I Became The Academy’s Narrow-Eyes

< Chapter 13: Participant Number 348 >

“I’m in second place…?”

Kasha mumbled, her eyes unfocused.

“Yes! And not just any second place within our group, but the overall second place throughout the entire second round of exams!”

The man with sharp eyes replied confidently as if Kasha had spoken to him directly.

“…”

Kasha’s head turned mechanically, scanning the spot where Drin had been standing.

Drin was not there.

She hadn’t come out of the circle yet.

It was strange.

As far as Kasha knew, if there was anyone who could top her in the swordsmanship portion of the entrance exam, it was Drin Lebringer.

Ah.

Was that it?

Had Drynn finished the test much faster than she had and left?

“Officer…?”

“Yes, participant 344, go ahead.”

” Participant number 347, where is Drin Lebringer?”

“Hmm?”

Sinia cocked her head and looked to where Drin stood.

“If you’re asking where She went… maybe She’s still inside the circle? Since She hasn’t finished her exam yet.”

“She’s still taking her exams… Drin Lebringer…?”

“That’s right…?”

“If so…”

“If so…?”

“What about the number one…”

“Oh! Don’t be surprised. The participant who has achieved first place by finishing their battle in record time during this second round of exams is none other than participant number 348! Hooray~~~”

Sinia clapped enthusiastically like a seal towards the man.

The man scratched the back of his head and smiled a toothless smile.

“Ahahaha, I’m glad that you’re so excited about it, but I feel a little embarrassed.”

“Oh~ There’s nothing to be embarrassed about~ It’s something to be proud of! Did you know? In fact, I thought that participant number 348 would be the first one to leave the circle!”

“Oh really? You thought so highly of me?”

“I was thinking that you’d be the first to be fatally wounded by a combatant, the first to exit the duel, and the first to fail the test~”

“Hmph, it wasn’t anything else that you rated highly, it was my chances of being eliminated…!”

“I’m sorry~ but I couldn’t help it~ entry number 348 looked like a shivering kitten caught in the rain!”

Sinia recalled his pitiful appearance filled with fear and smiled affectionately.

“I was thinking about how to encourage participant number 348, who was supposed to be the shortest-lived contestant. But now he turns out not only as someone who passed but also as someone who achieved top marks! I am so surprised right now that my heart still hasn’t calmed down! Thump thump! No wait! Boom boom! Can you hear it?”

Sinia wasn’t exaggerating; she was genuinely surprised.

Because of her intense reaction, her determination to “hold back her excitement as an exam proctor” shattered, causing this talkative side of hers.

But compared to Kasha’s dazed state where she couldn’t even react properly, Sinia’s response seemed quite composed.

‘He’s really number one?’

It was the moment when Kasha was about to confront the reality that denied this bitter truth.

“Oh, there you are! I wondered when you would show up!”

The third successful candidate, or perhaps a rejectee, emerged from the circle and revealed her appearance.

It was Drin Lebringer.

Therefore, they were a successful candidate.

“Participant number 347, 1 minute and 40 seconds! By achieving the third fastest time in just over a minute, you have achieved an impressive third place among all participants! Congratulations! Woo-hoo~ Applause~”

“Applause~”

Sinia and the man welcomed Drin’s return with enthusiasm.

Drin politely bowed to them, even though he had a ‘what the hell is going on here’ look on his face.

‘Drin Lebringer.’

Kasha turned her attention from the man to Drin.

‘3rd place with 1 minute and 40 seconds…’

Kasha recalled Drin’s record.

She lined up her own records next to it.

Drin’s record: 3rd place with 1 minute and 40 seconds.

Her own record: 2nd place with 1 minute and 15 seconds.

‘I won. It’s me.’

She surpassed Drin by a clear margin.

She knew it well.

This is just part of the test process. Winning here doesn’t mean surpassing Drin. It doesn’t guarantee taking first place ahead of her in the final score either.

But still…

A win is a win.

Victory against Drin.

The one thing Kasha had dreamed of for so many years, but never achieved, had finally come true.

It was a monumental moment for Kasha.

“…”

But Kasha felt no emotion.

‘Why…’

Why didn’t she feel happy at all?

The answer came quickly.

To Kasha, Drin was a symbol

A symbol of supremacy.

The reason she wanted to surpass Drin was that she considered herself the best. The path to becoming the best is by surpassing her. At the same time, it is also a way to gain recognition from those she admires.

But even though it’s only for a moment, she clearly surpassed Drin now.

And yet, someone still stood above Kasha.

“Oh well, by the way… Ms. Supervisor. You said participant number 347’s record is 1 minute and 40 seconds? Hasn’t it been less than two minutes since I came out of the barrier?”

“That’s because the flow of time is warped inside the circle, and this record is based on the time inside the circle~”

“I see! So maybe I’m enjoying talking with you so much that time seems to be passing slowly or something.”

“Isn’t it usually the opposite? They say when you’re having fun, time flies quickly. Well, whatever. By the way, how come our participant number 348 speaks so nicely? You are already in first place and don’t need any more points from me.”

“Haha, if not at a time like this, when else would I get to talk to someone as cool as you~”

“Hahaha, that’s ridiculous.”

That stupid guy was standing over her.

“Hmm?”

Feeling Kasha’s piercing gaze, he looked at her.

“Do you have any business with me? Participant number 300- um, I can’t remember…”

With his trademark smirk on his face, he hesitated, then settled on Kasha’s title.

“Second place?”

“Second place…?”

Kasha’s mind became hazy with the title that reminded her of their positions.

Really? Did this lightweight guy surpass her and Drin and claim first place?

She couldn’t accept it.

Something was definitely wrong.

“Huh?”

At that moment, Drin suddenly looked surprised as if something had occurred to him and stared at the man.

“Ceylon!”

“Oh, participant number 347. What’s going on? Why are you suddenly so surprised? Did you leave something behind in the circle by any chance?”

“Oh no – now is not the time or place for this, and by the way, why are you even here!”

“What? I’m not supposed to be here… Is that it?”

Kasha was bothered by their conversation.

‘Ceylon? Is that his name? More than that, you two knew each other?’

From the way they were talking, the man seemed to be acquainted with Drin Lebringer.

Seeing them converse made it seem like the man had some familiarity with Drin Lebringer.

Still, he didn’t look like a man who could stand above herself and Drin.

*Sigh*…

Drin rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

“That’s right. You must be more confused than anyone else. I’m sorry.”

“You say confused. What exactly-”

Drin carefully observed him with a cautious attitude.

“Ceylon. I hope you’re not too disappointed about failing the test. You have plenty of time left and plenty of opportunities.”

It seemed that Drin thought that the man – Ceylon had failed the test.

The reason he came out of the barrier and was in the exam room before anyone else, and why he was expelled from the barrier with fatal injuries before anyone else.

It was a reasonable conclusion.

If Kasha hadn’t heard Ceylon call himself first place, she wouldn’t have even considered the possibility that he had taken first place.

“…”

Ceylon trailed off, looking meaningfully at Drin, who was genuinely comforting him.

“Grr-”

With an angry face, he clenched his fist tightly and trembled.

“There’s still plenty of time and opportunities… That’s because it’s Drin. I don’t have time. I don’t have any chances! I took this test as my last opportunity…!”

“Oh…”

Drin couldn’t say anything in response to Ceylon’s reaction.

And it wasn’t just Drin who was taken aback by Ceylon’s response.

“What…?

Kasha was puzzled by the man’s sudden change in demeanor.

Hadn’t he just said he was in first place?

Why would he tell Drin that he was eliminated?

“Was he playing a prank?

Kasha nodded.

That man suffered a fatal blow and was the first one to fail the exam.

And taking advantage of that fact, he played a prank.

The examiner went along with his prank.

“What the hell-

Although she was furious to the point where she could explode, her heart felt strangely lightened instead.

‘Yeah, someone like him being in first place doesn’t make sense.’

It was better to play along with this guy’s prank than to let him take the top spot.

‘So then, who is actually in first place?’

Throughout history, not many people have reached four stars at Drin’s age.

Even Drin, the embodiment of such talent, was unable to overcome the gap in his understanding of the Mana Golem, resulting in a record lower than her own.

Curiosity naturally arose within Kasha’s mind.

What would the number one be like?

And suddenly another thought crossed her mind.

Has that person heard about herself?

There’s no way he hadn’t heard of Drin, and if he had heard of Drin, he had heard of herself as well.

In that case-

What does he think of Drin?

And what he thinks about herself?

‘What am I even thinking…’

As Kasha continued her train of thought, she furrowed her brows at the self-loathing feeling she suddenly felt.

She couldn’t understand why she was having these thoughts herself.

Kasha didn’t know it herself, but it was an undefined expectation that had quietly blossomed deep in her subconscious.

The expectation of getting another chance.

Her family didn’t acknowledge her.

Drin didn’t acknowledge her either.

But maybe he would acknowledge her?

Maybe even more than Drin?

It was a foolish and audacious expectation.

But it wasn’t entirely baseless.

After all, she had surpassed Drin in this exam.

So, wouldn’t it be reasonable to have some expectations?

“…”

Kasha resolved to put aside these thoughts and focus on surpassing Drin in this exam.

However, subconsciously, she couldn’t stop thinking about the mysterious presence that currently held the top spot.

‘I wonder what he’s like.’

Just like the moment before she first met Drin when anticipation filled her mind.

“Alright, time’s up!”

Meanwhile, the end of the second exam was approaching.

As Ceylon and Drin finished their conversation with a gloomy yet playful atmosphere, the second round of exams came to an end.

Ceylon, Drin, and Kasha emerged from the barrier where they were busy preparing for the start of the exams. Unlike them, the remaining seven participants managed to successfully exit just moments before the exams ended by a hair’s breadth.

“Everyone did great! The exams are officially over!” Sinia announced as she began wrapping up the exams.

“-By the way, I’m impressed that everyone in my group passed the second test! I heard that the quality of the participants this time around was particularly high, and it seems to be true!”

At this point in the fairly chatty officer’s unremarkable story, all the participants simultaneously shook their heads in disbelief.

Nine, to be exact, not including the man who hadn’t been paying attention.

And of those nine, there were two who were particularly overreacting.

Dreen and Kasha.

They both looked like they’d just chewed on a foreign object in their food.

“Huh? What’s going on with you two? So, you’re getting along well, huh? At the same time?”

“Ms. Officer, you just said we all passed through to round two. Did I mishear?”

“Hmm? No? I think I said it correctly.”

As Drin asked her question, Sinia also joined in with a puzzled expression.

“But Ms. Officer, participant number 348 was supposed to be eliminated-”

Following Drin’s question, Kasha’s head tilted in the opposite direction this time.

“Huh? Did I say that? Participant number 348 being eliminated. That must have been a mistake.”

Upon hearing those words, Drin glared fiercely at him from her side as if demanding an explanation.

The man with closed eyes smiled confidently yet playfully.

“It’s a timid, cute little revenge against participant number 347, the unsuspecting participant who believed I was eliminated.”

“…”

Drin’s eyes, which seemed to be able to pierce through him at any moment, lost momentum.

If he spoke like that, she had nothing more to say.

“What, you’re saying he passed too?”

“I thought he got in before me?”

The participants looked confused and turned their gazes towards those who exited the barrier before them. Like falling dominoes one after another until finally landing on Drin.

Drin looked at Kasha,

Kasha looked at Sinia,

And Sinia blinked several times before speaking indignantly as if feeling wronged,

“Didn’t I already say it multiple times? Participant number 348 is currently leading in round two of the exams. He passed first with a time of 54 seconds!”

All participants stood there dumbfoundedly staring at him open-mouthed.

The man scratched his head while responding to their attention with a wry smile,

“Well~ let’s just say luck was on my side this time.”

He smiled bitterly, and at first glance, he looked very embarrassed.

In reality, he was genuinely amused by their reactions.

Especially the reactions of the two women, Kasha and Drin.