Entrance Exam: Dolls Hunt [4]

"What about you, Vice-Director? Have you noticed some talents?" Lyrei asked, her curiosity genuine.

Geralt answered with a small nod. "Token No. 55 and Token No. 233," he said.

Lyrei arched her delicate brows as she swiped on her tablet, quickly pulling up the data of the two individuals. The first profile displayed a teenager with spiky brown hair.

"Swen Elser, ranked 50 in the written exam," Lyrei mumbled. "He is from a low aristocratic house, but despite that, his father invested everything in his son's education, and he managed well."

She then directed one of the staff members to switch to a live feed of Swen. He was there, holding a sword and battling the Entities, performing admirably despite being alone. 

Lyrei's eyes widened as she noticed the girl fighting alongside him.

It was the other person that had caught Geralt's attention.

"Mila Davis," she said, her gaze fixing on the screen. The girl had black hair and was fighting in sync with Swen, the two watching each other's backs.

"She comes from a better aristocratic house but chose willingly not to participate in the exam reserved for the high aristocracy," Lyrei muttered, her voice tinged with surprise.

In this exam, most of the participants were commoners or low-ranking nobles who couldn't afford the exorbitant fees of the Elite Exam, reserved for high aristocratic students. That exam had concluded over a week ago, and the Elite Class was nearly complete. Those students had already received their uniforms and other necessities yesterday.

Today was exclusively reserved for seats available in the Ordinary Class, though some outstanding individuals could still be accepted into the Elite Class as well.

Lyrei looked at Mila curiously. "Indeed, she is from a reputable aristocratic house. Why did she purposefully take this exam? Her family should have had enough money to secure her a spot in the Elite Exam last week."

Most high aristocratic students were too proud to mingle with commoners, prompting the creation of the Elite Exam to separate the nobles from commoners and avoid any incidents during the examination. Mila Davis could have easily taken it, but she chose not to.

Instead, she was here, fighting alongside Swen Elser.

"Could it be..." Lyrei trailed off, watching Mila smile at Swen, who grinned back at her. A thought crossed her mind, and she smiled, considering a possible reason for Mila's choice.

"Show me this candidate again."

Hearing Geralt's voice, Lyrei glanced over and saw him asking a staff member for information.

"This one?" the staff member asked, pointing to another teenager.

"Yes," Geralt nodded, indicating the individual.

Lyrei raised her brow in surprise. This candidate seemed far less remarkable than the others. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes, and his appearance was as ordinary as any other candidate who hadn't caught their attention.

"Token number 477. His name is Fray Duran..." Lyrei read from the data, her mouth falling open in shock when she saw his rank in the written exam.

"Rank 7th."

"H-How? Show me his current location!" Lyrei asked urgently.

"Yes!" The staff member quickly typed and brought up Fray's live feed.

"What's he doing?" Lyrei asked, puzzled as she saw Fray crawling on the ground toward an unconscious candidate.

Geralt squinted at the screen. "He's probably taking the candidate's Dolls Belt and a weapon."

"Why?"

"Madam, I saw him before the start. He arrived late and asked for a belt and a weapon, but the exam started before he could obtain them. That must be the reason," a staff member explained.

"I see," Lyrei nodded, observing Fray closely.

Honestly, his abilities seemed below average. While others were actively trying to capture Entities, Fray had been running around, dodging danger up until now. She even wondered if he knew how to subjugate the Entities at all.

But then she looked again at his written exam rank.

7th.

He was a commoner on top of that.

Wasn't he a genius in that domain, then? He was the only commoner in the top ten in the written exam.

❖❖❖

Now, I had to get a sword and a belt of dolls.

Gritting my teeth, I scanned the chaotic battlefield. Candidates were clashing with the Entities, and the air was thick with the sounds of spells and the clanging of weapons. I spotted the unconscious boy again, the one whose sword and belt I needed.

"I'm really sorry," I muttered, bending down to pry the sword from his grip. His fingers were cold and stiff, but I managed to free the weapon. It felt solid and reassuring in my hand.

Next, I unfastened the belt from his waist, the dolls hanging from it swaying slightly. I strapped it around myself and hurriedly left the place.

I still felt a huge headache and had to find something to prevent myself from falling unconscious. 

I just realized something—the barrier was designed to let anyone with ten black dolls pass through it, meaning he succeeded in getting through. 

Wait, does that mean we could pass the exam through underhanded means?

This exam was more twisted than I had initially thought.

Raising my sword, I swept my hand along the blade. "First Rank Wind Spell, cover my blade!"

I had never been particularly skilled with ordinary spells, but I had a knack for wind magic. My blade glowed with a light green hue and trembled slightly as a soft breeze enveloped it. It wasn't powerful—certainly not as strong as I wanted—but it would have to do.

One of the Entities rushed toward me. Now, I could make out the figure we were fighting against. 

It was a feminine form in a white robe, floating eerily with screams that could disorient anyone. Prolonged exposure to those screams without any protection could render one unconscious. These were Artificial Entities, created specifically for this exam.

But now, I recognized what Entity they were inspired by—Yurei.

First discovered in old Japan, Yurei were spectral apparitions. Fire was highly effective against Yurei, but unfortunately, I had little to no affinity for Fire magic. 

As the Yurei rushed toward me with a piercing scream, I winced in pain and stepped aside at the last moment, swinging my sword. 

The Yurei dodged nimbly, swirling around me. When it turned and fixed its gaze on me, I felt a chill run down my spine.

Damn it.

I did the only thing I could think of.

I ran.

I'm sorry, guys.

I made sure to run toward a crowded area, hoping the presence of others would divert its attention from me.

"What—arghh!"

As expected, one of the guys I ran past was caught off guard and took the Yurei head-on. I felt a pang of guilt, but survival was paramount. The exam was proving to be more than just a test of skill—it was a test of wits, strategy, and perhaps even morality.

Sorry, man...

It was a competition, after all, and I had to join Emberia.

"Oh damn it!" I muttered, skidding to a halt as I saw two Yurei finish with their victims and turn their attention toward me.

I stepped back in fear, hoping they would ignore me. But as their ghostly gazes fixed on me, I knew I was in trouble.

Panic surged through me as I looked around for an escape. My eyes landed on the young candidate from before, the one playing with fire. He was still there, a small whirlwind of flames swirling around him.

Without hesitation, I sprinted toward him.

The two Yurei followed, closing in quickly.

"Now!"

As I neared the boy, I slid across the ground, slipping under the whirlwind of fire and into its protective circle.

"Huh?" The boy, caught off guard, turned around, his eyes wide with surprise.

Please, don't look at me like that.