Chapter 7 - The Angel in the Test (4)

‘Ugh…’

It would have been unimaginable in his previous life. It was a situation where a beautiful woman, which was hard to find among celebrities, recommended forming a group first.

So Leffrey had to be suspicious.

“…I’ll think about it.”

“All right! We’re going to… No, what?”

Her pink tail sunk down. The tail fluttered toward the floor with discontent.

“It’s… it’s our first time meeting each other. I don’t believe you.”

“It’s your first time meeting me? I’m with you…”

Leffrey knew a little about Hongwol.

Hongwol would become one of the famous villains in the future, robbing even the banks of powerful advanced countries. As far as Leffrey knew, let alone entering the Central Academy, Hongwol was famous for ignoring academy graduates.

Didn’t she do that because she failed the exam this year?

It wasn’t wise to team up with such a troublemaker anyway. Moreover, if the troublemaker was a much stronger opponent, it would be the right thing to avoid being noticeable rather than form a group.

“Come on, boy, let’s hang out with me. You won’t regret it.”

Hongwol couldn’t say she was the cat. Why? How could her arrogant self act cute with a man in the form of a cat?

It was so shameful.

“Umm…”

I am sure I’ll regret it. The boy avoided Hongwol’s gaze and swallowed his words. And stepped back carefully.

“I’d like to go to the bathroom for a moment…”

“Wait, wait!”

He heard a sigh from somewhere.

“Huu.”

Only the person who sighed would know the meaning, but the sigh sounded like a sigh of relief to others.

* * *

Examinees began to fill the hall one by one, and as the deadline approached, it became crowded. Most of the test takers who gathered in this way were divided into groups and secretly promised to help each other on upcoming tests. This was called teaming in online games.

‘It’s meaningless.’

Leffrey shook his head.

It wasn’t a test that you could pass just because you have a team. It wasn’t bad to have a reliable team, but if it was a team without trust that only aimed to stab each other’s back, it was better not to have one.

And didn’t the Academy professors anticipate the teaming? Of course. Academy professors were old-fashioned and able to predict most of the examinees’ behavior.

‘If you think about it… It’s quite reasonable for Hongwol to join hands with me. I don’t belong to a huge power, and Hongwol, too, is a member of the Moon Cat clan whose occupation is theft and assassination. Because I’m an outsider.’

Hongwol, however, was still glancing at him with an irritated expression. He even felt sorry at the sight of the ears that fell down. But Leffrey’s mind hadn’t changed. If they didn’t trust each other, it would be better not to form a team.

And there was another reason.

‘One of the ways to get a lot of angelic power is… Saving the future heroes.’

Angelic power could be obtained by acting like an angel. Leffrey was a guardian angel who came down from heaven to protect people who would become heroes, and when protecting the heroes, he was able to gain a large amount of angelic power.

However, Hongwol was a villain, it was a little vague to call her a hero, and she was such a strong opponent that there was no way for Leffrey to save her. If the situation was dangerous enough to endanger Hongwol, Leffrey probably would have turned into a cold corpse.

Leffrey needed people who were weak enough that he could help at this point, but were destined to become heroes. Of course, there were a lot of people like that in the Central Academy. The problem was that most of them were golded spoons that didn’t need Leffrey’s help.

‘… It hurts my head.’

The boy shook his head.

The first test would begin soon.

Still, the angelic power farming… Should he take the test like this without finding a future hero to protect?

It was that moment.

“It was a close call. I didn’t expect to submit an application three minutes before the deadline.”

“Oh, thank you.”

A girl caught his eye. A worn-out sorcerer’s hat, a sorcerer’s robe with multiple sewn marks. And the hand-stained magic book that she brought in her arms. Leffrey couldn’t recognize who she was just by looking at her.

The girl’s hair was unusual. In a way, it seemed to be fading gray hair, but the inner hair was black with glossy ends. It was a dyed style commonly called inner color or secret two-tone.

In the past that was now gone,

Leffrey heard something on the radio broadcast.

‘Yes, another question. Soya-nim, how do you have that hair color?’

‘Oh… My hair color is weird. It’s not something cool like a secret two-tone. It’s a long story. In short, you can think of it as a side effect of magic.’

With the word side effect of magic.

The radio was silent for a few seconds.

“Are you Black Magic Princess Soya?”

Leffrey crept to the girl’s side. To his knowledge, Soya was famous as a genius who self-studied black magic. The important word here was ‘self-study’. Being self-taught meant that Soya didn’t get support when she mastered magic, so there was no force behind her.

Soya needed help. The help of a guardian angel who would protect her from the ordeal, develop her potential, and find her talent.

‘My precious angelic power… No, a hero candidate!’

Leffrey’s eyes sparkled with greed.

Ding-Ding-Ding-A huge clock in the center of the hall announced the start of the test. The examinees stopped chatting and looked at an old man standing on the platform. Next to him was Professor Park Jinho, who gave a solid impression.

“Good work. Gentlemen… I don’t need to repeat.”

Leffrey knew the man standing on the platform. The identity of that old man was Lusa, the professor in charge of this examination. They’d already met.

“You really have to work hard from now on.”

Lusa dressed up as an old man.

He said, digging his ears with an expressionless look.

“From now on, I’m going to give you bracelets to you guys. This bracelet has one purpose. It’s your lifeblood. If it’s dangerous during the test that you feel like you’re going to die… If you feel like that, rip it off right away. The person who ripped it off teleports right out of the test site. Oh, you know that the person who rips it off will be eliminated, right? And since only the wearer can tear it off, you don’t have to think about protecting the bracelet.”

And Lusa warned in a dreary voice.

“If it’s dangerous but you don’t want to get eliminated… you’ll really die. You heard it on the news, right? Some people die every year on this test. If you think it’s really dangerous, rip it off right away. We’ve warned you.”

The hall began to be filled with solemnity.

“Then I think I’m done explaining…”

Lusa flicked his finger with a look of annoyance.

Then, in the distance, there was a sound–Kung. It sounded like a storm coming from somewhere, or a stone rolling from somewhere, the true nature of that sound was…

“The first test is nothing special. Survive… and come to the next test site.”

It was water.

A large amount of water filled the hall.

The water that was pouring as fast as a waterfall began to reach Leffrey’s waist in less than a few seconds.

“Get out of the hallway!”

“Hurry up to the hallway!”

Several passages existed in the central hall of the application reception center. Naturally, examinees must eat and sleep during the application period, so it was understandable that there was a passage leading to accommodation and restaurant.

But why did other doors exist? A total of 12 doors to the left and right. And each aisle. Except for the front door leading to restaurants and accommodations, these doors and corridors had no reason to exist.

‘This is obvious. It’s kind of like making things happen all of a sudden and running down the hallway.’

So the examinees weren’t surprised when the water poured out. This type of test method was quite common in the past. Making the examinees run away with some threat and pushing them to each test site. It was obvious.

Thus, the examinees fled to the hallway according to the team they formed. Of course, while also blocking other test examinees who weren’t team members.

There were also examinees who didn’t simply block but attacked them unnoticeably.

When the chaos unfolded at each door, some examinees floated on the still water without moving.

The first was Yumari, Dragon Lady of Seocheon, the second was Hongwol of the Moon Cat clan, and the other was a boy Leffrey, an orphan with no connection.

The boy thought.

‘As expected, the first test is exactly what came out of the documentary. A test that uses pouring water to push students into the hallway. Most examinees may think the answer is to head to the hallway quickly before the water fills up, but the answer to this test is…’

It was to stay still in the hall.

Why is staying still in the hall the answer?

Didn’t Lusa say this earlier?

Come to the next test site alive.

This was the next test site. Leffrey didn’t remember correctly, but it could be deduced that this place was also used for a different kind of test, with various magical structures, drains, and installed objects.

In the past, only one person was able to deduce this.

Of course, it was Yumari.

‘But this time, Yumari, me, and Hongwol got the answer right. What kind of variable will this be?’

Ting-A thin barrier spread under Leffrey’s feet with a sharp pounding sound. As soon as the water started pouring, only those who went to the ceiling could go to the surface without being caught in this barrier. This barrier also meant that those who accidentally got the correct answer wouldn’t be accepted.

The three floated and looked at each other. A truly awkward situation. Yumari opened her mouth first.

“You have come too.”

Just a little, there was a sense of relief on her face.

But no one responded to what she said. Hongwol was busy staring at the professors with her ears drooping as if she was annoyed because she was wet, and Leffrey was busy with his work, so he didn’t have time to pay attention to her.

Leffrey looked at the misery that took place below. Other examinees who organized the team closed the door of the hallway, and some even summoned Undine to drag the examinees who couldn’t form a team.

Eventually, the examinees, who couldn’t hold out, ripped off their bracelets and gave up their entrance exams. When they finally gave up, the examinees simply disappeared like an infectious disease.

However, there was only one examinee left.

A gray-haired girl. It was Soya.

She was struggling to open the door somehow, resisting Undine with a blank look.

‘Why is Soya… Soya will be the best wizard in the future… I thought she must have gone through the door and headed for the hallway.’

Even though Soya’s movements became slower as she floundered about, the professors didn’t move at all. Lusa yawned in the water as if the scene was boring, and Park Jinho was ignoring the end of the foolish girl with cruel eyes.

‘Why don’t you rip off the bracelet? Why?’

For a moment, Leffrey thought this was an opportunity.

‘Wait a minute… This is an opportunity to gain angelic power. Besides, Soya is the hero of the future, so if she owes me a favor… This is an advantage!’

Leffrey didn’t hesitate further.

The boy dived and knocked on the bridle that was blocking the bottom. However, no matter how thin the frame was, it couldn’t be broken by Leffrey’s power.

Activate Angel’s Martial Arts-

And…

<Angels transcend their limits when they do the right thing!>

Crack- Crack- Crack.

Leffrey’s right hand.

It broke with a terrible sound.

Crack- Crack.

And…

The barrier was broken.

<Saving lives is angelic!>

<You have acquired angelic power.>

<Taking risks and doing the right thing is angelic!>

<You have acquired angelic power.>

<Sacrificing yourself to save others is truly angelic!>

<You have acquired a large amount of angelic power.>

* * *

Lusa, who was bothered by everything, was no longer there. And Park Jinho, who lamented the pathetic state of the examinees, was no longer there.

“Without self-interest… Save your own competitor. What do you think?”

“…Amazing. Even if there is nothing to gain, he went into the water where the Undines are running wild without hesitation. Self-sacrifice… Trust… It’s great.”

Without hiding their surprised expressions, they looked at the pieces of the barrier that fell like snow.

“Jinho, did I write the wrong letter of recommendation even after this?”

“…At last.”

Park Jinho was still looking up.

Going into the water where the Undine was on a rampage, fearlessly…

The boy’s right hand was completely broken…

Nevertheless, a boy trying to save a girl…

It was like a hero.

Park Jinho smiled broadly at the sight.

“Finally, a child worth raising…”