Chapter 4

In the end, the exam was briefly halted.

“Candidate number 36, please wait for a moment!”

The cause was none other than me.

I had knocked out my opponent during the close combat test between archers.

‘I never knew Strength A was this strong…’

Even during practice, I thought it was pretty powerful, but not to this extent.

In the original story, the protagonist skipped over Strength A and immediately became S-rank, so I really had no idea.

Of course, even back then, there were tons of malicious comments about balance collapse, but…

Somehow, this situation feels even more balance-breaking.

The beginning was definitely just a probe.

I hadn’t even used the Collision skill—I just used Vision Escape to stick close to my opponent.

And then I threw a single punch—

“Kgh—!”

My opponent flew away.

Not figuratively—he really went flying with a whoosh.

In that moment, I realized.

‘Lucy, you’re a strength-based character, aren’t you?’

The system had given her raw power instead of shitty traits and stats.

But her awakened class is archer.

“This is driving me crazy.”

My exam ended in an instant, and I was sent to wait.

I sent a telepathic apology to my opponent being carried to the infirmary.

I’d probably have to go see him after the exam. If he wakes up, that is.

Not long after, the judge announced my result.

“Candidate number 36, win!”

Yes!

That made up for one exam. Probably.

I clenched my fist to suppress my excitement.

“What incredible strength…”

“No, is she really an archer?”

“Thank goodness she wasn’t my opponent…”

I could hear the other awakened individuals around me whispering.

Since awakening improves your basic physical abilities, no matter how quietly they whispered, I could hear everything from this distance.

I quietly unclenched my fist.

Still, Lucy is a noble lady, so let’s at least maintain a minimum of dignity.

The exam that had been briefly halted resumed.

Since my turn was already over, I just watched the other candidates, and no one else knocked out their opponent with a single punch like I did.

I sent another telepathic apology to my sparring partner.

“C time candidates, thank you for your hard work. Please do your best in the next exam as well.”

At the supervisor’s words, everyone finally seemed to relax and let out a sigh.

Perhaps because it wasn’t their main exam, the atmosphere hadn’t dampened yet.

Most people didn’t leave the exam site right away and instead talked about the exam with those around them.

But I quickly left the exam site.

Yes, it’s because I have no friends.

Honestly, neither Lucy nor I were very sociable.

“I’m hungry.”

Seeing no awakened individuals from other classes in the hallway, it seemed the other exams hadn’t finished yet.

I headed to the cafeteria first. I was confident in eating alone.

* * *

“Unnie, unnie!”

I finished my meal, apologized to my sparring partner, and returned to the dormitory.

But as soon as I entered, Sophia called out to me with a flushed face.

She looked like she had a lot to say.

“What’s up? Did you do well on your exam?”

But the moment I said that, Sophia’s face fell sharply.

I thought she looked bright because she did well, but apparently not.

I hurriedly changed the subject.

“Did you eat? The cafeteria here is pretty good.”

“Ah, yes yes! I’ve never had soup this delicious before!”

Fortunately, Sophia’s face brightened again at the talk of food.

After praising the meal for a while, Sophia suddenly let out an “Ah!” and spoke with the same flushed face as before.

“Unnie, did you hear that rumor?”

“What rumor?”

So that’s why she looked like that—she wanted to tell me this rumor.

I was a bit curious too, so I quietly listened.

“I don’t know which time slot, but someone fainted during today’s close combat test!”

“Uh…?”

So it was about me.

I was left speechless.

But Sophia, taking my reaction as a sign that I knew something, looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“Was it your time slot, unnie? Is this true? Huh?”

W-Well, it is true, but…

Unable to resist those pure eyes, I ended up answering.

“It was me…”

“What?”

“The person who knocked out their opponent. That was me…”

At my words, Sophia blinked her big eyes a couple of times.

Then she subtly started distancing herself from me.

“It was an accident!”

“O-Of course!”

“But why are you moving further away?”

“It’s just your imagination.”

Sophia ended up putting even more distance between us, then said she needed to practice and left.

And she came back late at night.

As soon as she returned, she kept sneaking glances at me, but after my explanation, she barely returned to normal.

The next morning dawned.

Today’s exam was combat support, but my time slot was different from Sophia’s, so I left the dormitory first.

‘I’ll just follow that group again today.’

I naturally blended into the archer group.

Following them as if I belonged, I arrived at the exam site like yesterday.

A few minutes after I arrived, the exam supervisor appeared before the candidates.

“We will now begin the A time combat support test. We will proceed in order starting with the called numbers.”

Number 11, number 23, number 127…

The examiner kept calling numbers, but mine wasn’t called this time.

As the called candidates left, I reviewed how the combat support test worked.

The combat support test, as the name suggests, involves supporting the main dealers during combat.

However, unlike yesterday, this isn’t actual combat—each person enters a room with an illusion magic circle installed and fights a virtual battle.

Because of that, each person is given exactly two minutes.

Within that short time, you have to show all the abilities you have.

“…Number 36.”

Finally, my number was called.

I raised my hand brightly and stepped forward.

As I did, I looked at the other candidates called with me.

Most of them looked younger than or the same age as Lucy.

Among them, a man with brown hair caught my eye.

‘Huh?’

Then our eyes met, and the man suddenly waved his hand.

I was a bit taken aback but soon gave a slight nod in greeting.

Because he looked older than Lucy.

And I am from a country of courtesy, after all.

The man smiled broadly and tried to mouth something.

But I couldn’t understand a word, so I just made an X with my fingers.

Seeing that, the man nodded as if he understood.

“Everyone, please enter the rooms in order.”

We soon arrived at the illusion rooms and were placed into them one by one.

Then the signal that the exam would begin sounded, and the magic circle activated.

“This is insane.”

It felt like a virtual reality game.

And the faithfully rendered monsters made me grimace.

This exam was definitely a lost cause.

Beep—

The two minutes passed in an instant.

‘Yeah, I failed as expected.’

I thought as I heard the signal to exit.

I had tried shooting a few arrows to support, but all three shots missed.

Honestly, they didn’t just miss—they didn’t even fly anywhere near the monsters.

In particular, my third arrow barely grazed past the dealer right in front of me, making my blood run cold.

I was supposed to be supporting, but I almost trolled.

After that, I didn’t shoot any more arrows and just cheered from behind, pretending it was instructions.

If I shot more, I might have exposed the fact that my first two arrows weren’t for checking but just missed.

‘I didn’t expect anything from this exam anyway.’

I left the illusion room without regret.

I thought I had come out as soon as it ended, but there was someone who came out even earlier.

It was the brown-haired man who had waved at me earlier. He was in the room next to mine, by the way.

But in front of him stood someone who looked like an exam assistant.

From the situation, the assistant was doing all the talking.

“This exam is combat support. You know that, right? It’s not an exam where you just kill the monster as soon as you enter!”

“Haha, it was just so gross I couldn’t help it.”

“You were using magic too calmly for someone who was grossed out.”

“My body just froze from the shock.”

So he caused a scene too.

It seemed he had dealt with the monster immediately upon entering, so the supervisor had hurriedly sent an assistant.

The assistant let out a deep sigh, told him to be careful, and left.

Regardless, the man just smiled shamelessly, then spotted me and winked.

‘What am I supposed to do with that?’

I was staring at him with cold eyes when—

!Sudden Quest!

: Praise Hayden’s exam!

Success Reward: Item Draw Ticket / On failure, Affection –3

What?

I looked the man over carefully.

Light brown hair and brown eyes. And that slick expression and way of speaking.

‘A mage—that’s him!’

He was Hayden, the mage and companion of the protagonist Theodore.

Brown hair is so common that I hadn’t recognized him. No wonder he was so handsome.

As I was thinking that and scanning him up and down, Hayden curled his handsome lips into a smirk and spoke.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Am I that handsome?”

Ah, right, this guy was a narcissist.

I had forgotten for a moment.