CH 19

When Noah and Ulan were reunited, Noah's countenance glowed with joy.

It appeared she had redeemed herself after her disappointing performance during the Imprinting Test. Sporting a cheery smile, she inquired of Ulan, "How did the test go? Did you do well?"

"It was better than I expected. How about you?"

"Uh-huh, of course, I did well. I received an A-grade in Amulets, which was an unexpected obstacle, but I got an S-grade for Curses, and I got lots of praise from the test supervisor!" Noah grinned triumphantly.

Ulan nodded.

"I guess you don't have to go back to the grasslands then."

"Of course not! I told you, you never know the outcome until it's revealed."

Noah looked smug. But only for a moment.

"But, Ulan."

"What is it?"

"I've been wondering since earlier." Noah's eyes narrowed with intrigue. After a brief moment, she voiced her question. "Why is your butt glowing blue?"

"Oh, it's......."

Ulan understood what she was asking.

Just as he was about to explain, a sudden noise erupted from his belly.

Purrrrr!

A stiff expression formed on his face as his complexion changed drastically. Noah looked concerned and asked, "Are you alright? Your face doesn't look good."

"It seems it's about to come out."

"Come out? What do you mean?"

"The beads."

"Beads?"

Noah raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

Just then, Ulan turned away; as if he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I need to take a dump."

“……Just say you're going to the bathroom."

Man, that's so dirty.

Noah wrinkled her brows at his frankness.

By the time Ulan had disappeared into the bathroom to do business, several individuals, likely professors, appeared.

"We will now announce the final successful candidates of the Arsene Academy entrance exam."

As soon as he finished saying that, the previously bustling hall fell silent, and everyone turned their attention to the podium, holding their breaths in anticipation.

Including Dilia.

Just when he went to take care of his business, too. Ulan had such bad luck. As she thought this, the professors opened their mouths again.

"First of all, a total of 2,754 candidates participated in this entrance exam, and 201 passed."

"The final grades were calculated by including the written test and the physical fitness test, and students who received a recommendation letter received a perfect score on both tests."

Students who received a letter of recommendation received a perfect score.

This was grossly unfair. But no one objected to this statement.

‘Well, it makes sense.’

Only the royal family and high-ranking aristocrats could write letters of recommendation.

In other words, the only people who can write letters of recommendation were those who were born with golden spoons.

And in a world where social status was determined at birth, this didn't even fall into the category of discrimination.

It's just the way it is.

'The good news is.......'

Ulan and Noah also had a letter of recommendation from a high-ranking aristocrat, Count Dermore, so they started with perfect scores on the written and physical tests.

"Finally, special bonus points were awarded by the examiners to those who demonstrated exceptional talent in the specialty tests."

Special bonus points. Each supervisor could award up to three times, and the bonus points received were indicated separately.

"Now, let's announce the results!"

The announcements were made in reverse order, starting from the 201st place.

Soon enough, Noah's name was called.

【122nd place. Noah Darshen】

【Specialty Test Grades: D/A/S+】

She had received a plus sign for the special bonus points.

Noah had earned the extra bonus points for the Curse test. Probably because she fulfilled the purpose of the Curse specialty test in the shortest period of time.

'Still, I ranked 122nd.......'

Her placement was below average, and this irritated Noah.

‘Phew, it's because of the Imprinting Test.’

If it wasn't for that, she would have been above average. She should have picked a different test. 

Grumbling, her eyes caught another familiar name on the list.

【99th place. Ibella Elearde】

【Specialty Test Grades: B/A/S+】

Ibella, known as the Silver Sword, a future Swordmaiden. When Ibella's results were revealed, Noah raised an eyebrow in surprise.

‘Huh? Surprisingly low.’

Ibella was a sword prodigy and held an S-rank character rating. Noah had expected her to be among the top-ranked candidates, but her ranking was lower than she had thought.

However, the doubt quickly disappeared, replaced by a more pressing concern.

‘Why haven’t I seen Ulan's name?’

The list of successful candidates had already been announced up to the 30th place; and names of those who achieved S-grade twice occasionally appeared, but Ulan's name was nowhere to be found.

‘Surely he didn't fail, did he?’

Even if he had received S-grade twice, if he had received a failing grade in his third test, he would automatically be disqualified. 

The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

Until just two months ago, Noah shared a similar sentiment with Azure; she believed that it was better for Ulan to train in the grasslands and fulfill his calling as a future Hero rather than entering the Arsene Academy.

'But now.......'

Things had changed.

Once she entered the Arsene Academy, Noah had to obtain all the hidden pieces and rewards available here, but it was impossible for her to achieve it alone. She needed Ulan's help.

And one more thing.

‘...I don't want to be left alone.’

This was a game world.

It was familiar to Noah. But even so, the thought of being left here alone was enough to make her feel uneasy.

On the other hand, if Ulan was with her, the situation would be different. Having spent nearly two months together, they had grown close and relied on each other.

'I don't want to be without Ulan.......'

Suppressing her anxious and restless feelings, Noah kept watching the list of accepted candidates.

But when the top 10 were announced, Ulan's name still didn't appear. Gradually, a sense of resignation began to creep into Noah's expression; her shoulders slumped. 

It was then, just when the professors were about to announce the top 10 high-achievers, they suddenly changed the topic.

"Before we announce the top ten scorers, we will first reveal the top-ranked successful candidate!"

The eyes of the successful candidates sparkled with curiosity at the mention of the top-ranked candidate. But Noah was not one of them. She already knew who the top-ranked candidate was.

‘The Star Witch, Dilia Arpen.’

She was a giant who would become one of the seven Heroes alongside Swordmaiden Ibella. Like Noah, she was also blessed with the mana.

But that wasn't what mattered now.

Could Ulan have failed?

With a heavy sigh, Noah's face became gloomy. Just then, the professors revealed the name and grades of the top-ranked successful candidate.

【First place. Ulan Bator】

【Specialized Test Grades: S+/S+/S+】

And in that moment, Noah's face went blank.

"Huh?"

Huh? What's this? Did I misread something?

Dazed, she rubbed her eyes and looked straight ahead again. But the name of the top-ranked candidate remained the same.

Noah remained dumbfounded for a long time after that, and then she muttered in a thin, trembling voice.

"Is this for real?"

It was real.

Ulan achieved an overwhelming performance, receiving perfect scores from all test supervisors along with special bonus points. The hall erupted into a commotion, and Noah broke into a relieved smile.

A barbarian freshman who ranked first in his class.

It was an unprecedented result. On the day when the unbelievable results were announced, the person in question, Ulan, was busy taking a dump in the restroom.

*  *  *  *  *

Meanwhile, at that moment, as the announcement of successful candidates was underway, the top officials of the Arsene Academy convened an emergency meeting. The subject of discussion was the top-ranked successful candidate of the entrance exam, 'Ulan Bator.'

The meeting was called by Berge Erkazan, a seventy-five-year-old man with flowing white hair and a beard, showcasing the passage of time; his eyes, however, were intense.

As they should be.

Berge had spent his life in the military, defending the Empire's western frontier.

Furthermore, he had led the victorious campaign that ended the long war in the west some six years ago, and now, in retirement, he was the Chancellor of the Department Of Military Studies at the Arsene Academy.

With an illustrious background like that, Berge was the second most powerful figure in the academy after the Principal.

With someone of this stature issuing a summons, hardly anyone would dare refuse.

As a result, the three supervisors who were in charge of Ulan's tests entered the meeting room one after another.

Ethan Arnoff, the test supervisor of the Great Brawl.

Stella Natalia, the test supervisor of the Monster Hunt.

Deflyn Chernihiv, the test supervisor of Mana Detection.

What? Wait, Deflyn Chernihiv?

As the petite girl walked in with light steps, Berge's eyes widened in surprise.

"No, why are you here?"

"Because I was a test supervisor, too."

"What? But here, the test supervisor for the mana detection test is Professor Dirac......."

"Professor Dirac suddenly collapsed in the middle of the test, and I happened to be nearby, so I took over as supervisor ."

Technically, Deflyn could be considered the culprit who caused Professor Dirac's collapse, but there was no need to reveal that.

So, she kept it to herself.

Berge looked at her suspiciously, but he couldn't detect anything suspicious in her smiling face.

"Now that we're all here, let's get to the point."

Coming from a military background, he wasn't used to talking in circles, so he started with the reason he'd summoned the three of them.

"Is this top-ranked candidate, Ulan Bator, truly such an outstanding talent?"

Receiving an S-grade was not an easy feat. It required powerful talents and potential. So much so that some tests did not produce a single S-grade.

That's why the fact that Ulan received an S-grade from all three supervisors and even earned special bonus points raised suspicions.

Berge's eyes shone like sharp blades. The meeting room was filled with a tense silence as he asked probing questions. 

Then, someone broke the silence.

"He's a born fighter."

Ethan Arnoff.

He was the test supervisor for the Great Brawl and a professor in the Department of Military Studies. He had a history with Berge, having known each other since their time in the military.

"The way he fights, his sense of combat, is the best I've ever seen among all the students."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Your Highness, you will be impressed when you see him fight."

Ethan smirked at the surprised question. 

Surprised by the answer, Berge asked with astonishment, "Aren’t you being too generous with praise? You're known for being stingy with compliments."

"I'm not being generous with praise. There simply are no students as talented as he is."

"People usually call that stingy with compliments."

After finishing his conversation with Ethan, Berge’s gaze turned to the green-haired woman. She was Stella, the supervisor of the Monster Hunt test, and like Ethan, she was also a professor in the Department of Military Studies.

"Next, it was reported that an incident occurred during the Monster Hunt exam. What happened?"

"Oh, during that exam, we were supposed to summon a 3-star monster, but due to an accident, a 5-star monster was summoned."

"Hmm, that's a definite accident."

There was a gleam of concern in his eyes.

Did he notice something? Stella continued with an expressionless face, explaining, "However, you don't have to worry. I am currently tracking down the individual who tampered with the summoning magic circle."

"Good, I'll leave that matter to you. Anyway, how was Ulan during your test?"

As soon as Berge finished asking his question, a crack appeared in Stella's expressionless face. After a moment, she showed a rapturous expression, mumbling as if she was captivated by something.

…..

T/N Note:-

I am not going to lie but it's a real pain to keep a track of terms/names and keep them consistent. I often have to go back to previously released chapters to refer to the terms.