The royal academy in the capital is state-run, while other regions have academies that are run by their respective lords. The academy in the capital is the highest level, and many people aim to attend it. The academies in the Effort Kingdom are so prestigious that students come from other countries as well. This is due to the policy of the first king, which has continued for three hundred years.
This morning, Sylvia was more nervous than Cain.
"Master Cain, have you forgotten anything?"
"Sylvia, it's okay. If I forget something, I can always come back."
Cain, dressed in simple yet beautiful clothes, replied.
"Then, I'm off!"
Cain left the mansion and headed for the academy.
The academy has entrances on the north and south sides. The north side connects to the noble district, while the south side connects to the commoner district, where most of the commoners enter.
Cain often visited the adventurer's guild, so he used long-distance teleportation to reach the commoner district and entered the academy from the south entrance.
At the entrance of the academy, guards stand on both sides of the gate.
Cain entered the academy and followed the map to the examination hall. At the registration desk, he registered his name and received an examination number card, then proceeded to the designated classroom to take the exam.
The examination consists of a written test and a practical test. For the practical test, students must take both a magic ability test and a sword skill test, as people have different strengths and weaknesses. While the written test primarily determines the pass or fail, outstanding performance in the practical test can add points to the written test and lead to a pass.
Cain entered the classroom for the written test and sat at the seat with his examination number.
Looking around, everyone seemed tense, as one would expect of ten-year-olds.
When the scheduled time arrived, the examiner entered the classroom with the test papers.
"We are about to start the entrance examination. Be careful not to look at others' answers, as you will be immediately dismissed if caught."
After saying this, the examiner distributed the test papers and answer sheets.
"Begin!"
Everyone started the exam at once.
Cain looked at the questions, which were about reading and writing, arithmetic, and history. He had no problem with reading and writing, as he could do it at the age of three. The arithmetic questions were mainly addition and subtraction, with a few multiplication and division problems. Having been a high school student in his previous life, he found it completely manageable. The history questions were basic knowledge that any noble would know.
Cain finished all the questions quickly and was left with nothing to do.
The exam time was not even halfway over, and everyone else was still focused on their papers.
"Are you really okay to be so relaxed?"
The examiner called out to him.
"I've already finished everything."
Cain replied.
"Hmm, I see. You should at least check your answers."
The examiner then resumed patrolling the other examinees.
The exam time eventually came to an end.
"Stop! Everyone, put down your answer sheets."
With the exam over, everyone looked relieved.
"Next, we will start the practical test. All examinees in this classroom should proceed to the magic ability test first."
The examinees in this classroom gathered and headed to the magic ability test venue. The venue was a training ground with a row of targets lined up. The examinees were to stand in a line and cast their highest-level magic at the targets.
"Examinees 281 to 290, please line up. Cast your highest-level magic at those targets."
Cain was number 285, so he was in the first group.
"Can I use my full power?"
Cain couldn't help but ask the examiner.
"The training ground is protected by a barrier, so it's safe. You can use your full power."
"Then, begin!"
The other nine examinees started chanting their spells.
'Fireball,' 'Waterball,' 'Wind Bullet'
As they finished chanting, they cast their spells.
The targets were scorched, wet, and swaying.
Cain watched this out of the corner of his eye.
Initially, Cain was going to cast 'Inferno Hell' at full power.
He almost caused a disaster by casting a super-level spell.
After watching everyone finish, the examiner called out to him.
"285! Cast your spell quickly!"
Cain had been watching the others and was reprimanded.
He shifted his gaze to the target.
He gathered magic power at his fingertips.
'Fire Bullet'
The moment he cast the spell, a blue-white fire bullet, spiraling and rotating, shot towards the target at high speed.
The moment it hit the target, the target vanished as if it had never existed. The bullet continued and hit the outer wall.
BOOM!!!!
The outer wall, protected by a barrier, collapsed, destroying a large tree in the garden before finally dissipating.
All the students casting spells stopped and froze.
The examiners were also frozen in place.
"......"
The scene before them had changed. The training ground, which was indoors, now had a destroyed outer wall, with sunlight streaming in. The area where the target had been was scorched and melted, emitting heat.
"...I thought it would be fine with a barrier and a Fire Bullet..."
Cain slumped his shoulders.
The frozen examiners finally started moving.
"...Did you do this? What did you cast?"
"Um, I cast Fire Bullet."
Cain answered the examiner's question.
"Such... such power from a beginner... It's impossible..."
The examiner was still in a daze.
"More importantly, we need to check if anyone was outside the wall!"
Saying this, a few examiners ran outside, while another ran to inform their superior.
The superior examiner soon arrived and confirmed the situation.
All the examiners and teachers who had come to check the noise were stunned by the scene.
"We can't continue the exam here. We will move to the second training ground. Everyone, follow us. You, go to the sword skill test venue."
Since the first group of the magic ability test had rendered the venue unusable, everyone was led to the second training ground by the examiners.
Cain was taken to the sword skill test venue by one of the examiners.
The sword skill test venue was already filled with examinees who had started with the sword skill test.
"We will now begin the sword skill test. The sword skill examiners are here to support us from the adventurer's guild. They are all B-rank or higher, so you can use your full power without worry."
Among the lined-up adventurers, Cain recognized someone. A red-haired man with a different aura from the other examiners.
"Oh, it's Claude."
Cain muttered, recognizing the face. Claude noticed and looked at him, raising his hand in greeting, to which Cain bowed.
"Oh, it's Cain, isn't it? I remember you're ten. I'll be your opponent today."
"That's Claude, the famous Ice Flame from the capital, an A-rank adventurer in the guild."
Whispers spread among the other examinees.
"No, I'll pass."
Cain quickly declined.
"You know Claude, the highest-ranked examiner today? You should go for it."
The examiner's unnecessary comment sealed the deal.
The other examinees were assigned to different adventurers, and the sword skill test began.
"Have you gotten used to the adventurer's guild a bit? Go all out today."
Claude smiled. He didn't know Cain was already A-rank.
"Then, please take care of me, Claude."
Cain held a wooden sword and took a stance against Claude.
Using about 20% of his body enhancement, he charged at Claude. Even so, his speed surprised Claude.
"You can use body enhancement?"
Claude blocked Cain's sword.
"This should be fun. I was forced to take this assignment by Lina, but it's turning out well."
Claude used body enhancement and deflected Cain's sword.
The two continued their sword skills, moving at a speed that the other examinees couldn't follow, raising dust and sand.
"Cain, you're strong! You're stronger than the adventurer examiners here."
"Claude, this is an exam, so please don't go so hard."
Claude, a battle enthusiast, smiled and used body enhancement, swinging his sword. Cain, with the blessing of the martial god, handled it without issue, but the fight seemed endless.
Suddenly, a voice called out.
"Stop it!!"
It was the examiner in charge.
"If you two keep sparring, no one else can take the test."
Claude and Cain stopped sparring and looked around.
No one was sparring, and even the examiner adventurers were watching their sparring intently.
"Oops, went a bit overboard. Well, Cain, let's take a mission together next time."
Claude smiled and offered a handshake.
"I'd rather not, but I can't refuse, can I? Please take care of me."
After shaking hands, Cain returned to his seat.
"285, Cain, your exam is over. You can go home now. Just come back on the day of the results."
Cain finished all his exams and left the academy, unaware of the rumors spreading among the other examinees.
Cain returned to the mansion.
"Welcome back, Master Cain. How was the exam?"
"I'm back. The exam went well."
Sylvia greeted him.
"I think I did well on both the written and practical tests, so I should pass."
"That's good to hear. We should celebrate your success next."
Sylvia smiled and went inside.
Later, the prime minister, who was working, saw a document and rushed out of his office to the king's office.
"What is it, Magna? You look busy."
"Please look at this."
The king, seeing the paper, held his head.
The paper was an estimate for ten platinum coins to repair the training ground and an explanation of the incident.
The explanation read:
'During the entrance examination, an examinee named Cain used a beginner-level magic spell, causing significant damage to the training ground. We request the repair costs.'
"That guy! He did it again!!!"
The king and the prime minister, holding their heads, stamped their approval.