The Curse of Being Hated Has Been Lifted

44 – Special Exam

“Senior is truly a genius!”

Arha spoke while licking her ice cream.

“How can something this delicious be hidden inside a body?”

“That’s a bit of a strange thing to say, isn’t it?”

“I’m talking in my head.”

As Arha spoke boldly, Logan let out a deep sigh.

“But seriously, how do you succeed in every business you touch?”

Arha put the ice cream back into her mouth.

“I only attempt businesses that will succeed.”

“So, how do you figure out which ones will succeed?”

“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to follow. It’s the realm of talent.”

If Logan were asked to explain his sword, he would have attributed it purely to his efforts and the teachings of swordsmanship, without any hesitation.

But when it came to business and making money, he couldn’t leave out the talk of talent.

“In the end, to succeed in business, you need innovation. It’s just that my head is a bit exceptional at capturing that innovation.”

“By nature, lunatics are good at business.”

-Thunk!

At Ashuheit’s words, Arha smacked him on the head with her fist, but Ashuheit casually ruffled his hair as if nothing had happened.

While Arha’s fist was strong, her sister’s touch was much more severe, so he could easily endure this level of strength.

“They are lunatics after all, people who think completely differently from others, about 180 degrees.”

“I can’t deny that for sure.”

Logan, Ara, Ashit and Anna always stuck together within the academy.

They had plenty of stories to tell as a group, and there weren’t many others they could consider close friends besides each other.

“But it’s a shame there’s no milk. It would have been much smoother and tastier with milk.”

“Adding milk would make the cost higher, you know.”

As they made their way to the auditorium, they noticed many students walking around with ice cream cones.

The school had opened a shop within the academy, and it had become such a trend that everyone was carrying one around.

Even the price was quite affordable compared to other ice creams, making it easy for commoners to enjoy.

“But why did the general conscription notice suddenly come out?”

“Must be some incident that happened.”

“You’re not the one being asked. And unless you’re a fool, it’s obvious that you would know if an incident happened, right? What do you think, Mr. Logan?”

“Must be some incident that happened.”

“I think so too. If the principal is calling for a general assembly from early morning, it must mean something big happened.”

“Hey!”

Ashit shouted loudly, causing Anna to chuckle.

“He enjoys teasing people.”

As they chatted and walked, they soon reached the auditorium.

Upon entering, they saw a considerable number of students gathered. It wasn’t just a few, but hundreds of people talking and whispering, creating a loud buzz.

“Do the third-year seniors have any guesses?”

If they listened closely, they could hear some plausible speculations coming from the place where the third-year students were mainly gathered.

Even two years before Logan enrolled, the principal had gathered everyone for a group test, or so he had heard.

“We’re all here.”

After about five minutes of entering the auditorium, the headmaster sprang up from thin air.

The headmaster was a cool-looking beauty, a mysterious woman whose origins no one knew.

“The reason I gathered you all today is because I have acquired a great weapon.”

A blue-green stone sword appeared in the headmaster’s hand.

“Unfortunately, as a sorceress, this sword does not hold more value to me than money. Of course, it will fetch a considerable sum, but it is not something that has a significant impact on my life.”

-Seoguk

The headmaster slammed the sword into the ground.

“After careful consideration, I have come up with a brilliant idea!”

The headmaster’s voice resonated with authority.

“Starting today, we will begin a special examination! I have placed tests throughout the academy! At the end of the week, the student with the highest score will become the owner of this sword!”

Logan had heard rumors about the headmaster.

Despite appearing disinterested in the operation of the academy, which Logan hardly paid attention to, the headmaster’s character was said to be quite fiery unlike her cool demeanor.

Just the fact that she would donate such an expensive-looking sword to the students would prove her reputation to be somewhat accurate.

In truth, Logan had personally faced the headmaster before.

Because Logan’s curse was so powerful, he had come close to being expelled several times.

Each time, from the position of the judge, the headmaster looked at Logan with a cold expression, only to intervene and prevent his expulsion.

At that time, Logan didn’t know, but now he wondered if she had noticed his curse all along.

Otherwise, there would be almost no reason for her not to expel him.

“Well, this is a story unrelated to us.”

Selling a sword to make money would have been a great help in business, but it wasn’t proper to sell the award received by passing the exam at the academy, so there wasn’t much to worry about…

“Logan.”

“Yes, Master?”

“I hope you’ve acquired a good sword with this opportunity.”

There was an unspoken pressure to wield a sword after getting first place in the exam.

‘Even if it’s Master’s wish, this is a bit…’

There are things that can be done and things that can’t.

It’s impossible to be first in the entire academy.

“Believe in yourself. After all, a sword is ultimately given to someone with high scores in all exams.”

Arna tapped Logan’s head and left.

‘Should I at least make some effort?’

******

“It’s 82 points.”

It was the overall score in martial arts.

From Noble mtl dot com

“About 54 points would be just right.”

It was the score in magical practicals.

“It’s a perfect 100. Though there’s a slight imbalance in the body, it’s not the student’s fault, I suppose.”

It was the score in aristocratic etiquette.

“It’s a 92. I’d want to give a perfect score, but there’s always room for improvement.”

It was the score in mechanical studies.

“It’s 87 points. Do you have any intention of becoming a magic scholar, by any chance?”

“I don’t.”

It was the score for magical theory.

“… 100 points, as expected of a swordsman who entered solely based on swordsmanship.”

It was the score for pure swordsmanship.

And…

“87 points.”

“61 points.”

“7 points.”

This insane headmaster had arranged over 50 exams in the academy.

Most of them were subjects taught in the academy, but there were too many of them, so there was no student who excelled in everything.

There were so many exams that it was difficult to even take all of them in the first place.

“Ugh… I finally took them all.”

“It was tougher than I thought.”

To take 56 exams in a week, one had to take an average of 8 exams per day.

The students aiming for the sword were all too focused on the exams, unable to properly attend classes.

“What’s your total score?”

“I have 3382 points.”

“Mine is similar. 3750 points.”

“Similar? Yours is almost 400 points higher than mine!”

Arwa was the daughter of the prestigious Shohelga family, known for their martial arts prowess, and was considered talented within the family.

Anna added, “She is also the heir to the powerful Belokia family, and is hailed as a once-in-a-century genius within the family.”

But Anna’s score was in the mid-late 3000s.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Logan looked at his own scorecard.

The scorecard clearly showed a score of 4027.

*******

“I told you I would make it.”

“I didn’t really believe it would happen.”

Having 56 different disciplines was a great advantage for Logan. Though he received low scores in subjects like pure physical ability and magic, he excelled in subjects like swordsmanship theory, pure swordsmanship, and magical theory. He also did well in the more neglected liberal arts subjects.

While he had studied subjects like machine learning, he had a solid foundation in basic knowledge, such as noble etiquette and ecology, which allowed him to score highly in those subjects as well.

Most importantly, his knowledge of both swordsmanship and magic played a significant role. The examiners and magicians struggled with their swordsmanship scores, while the swordsmen struggled with their magic scores. Logan, on the other hand, was able to achieve decent scores in both areas, surpassing his fierce competitors and claiming the top spot.

“It’s suspicious no matter how you look at it.”

Although the 56 exams seemed randomly arranged, with subjects ranging beyond popular ones like swordsmanship and magic, Logan surprisingly excelled in many of them. Starting from subjects like machine learning, which had few listeners, to accounting and noble etiquette, there were quite a few subjects in which he could score highly.

The rumors of a close relationship between the head of the Examinations Bureau and the headmaster of the Academy, accompanied by the ominous smile on the master’s lips, led to inevitable doubts.

“Surely, the Master didn’t write it himself?”

“Are you doubting me? This master is quite pitiful.”

Awkwardly wiping away tears, it was impossible to discern more.

“To Logan Astrian, who scored the highest in this exam! I shall bestow Estalin’s sword upon you!”

“Thank you.”

‘Once I gain the title, I could at least use it for decoration.’

Logan’s cynical demeanor shifted the moment he grasped the sword.