Chapter 144

Once again defeated, yet there was no disappointment or regret on Sophia’s face.

Only a sense of relief existed.

“Yeah. I’m satisfied with this much. I saw areas for improvement too. I won’t lose next time.”

With that, Sophia left the arena and returned to her seat.

The final winner of the first match was none other than me, and I was given a five-minute break, during which I could choose whether to participate in the next match or leave the arena.

‘……’

Frankly, it would have been enough to stop here. I had become the perfect victor of the first round, and in the process, had a splendid, close match with Sophia.

I’d probably receive the highest score among this year’s examinees.

But that wasn’t enough to satisfy me.

As I said before, what I wanted from this qualification exam was a perfect result. To surpass the record set by the nineteen-year-old Cheong Soha back then and elevate my own reputation.

That’s why I didn’t leave the arena until the next round began, and once again, I fought fiercely and survived until the very end.

Murmur.

Murmur, murmur.

[Unbelievable. He survived again?]

[This is already beyond apprentice level. I haven’t seen a 3rd-Rank Exorcist with this level of skill.]

[……]

And so, the battles continued without stopping.

Three times, four times, and up to the fifth.

And finally, when I stepped out of the arena, breathing heavily,

by then, the gazes of all who were watching were filled with awe.

“Huh, well, I’ll be. To think I’d witness such a sight with my own eyes.”

A spectacle unfolded by a mere single Exorcist apprentice.

It was truly a rare and shocking result.

“Perhaps Cheong Soha’s qualification exam felt something like this.”

“In fact, Examinee No. 48’s record has already surpassed Cheong Soha’s in many aspects. If the results of the third written exam, which haven’t been tallied yet, are also outstanding, then perhaps……”

At those words, everyone’s expressions changed in various ways.

Cheong Soha’s record had been broken. The implications of this fact were by no means small.

“Even considering the era difference and changes in the exam content, it’s an incredible feat.”

“It’s a record that remained unbroken until now, even under those conditions.”

“At least among his peers, Kangyoon is more outstanding than anyone I’ve seen.”

Praise poured in, yet not a single person voiced any objection.

That’s how overwhelmingly certain the skill Han Kangyoon had displayed was.

As someone said earlier, it would be difficult to find anyone even close to his level among those his age.

“Well, if you think about it, the same goes for Sophia, who was his opponent.”

“Han Kangyoon was just a bit more experienced. In terms of innate ability, she might actually be superior.”

“Frankly, comparing them is almost meaningless. Both have already far surpassed the skill level of a 3rd-Rank Exorcist.”

Even those present here couldn’t confidently claim victory against those two.

Considering that only Exorcists seasoned through numerous real battles qualify as examiners, it was truly remarkable.

While everyone was openly and repeatedly expressing their admiration, the scores for the postponed third written exam were finally all calculated.

“How did it turn out?”

“…Frankly, it’s bewildering. You’ll understand if you see it for yourselves. His way of thinking is different from ours from the start.”

Han Kangyoon’s assigned score was perfect. It was said that all the responsible examiners unanimously agreed without any objections.

The examiners who checked Han Kangyoon’s answers couldn’t help but make strange expressions.

“…It’s hard to believe easily. Does he really engage in combat while performing all these calculations?”

“To be precise, it’s a bit different. He probably isn’t deriving answers one by one through calculation processes in his head.”

Yoon Sua, the 2nd-Rank Exorcist who brought the results.

As everyone’s gaze turned to her, she answered like this:

“He probably just naturally arrives at those conclusions. Like seeing luxurious food and thinking it must be delicious, or seeing fire and thinking it must be hot.”

Indeed, hearing it put that way, it made sense.

Even to the examiners, the vast amount of answers Han Kangyoon wrote in that short time didn’t seem like something that could come from thinking and pondering.

Time-delaying tactics when facing an overwhelming Specter alone, responses when a battle breaks out in an urban area mixed with civilians, forming encirclements against powerful Specters, etc.

Han Kangyoon’s answers to all those questions were far too complete.

It was to the point of raising doubts.

Could one actually carry out all of this?

“I don’t think I could do it even if told to.”

Even if a perfect plan exists, the human executing it is not perfect.

A plan that is too high-level ends up becoming crude instead.

“But, it seems clearly possible for him.”

And, in fact, there already exist several such people in the world.

Namely, those holding the title of Special-Rank Exorcist.

“…Maybe in about five years.”

Lee Moonsu, the examiner with the most outstanding skill among them, active as a 1st-Rank Exorcist, quietly uttered just one sentence.

“This country will have one more Special-Rank.”

That statement was clearly filled not with prediction, but with conviction.

Two days later, we finally received notification of the exam results through individually transmitted documents.

Whether it should be called surprising or as expected, the result was that all five of us passed.

“The training we did together was more helpful than I thought? The exam content itself matched our predictions quite well.”

“I guess Han Kangyoon’s predictions were accurate.”

Gilford nodded and gave me a small word of thanks.

“Honestly, if I had tried to prepare alone, it would have been daunting. I owe you one.”

“It’s thanks to everyone working hard.”

Perhaps because they were individual notifications, the documents also had various other notable items recorded, such as the examiners’ evaluations and final rankings.

“Too passive and defensive for my abilities, is that what I was like?”

“Hmm. Hansol, you do have a tendency to set your own limits too firmly, right? You always give up on your own when facing me.”

“No, that’s because the outcome is visible anyway. Huh? Does that mean I really do have that kind of mindset?”

Although she spoke with regret, Jeong Hansol’s final ranking itself was also quite high. It was the next highest after me and Sophia.

On the other hand, the one who recorded a surprisingly low ranking was none other than Hwang Jihak.

“What’s this, your rank is unexpectedly low? Did you mess up during the exam or something?”

“……”

I was also a bit curious about that part, so I turned my gaze toward Hwang Jihak.

After a brief silence, he soon showed a slightly flustered face, avoided eye contact, and answered.

“…I had, a stomachache.”

“What?”

“My stomach kept hurting, so I couldn’t concentrate.”

It was an extremely ordinary and pitiful reason.

“Ah, that. Well. Everyone has that experience at least once. Hang in there.”

“Oh my, that’s interesting in its own way. I thought Jihak had an image of being made of steel, so I didn’t think he’d even catch a cold.”

“Don’t be too disappointed. You passed, so it’s a sufficient achievement.”

Certainly, it might be even more amazing that he achieved above-average results even in that situation.

Hwang Jihak nodded in agreement.

“Since passing was the goal anyway, there’s no problem. I just reflected a bit on self-management.”

After that, as expected, it was revealed that Sophia had achieved the final 2nd place ranking.

In fact, if it weren’t her, it would have been even stranger, so it was a natural result.

‘……’

And so, the result finally reached the last one.

Sensing everyone’s gaze focused on me, I quietly announced the result.

“Top of the class.”

“I knew it would be like that. It’s not like there was anyone who did better than this guy anyway.”

“Congratulations. Your hard work day and night paid off.”

As soon as I revealed the result, a shower of congratulations flew in, and Jeong Hansol messily ruffled my hair as if annoyed.

After the commotion settled down a bit, Sophia, with a small smile, said to me:

“Thanks for keeping your promise.”

“No regrets or anything?”

“None at all. It was literally a relieving match.”

Since she was the most notable figure among the new generation until now, I was worried there might be some shock, but it seemed my concern was unfounded.

On the contrary, Sophia seemed stimulated by this battle, continuously wearing a pleased smile.

“Yeah. I’m really starting to feel motivated for the first time in a while. For a while, honestly, everything felt meaningless.”

That was a slightly scary statement. If she was this skilled even while neglecting recent training, her growth speed when she puts her heart into it might far exceed my expectations.

‘Growing even faster from here?’

I don’t know what results this difference in mindset will bring, but if she becomes even stronger than her original self, it wouldn’t be bad for me.

So, I readily offered words of encouragement.

“Yeah. Thanks. I’ll try hard again. So, if there’s a chance next time, have a match with me again?”

“……”

Faced with her brightly smiling face, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.

Top of the class in the Exorcist qualification exam.

The scale of the reputation carried by such a modifier was by no means small.

Furthermore, what if the subject was an Academy student who took the exam early?

As Han Kangyoon predicted, such news had a considerable impact on Korea’s Cursed Arts World as well.

“An early examinee got top of the class? What does that mean?”

“It’s confirmed news. Moreover, they say he’s a newcomer who hasn’t made a name for himself until now.”

“Huh, tell me more in detail.”

From the short term, figures holding positions in other influential families, to the long term, organizations of national institutions or leading corporations.

They all began to quietly remember Han Kangyoon’s name.

Among them was the Jeokhwadan, the Special Operations unit under the Exorcism Headquarters, who had taken notice of Han Kangyoon during Cheonghwa Academy’s public presentation.

“Unit Leader, have you heard the news? That kid from back then got top of the class in the qualification exam? And as an early examinee. It’s unverified information, but they say he even broke Cheong Soha’s record.”

“Yeah. That’s already the fifth time I’ve heard that news today.”

Shin Noeul, the Unit Leader of Jeokhwadan, had previously evaluated Han Kangyoon as having talent comparable to Sophia.

And that was proven true today. After all, Sophia’s name was listed in the second-place spot, right below Han Kangyoon.

“Clearly, the Unit Leader’s discernment is different. Honestly, I thought it was nonsense back then.”

“…Oh? Is that so?”

“No, honestly, doesn’t it sound impossible? Back then, Han Kangyoon was just a scarecrow compared to Sophia Charlotte.”

But conversely, it means he grew his presence more than Sophia in that short time.

After pondering for a long while, Shin Noeul finally reached a conclusion.

“Still, it won’t do. It’s too tempting.”

“Huh? Weren’t you saying it lacked realism before?”

“I don’t know, man. I’ll try to recruit him first and then think about it. I’ll go when I have time, so you know.”

Shin Noeul, the Unit Leader of the Special Operations unit Jeokhwadan, and just last month, newly recognized as a Special-Rank Exorcist.

Her gaze lingered on Han Kangyoon in the photograph.