WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 17: Do You Understand?

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On the day of Ruidel Academy’s entrance exam, the area in front of the exam hall was packed with applicants standing in a long line.

“Applicants! Please come forward and collect your number tags!”

“The order doesn’t matter! Come up one at a time!”

Following the instructions, Aren received his number tag.

“Applicant Aren Bright, number 187.”

When he turned around with the tag in hand, he saw a crowd so large that he couldn’t see the end of the line.

‘All these people are applicants...’

Tension washed over him for a moment, but Aren shook his head and steadied himself.

As someone who carried the name of the Ultimate Divine Sword, he had no reason to be intimidated.

Then someone tapped him on the shoulder.

“If you’ve got your tag, could you move aside? There are a lot of people waiting behind you.”

“Oh, sorry!”

The voice belonged to a tall boy with dark-blue hair, goggles, and work clothes.

“...You don’t need to apologize that much.”

The boy immediately approached the examiner and received his number tag.

“Number 188.”

“I’m 187.”

“Does the number tag mean anything?”

“I think they’re dividing us into groups of thirty-two for the exam.”

The boy turned to look at Aren.

“How do you know that?”

“I was watching. There was a noticeably longer gap when they called numbers 32 and 33, then 64 and 65.”

“That’s interesting. Didn’t know anyone paid attention to things like that.”

“If I’m right, we’ll be taking the test in groups of thirty-two.”

The boy looked over the tag in his hand.

“Then there’s a good chance you and I will be in the same group?”

“Most likely.”

“Then we should at least know each other’s names. I’m Elia Work, an apprentice craftsman at the Work Workshop.”

“I’m Aren Bright. I’m from Baran.”

Elia snickered.

“Baran? That’s completely out in the countryside. It’ll be hard for you to go home during break. I’m nearby, so it’s convenient.”

Aren smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Um... couldn’t we fail?”

“Me, or you?”

“Both of us.”

“Well, I think we’ll both pass.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“It’s part of my job. I can tell at a glance. There aren’t as many people here stronger than you as you’d think.”

Elia yawned and turned away.

“See you later, then.”

Watching Elia leave, Aren sighed inwardly.

‘He hasn’t even considered that he might fail...’

Still, Elia had a point.

Even after looking around, Aren didn’t see many people who stood out.

Ever since childhood, Aren had been able to sense the “light” that came from people’s bodies.

Those who possessed light were, without exception, extraordinary. There were only around thirty such people at this exam hall.

Elia was one of them.

‘I never saw this many lights in Baran... The imperial capital really is different.’

Once all the number tags had been handed out, an examiner in uniform appeared on the platform.

“Welcome, applicants. I’ll now briefly explain the entrance exam, so listen carefully.”

The exam would take place in a Shadow Dungeon.

Just as Aren had expected, the thirty-two applicants would be divided into eight parties of four to conquer a simulated dungeon.

‘That’s a relief. I’ve entered dungeons more than ten times in Baran.’

“Party members will be assigned randomly by lottery.”

The moment the examiner finished speaking, one applicant shouted in frustration.

“Wait! What if we end up in a party with someone whose skills don’t match ours? If we’re unlucky, we’re doomed!”

The examiner stared directly at the applicant and replied coldly.

“Then carry them.”

“What if someone much weaker than me holds me back?!”

At the applicant’s complaint, the examiner slightly lifted his shirt, revealing more than ten deep scars across his abdomen.

“As you can see, I was once part of a dungeon conquest team as well. In my experience, I’ve never seen a decent person among those who worry about someone else holding them back.”

The applicant’s face flushed bright red.

“Before you worry about your teammates, worry about whether you’ll become a burden. That concludes the explanation.”

Aren agreed with the examiner a hundred times over.

‘As expected of Ruidel Academy. Skill alone isn’t enough.’

Ever since he had conquered dungeons with people he knew back home, Aren had held the same belief as the examiner.

If there was an inadequate teammate, a truly capable person was someone who could fill that gap. That was also Aren’s way of the sword.

‘Instead of worrying about other people for no reason, I should just do my part well.’

“Remember your numbers. Party assignments will begin shortly.”

As soon as the examiner finished speaking, a magic circle appeared at one side of the exam hall, and translucent letters formed in the air.

[Group 1]

[Party 1 - Richard Dane / Alex Rooker / Ron Kraus / Lania Angus]

[Party 2 - ...]

[Party 3 - ...]

Soon, the list for Group 6, where Aren had been assigned, appeared as well.

[Group 6]

[Party 3 - Aren Bright / Elia Work / Ran Pen / Mine Rose]

“Looks like we really are in the same group.”

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Though there probably isn’t much to ask of each other.”

Elia looked over his shoulder. Two women were walking toward them.

“Our members are too strong.”

“Ah, those two are...”

One had a brown ponytail tied tightly behind her head and wore a neat martial arts uniform.

Ran Pen, one of the leading candidates to place first in the entrance exam.

She smiled brightly and cupped one fist in her palm.

“I’m Ran Pen. I look forward to working with you.”

“Elia Work. Apprentice craftsman.”

“Ah, the famous Work Workshop? I’d appreciate it if you could take a look at my gauntlets sometime.”

“As long as you bring money, I can do it whenever.”

The other woman wore a gentle smile.

Mine Rose, the Imperial Saint.

Even in a remote place like Baran, her name was well known.

“My name is Aren Bright. It’s an honor to meet the Imperial Saint.”

“I’m Mine Rose. Let’s all do our best and do well on the exam.”

Both of them shone brilliantly.

‘With members like these, the exam should be no problem.’

After every party had been formed, the examiner spoke again.

“From this point onward, each group will enter the Shadow Dungeon with their party members. Your goal is to defeat the boss monster within the time limit while minimizing allied casualties. However, you will not automatically fail even if not everyone survives.”

The examiner paused, then added with a meaningful smile.

“And let me tell you in advance, this exam is a competition.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Every exam is a competition...”

Elia scoffed and clicked his tongue.

“That person said something interesting.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re telling us to fight tooth and nail against each other in there.”

The exam involved eight parties starting from different entrances and simultaneously attempting to conquer the boss.

But since it was still a dungeon, there was likely only one boss.

That meant their competitors included not only monsters, but the other applicants as well.

Aren took that thought one step further.

‘It probably means that competition could happen even between party members.’

But Aren soon shook his head.

‘No. There’s no reason for that.’

There was no reason to make enemies of the people they were supposed to fight alongside.

Naturally, Aren had no intention of voicing that thought.

His party members were all rare talents, and nothing good would come of making them wary of one another because of something he said.

“Good. Starting with Group 1, line up in front of the entrances according to your party number. The exam will begin shortly.”

“Wait!”

At that moment, another voice rang out among the applicants.

The examiner openly let out a long sigh, and the other applicants turned toward the voice.

After seeing who had stopped the proceedings this time, the examiner could only frown.

The person was one of the most famous figures in the Empire.

“Isn’t Halibal Velder taking the exam?!”

Cecilia Ren.

From the moment she arrived at the exam hall, she had been looking for Halibal.

Before the exam began, she wanted to tell him that she would defeat him.

Yet Halibal never showed himself, even after every number had been called.

Cecilia remembered Halibal speaking several times about his ambition to enter the academy.

There was no way someone like him would give up on the exam.

When the title Funeral Sword left Cecilia’s lips, the other applicants began murmuring too.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t see that name either.”

“What? That person didn’t come? I heard he was our age.”

“Could he be planning to apply next year?”

The examiner watched the commotion for a moment, then sighed again and spoke.

“Applicant number 316. I do not know every applicant’s name individually.”

“...”

“And if you are standing here as an applicant rather than a young lady of a ducal house, would it not be better to focus on the exam instead of someone else?”

Cecilia glared sharply at the examiner before turning away.

‘...Where are you, Halibal?’

She clutched the number tag marked 316.

Senia had been quietly watching Cecilia. Like her sister, Senia did not believe Halibal was the sort of person who would abandon the exam.

That left only two possibilities.

He had gotten caught up in an incident.

Or...

‘He’s at the center of one.’

Senia smiled softly and looked toward the dungeon entrance.

It felt as though someone was watching from beyond it.

“Funeral Sword is the person who conquered the Beast Dungeon this time, right?”

Mine answered Aren’s question with a bright smile.

“That’s right! He’s truly an amazing person.”

“Do you know him too, Saint?”

“He comes to the medical unit so often, after all.”

Mine seemed strangely more animated whenever she spoke about Halibal.

Aren found the reaction rather curious, so he repeated the title Funeral Sword to himself several times.

Come to think of it, he had heard that name many times from his master as well.

“He’s probably the strongest among people your age.”

That was what his master always said.

Aren had heard that Funeral Sword wielded a sword like he did. His swordsmanship was called the Halibal Style. How was it different from the Ultimate Divine Sword?

Aren wanted to experience that difference for himself.

‘It would’ve been nice if I could’ve crossed swords with him this time.’

“We will now begin dungeon entry! The time limit is ninety minutes! Even if you fail to defeat the boss, successful applicants will be selected through a comprehensive evaluation of party survival, cooperation, judgment, and other factors!”

With the examiner’s shout, the eight parties of Group 1 entered the dungeon one after another.

⁎⁎⁎

“What a letdown.”

“Wasn’t it because Lord Richard’s strategy worked perfectly?”

“As expected of Lord Richard!”

Group 1, Party 1.

Richard’s party, made up of three nobles and one commoner, had reached the boss room before any other party in Group 1.

Strangely, though, they had one fewer member than when they started.

The reason was simple.

Along the way, they had thrown their commoner party member to an elite Chimera monster as prey.

Ruidel was said to have no distinction between nobles and commoners on the surface, but that was only true in appearance.

To Richard, heir to the House of Count Dane, commoners were nothing more than disposable tools.

So he used the commoner party member until they reached the mid-boss, then threw them out as bait before the elite monster.

Along with two young noblemen from families aligned with the noble faction, he had reached the boss room.

“Let’s quickly clean up some pathetic boss from an illusory dungeon and leave.”

“Just hearing you say that puts my mind at ease!”

“We’ll trust only you, Lord Richard!”

Richard casually opened the boss room door.

What he saw was a ruined temple.

At its center, someone sat before a small flame.

‘A campfire? No, a bonfire.’

Richard studied the figure carefully.

The being, neither clearly human nor monster, wore old, rusted armor. It sat perfectly still with its back to Richard’s party.

It looked like a fallen knight from an older age.

Other than that being, which seemed to have no interest in Richard’s party at all, there was nothing nearby that looked like a boss.

“Lord Richard... do you think that’s the boss?”

“Something feels off...”

“I’ll prepare an Art. You two focus on its movements.”

The instant Richard finished speaking, the being that had been motionless before the bonfire rose with a creak.

Its movements were painfully slow, and Richard scoffed.

The flying squirrel-like monster covered in electricity that they had fought earlier had been so fast it was almost impossible to see.

Even Richard, who had trained in swordsmanship at the Imperial Swordsmanship Institute since childhood, could barely respond to that speed.

But what about this thing?

Wasn’t it disgustingly slow for a boss?

“Good. Alex, you approach first.”

“I...”

At that moment.

“Uh...?”

With an ashen flash, the armored knight kicked off the ground and leaped forward, arriving before Richard’s party in an instant.

‘What... what is this?!’

Before Richard could gather his senses, the two party members beside him were torn to pieces, their bodies vanishing like illusions.

‘D-Dead? That quickly?’

Slash! Slash!

The sounds of steel cutting through flesh followed a moment later.

Flash!

“Ah.”

With a short cry, Richard’s body collapsed to the ground.

“...Do you understand?”

A grating, unpleasant voice came from the armored knight.

As his consciousness faded, Richard heard the being’s final words.

“...The Blade of Ruidel, Valhilar.”

‘What the fuck is tha...’

Richard’s body scattered away like an illusion.

Footnotes:

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