Chapter 10: If You Leave The Academy, Would You Like To Stay With Me

"Everyone. According to the report, a strong Mana wave occurred in the first-year dormitory this morning at dawn. It is remarkable that such a wave could occur inside the Academy, which is built with special materials... According to our analysis, the wave possessed Mana of at least B-rank."

"What? B-rank? A B-rank in the first year?"

"Isn’t that a measurement error? No matter how much of a genius someone is, B-rank should be impossible...?"

"If there were such a talent, rumors would have spread long ago."

When a proper ability is first manifested, the system assigns a rank.

Almost all Academy freshmen and novice Hunters begin somewhere between F-rank and D-rank.

Truly exceptional students might start their Hunter careers at a barely-C rank.

They begin their lives as Hunters that way.

Only as they accumulate life-or-death combat experience and their skills improve do their ranks gradually rise.

The average rank of the Guild Masters of the top-tier Guilds gathered here was A-rank.

Saying it casually made raising one’s rank sound simple, yet...

In reality... even if one poured every effort into training, raising an ability user’s rank was never easy.

The Guild Masters present, as well as the Headmaster who had just received the report, were all clearly flustered.

Yet the Headmaster was already turning the situation into an opportunity.

"We will simply have to watch and see, since we have received the report. But if the data we analyzed is correct... is this not the birth of an unprecedented genius? Even if we do not yet know exactly who it is, that student will certainly stand out in today’s final exam!"

Everyone nodded at the Headmaster’s words.

"We will also be watching the top students’ exams, and if a student stands out immediately, we will switch the screen. Everyone came to observe the talented students in the higher ranks... Is that arrangement acceptable?"

No matter how powerful the Guild Masters were, not a single one could refuse the Headmaster’s reasonable proposal.

*

"Ah... what kind of exam will it be this time? I’m worried because it’s a practical test."

"I don’t know if it’s a team battle or an individual battle. Ah... I’m not confident in individual combat..."

"Does anyone know what the exam content is?"

"I’m looking for someone to form a group with in case it’s a team battle. I have a talent for archery."

As the exam time approached, students gathered one by one in the auditorium for the final exam.

With only about ten minutes remaining, the hall quickly became as noisy as a marketplace, filled with conversations about the upcoming test.

"..."

Among those students stood Neo Haias, who had already contracted with four S-rank Summoned Beasts.

The Academy was strictly meritocratic.

Because of that, most students avoided speaking to Neo Haias, who was considered the lowest-ranked student and had not yet manifested any ability.

They kept their distance even more carefully, believing that any association with him might negatively affect their own exam scores.

There was, however, one exception.

"Are you okay? Aren’t you too nervous?"

A female student strode straight toward Neo Haias.

Her mature figure and innocent face suited the Academy uniform, which was modeled after a semi-formal suit, perfectly.

The small badge pinned above her left chest marked her as the representative of the first-year class.

She had long sky-blue hair and attractive emerald-green eyes. Celosia Agatya.

She did not possess any particularly powerful specialized ability, yet her versatile skills and her family’s immense wealth made her one of the most popular students.

Celosia Agatya was also known for being kind and friendly.

She was one of the few people who still spoke to Neo Haias, the student at the very bottom who was often ridiculed for failing to awaken any ability, and she always treated him with genuine warmth.

"No... well, I don’t have any skills. If I still don’t show any ability, I’ll have to leave the Academy."

"Eii~ don’t say that. You never know? Maybe in a moment of crisis... suddenly! Your ability will appear?"

At her gentle comfort, Neo Haias chuckled and shook his head.

"Thanks for the kind words. But I think I should start thinking about realistic problems now."

As Neo spoke those words, the corners of Celosia’s lips curled upward ever so slightly.

The expression lasted only a fleeting moment, so no one else noticed it.

"Then... um... if you leave the Academy... would you like to stay with— I mean! work at my house?"