"Damn, this place is huge."
Arriving at Pluton Academy, Yohan murmured as he looked around.
"And damn, there are a lot of people."
The grounds were large enough to be called a village, and a statue of Hades stood from the entrance onward.
The marble buildings were like those of the First Gate.
"It cannot be helped. Since it is Pluton Academy, the country provides a great deal of support, and there are also many people who want to apply."
"Even so, isn't this too many?"
The vast grounds were packed full of people. If one looked from slightly above, the waves of black hair would call to mind a river of the underworld.
"Now, now, please line up! Line up! The exam is this way!"
One person was holding up a large sign and guiding the people.
The sign read: Exam Site.
The people standing in line stepped onto a Warp Gate and were transferred somewhere one by one.
"Let's go. Looks like it's over there."
"Yes."
When Yohan and Mi-suk's turn came, the person holding the sign checked their devices.
"Applicant confirmed. Mi-suk, as you are not an applicant, you cannot enter. At this time, only entrance exam applicants may enter."
"Pardon? Then I...."
"You must wait outside until the exam ends."
Mi-suk looked at Yohan with a worried expression.
"Don't worry. I won't make you regret your choice."
And so Yohan waved his hand over his head and boarded the Warp Gate.
The moment he stepped onto the blue magic circle, the scenery changed rapidly as if the screen had shifted, and he arrived at the exam site.
At the entrance to the exam site, there was a map, which indicated that this place was the Academy Third Main Building.
"Ah, I don't want to ride that ever again."
Feeling nauseated, Yohan retched and looked around.
Then he saw a familiar face.
"Hey, little kid!"
Seo-yun reacted to the voice from behind and looked at Yohan.
The other people looked at Seo-yun and snickered.
"You bastard!"
Unlike Yohan, who waved cheerfully, Seo-yun fumed as she approached him.
"Who are you calling a little kid?!"
"What's wrong? Did you grow even one centimeter while I wasn't looking?"
"We saw each other yesterday! What would have grown?!"
Seo-yun grabbed Yohan's arm as he patted her head and struggled against him.
Only after Yohan had thoroughly messed up Seo-yun's hair did he let go.
Seo-yun took a comb from her pouch and fixed her hair.
"We have to take the practical exam as soon as the written exam ends, so what are you doing?"
"Surely they won't pick people for the practical based on appearance."
"You should still observe proper etiquette! You stupid branch line!"
"Yes, yes. Keep observing etiquette your whole life and drop from everything you can drop from."
"The one dropping won't be me, it'll be you! You disgrace to the Family!"
As Yohan and Seo-yun's voices grew louder, a woman cleared her throat and signaled for them to be quiet.
"My apologies. This child does not know anything...."
As he pointed at Seo-yun with his finger, Seo-yun's expression stiffened.
"Why are you here...."
"You are as noisy as ever, Hangeom Seo-yun."
"Bakma Mi-yeong...."
At the name that came from Seo-yun's mouth, Bakma Mi-yeong, Yohan opened his eyes wide and began to salivate.
That was because Bakma Mi-yeong was a genius among geniuses from the main house of the Bakma Family, a prestigious magic family, and in the future, she would gain the epithet Sun Empress.
'It's my first time actually seeing her.'
She had a short bob, seemed to be about 170 centimeters tall, and wore a neat suit. Her eyes were cold and sharp.
"Please refrain from raising your voice in sacred Pluton."
"I wasn't the one who did it. This stupid branch line...."
"Managing a branch line is also the duty of the direct line. Do you think that becomes an excuse?"
"Urgh...."
Seo-yun trembled, then turned around and went to the seat marked with her examinee number.
When Seo-yun returned, Mi-yeong also returned to her seat.
'From the Ice Witch to the Sun Empress. As expected of Pluton. It's worth attending.'
Yohan tried to call Mi-yeong to a stop, but as if she had no interest in him, she consistently ignored him.
He approached Seo-yun and asked.
"What kind of bad blood do you two have?"
"Don't even ask. She went to the same middle school as me."
"The same middle school means... Ah. That place!"
"Do not pretend you know when you don't!"
Seo-yun looked out the window, then began speaking.
"We were in the same class in middle school, and she was always acting like she looked down on everyone else."
"I can see why."
"Apparently, she doesn't deal with anyone unless they're skilled."
Yohan rose from his seat.
"What are you doing?"
"I need to let her know who stands above whose head."
Then he approached Mi-yeong.
"You really ignored me earlier."
Mi-yeong still ignored Yohan.
"My name is Yohan. You'd better remember me."
She glanced at Yohan, then looked back at her book as if she had no interest.
Yohan sat at his desk and checked his examinee number.
When the bell rang, the exam paper was passed to him from the person in front.
Looking at the questions, Yohan thought.
'As expected, the written exam is easy.'
***
After the exam ended, Yohan verified his device with facial recognition.
The result of the written exam was uploaded to his device immediately.
<Written Exam Score: 100/100>
'The practical exam is what matters at Pluton. Besides, this practical exam has the highest difficulty in history.'
The cutoff line for Pluton's written exam was only 40 points.
Because of that, most applicants prepared for the practical exam while feeling relieved at the low cutoff line.
"The written exam was nothing special."
"Right? At this rate, won't we just pass the practical too?"
"I got nervous for nothing just because it was Pluton."
Judging by the reactions of the others, they thought they would pass.
In reality, more than ninety percent of applicants passed the written exam.
'They know nothing.'
Slide.
When the classroom door opened and a proctor entered, the atmosphere of Building Three became solemn.
The proctor wore a white doctor's coat over a brown shirt left roughly unbuttoned, and he had shaggy hair.
"I am the proctor, Jin Seong-hyeon."
At his words, the other applicants began whispering.
"Jin Seong-hyeon? That Knight Jin Seong-hyeon?"
"You mean the S-grade Hunter?"
"Wow, Pluton's faculty is no joke."
As if he was used to such reactions, Seong-hyeon tapped the blackboard and made the applicants quiet down.
"Did everyone do well on the exam?"
He scratched his forehead and explained as if he found it troublesome.
"Well, I suppose all of you passed. The written exam exists so you can naturally pass it."
At that, one applicant raised his hand.
"That is correct. I passed the exam with a perfect score, no less."
At the applicant's words about a perfect score, the other applicants began murmuring.
"Look, don't show off. Put your hand down. What's so impressive about getting a perfect score on an easy written exam?"
The applicant who had raised his hand seemed embarrassed. He looked around and hunched over.
"Now, I will explain the practical exam."
Seong-hyeon operated his device and displayed a screen on the blackboard.
"The practical exam is different from the easy written exam. Most applicants are eliminated here."
On the screen, from D-grade magic beasts to S-grade magic beasts, only boss-class magic beasts were displayed.
The applicants confirmed the existence of an S-grade magic beast.
"This exam is a Gate raid. That is also the reason the written exam was easy. We have decided to select people who can live as Hunters in the field."
"As expected of Pluton.... Unlike other Academies, it is actual combat...."
"I have only seen magic beasts in textbooks at school. We're really going to fight them?"
"We're only seventeen."
When Seong-hyeon tapped the blackboard, the whispering people became quiet.
"You will face the magic beasts you see in front of you. That said, you will not be facing actual magic beasts. You will face magic beasts created by hologram."
One applicant cautiously raised his hand.
"What is it?"
"I have a question. About the exam location...."
"Ask questions when I tell you to ask questions. If you interrupt me in the middle, it gets annoying."
This applicant also lowered his hand in intimidation and quietly looked at the blackboard.
"In facing magic beasts from D-grade to S-grade, you may choose."
When Seong-hyeon moved the screen to the next page, the forms and types of the magic beasts appeared.
"Now, starting from the D-grade Kobold, I will move through them. All the way to the S-grade Dullahan. You saw them, yes?"
"Yes."
Seong-hyeon transmitted the previous information to the applicants' devices, then turned off the screen on the blackboard.
Based on what Seong-hyeon had sent, the applicants checked the characteristics of the magic beasts.
"From these, you will choose the monsters listed here. Then those who chose the same one will form a team."
"What does that mean?"
Looking at the applicant who did not understand, Seong-hyeon scratched his head.
"Questions later. In the Hologram Room, we will implement a virtual map. First, those who chose the same magic beast here will form teams. Then you defeat the boss-class magic beast I just showed you. That's the end. Simple, right? Now, questions."
"How will the evaluation be carried out?"
"Because we will be looking at your value as Hunters, we will confirm it through individual monitoring. There is no disadvantage to moving as a group."
"Is there a penalty for hunting a D-grade magic beast?"
"Understanding your own level is also a Hunter's quality. There may be an issue with class assignment, but it will not interfere with admission."
Hearing that, the applicants let out relieved sighs and began thinking about which magic beast to face.
"Now, are there any more questions?"
When the applicants remained quiet, Seong-hyeon said one final thing.
"To put it simply, the practical exam is a Gate raid. I wish you all good luck, and now, please make your selections."
Windows began appearing one by one on the applicants' devices.
The windows were marked from D to S, and each listed a magic beast's name and characteristics.
Monster-type
Background: Grassland
C-grade Sand Centipede
Insect-type
Background: Desert
B-grade Golem
Statue-type
Background: Forest
A-grade Cerberus
Beast-type
Background: Hell Gate
S-grade Dullahan
Humanoid
Background: Graveyard>
Yohan looked at it intently and pondered.
Yohan had never been involved with magic beasts until now, and had committed murder against people, so there was only one choice for him.
'This should be good.'
When Yohan operated his device with his fingertip, a message saying "Submission received" appeared, then the window disappeared.
Seong-hyeon confirmed that everyone had submitted, then looked at the distribution ratio.
'They are spread evenly from D to A. That's expected. But one person chose S-grade. Who is it? The Hangeom Family's second daughter? Or the Bakma Family's eldest daughter?'
Seong-hyeon became interested in the challenge against the S-grade magic beast.
Even if they were facing a hologram magic beast, it was no different from raiding an actual Gate.
Because of that, someone who could challenge S-grade in this evaluation had to possess considerable guts or courage.
Even if they were Awakened, were they not rookie Hunters and applicants who did not even know their own skill?
"It seems everyone has completed submission, so I will sort you. D-grade Kobold, this way."
Dozens of applicants gathered at the place Seong-hyeon designated.
"Now next, C-grade Sand Centipede, this way."
The next applicants gathered beside those who had gathered for D-grade.
"Next, B-grade."
Again, many gathered and stood beside C-grade.
"Next, A-grade."
Seo-yun and Mi-yeong gathered and formed a group.
Contrary to Seong-hyeon's expectations, Seo-yun and Mi-yeong had chosen the A-grade Cerberus.
They stood to Seong-hyeon's right.
In the empty classroom, one person remained sitting.
'Don't tell me he's applying for S-grade. Alone?'
He looked at the person left behind.
Yohan looked at him as if asking whether something was wrong.
"S-grade, forward."
No sooner had Seong-hyeon finished speaking than Yohan came forward.