Ch.2Chapter 2. Genre Confusion, I Got Fooled Too (2)

“So this is what an academy story is like.”

A red-haired girl with a tense expression chatting quietly with her parents, a boy swordsman checking his sword by repeatedly drawing and sheathing it.

And among these students—no, examinees—a black-haired boy sighing while observing the academy scenery. That’s me, the leader of the Black Shadow Corps.

Ten years after reincarnation, it turns out the genre was different! I thought stories like “I found myself in a different genre!” wouldn’t apply to me, but here I am, fitting perfectly into the trope.

“We’re closing soon! Examinees, please hurry inside!”

“Just do as you always do, son!”

“Don’t be too nervous!”

“Take care, young miss!”

Outside Crescen Academy, located on the outskirts of Crescen, the capital of the Crescen Empire, parents and servants were seeing off their children heading to take the entrance exam.

“…Maybe I should have asked Addy to come see me off.”

While everyone else was entering the exam hall with someone’s farewell, I walked alone—dignified yet lonely—toward the examination site.

Even though I’d arrived at the academy, I still couldn’t believe I actually had to take the entrance exam here. I’d been stalling to enter as late as possible, but now it was time.

“May I see your identification, please?”

“Here you go.”

The neatly uniformed guard took my ID, and after confirming it, handed it back along with a paper labeled “receipt.”

“Good luck.”

“Thank you.”

The ID check was simpler than I expected.

As expected of the identity Addy prepared for me.

The name on my new ID was simple.

Ryu, a commoner—just my original name “Ryuyeong” without the “yeong.”

Being a commoner’s ID, it didn’t need a family crest like the nobles had, nor any tracking or protection magic to prevent theft, making it look quite plain.

“You could have made me a noble. Did I annoy you that much?”

Most countries don’t have specific qualifications for academy entrance exams, but everyone knows that academy students are almost all nobles.

One reason is that talented children are mostly born into noble families, but the biggest reason is the tuition fees that commoners simply cannot afford.

It’s no exaggeration when people joke that one year’s tuition at the academy could support a commoner family of four for three years.

“Your exam number?”

“176.”

“Go to the right.”

“Yes.”

“Sigh.”

I let out a deep internal sigh as I headed right as directed by the staff member wearing the same uniform as the person I saw earlier.

Around me, examinees with various appearances were heading to the exam hall, each preparing in their own way.

Some were muttering to themselves while looking at the ground, others walked with their eyes closed. Some were even reading books as they walked.

“What am I doing among these kids?”

I couldn’t help but smirk.

In terms of age, I might be similar to these kids, but our abilities were certainly not comparable.

If I wanted to, I could raid this academy’s treasure vault right now.

“The facilities are really impressive.”

Even while thinking this, I was carefully scanning my surroundings, storing the academy’s interior in my memory.

Remembering places I’ve been to is one of the most important things for me.

To use my special ability “Teleportation,” which I received when coming to this other world, I needed to accurately remember the location information of where I wanted to go.

If my memory of the destination was even slightly wrong or mixed up, causing me to recall the wrong location, unexpected variables could occur.

This was an experience deeply ingrained in me, having experienced it firsthand.

“Though I did learn some new things because of that…”

“Hey.”

“…Huh?”

“Your hair color is really unusual!”

As I was imprinting the surroundings in my mind and approaching the exam hall, someone spoke to me from right beside me.

Reflexively touching my hair, I looked to the side to see a short-haired girl who seemed about 20cm shorter than me walking beside me.

Luxurious clothes, shimmering red hair, and a face that looked like it had never experienced hardship.

Obviously a noble, and judging by her white skin and clean hands, probably a mage.

“I’ve never actually seen black hair before! It’s just like the first Emperor. Which family are you from?”

Seeing this sheltered noble girl after so long made me feel mischievous.

Normally I would have just brushed it off, but since we might become fellow academy students and possibly friends…

I couldn’t control the corners of my mouth rising with the thought of playing a prank.

“I’m a commoner.”

“…Huh?”

“A commoner, I said.”

“Oh, c-commoner. A commoner here…?”

The red-haired girl, flustered by my words, mumbled something and quickly ran ahead, away from my side.

I was just trying to be friendly since she spoke to me first, but she seemed unnecessarily shocked.

As I watched her retreating figure, almost as if she was fleeing from me, I realized I had already arrived near the exam hall.

The other examinees around seemed to have overheard my conversation with the red-haired girl, as I could feel their gazes on me from here and there.

<Sub-Quest Generated!>

<Sub-Quest(1-1) ‘Top Entrance Student’>

Objective: Enter Crescen Academy as the top student

Description: Pass the 158th Crescen Empire Academy entrance exam with the highest score.

Reward: 3 Stat Points, Title Acquisition (Academy Top Entrance Student)

Penalty: None

“Hmm?”

I stopped in my tracks, reading the text that appeared before my eyes.

So there are sub-quests too.

Stat points and even a title.

The moment I saw the words “Stat” and “Title,” trivial matters like what happened with the noble girl earlier completely vanished from my mind.

“Top entrance, huh.”

This could be interesting.

**

Tap- Tap- Tap-

Amillion Starpen, the overseer of the 158th Academy entrance exam, was tapping her pen on the desk in her office.

It was Amillion’s habit whenever she had something on her mind.

On her desk lay a list of examinees participating in this entrance exam.

Not a list of all examinees, but a curated list of notable candidates prepared by Amillion’s assistant—essentially a list of those who would pass.

Although the exam was currently in progress, Amillion already knew that the examinees on the list she was looking at would pass and enter the academy.

While they claimed equal opportunities were provided to everyone, that was little more than an empty phrase.

The only requirement for taking the academy entrance exam was being at least 17 years old, but in reality, most academy entrants were predetermined before the exam.

“Donation admissions” from wealthy noble families were standard, some families used their positions to obtain exam content in advance, and others openly received special admission through professor recommendations.

Even just looking at the submitted documents, one could tell what kind of private education an examinee had received and what potential they possessed.

Amillion thought that, barring any major variables, the entrance exam results would likely follow the order of names on the paper she was looking at.

“But this year’s top spot will definitely be hers.”

Although this year was said to have many notable talents, it seemed unlikely that anyone among the examinees could beat this girl.

Elaine Sinclair.

The third daughter of the Sinclair Family, famous for her exceptional talent from a very young age, had finally reached the age to enter the academy this year.

To be precise, she wasn’t entering yet but taking the exam.

“Only seven can enter the S class, though.”

Amillion was already predicting the examinees’ grades and assigning them to classes, eager to finish this tedious entrance exam work as quickly as possible.

This was something only Amillion, who held the title “The Insightful One,” could do with her assistant’s help.

But it wasn’t easy.

“This one is predicted to be 10th? What? The Petra family at 17th?!”

There were simply too many talented individuals, including Elaine Sinclair.

Just as she was wondering if this was all a waste of time, despite trying to finish her work quickly—

Knock knock-

“Oh?”

In the midst of her deepening concerns, her assistant entered with a knock.

Seeing the assistant’s obviously urgent expression and windswept hair that hadn’t been properly fixed, Amillion immediately felt uneasy.

That was clearly the look of someone who had rushed over because something had happened.

“P-Professor. Huff.”

“What is it? What’s wrong? Don’t tell me there was an accident during the exam…?”

“N-No. It’s not that.”

Amillion had momentarily worried about a potential incident during the exam—which would be a huge issue given the noble examinees—but fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Then?”

“The, the exam results are out.”

“…Geez. You scared me. That’s urgent too, I suppose.”

“But the results are a bit different from our predictions…”

Amillion nodded and took the paper from her assistant’s hand.

While she did hold the title “The Insightful One,” it didn’t mean she had absolute foresight and insight.

As a professor and researcher, Amillion could graciously accept that results might differ from predictions.

After all, even failed prediction data was still data.

So through this prediction failure, she could make more precise predictions next time…

“Huh?”

“Sigh. It’s real.”

“What?”

Amillion was just as surprised as her assistant standing in front of her as she looked at the list of names arranged by grades on the paper.

A slight deviation in prediction was within the expected range, but this wasn’t slight—it was “very different” from expectations.

<First Place: Ryu>

<Second Place: Elaine Sinclair>

…

Elaine Sinclair’s name, which should have been on the first line, was clearly written on the second line.

“Who… who is Ryu?”

Amillion’s voice trembled with confusion.