episode_0019

“Don’t ever wash yourself with mud again from now on.”

“Okay.”

After giving Arin, who was highly unlikely to be seen again, a final warning, I stepped into the portal—

Whoosh!

Everything was white.

“Are these guys insane…?”

Before the nausea from the sudden spatial transfer could even fade, a bone-chilling cold pierced my lungs and lashed across my entire body.

When I opened my eyes, there was nothing to see. Only a raging blizzard and a deep snowfield that swallowed me up to my ankles.

The sun hid behind thick snow clouds, making even the faintest light hard to find, and the howling wind was deafening enough to numb my ears.

The extreme shift in environment made it hard to believe I had just been sitting in a warm classroom moments ago.

‘They clearly have no intention of letting anyone pass.’

This—any ordinary person who couldn’t use magic would be eliminated within a minute.

And even then, only those at least at the 2nd Circle or higher. 1st Circle mages, who could only manage basic elemental magic, would die if they didn’t give up.

I wrapped myself in a small barrier conjured with mana. The cold was still biting, but at least I wouldn’t freeze to death now that the wind was blocked.

Only then did I check the bag I’d been given. A pickaxe, a few pieces of rock-hard frozen bread, some jerky, an oil lamp half-filled, a pair of dark binoculars, matches, and most importantly—a compass.

The compass needle spun wildly before finally settling on one direction. The crystal must be somewhere in that direction.

But right now, the crystal wasn’t the priority. If I stayed in this blizzard for even ten more minutes, I’d freeze to death before I could move.

I’d have to melt a path forward with maximum firepower, but that would mean a grueling cycle of one hour of progress followed by two hours of rest.

Of course, that was assuming I didn’t know about this situation.

Deep down, I thanked Emily, who had—somehow—tipped me off with the keyword “freeze to death,” and activated the pendant I’d prepared and worn in advance.

After crafting Lady Firunea’s birthday gift, I’d become an artifact maker skilled enough to rival most dwarves.

It took less than two hours to buy a high-quality magic stone, shape it roughly, engrave a magic circle, and turn it into a pendant.

—Vrrrm!

“Nice.”

As the pendant activated, it instantly thawed my frozen body and revitalized me.

It was a rush job, so I hadn’t had time to test it, but it worked flawlessly.

Having solved the exam’s biggest challenge in just 30 seconds, I hummed a tune and headed for the crystal.

First place was practically guaranteed.

Capital Academy, Temporary Noble Viewing Room.

The lavishly decorated room was lined with crystal orbs projecting the images of each examinee, while noble heirs gathered in groups, watching the screens and grumbling amongst themselves.

The screens showed examinees either giving up nonstop or shattering their compasses just before freezing to death.

“Examinee 30512… I had my eye on that one. How did they get eliminated in just three minutes?”

“That bastard 1104… I sponsored him with three batches of elixirs!”

“Damn it, I just wasted my money!”

The gathered nobles weren’t particularly high-ranking—just the mediocre ones who had barely managed to secure recommendation letters.

Of course. The truly wealthy don’t gamble on lottery tickets.

“Ugh, I’m done.”

“What? Already? You hired a hundred, didn’t you?”

“Cut it down to thirty midway. They said they were confident, so I hired an entire expensive mercenary group. I’m going to kill these bastards.”

“Calm down, killing them costs money too.”

“Damn it…”

One noble stormed out in frustration.

If an examinee they sponsored became a special admit, the benefits were enormous. It meant gaining an unquestionably loyal ally within the academy.

A running mate like that was an overwhelming advantage in managing grades—a fact proven decades ago.

Nobles with real connections had reliable allies flocking to them without lifting a finger, but for those without that privilege, special admits were lottery tickets worth scratching.

—If only this exam wasn’t such a joke.

“Are they out of their damn minds? When they said to watch out for freezing, I thought they’d send us to some snowy plain.”

“I expected ice-attribute monsters. What the hell is this ‘Kroban Mountain Range’ nonsense?”

“I looked up all past special admit exams—this is the worst. Feels like we all just burned money. Must sting, Emily, since you bet the most?”

“Shut up.”

“Oof, rejected.”

“Idiot, hahaha…”

Emily nervously bit her nails as she stared at the screen.

It was unbearable—being stuck among these foul-mouthed nobles, having to rely on this pathetic lottery, watching her family’s decline.

And above all—

‘…How is he holding up?’

Amid this spectacle of her enemies thriving.

While over half of the 500 examinees she had invested in were dropping out, Vir Dem was leading the pack.

She knew he could use magic, but at best, he’d be 3rd Circle.

How could he keep advancing without a single break?

His overwhelming performance drew the attention of other nobles.

“Hey, wait—who sponsored that guy in the butler uniform?”

“…Huh? Isn’t that Vir Dem?”

“Vir Dem?”

“The one from the Serbus family. You know, Firunea’s right hand? Always stuck to her side.”

“Wait, really? Why’s a butler here?”

“Looks like they sent their butler to take the special admit exam.”

“Seriously? Are they insane? Might as well have sent a stablehand.”

“But…”

The nobles who had been mocking Vir Dem soon wore expressions of disbelief as they watched the screen.

“Why is he doing so well?”

“He’s in first place right now.”

“…?”

For a moment, a horrifying thought crossed every noble’s mind.

Was this serious?

Sending a butler to the special admit exam—was this not some joke or prank, but because they actually believed he could pass?

“Well, he must’ve gotten a good artifact…”

“Doesn’t matter. The yeti zone is coming up. He’ll get torn apart.”

The nobles forced out laughs to brush it off.

—Crunch!

Before they could see the yeti get dismantled in three seconds.

“…”

“That bastard… Did he just…?”

Even with the low-quality crystal projection, his swift sword draw and precise movements were unmistakable.

The yeti, its throat slit, collapsed in a pool of blood and didn’t get back up.

Vir Dem sheathed his sword as if it were nothing and kept walking.

The noble heirs stopped laughing.

Their assessment of Vir Dem hadn’t changed. The dismissive “just a butler” attitude remained—

But the Serlatus family, which had allowed this “mere butler” to take the lead in the special admit exam—

“…Is he really a butler?”

“If a butler is that strong, how powerful are their actual knights…?”

“That bastard glared at me like he wanted to kill me when I talked to Lady Firunea. No wonder he acted so cocky for a servant.”

“Pissing off Serlatus sounds like a death wish. Better suck up if I get in.”

“Ugh…”

Emily clenched her teeth as she watched the nobles panic and scramble for advantage.

After today, rumors would spread. That the Serlatus family was so monstrous even their butlers rivaled knights.

That even with Pitus dead, they held their position without a single crack.

Her hands trembled. She still couldn’t forget the cold stare he’d given her in the library.

‘Just how much did they invest in him…?!’

Emily cursed Firunea, who wasn’t even here.

She’d known since childhood that their relationship was far from ordinary master-servant. She assumed Firunea had pumped him full of elixirs to make a mere butler this strong.

‘Still, it’s fine…!’

She forced a smile.

On the screen right behind Vir Dem, a fierce-looking blond man was closing in fast.

She’d given the order.

If he encountered anyone in a butler’s uniform, they had to be eliminated.

If he failed…

“Ugh…”

The thought was horrifying. Having to face that bastard even in the academy.

He might even pressure the Lorencia family further inside.

Emily clenched her fists. Her glare at Vir Dem on the screen burned with hatred—and deep, inescapable fear.

‘Please… Just die out there.’

For the first time in a long while, she prayed with all her heart.

“…What the hell.”

I frowned after taking down the ninth yeti.

This was weird. These yetis.

The numbers were one thing—but they had no fear.

Even after seeing their companions die in one strike, they kept charging without hesitation.

“Hmm…”

Even in a special environment—no, especially because of it—this was unusual.

—Grooowl!

Before I could finish the thought, more yetis roared and rushed at me.

Bizarre creatures that looked like a cross between humans and polar bears, scaled up twice their size.

Their weakness? They were slow. Living in these conditions must’ve made them rely purely on strength, but their speed was sluggish enough to dodge with minimal reflexes.

And most importantly, my body wasn’t freezing at all.

With minimal movement, I lightly sliced the throats of two yetis.

—Gurgle…!

No need to waste energy in a long battle.

Large monsters like these would bleed out in seconds from even a shallow neck cut.

It worked well, but…

—Roooar!

“Ugh, seriously, stop.”

Thirteenth. Pointless.

Getting annoyed, I dug a quick burrow to rest in.

A frontal assault wasn’t an option. For some reason, past a certain point, the yetis would frenzy and attack relentlessly.

Tunneling all the way would take who knows how long, and since the exam evaluated the process of overcoming it, that wasn’t an option.

…Speaking of process evaluation—should I just slaughter my way through?

No idea. Even if this exam was designed to prevent anyone from passing, there had to be at least one hidden path.

I decided to wait ten minutes. If this nonsense continued, I’d have to find another way.

Just as I was about to rest—

—Screeeech!

Thud!

“…”

A yeti suddenly appeared at the burrow’s entrance and slammed its fist down.

I brushed the snow off my face and let out an irritated sigh.

At least one thing was clear.

I’d definitely masked my scent. Under normal circumstances, yetis shouldn’t be able to track me.

—Somehow, they were pinpointing my location.

And the examiners had no reason to specifically target someone backed by the Serlatus family.

Conclusion: among the examinees, someone was gunning for me.

“Guess we’re doing this?”

Might even be for the best.

I’d been worried that merely trudging through the snow wouldn’t be enough for a high score—

But now, I had prey.

I grinned and lightly nicked my finger.