Mana Specialist Instructor Haru brought the students into the classroom.
Mi-yeong also tried to enter Class F, but at Instructor Haru's dissuasion, she returned to the Class S dormitory.
When the students entered the classroom, Haru had them sit at their desks.
"This exam will take place inside an actual Gate."
At the words "actual Gate," one student raised his hand.
"Do you mean the Gates that Hunters enter?"
"Yes. That is correct. Pluton's first years will enter one."
Amid the murmuring students, Han-na quietly raised her hand.
Her frightened, trembling voice rang through the classroom.
"Um.... How is an actual Gate different...?"
"Good question. Until now, the Gates we experienced in the entrance exam and the Image Training Room were fake ones made with holograms."
"Then...."
"Their power and killing force were safe compared to reality, and they could be controlled. But what you will enter this time is a real Gate. We do not know what dangers may exist."
Instructor Haru operated her device and displayed a screen on the green blackboard.
A Gate shining yellow appeared on the blackboard.
"The Gate we will enter this time is a Yellow Gate."
"Is there a difference by color?"
"Among the seven colors of the rainbow, Gates are divided by danger level into red, orange, yellow, green, and blue, with red being the most dangerous color."
"What level of Hunter enters a Yellow Gate?"
"It differs depending on the case, but the Gate you will enter this time is one that B-grade or higher Hunters will enter."
At Instructor Haru's words, the students swallowed.
"Even so, you do not need to worry. Medical staff will always be prepared, and we will take measures in advance."
"Then do we have to raid the Gate?"
"Of course not."
When Haru operated her device, the screen moved to the next image.
On the screen, a single well-cut mana crystal was placed on a temple decoration.
"What you must do is sense this mana crystal through mana sensing and bring it back."
At the task being simpler than expected, the students felt relieved.
"For a fair exam, students will draw lots, and those who draw the same lot will form a group."
"And then we only have to bring back the mana crystal?"
"Yes. That is what you must do."
When the students seemed to understand, Haru displayed the next screen.
The inside of the Gate appeared on the blackboard.
"According to the advance party's investigation, this Gate's theme is the Labyrinthos Maze of Knossos Palace."
"Knossos Palace, meaning the one said to be the motif for Icarus in Greek mythology...."
"Correct. You know it well."
At Haru's praise, the student felt awkward but proud.
"Inside this place is the boss, the Minotaur. But do not worry. Until the moment you finish your exam and come out, the magic beast will not move."
"Is there a guarantee of that?"
"The Minotaur moves through a specific gimmick. Therefore, since you will only retrieve the mana crystal, the magic beast should not pose a threat to you."
The students sighed in relief and relaxed.
"The exam will begin as soon as the Gate appears next week. Our schedule must end quickly before the Hunters can begin the Gate raid."
When the class bell rang, Haru began wrapping up the lesson.
"With that, I have explained the mana heart creation class and the exam schedule. Does anyone have any further questions?"
When the students had no questions, Haru nodded and left the classroom.
The classroom filled with talk about the upcoming exam.
While the students were noisily talking, Yohan came to the front of the lectern.
"My friends!"
At Yohan's single word, the noisy classroom atmosphere quickly became quiet.
"We always run upward. You know that, right?"
"Yes!"
"Before next week's exam, we will train and prepare steadily! Do you agree?"
At the word "train," the students' expressions twisted for a moment, but when they saw Yohan smiling brightly, those twisted expressions loosened.
That smiling expression meant they would die if they did not follow.
"O-Of course! Right?"
At Jung-han's words, everyone nodded and agreed.
At that, Yohan looked at the students and asked,
"Then what should we do now?"
"Think about the exam here?"
"Wrong. Go out to the field!"
***
Class S Dormitory Image Training Room.
The dormitory assigned to each class was different. Dormitories were also based on skill, so the higher the grade, the better the facilities.
In particular, the Class S dormitory where Mi-yeong now stood was equipped with an Image Training Room inside.
Although compared to Pluton Academy's Image Training Room, both its size and quality were slightly inferior.
Because of that, environment conditions could not be adjusted, but the desired monsters appeared as they were.
"Three A-grade magic beast Cerberuses."
When Mi-yeong spoke into the air, the system responded.
[3 A-grade Cerberuses summoned.]
‘A monster that even Group One of Class B struggles to face one of....’
Yohan had taken care of three of them and still had room to spare.
Not only did he have room to spare, he even attacked an instructor and half-destroyed the Image Training Room, one of Pluton's prides.
Mi-yeong was stimulated by that.
She thought she had to deal with the Cerberuses more quickly and more perfectly than Yohan.
Three Cerberuses, each the size of a person and shaped like a Doberman, were summoned.
When Mi-yeong brought both hands together and spread her arms, her Ego Weapon was summoned.
A sword of flame with a handle like a splendid flower. Mi-yeong handled the sword as if it were part of her own body.
Her tension from facing three Cerberuses began to ease.
"When I summon my Ego Weapon, my heart grows calm."
Grrrr.
Unlike Mi-yeong's mood, which had changed to calm, the Cerberuses snarled ferociously.
WHIRR.
As expected of A-grade magic beasts, the Cerberuses immediately deployed magic.
"Magic Formula Deployment: Explosion."
In response, Mi-yeong immediately began deploying the Seventh Circle spell Explosion.
With Mi-yeong's skill, she could deploy a spell at maximum power with only a short chant.
A magic circle with splendid patterns began stacking in the sky, one layer after another.
However, the monsters would not wait for Explosion.
BOOM, BOOM.
SWISH, SWISH, SWISH.
Icicles and Hellfire headed toward Mi-yeong.
Mi-yeong extended her Ego Weapon forward and spread a curtain of fire.
Although holes opened here and there in the curtain, it quickly recovered.
With Third Circle Icicle and Hellfire, they could not inflict a single wound on Mi-yeong.
However, her opponents were not one, but three.
‘Even though they are Third Circle spells, their power has grown because the combination fits!’
Even Third Circle spells doubled in power when gathered together, and she had to block magic coming from various angles.
‘Even so, my curtain will not collapse.’
At this rate, she could fire Explosion without difficulty, but Mi-yeong recalled Yohan, who had half-destroyed the Image Training Room even without using powerful magic.
Mi-yeong needed to go one step higher than this.
Otherwise, she would merely end up chasing the image of Yohan's back that flickered before her eyes.
When Mi-yeong's concentration wavered, the magic circle of the Seventh Circle spell Explosion began to shake.
"Magic Formula Deployment: Flare Sword!"
Around Mi-yeong's absolute shield of flame, flames in the shape of swords were created.
Deploying three spells at the same time, an unprecedented act.
FWOOSH.
Flare Swords flew toward the Cerberuses.
BANG. BOOM.
Perhaps because she was deploying three spells at once, her concentration dropped.
As a result, their power was halved, and they did not hit.
‘A little more. A little more! I have to do better than what Yohan did.’
The more Mi-yeong emitted mana, the more severe the burden on her body became.
As if mana overload had begun, blood started pouring from her nose, and her entire body trembled.
"If I can just do a little more now!"
When the magic circle of Explosion formed in seven layers, the magic beasts sensed danger.
Woof! Woof!
The three Cerberuses barked and began fleeing.
However, the range of Explosion was enough to burn an island.
Mi-yeong was using Seventh Circle magic while even controlling that range.
Mi-yeong erased the two spells she had been casting simultaneously.
"Haah... haah.... Explosion!"
A single thin line of light descended from the sky.
BOOM—!
The three Cerberuses oxidized into holograms.
Even so, perhaps because of the anti-magic barrier, she could not leave even a single hairline crack in the Class S Dormitory Image Training Room.
[3 A-grade Cerberuses defeated.]
Because she had not surpassed Yohan, Mi-yeong could not simply rejoice even at the defeat announcement coming from the speaker.
‘This will not do.... Next time, I need to set conditions. Explosion is banned for a while. I need to learn how to deploy three spells simultaneously.’
In that way, each of them prepared for the next exam in their own way.
***
And so, each person's week passed, and the day of the exam arrived.
At the place where the yellow Gate was open, Pluton's first-year students were gathered.
When Yohan appeared there, people began speaking one by one.
"Is that Yohan?"
"They say he half-destroyed the Image Training Room and made Instructor Park Jong-pal retire?"
"You still believe that nonsense rumor?"
Yohan ignored the people's gazes completely and stood in the first row of Class F.
The first row was the class president's place.
In the span of a week, the Class F students had gained muscle, and their bodies had become solid.
By contrast, their uniforms were ragged.
Seeing that, the students, without exception, laughed and told one another to look at the state of Class F.
"Those bastards!"
When Jung-han flared up and reacted to the people's words, Yohan glared at him.
"If you have something to say, prove it with skill."
"...Understood."
Jung-han merely trembled his fists and raised his eyes.
When all the students had gathered, Haru stood before them and took the microphone.
[Nice to meet you, first-year students. I am Haru, the Mana Specialist Instructor. I believe you have all heard today's schedule from your homeroom instructors.]
Haru continued explaining.
[Starting with the class president of Class S, you will come forward and draw lots. Those who draw the same lot will form a group. You have heard this much explained as well, correct?]
"We have!"
Seeing the students' response, Haru continued the proceedings.
[Good. In that case, Miss Bakma Mi-yeong, class president of Class S, please come forward and draw a lot.]
Mi-yeong went forward.
Then she looked at Yohan once and put her hand into the lot-drawing box.
"Yellow...."
[Yes. You have drawn yellow. In that case, please go over there and wait. Five people will wait per group.]
Like that, they began drawing lots one by one.
Yohan's turn approached.
[Next, Class F.]
Yohan went forward and drew a lot.
"It is blue."
[Yes. Confirmed. Please move.]
Mi-yeong looked disappointed that she had not ended up in the same group as Yohan.
Ignoring her, Yohan went to the place where the people who had drawn blue were gathered.
There was the class president of Class C, one Class E student, and one Class D student.
Before long, Jung-han joined them, completing the blue group.
"The blue group has five people. So this is how we proceed."
Yohan looked at the students around him.
At a glance, they seemed to be students around Classification D.
While Yohan was looking at them, the Class C student looked at the students, including Yohan, and spoke.
"Nice to meet you, inferior lower-ranked students. I am none other than the class president of Class C, Na Si-ban."
Looking at Na Si-ban, the pompous class president of Class C, Yohan spoke.
"So what?"