The Obsessive Regressor of The Academy

16. Entrance Exam (2)

“You’re limited to three personal items for the entrance exam. The rest, you can’t bring.”

“Says who?”

“Aish, esteemed elder. Please.”

Norium scrunched his already-wrinkled face even further, glaring at Ena. Ena didn’t yield, meeting his gaze squarely.

“I’m just trying to keep my disciple safe, what’s it to them?”

“The Academy Chancellor, that’s what.”

“Get him on the line.”

“This is going to drive me mad, truly.”

Norium shook his head, downing the hot tea like water.

Acel, glancing between the two, slowly began to remove the artifacts he was wearing. Ena shot him a look of discontent, but Acel continued, neatly placing the artifacts on the table.

They filled half the table on their own. He kept only the three potions he had stowed in his satchel and returned the rest to Ena.

Ena pouted, accepting the vials.

“…Even war mages don’t carry this many enchanted items, heavens above.”

Norium sighed deeply as he spoke, then turned to Acel, a smile playing on his lips.

“Not feeling too tense, are we?”

“…A bit, but not too bad.”

“Don’t you worry. There’s absolutely no way you’ll fail this exam. If you fail, it’s as good as saying there are no合格者.”

“Aren’t you flattering me a little too much?”

“Merely stating facts.”

Acel chuckled at Norium’s jest.

“When should I depart?”

“In ten minutes. The other examinees are likely gathered by now. The protagonist always makes a late entrance, so it’s best to cut it close, I think.”

Norium said this as he poured more tea into Acel’s cup. The bitter scent rode the steam, swirling around his nose.

“I’ll be preparing the magic, then. You have ten minutes to say your goodbyes. You wouldn’t want to neglect a mentor acting as though you were setting off on some grand expedition, now would you?”

What was he planning to do on the Academy’s official welcoming day?

Norium clicked his tongue and added that, then stepped through the door at the back of the receiving room. A moment later, magic surged from within. Since it wasn’t just a short-range transfer, it seemed even the archmage had to draw the incantation himself.

Though, that was normal for most mages. To draw an incantation and recite the詠唱 for every spell cast. He’d almost forgotten that, with most mages in Wiheim casting spells without詠唱 or calculating incantations. Had he grown too accustomed to it all?

“Acel.”

Lost in thought, Evelyn, sitting beside him, spoke, her eyes slightly glistening with tears. Acel gave a wry smile in response.

“Why the tears?”

“Just…so proud. Seems like only yesterday we were scavenging for bugs together in the slums, and now, you’re so big already?”

“We grew up together.”

Asel gently wiped away Eveline’s tears, then pressed his forehead to hers. “The Academy entrance exam hasn’t even started yet. Save the crying for later. Just cheer me on.”

“Okay…I will.” Eveline roughly wiped her face with her hands, then beamed, kissing Asel on the forehead. She shouted, “Fighting! Do your best!”

“Do well, squirt!” Hailey crunched on a cookie, waving with a cheerful expression. Asel smiled back and nodded.

There was still one more person to say goodbye to. Asel turned to his left, meeting the gaze of Ena, who was looking up at him. Ena stared intently into Asel’s obsidian eyes and opened her arms wide. Understanding the gesture, Asel gently embraced her.

“I believe in you.” Ena whispered in his ear, patting him on the back. Asel, sensing the trust contained in those few words, replied with a smile.

“Yes.”

With that, the farewells were concluded. Not long after, the agreed-upon ten minutes had passed. Norium opened the door and called for Asel, who bowed once to the three of them before entering the room where Norium was waiting. In the center of the room floated a round, black rift. The space around it was shattered, like broken glass, and a vast amount of mana pulsed from within the rift.

“Ready?”

Norium grinned, tapping the rift. Asel took a long breath, hardened his expression, and nodded. Then, he immediately stepped towards the rift’s interior.

*

“Are all the participants present?”

Ross, the chief supervisor of the Academy entrance exam, asked his colleague. The colleague, with glasses perched on his nose and a cold expression on his face, looked through the documents, then swiftly scanned the faces gathered in the forest clearing before shaking his head.

“One hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Who?”

“The mage from Wiheim.”

Ross clicked his tongue, tapping the hilt of his sword with his fingertips. Alon, the supervisor with glasses, noticed this and asked, “Wiheim is quite far from here. Should we just begin? Or wait a little longer?”

“It’s true that the mage from Wiheim is a promising talent, but we cannot delay the exam for a single person. Especially since there are nobles among the candidates this time.”

Ross said this as he looked down from the platform. Warriors and mages with a variety of distinctive characteristics were preparing for the exam, tending to the equipment they had brought. Ross checked the faces of those considered to be key individuals.

A gloomy-looking woman with long red hair. Grace Weidel. The daughter of Duke Weidel and a genius who recently renewed the title of the Empire’s youngest Expert. She sat on a neatly cut tree stump, gazing at the sky and sighing deeply.

In addition to her, there was a disciple of an elder of the Aurora Magic Tower who practiced Holy Magic, a pure-blooded vampire who was gulping down a blood pack, the daughter of Count Hargelin with a massive double-bladed axe slung over her shoulder, a warrior from a mercenary background, and so on. After checking the condition of those most likely to take the top spot, he glanced at his wrist.

Roughly fifteen seconds remained until the start of the exam. One person hadn’t arrived, but that didn’t mean they could wait for him. Sadly, they would have to disqualify him. Ross thought this as he prepared to infuse his voice with mana.

Then it happened.

*Crackkk!*

A perfectly normal space fractured in a circular fashion. Shards of the broken space fell downwards, and a black rift materialized out of nowhere. At this sudden anomaly, supervisors, including Ross, narrowed their eyes sharply. A young man tumbled out from the rift. He landed lightly on his feet, brushing away the scattering fragments of space around him.

“Arrived, have I?”

He muttered, glancing around. Then, he pressed his lips tightly together. Everyone gathered in the testing grounds was staring at him.

“……”

“……What’s that?”

“Quite the entrance, huh?”

Whispers spread discreetly. The young man scratched his cheek, embarrassed, and dove into the nearest crowd. Alon, spotting him, cleared his throat and spoke.

“Acel? Is that you?”

“Yes, yes. That’s me.”

“Confirmed. I’ll need to inspect your belongings.”

“Okay.”

Acel emptied his backpack and showed the items stowed in his clothes to the supervisor, before being released.

“Three potions. Confirmed. No issues.”

Alon adjusted his glasses and tucked the documents he was holding away, then stood behind Ross.

-……Acel?

Then, a low voice drifted from somewhere. But it was drowned out by Ross’s following words.

“Silence, everyone. I will now explain the test.”

The mana woven into his voice crashed against the air like a rough wave. The whispers abruptly ceased, and all eyes focused on Ross.

There was no need for an introduction. Ross immediately informed everyone about the particulars of the test.

“The condition for passing is simple. You must defeat the golems released into the forest, recover the required amount of their cores, and place them at the center of the forest. The test will last a total of one week, and you are free to form alliances with other participants.”

“……”

“Plunder is also permitted. However, murder is strictly prohibited. Violators will be executed on the spot at the supervisor’s discretion, or face appropriate administrative procedures. Be sure to remember this.”

As Ross finished speaking, the supervisors lined up around him descended and handed black bracelets to the participants.

“If you wish to withdraw from the test, inject mana into the bracelet. It will activate a built-in teleportation spell, transporting you to a safe location. It will activate automatically in case of serious injury, so there is no need to worry.”

“……”

“Anyone have any questions?”

Someone raised their hand. Ross gestured towards her.

“If we form an alliance, how should the cores be divided?”

“As you will.”

“…Pardon?”

“Forming a party does not lessen the number of cores each individual must submit. Therefore, you must eliminate even more golems than those who move alone. Distribute accordingly, with discretion.”

“……”

Hearing Ross’s words, the girl with ash-grey hair seemed lost in thought, her gaze drifting downwards.

Ross, having finished speaking, once more inquired if the participants had any questions. This time, however, no one raised their hand. Nodding with satisfaction, Ross clapped his hands twice with a smile.

“Then, let us begin. May fortune favor you.”

The next moment, the bracelet worn on his wrist began to glow. Acel recognized the reason: the activation of the teleportation magic embedded within it.

A teleportation technique that randomly selected and dropped individuals within the designated forest. Similar to spatial magic, yet fundamentally different. Spatial magic possessed the strong characteristic of ‘leaping over’, while teleportation techniques strongly emphasized ‘omitting the process of movement’.

This magic was the same. Acel, with intrigued eyes, scrutinized the technique contained within the bracelet.

Just then, he heard someone shouting from behind.

“Acel! Aceeel!!”

“……?”

Acel turned his head towards the voice calling his name. A woman with a flamboyant sword at her waist and long, flowing red hair was rushing towards him, frantic. Despite calling his name familiarly, she was a complete stranger.

‘Ah, damn. Who is this?’

He rummaged through his memories, wondering if they had met in the past, but he had never seen a face like hers. A complete stranger.

As if reading the thought in his gaze, the woman pounded her large chest with her hand and shouted.

“It’s me! Grace! Grace Bydiel!”

Hearing the name, he understood even less. Acel frowned and took a step back. At that action, Grace’s face became distorted with despair.

“Why, why are you running away? Don’t you know me? Your wi—”

Fwooosh!!

Her words vanished along with the activation of the teleportation technique. Acel glanced briefly at the spot where she had been, then quickly lost interest. Why was some crazy person clinging to him even before the test began? He sighed deeply and lightly stretched his body.

“…Um, excuse me.”

Just then, one of the proctors spoke to him cautiously. Acel looked at her and asked.

“Yes?”

“Why weren’t you teleported…?”

“Ah. That’s because I refused it.”

“…Pardon?”

Her face twisted strangely. The other proctors looked the same.

“…What do you mean by that?”

“Seems the bracelet houses magic for spellcasting. I forcibly braked the mana within the bracelet at the same instant the spell was triggered. That’s why I didn’t move.”

“…Is that even possible?”

“Yes.”

Acel answered casually, then glanced around before nodding.

“Looks like this is the forest’s center. That device on the dais… Is that where the core goes?”

“Huh? Oh, yes… That’s right…”

She hadn’t quite regained her senses, her voice still tinged with bewilderment.

Acel thanked her for the information, then slowly began to walk, venturing into the forest.

Thus, the trial began.