Genius Gamer Reborn into a Family of Heroes

Chapter 90

Enrollment

Arniel’s entrance examination had about 200 applicants per grade level on average. From first grade, starting at age seven, to tenth grade, at age sixteen, a total of roughly 1,000 students took the entrance exam. Only 15% of them were admitted to Arniel.

This year, for the 14-year-old eighth graders, the total number of applicants was 200.

Out of those, only 21 students passed.

Considering that on average, around 30 students are accepted per grade, it became clear that this year’s pass rate was lower than expected.

There were rumors that the most talented geniuses had concentrated in the eighth grade to take the test this year, which puzzled people as to why the results were so sparse. But those who were present at the scene understood.

The sheer overwhelming talent they had witnessed crushed the spirits of many applicants, causing them to lose the will to continue.

Moreover, the entrance exam employed both absolute and relative evaluations. Compared to the outstanding talents demonstrated by the scions of prestigious families, the other applicants’ abilities seemed subpar in comparison.

Harang’s Test Results.

[Applicant No. 187, Deis]
[Final Result: Pass]

As expected, Harang had passed.

‘… The last test was almost dangerous.’

The test had been designed to assess insight and intuition. Although he had practiced using various methods, they were inadequate. Not a single thing he had studied had appeared in the exam.

The only reason he was able to take first place was purely thanks to the Eyes of Truth. Harang was not pleased with that.

‘If I didn’t have the Eyes of Truth, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything at all.’

He needed to develop his own insight further. With that thought in mind, Harang looked up at the sky.

The entrance exam, which had started at the break of dawn, had finally ended. The sun had already set, and a full moon now hung high in the sky, illuminating the world.

Even at night, the lake city of Worspia was not dark.

Thanks to artificial lighting, the city was always dazzlingly bright, so there was no need to worry about darkness.

The front gate of the Arniel examination hall was already buzzing with activity. Representatives from the Mage Tower had lined up to recruit the approximately 150 successful applicants, ranging from first to tenth grade, who were either from minor families or commoner backgrounds without sponsors.

That was why Harang had exited through the back gate.

By now, journalists would surely be swarming the front entrance, waiting to interview him. While Harang typically enjoyed such attention, right now, he had a mission to prioritize.

“Oh, you’ve finally come out! Haha, you really did come through the back gate as expected.”

A lone mage was waiting near the back gate. Although Harang had never met him before, he knew who the mage was.

When he had been dispatched here for his mission, he had contacted the deputy archbishop Ezakt from Rondel Cathedral and made a certain request.

‘Introduce me to a trustworthy Tower Master with great ambition and potential, but someone who hasn’t yet laid a solid foundation for growth.’

And so, the man standing before Harang now had been the one sent in response to that request.

“Mr. Deis, I’ve heard so much about you. Not only did you single-handedly subdue a dark wizard, but you even captured Mityel as well!”

Of course, the mage had no idea that Deis was actually Harang in disguise. If he had known, he certainly wouldn’t be speaking so casually.

“And I heard your performance in the entrance exam was outstanding! Ah, how careless of me. Here’s my card.”

The mage pulled out a card and handed it to him. Harang felt an odd mix of emotions as he took it—something about receiving a business card in this world felt strangely nostalgic… a mix of familiar and foreign.

[Affiliated with the Muel Tower]
[Tower Master, Valenka Muel]
[6-Star Battle Mage]

It was the name of a magic tower Harang had never heard of.

Considering that he had memorized the names of all the larger, more prominent towers, he quickly deduced that the man in front of him was likely the head of a mid-sized or small magic tower.

‘I like him.’

He was exactly the kind of tower master Harang had been looking for.

“The reason I’ve come is that, since you’re from a commoner background, I thought having a sponsor might make things a bit easier for you. You’re aware, right? Many commoner students make sponsorship deals ahead of time.”

Unlike wealthy nobles, commoner students couldn’t afford Arniel’s exorbitant tuition and living expenses.

Some would go into debt, others juggled studying and part-time jobs, and a few even resorted to crime. To prevent such outcomes, the Mage Tower Sponsorship system had been established.

A sponsor would cover a commoner student’s housing and living expenses during their breaks while studying, and in exchange, after graduation, the student would sign a contract to work for the sponsoring tower.

Though it was rare for commoners to gain admission to Arniel, those who did were usually extraordinarily talented, so the magic towers had little to lose by sponsoring them.

Of course… most commoners were snatched up by the major towers with enticing offers, so it was rare for mid-sized or small towers to secure a sponsorship deal.

‘It’s kind of like the ecosystem in esports.’

While other tower representatives had likely grown tired of waiting for Harang and had already left, this man had remained here, persistent and polite, even though he was a tower master, bowing to a commoner student. This was because he belonged to a smaller tower.

For a mid-sized tower to grow and thrive in the future, recruiting talented students was a must.

Harang acknowledged the effort the man had put into waiting for him late into the night, but there was one unfortunate truth.

Harang was incredibly wealthy.

The reason he had asked for a meeting wasn’t to seek sponsorship.

‘I can’t rely on the Kaladan family’s resources here.’

The Kaladan family had explicitly ordered him to operate alone, without any external support, to avoid blowing his cover or risk exposure while contacting any Kaladan agents.

‘But, the family didn’t forbid me from creating allies locally.’

With that thought, Harang decided to make a local ally in advance.

It wasn’t as though he particularly needed their help. He just required a pretext that would allow him to move freely without interference. Besides, having a magic tower he sponsored after completing his mission at Arniel wouldn’t be a bad idea. That, too, would become part of his influence.

“Mr. Valenka, was it? It’s a bit inappropriate to continue this conversation here. Let’s move to a quieter place.”

“Ah—! Th-Then, does that mean you’re agreeing to my proposal?”

“This is… a different conversation.”

“A different conversation…?”

Harang led Valenka to the lodging where he was staying.

‘Even if he comes recommended by Bishop Ezakt, I can’t trust him immediately. But if I throw some money at him, I can quickly gauge what kind of person he is.’

After bringing Valenka to his lodging, Harang opened his personal spatial storage and retrieved an artifact. It was an item that created a soundproof barrier over the entire designated area, making it nearly impossible for anyone outside, unless they were highly skilled, to eavesdrop on the conversation within.

As Harang pulled up a chair and sat down at the table, Valenka Muel, still dazed, spoke up.

“T-That artifact… could it be… the ‘Rune of Arasaros’?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“The very rune used in sanctuaries… How did you get your hands on such an expensive item…?”

Since he couldn’t exactly say it was provided by the Kaladan family, Harang simply smiled.

‘This guy… he’s dealing with someone big.’

Realizing he was dealing with someone far more influential than he initially thought, Valenka hurriedly took the seat opposite Harang, clearly flustered.

Whirrr! Harang deliberately made a show of opening his spatial storage again, this time taking out a teapot and teacups. The teapot was self-heating, immediately providing warm tea the moment it was set on the table.

The tea, naturally, was the highly expensive and well-known Meslin Tea.

Gulp. Confronted with artifacts and tea leaves far beyond what he could even dream of affording, Valenka’s expression stiffened with tension. Observing him through the Eyes of Truth, Harang let out a small chuckle.

‘He’s moderately ambitious, but not overly so. I can’t say much about his character yet, but if I want to gauge his trustworthiness, I’ll need to test him in various ways.’

If Harang assigned him tasks that were excessively burdensome, it might cause Valenka to underperform or even run away. That’s why it was essential to assess him carefully.

“To be completely honest with you, I don’t need a sponsor.”

“Y-Yes, I… I figured as much. It must’ve sounded terribly presumptuous of me to make such an offer….”

“No, not at all. Who would look down on someone who works as hard as you do? On the contrary, I admire your drive, and I’d actually like to contract you as my sponsor.”

“……What?!”

Could there really be such an absurd situation? Instead of the Magic Tower sponsoring a commoner student, the student was offering to sponsor the Magic Tower?

To prove that it wasn’t an empty promise, Harang pulled out a golden card and showed it to him.

It was an unlimited credit card, certified by the International Finance Center. If one desired, this card could fund the establishment of a small-to-medium-sized Magic Tower in a single day.

Even as a direct descendant of the Kaladan family, not just anyone could receive such a card.

‘I managed to get this after contributing with the magic book.’

While the magic book itself wasn’t of overwhelming value, it seemed to have made quite a diplomatic impact.

After much insistence that Harang deserved a reward, Taran Kal Aradela had finally handed over this Golden Credit Card.

“Huh, what do you mean by sponsorship….?”

“What was your reason for wanting to sponsor me?”

“Well, to recruit a talented individual and grow the Magic Tower, of course….”

“If the goal is to grow the Magic Tower, it doesn’t matter whether you recruit Mage Deis or get sponsored by Mage Deis with a large sum of money. Either way works, doesn’t it?”

“Well… that’s true.”

In fact, this was an incredibly favorable situation for Valenka.

Since they couldn’t find sponsors, small Magic Towers had to support commoner students and invest in them for a long time to grow.

But if a large-scale sponsor appeared, they could immediately proceed with business.

“From now on, I’m going to give you a task.”

Valenka hurriedly nodded and asked,

“W-what kind of task?”

“Rondel Cathedral at the Harana Canal. I know you already have ties with Archbishop Pro Tem Ezakt.”

“Oh, of course! It’s not much, though—I’ve only taken on a few dangerous missions for him….”

“Dangerous missions, huh. The task I’m about to give you is also extremely dangerous. It could cost you your life. But I’ve prepared a considerable reward, so you could earn a fortune from it as well.”

Will you take it?

Looking at Harang’s expression, Valenka gulped nervously.

He had thought this kid was just a pretty little boy, but where was this oppressive atmosphere coming from?

There were very few mages who could exude such a heavy aura, so Valenka couldn’t help but feel tense.

‘A life-threatening task… but with a fortune to be gained?’

This was surely a test.

A test to see if he had the courage and determination!

The boy in front of him was undoubtedly a young noble hiding his true identity.

He was likely starting to build connections now to solidify his position within his family.

‘Forging ties with the scion of a great noble house… would I really pass up such an enormous opportunity?’

Valenka had dreams too.

Dreams of becoming a renowned mage, one who could laugh in the faces of those mages from the grand Magic Towers who had once looked down on him!

While he had long given up on the idea of becoming an Archmage due to his limited talent in magic, the dream of growing as a Magic Tower Lord was still very much alive.

And to him, the boy standing before him was nothing short of a golden lifeline.

“…Please, let me take this on!”

At Valenka’s answer, Harang smiled in satisfaction and nodded.

“Then, go to Archbishop Pro Tem Ezakt and receive a mission. You just need to complete it to prove yourself.”

“Yes, sir!”

At that time, Valenka truly had no idea.

That when Harang said it was a life-threatening task, he really meant, ‘I will be putting your life in danger.’