Chapter 2
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Episode 1 - Holy Academy [2]
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The A-9 building wasn't too far from the plaza. Once inside, a spacious hall divided into four sections stretched out before us.
These four sections were divided according to each candidate's specialty.
These were: Swordsman, Mage, Elementalist, and Summoner.
The four specialties were classified as "Good." There were also specialties classified as "Evil."
These were: Necromancer, Warlock, Dark Knight, and Dark Mage.
I entered the room labeled Swordsman.
I went inside and looked for a seat. I quickly sat down in the back row, where almost no one was sitting.
As I walked, I felt several pairs of eyes on me and heard whispers around me.
"A blind man, and a swordsman to boot."
"How is he supposed to take the written exam? He can't see, let alone write."
"Tsk, tsk... Not only is he blind, but he's also a commoner. He probably won't amount to anything."
Finally, I sat down in the back, where it was almost empty.
Once seated, I thought:
'Well, nobles are expected to react this way toward commoners. Those types will never be any different.'
I wasn't insulted or angry. One of my natural traits is to lack emotions, so I won't feel any kind of emotion no matter what people do.
However, even so, I was worried.
"How am I supposed to take the exam? I completely forgot about it... and since I'm blind, I'm in trouble.'
I decided to enter the Academy, but I forgot for a moment that I am blind, and that is a problem.
'There's no doubt about it, I need help... but this is an exam, and of course, I can't receive help.'
As the creator of the story, I also know what questions the exam will cover, and I could easily answer them and get first place.
The problem, once again, is that I am blind.
"Adel never entered the Academy, so the game wasn't designed for blind characters to enter the Academy..."
Just then, the doors to the room opened.
A man, who was probably in charge of conducting the exam, and his assistant entered.
He walked to the center and looked at all the candidates.
Then, the woman, his assistant, who was carrying a stack of papers, stood next to him.
The in charge spoke in a grave tone:
"You will be given the exam papers. Anyone who tries to cheat will be disqualified. I will be watching you."
Then he turned to the woman and said:
"Hand out the exams."
The woman nodded, handed out the exam sheets to the front rows, and, after some time, came to me.
She was probably surprised when she saw the bandage on my eyes.
In any case, she handed me the exam sheet with some hesitation and returned to the side of the professor in charge.
"I'm in trouble..."
Just then, I noticed the woman whispering something in the professor's ear, and his gaze instantly landed on me.
Without saying a word, I stared at him. Then he turned to the woman and nodded.
The woman walked toward me, and when she arrived, she said:
"I will read everything to you and help you write. Just tell me the answers and I'll take care of the rest."
Maybe I was just lucky today.
I nodded, and after a while, the professor said:
"You have ten minutes to finish."
He took out an hourglass and placed it on the desk behind him.
Then, the sound of pencils being picked up could be heard. Naturally, the assistant took the pencil that was next to me and started reading the exam.
"The first question..."
***
The assistant read the entire exam paper to the blind man sitting next to her.
Her expression betrayed her shock.
'All the answers are correct... At this rate, he'll get the highest grade.'
However, she couldn't focus on that, as there was a theory she had to solve—or at least try to.
It was a theory about the Law of Verses, designed to shorten the casting time of magic.
Until now, for decades, no one had managed to solve it. The reason it was included in the written exam for all specialties was simple:
'If you solve it, you will have a guaranteed first place in the written exam.'
While I read all the questions to the blind candidate, the assistant wrote down his responses after listening to them.
Of course, she wasn't helping; she was simply acting as the candidate's eyes and hands.
And, with the permission of the professor in charge of the exam, there was no problem.
After a few minutes, the assistant read the theory that appeared on the exam.
"Now, how can the time it takes to cast magic be shortened?"
The cadet remained silent this time.
The assistant sighed and thought:
"I suppose I was wrong..."
Just then, the cadet responded:
"To shorten the casting time of magic..."
The following words had a profound effect on the assistant, even as the candidate's answers flowed uninterrupted.
She was left stunned and in a state of shock. Suddenly, the candidate stopped and stared intently at the assistant.
She swallowed unconsciously as his voice reached her ears.
"You're not writing. There are three minutes left."
Realizing her mistake, the assistant stammered:
"Oh, yes... uh, you're right."
She quickly started writing while her thoughts were a complete mess.
'How on earth does he know so much? Who is this candidate?" No, wait... he's answering too easily. Should I check to see if he's cheating? No, that's impossible; he's blind. Still, that's the strangest thing...'
He finished writing after about two minutes. A little while later, time ran out.
The professor's voice echoed throughout the room.
"Very well, stop."
The hands of everyone who was still writing stopped.
"Time is up. Form rows and leave your exam papers on the desk."
The candidates quickly rose from their seats and lined up, leaving their exam papers on the desk.
Meanwhile, the assistant had several thoughts.
'I must talk to the professor.'
Without wasting any time, she asked the candidate his name so she could write it on the exam sheet.
"Your name."
The candidate looked at her and said:
"Adel."
"He's a commoner... and he's blind... but he has a lot of knowledge..."
The assistant wrote Adel's name on the exam sheet. Then she stood up and went directly to speak with the professor.
***
After leaving the room, I couldn't help but think.
"Well, I'm probably not the only one who wrote the answer to that theory."
The protagonist probably did too, so our scores should be tied.
"Although, I don't know if they'll put my name and the protagonist's name in first place."
In any case, as I left Building A-9, I could see the other main characters.
Clementine was sitting in the front row with Clana, Leon, and Charlotte. The protagonist was probably there too, but I didn't see her.
Additionally, Santa, who is technically a mage, was naturally not in the swordsmen's room, but in the mages' room.
'Almost everyone uses the sword, but there are also some main characters who are magicians and elementalists, and one who specializes in invocations.'
While we were leaving, the guide from before was waiting for us.
"Very well, everyone line up. I will guide you to building A-6, where the individual battles will take place."
The guide soon led us to building A-6, and on the way, a thought crossed my mind.
'Now that I think about it, I've never fought and, naturally, I've never used a sword. I was always sitting in a chair with a computer, but...'
As if it were natural, I knew how to use the sword.
I realized it when I touched the sword in the inn.
At that moment, I felt strange, as if I already knew something I didn't know and it just felt natural.
'It's the same with the language.'
Although everything seemed strange, what else could I do? If this helps me get into the Academy, then there's no problem.
'Still, it's better to think about it more carefully.'
The guide soon led us to Building A-6. Once inside, there was a space large enough for combat.
The walls were lined with all kinds of weapons, and there was training equipment like that found in a modern gym.
In the center of the concrete platform, a man stood with a sword in his hand, looking in our direction.
Shortly after, his voice boomed out.
"There are a total of one hundred new candidates, so this will take a little time."
Although the Holy Academy was open to all.
In reality, very few are able to enter, which leads to low self-esteem in many and discourages them from even trying.
Only those nobles with the most prestige or those commoners who want to change their lives can enter.
'The problem is the evaluation of attributes: those who don't have any attributes don't get in, even if they come in first on the exam or individual evaluation.'
Besides the platform I saw right away, there were three more, where two men and a woman were standing.
For swordsmen, there were one hundred spots; for mages, thirty; for elementalists, ten; and for summoners, five.
The selection of the top ten was not tied to the four specialties.
'Only the combined strength of all participants will be evaluated to determine their ranking among the top ten.'
It's a simple and straightforward rule.
Soon, the man with the sword pointed to one of the candidates and said:
"You will be the first. Take your main weapon and climb up."
"Ah, uh... Yes, sir."
The candidate, somewhat nervous, took a sword and climbed onto the platform.
"Get into position and, on the count of three, begin the combat."
The man said, and the candidate nodded while getting into an offensive position.
"Three, two, one..."
The man suddenly disappeared.
The candidate looked around, dazed, and, belatedly, realized. At the same time, the man appeared behind him and hit the candidate on the head with the hilt of his sword.
"Two out of ten. You're out."
The candidate fell to the ground, unconscious, and was quickly dragged to the infirmary.
Then the man said:
"I will evaluate you according to this criterion: a 5 means you barely pass with the lowest grade; from 4 to 1, you are disqualified; and a 10... if you manage to scratch me or even fight me for a few seconds, you will be the best ranked."
After a few seconds, the man pointed his sword at another candidate.
"You're up next..."
After some time, only the main characters and I remained.