Chapter 29: Entrance ceremony

A new day dawned, the day of the academy entrance ceremony.

We’d gotten our uniforms yesterday, showered each other with compliments, memorized the ceremony procedures, and gone to bed.

Being the freshman representative and having to do all this was annoying, but the promised reward of a High-grade elixir motivated me.

‘How can I refuse 1 billion won?’

Elixir prices increased roughly tenfold with each grade.

Highest-grade: 10 billion won, High-grade: 1 billion won, Intermediate-grade: 100 million won, Low-grade: 10 million won.

A High-grade elixir was roughly equivalent to a thousand-year snow ginseng in the martial world, which would greatly benefit Ha-yeon.

If I maintained my top rank in the midterms and received another one, I’d give it to Liera. Ha-yeon, being older, deserved priority.

I kept that thought to myself, knowing the potential consequences of voicing it.

“Uh… did you get taller over the weekend…? Are Divine-grade elixirs that good?”

Shin-woo, with his craftsman’s eye for detail, noticed my increased height.

I was originally 180cm tall, but the Primordial Giant trait had added 3cm.

‘Considering I always stopped at 181cm in my past lives, will I reach 184cm?’

I didn’t want to be too tall, so I hoped it would stop around there.

If it looked like I’d surpass 190cm, I’d have to stunt my growth, even if it meant overworking my growth plates.

“It’s not just my height.”

I’d noticed other… enhancements while showering.

The most pleasing side effect of the Primordial Giant trait.

“Holy crap. I need to buy one of those when I have money.”

“Even bigger…?”

With Shin-woo staring enviously and Seung-ah looking thoughtful, we joined my wives and headed to the academy.

It was nearby, so we arrived quickly.

I, as the top-ranked student, had to proceed separately.

“I’ll go ahead. See you later.”

With farewells from the others, I arrived at the designated area, where Alice was already waiting.

With so many heirs to the top 10 families entering this year, I’d been curious who placed second. I hadn’t expected it to be her.

It was better to be with someone I knew than a stranger.

“You’re second place?”

“Yes. I’m quite good, even if I’m not as good as Yu-won.”

I wanted to ask what that made the students below her, but it sounded like arrogant self-praise, so I refrained.

“Did you memorize the ceremony procedures?”

“Yes.”

“Who invented this system of making the top student recite the entrance pledge?”

We would co-host the ceremony, but I had to read the pledge alone. Being the top student was already stressful enough.

“You could have just not been the top student.”

She attempted a joke, but I wholeheartedly agreed. I hadn’t wanted to be the top student. This was all Jin Baek-ryong’s fault.

‘I need to milk him dry.’

“You’re right… You should have taken first place.”

If Alice had collected five more markers, I wouldn’t be in this position.

I still would have been second, but with less attention.

“29 markers is a lot! Especially in my group, with three, including myself, from the top 10 families.”

Group A, with me, Jin Baek-ryong, and Ha-yeon, was a death group, but hers seemed equally challenging.

“Who was in your group?”

“Sasaki Kojiro from Japan and Wang Wei from China.”

I’d seen them mentioned in Hunter-related YouTube videos before bed, so I knew of them.

Sasaki Kojiro, heir to the renowned Sasaki swordsmanship family of Japan. I’d heard he was a chivalrous young man, considerate of the weak and intolerant of injustice.

Wang Wei, heir to the Wang spear-wielding family of China.

The opposite of Kojiro, he was reportedly arrogant and enjoyed tormenting the weak.

“Were their personalities and actions as described?”

“Yes. Wang Wei was terrible. He toyed with his opponents before eliminating them. Kojiro drew his sword and attacked him after witnessing that.”

While I wanted to avoid the top spot, the entrance exam ranking was a big deal for other students. To challenge another heir to a top 10 family, despite the potential repercussions…

‘He’s a true man.’

He could have secured a better score by ignoring it, but he upheld his principles and fought for what he believed in. Admirable.

“What did you do?”

Having witnessed everything, she’d seen how the fight unfolded. What had she done?

“It was a chance to teach Wang Wei a lesson, so I helped Kojiro.

But he, with his strong sense of Bushido, disliked interference in duels, so I subtly assisted him with telekinesis.”

Alice, the enforcer of justice.

“Well done.”

I instinctively patted her head, a habit developed from praising my wives.

“Eh…?”

“Oh, sorry. Did that make you uncomfortable?”

Habits were hard to break. My body had moved on its own.

Perhaps she disliked being touched by a strange man.

“It’s okay… I… didn’t mind.”

“That’s good to hear.”

I’d narrowly avoided being arrested for inappropriate touching. Someone entered the room.

“The ceremony is about to begin. Please come to the stage.”

It was Instructor Han Ah-reum, the one in charge of the second practical exam.

““Okay.””

Alice and I followed her to the stage and stood before the microphones.

The hall was dark, illuminated only by spotlights focused on us.

‘This is nerve-wracking.’

It felt like we were the stars of the show.

“You can begin…!”

Instructor Han Ah-reum whispered, and we began reciting the prepared lines.

“We will now commence the 37th Beatrice Academy Entrance Ceremony.”

A wave of applause filled the hall. Knowing hundreds of students were watching us made me slightly dizzy.

The national anthem and other standard procedures followed, and soon it was the principal’s turn to officially admit the new students.

“We will now hear the entrance admission declaration and a message from the principal.”

The spotlight shifted to the principal.

The elderly man with the impressive white beard spoke.

“Welcome, everyone. I’m Jin Baek-ho, the principal of this academy.

I observed the entrance exams, and I’m impressed by the talent displayed by many of you.

I also saw students with great potential yet to be unlocked.”

He glanced towards Alice and me when mentioning “outstanding skills” and towards Class D when mentioning “unrealized potential.”

“The entrance exam determined your initial ranking, but no one knows how those rankings will change after the midterms, finals, next semester, or next year. Those at the bottom could rise to the top, and those shining at the top could become just another face in the crowd.”

While the latter seemed unlikely, the former was definitely possible.

“And in that process, you might face monsters or villains, suffer serious injuries, or even face death. The Hunter profession is inherently dangerous, and those who aspire to it cannot always be protected.”

He was right.

Those who chose to kill for a living had to accept the possibility of being killed.

Monsters and villains wouldn’t show mercy.

“But Beatrice Academy will do its utmost to prevent such tragedies. Please attend classes diligently and strive to become true Hunters. I’ll keep it brief to avoid damaging my reputation. I look forward to the next three years with you all.”

Clap clap clap clap clap

The principal’s concise and impactful message earned him a round of applause, and the ceremony reached its final stage.

Alice spoke.

“Lastly, we will have the freshman representative’s entrance pledge. Please stand and recite the pledge together.”

The students stood and faced us.

I swallowed and spoke.

“We pledge…”

““We pledge…””

Their voices echoed throughout the hall.

“We, the incoming freshmen, solemnly pledge to cherish our lives, save others, and contribute to the world.”

The lights came on, and the ceremony concluded.

“This concludes the 37th Beatrice Academy Entrance Ceremony. Please proceed to your assigned dormitories.”

The seemingly endless ceremony was finally over.

As I was about to head to my dormitory, I sensed someone approaching.

“Excellent work, Kim Yu-won and Alice Strauss.”

The principal, with a kind smile, approached us.