“H-Hey, what is that thing…?”
“Y-Your name? Which family are you from?”
“3, I scored over 300 points!”
“300 points?!”
The Crescent Academy, with its rich history, held dozens of different types of entrance exams.
Among them, the ‘Golem Hit’ exam selected for this year’s 158th entrance was notoriously difficult compared to others.
It required examinees, who were yet to undergo proper combat training or education, to fight one-on-one with a golem — an ordeal far tougher than mere mana release tests or target-hitting exercises.
To make matters worse, in the past, the golems used to not only defend and evade but also attack. However, due to safety concerns, the offensive programming was removed a few years ago, replaced with basic counterattack routines.
Even so, it was undoubtedly one of the hardest entrance exams. Most young noble heirs, sheltered like fragile flowers in their families, or those who had only honed their skills by targeting stationary objects, found it challenging to even score over 100 points.
The most recent ‘Golem Hit’ exam had an average score of 92 points, proving just how tough it was.
“Wait… I’ve never heard that name before. Ryu?”
“From which family?”
“Just… an ordinary person.”
“…”
In the monitoring room, where supervisors were tasked with checking if any examinee was cheating, all eyes were glued to one particular screen.
Examinee number 176, Ryu, was a commoner with black hair who initially hadn’t drawn much attention but was now scoring over 300 points in the Golem Hit exam—completely bare-handed at that!
All the supervisors, eyes blazing, were scrutinizing every movement to ensure there was no malfunction with the golem or any sign of cheating, yet they found nothing suspicious.
The golem’s hit map clearly showed the impact being delivered, and its status, remotely checked, was perfectly normal.
“Hey… This isn’t a mirage, is it? Did he vanish behind the golem or something?”
“Yeah… That looks like magic. Check the mana detector!”
“It is magic! We’re detecting mana dispersing from the examinee when he moves behind the golem.”
“Is that even possible… casting speed?”
The supervisors had entirely abandoned looking at the screens of other examinees and were now glued to Ryu’s display like a hypnotized audience.
It seemed like the black-haired youth was simply charging at the golem before suddenly reappearing behind it, launching it into the air, and proceeding to mercilessly punch it again and again. His ease in mocking the golem with such casual attacks made the examiners wonder if they had mistakenly thought this was the easiest test.
“It’s done!”
“Is this… a record?”
“Hmm…”
Cain, a supervisor under Professor Amillion’s team responsible for overseeing the exam’s conduct, simply stared dumbfounded at Ryu’s screen.
The black-haired boy was shaking his hand casually, flashing a satisfied grin. His score: 312 points.
While the other supervisors were amazed at the number, Cain was more astonished by Ryu’s composed demeanor post-exam. Unlike the previous examinee who had collapsed from exhaustion after finishing, Ryu looked completely refreshed—without breaking a sweat.
‘What is this…?”
None of the supervisors could manage to announce the end of Ryu’s test.
Cain was similarly paralyzed, simply watching in awe as Ryu casually glanced around the test site after finishing his exam.
‘This kid is a monster…’
*
“Phew…”
“Mr. Ryu? Are you ready?”
“Uh… Yeah.”
How did I end up in this situation?
“Alright, just go up there.”
“Got it.”
I followed the worried-looking female staff who gestured me up the stairs. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“Alright, let’s hear from our top-ranked student who secured this year’s first place entry—Mr. Ryu!”
Clap clap clap clap—
‘No way, seriously?’
Isn’t it basic courtesy to at least give someone a day’s notice before asking them to speak in formal settings like this? Barely an hour after the exam ended, and I’m supposed to deliver a speech during the admission ceremony.
Wait, does getting first place even warrant a speech?
If I’d known about this ceremonial process beforehand, I definitely wouldn’t have taken the ‘Top Rank’ sub-quest seriously—though, in retrospect, I might’ve overdone it in the ‘Beat the Golem’ section of the exam.
I casually topped the exam, landing in first place without a hitch.
The problem was that while I didn’t realize how overboard my performance was—given that I couldn’t see how the other examinees were doing in real-time and was simply trying not to underestimate anyone—turns out my score was excessively high.
It didn’t feel too difficult, especially since the golem wasn’t programmed to attack. I assumed everyone could perform at this level—but clearly, I was overestimating the competition.
My score was 312 points, whereas the second-place candidate scored a mere 177 points—a gap that made the second look more than twice as difficult as mine.
As soon as my score was announced along with my top ranking, the attention from everyone present snapped onto me.
‘Hell, this isn’t my style…”
I’d always been terrible at public speaking ever since… well, forever. The only reason I managed to run the Black Shadow Guild was because Eddi would step in and pretend to be me in front of the guild members.
Even speaking in front of the guild’s team leaders, a group of just over ten, was something I avoided by asking Eddi to do. Now, I was faced with an entire assembly of this year’s academy entrants—more than a hundred sets of staring eyes.
“Uh… Hey there.”
Silence.
I tried my best to act casual, but my greeting was met with cutting silence. It’d been a while since I felt such sharp tension in silence.
“Uh… Well, it’s nice to be here. I didn’t know I’d be the top-ranked student… but wasn’t the test kinda harder than expected?”
Silence—sharper this time.
My face flushed while nonsensical words tumbled out of my mouth, adding to the awkwardness as panic began to cloud my thoughts.
“Well… Thank you all! I appreciate it, and please take care of me!”
To escape the suffocating tension, I opted for an early exit. Finishing my brief comment, I bowed to the staring students and faculty, then quickly descended the podium.
‘Gah… this public stage fear isn’t leaving anytime soon.’
Everything else was fine, but whenever it came to public ‘speeches,’ my body refused to cooperate. Why does it always happen this way?
“Sigh…”
“Uh…”
“Is this finally over?”
“It… is, but…”
The female staff who’d been nervously watching me before I went on stage now looked almost horrified.
‘Was I really that bad?]
Back when I first attempted to speak in front of the Black Shadow Guild members, the only thing I managed to say clearly were filler words like ‘um’ and ‘ah.’ This time, my address, though short, was far better compared to that.
‘Sigh… Great job, you.’
I passed the startled female staff with a forced smile and quickly exited the stage. Just as I hurried away, a familiar message popped up in my vision.
<Main Quest (1) 'The Start of the Event Begins at the Academy!' Completed!>
<Sub-Quest (1-1) 'Crescent Academy Top-Ranked Entrance' Completed!>
<Quest Cleared Reward Distribution Incoming!>
<Title 'Top-Ranked Academy Entrant' Granted!>
‘Aaaaah… Quest cleared!’
While various messages rapidly appeared, I couldn’t help but focus on the ‘Cleared Reward’ and the ‘Title.’ At least the system messages provided a much-needed distraction from the overwhelming gaze of the crowd.
Sitting at my allotted seat, I tried to calm my nerves by concentrating on the system messages, deliberately avoiding any eye contact with the surroundings.
<Title: Top-Ranked Academy Entrant>
The top-ranked student of Crescent Academy, Class of 158. Your stat and skill growth rates within the academy will accelerate. (Growth Boost +30%)
‘Huh. Titles come with abilities…?’
Initially, when I pressed the title ‘Leader of the Black Shadow Guild,’ there wasn’t a single stat or ability in the display. But this time, it was different. Through the quest reward, the system not only granted me this title but also explained its effects.
‘What about the Leader of the Black Shadow Guild?’
Out of curiosity, I activated the ‘Leader of the Black Shadow Guild’ title.
<Title: Leader of the Black Shadow Guild>
Leader of the Black Shadow Guild.
‘That’s it?’
I barely managed to suppress the urge to laugh.
How could the immensely prestigious ‘Leader of the Black Shadow Guild’ title not come with any stat bonuses?
While I was frustrated, I decided to delve further into the abilities of the ‘Top-Ranked Academy Entrant.’
A 30% growth boost when performing exercises within the academy. This meant that if I worked on strength training here, I’d grow 30% faster than I would otherwise.
‘This is OP!’
In a situation where stat improvements have become challenging, a 30% growth accelerator was absurdly powerful.
‘Grrr… This is so unfair.’
I couldn’t help but compare the mundane title ‘Leader of the Black Shadow Guild’ with the overwhelmingly superior ‘Top-Ranked Academy Entrance.’
In the end, I had to swap out my titles—choosing the practical over the romantic.
