an ability belonging to the wind element."
"Considering you have a sword, is it perhaps an ability that can only be used when wielding a sword?"
Even the other two examiners, including Examiner Kali, who had only reacted to Han Cheon-seong until now, showed interest in Glacia. She responded with a bright smile.
"It's not an ability limited to swords. The sword was merely the medium I used. I can control the wind with my hands as well."
As she raised her hand to demonstrate, subtle currents of wind began to flow around Glacia's hand.
"In that case, this ability has incredible potential."
"If she possesses magical talent, she could truly excel, especially in wind-attributed magic."
As the two examiners, excluding Kali, continuously spoke with apparent interest, Glacia smiled faintly.
Unlike her, Cheon-seong, who had been watching alongside them in the examination hall, felt a slight twitch in his gaze.
'Their attitude is just too different.'
The examiners who hadn't said a single word to me or the other examinees were now asking questions non-stop, like fish in water.
Watching that, I wasn't exactly thrilled.
She hadn't even fully manifested her ability, yet just hearing its name elicited such a reaction...
"So, Glacia. What's the grade of your ability?"
As Kali asked a question he hadn't posed to anyone else, the grade immediately came to my mind.
'Unique.'
The ability 'Wind's Guidance' was one I had seen before in the novel.
"It's a Unique grade."
As expected, when Glacia replied 'Unique,' the examiners' eyes sparkled even more, expressing their curiosity.
"This... A talent like this appears only once in a blue moon."
"To have raised a Unique ability to level 3, that's truly remarkable."
Not only did the two examiners speak brightly, but even Kali wore a faint smile. At that sight, I couldn't help but feel an undeniable sense of regret.
Even though she and I clearly had the same ability level, their reactions were completely different.
Kali might have shown a favorable attitude towards me, but the other two examiners were entirely different from before.
'Well, she's Unique grade, after all.'
My mind understood, but my heart felt bitter.
If only my ability had been at least Rare grade, the other examiners would have shown some interest in me.
Spearmanship, an ability of Common grade... It was truly insignificant.
In contrast, Glacia's ability, [Wind's Guidance], was highly regarded within the Grand Royal Academy.
While her role wasn't prominent as she wasn't a character associated with the protagonist, the name Glacia, who always ranked among the top at the academy, was familiar to me.
'I thought her specs were unusually high for an extra, but...'
Of all things, to be grouped with her in the entrance exam.
It truly couldn't get any worse.
"Then, let's begin the exam immediately."
As Glacia approached the dummy, I still felt a surge of curiosity about her.
'Just how capable...'
Just how much power did a Unique-grade ability, which I was seeing for the first time in this world, truly possess?
—!!!
The moment Glacia lightly swung her sword, I widened my eyes.
'Fast!'
Even for me, with the highest Agility ability, the speed at which she swung her sword was incredibly fast.
The instant she swung her sword, a powerful gust of wind had already completely enveloped the dummy's entire body.
*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!*
It relentlessly struck the dummy's entire body, carving countless wounds onto it.
Even after the sword left the dummy, powerful winds continued to rage around its entire body.
...
In a matter of seconds, the strong winds died down, but the dummy's appearance afterward was truly gruesome.
'That's just broken.'
Hundreds of sword marks were carved all over the dummy's body. Even at a glance, the power behind it was unbelievable.
*Slick.*
As Glacia casually retrieved her sword, I realized anew.
'This is a Unique grade.'
I felt an incomparable difference between this and my own Common-grade ability, 'Spearmanship.'
The difference was so vast that it was impossible to even harbor feelings like jealousy.
"Glacia, was it? You can expect excellent results."
As one examiner smiled in satisfaction, Glacia gave a slight bow and headed straight for the exit.
My feelings were peculiar as I followed her directly to the exit.
'So, I'll have to attend the academy with monsters like these from now on.'
Not all students admitted to the academy would be like Glacia, with her Unique-grade ability, but there were certainly other similar 'monsters.'
It felt like I was once again realizing the harsh reality.
*Thud. Rustle...*
As I left the examination hall, keeping a certain distance from Glacia, I saw several people outside.
"Hngh..."
"What do I do? It's all over."
"...Damn it! I could have done so much better."
The examinees who had come out earlier seemed to already anticipate their entrance exam results, sinking into despair.
'Tsk.'
...Watching them, I let out a short click of my tongue.
An ability at level 3 might seem impressive in some ways, but to me, it was a level that anyone could achieve with two months of bone-grinding effort.
Even if they possessed a low-grade Common ability.
'If you're going to regret it this much now, why didn't you train like your life depended on it?'
Even if it felt like pulling teeth, they could have done it if they'd wanted to.
Even if not all of them passed, perhaps about half could have.
Though, to be fair, perhaps I was only able to put in the effort because I knew all of that...
*Step.*
The results of the entrance exam would be posted on a large bulletin board here when we returned.
And everyone would be able to check which class they had been assigned to.
Just as I was about to relax with a light heart until then.
*Grab.*
"Wait."
...With my arm suddenly grabbed, I was forced to stop.
The person who grabbed my arm was familiar.
It was the woman who had exited with me.
Glacia.
"..."
As I turned my head, wondering what was going on,
there was Glacia, looking at me with a complicated expression, unlike her previous cold one.
***
"Wait."
Even as I grabbed the man's arm to stop him, I couldn't understand.
The man currently walking past me.
The results that Han Cheon-seong, this man, had shown.
With a level 3 ability, I naturally assumed he would pass.
But contrary to my expectation that he would receive cold disdain from the examiners, Kali, one of the examiners, seemed to acknowledge him.
As a result, this man was able to uphold the 'confidence' he had proclaimed.
Even in the examination hall, he didn't appear subservient or intimidated. Instead, he completed the entrance exam with a confident demeanor, completely unlike the other examinees.
And even after the exam ended, he remained, looking at me as if evaluating me. Even that gaze felt quite extraordinary.
'He's different from others.'
He possessed a paltry ability, yet every action he displayed felt extraordinary.
That discrepancy made it even harder for me to understand this man.
"Why?"
I narrowed my eyes, looking at the man who had replied curtly while staring at me.
Then, I opened my mouth, though the words didn't come easily.
"...I was hoping we could talk for a moment."
"Talk?"
"Yes. You also seem to have passed the entrance exam. I thought it would be good for fellow successful examinees to have a chat."
I didn't understand. And since my personality was such that I only felt at ease when I understood things, I wanted to understand this man too.
At my words, the man, Han Cheon-seong, suddenly let out a small laugh and looked at me.
He probably expected to pass. The smile he gave me felt crooked.
I understood that.
'Because I looked at him with an unfavorable gaze in the training hall.'
Just today, when our eyes met in the training hall, I had coldly turned away from him.
So, it wouldn't be strange if he had a bad impression of me.
"..."
As the man stared at me without a reply, I found myself awkwardly fidgeting, still holding his arm.
'Surely not...'
Just as I wondered if I was about to be rejected by a man with such a trivial ability.
"If you put it that way, I'd be grateful. I actually wanted to talk to you too."
As the man spoke, his face suddenly brightened, and I just stared blankly.
I was momentarily bewildered by the sudden, drastic change in atmosphere.
*Step.*
Suddenly, I felt a pull on my hand.
"Oh?"
*Rustle.*
"Then let's go to a cafe and chat at our leisure. My treat."
Even as I was blankly pulled along by his leading hand, I couldn't help but blink.
'What on earth is this man...?'
My cold gaze must have given him a bad impression too.
Yet now, he was calmly holding my hand and leading me, and despite my bewilderment about what to do, I found myself matching his pace.
*Tap.*
"Still, let go of my hand..."
Holding hands while walking felt wrong no matter how I thought about it, so I tried to pull my hand away, and it easily came free.
"What? You grabbed my arm first, so I thought holding hands would be fine."
"...That was just by chance."
"Oh? Alright then."
Even as I watched the man walk on calmly, I felt strange.
He was an odd man, difficult to describe.
'Despite having such a trivial Common ability...'
Even knowing that I possessed a Unique ability, how could he treat me like this?
Even this very action was hard to comprehend.
...
*Clink.*
"This cafe is quite nice. The atmosphere is good, and the prices are reasonable."
As the man smiled brightly and handed me a cup, I accepted it, though I felt a bit awkward.
"...Right. Thank you."
I had stopped him, but I was at a loss for what to say.
"Ah, first, my name is Han Cheon-seong."
At the sound, I looked up to see the man gazing steadily at me.
"I figured we should introduce ourselves first."
"...I'm Glacia."
"Glacia. Yes, that's a nice name."
Even as I watched the man smile brightly, my feelings remained peculiar.