chapter 17
17 – Written Exam (2)
“Please put away your book and take out your writing utensil.”
The supervisor, Kendra Hammington, was a strict person. She is a math teacher at Stellarium Academia, and has a reputation among her students for being eccentric.
Also, there was a lot of confusion.
“I don’t know how many of you here will make it, but do your best. “Now that you have entered the best educational institution, leaving without any hesitation would be tantamount to insulting our school.”
Look at that. Another useless thing to say.
But, well, he’s not a bad person.
A few minutes passed like that.
We received thick test papers and answer sheets.
The sound of a chair being pulled. The sound of the second hand clicking. A heavy silence falls in the exam room.
Uncomfortable atmosphere. The students cleared their throats once in a while.
I took a deep breath and picked up the pen. One on the left and one on the right.
This morning it was time to test my newly acquired skills. I lightly relaxed my hands and touched the end of the test paper.
Soon.
The test began with the bell ringing.
***
Stellarium’s written exam lasts a total of five hours.
The first two hours are in-depth in Korean and math.
The remaining three hours are spent just scratching the surface of the fourteen subjects.
There is a saying that whether or not you pass the first round is determined solely by Korean and math. That’s how big the distribution is.
However, if you want to pass the final exam, you must not neglect the remaining subjects.
Expedient methods do not work for Stellarium entrance exams. In the end, the student who performs well all over wins.
Anyway, it’s clear that the first two hours are the most important. Kendra looked over the lectern, thinking about this.
‘Everyone looks cool.’
She chuckled.
You have to see test takers face to face in one classroom for two hours (actually more than five hours).
I’m going crazy and jumping around, but what can I do? This is also the fate of educators. Kendra decided to think so.
It was boring, but it was enjoyable to watch in its own way. The sight of students wrapping their heads is a fascinating sight to see.
Someone quickly solved the problem.
Someone else just sighed.
‘I should try to memorize the faces of the test takers.’
This is something we do every year. It’s a kind of game she invented to overcome her boredom.
Kendra went out holding a board to check the admission ticket.
‘First, from row 1.’
I faced the test takers one by one. Kendra was unstoppable. Her memory was excellent. I quickly memorize the names and faces of students I see once.
But her walking stopped in the third row.
White hair and purple eyes.
She was a girl with an unusual appearance.
First of all, gray hair did not belong to old people. It wasn’t even dyed. It was shiny and shiny, as if it had been its natural color since birth.
‘Adelbein’s blood is mixed.’
It was so famous that everyone knew it, even if they weren’t Kendra. In fact, I felt that the students were intimidated when they saw the color of this girl’s hair.
Furthermore, the exquisite purple eyes, as if made with Tyrian dye, were as sharp as a wild beast.
‘It’s not collateral, it’s direct….’
Although the caste system has long since disappeared, the noble lineage still remains. The Adelvines are a lineage of the imperial family that once led the empire, and are a family whose prestige has not diminished at all even in the current Federation.
Kendra checked the girl’s exam ticket.
‘Zernia von und zu Trisha Adelbein.’
Speculation turned into certainty.
‘This guy will stick.’
The Adelbein family is famous for being good at studying original text. Kendra laughed quietly and pondered the girl’s name.
I wonder if there will be one student in each class who gets accepted in the first round. However, if you are a direct descendant of the Adelbein family, you will definitely pass. Everyone knows that Adelbein’s education laws are strict.
Kendra took her steps.
Soon enough, I met a girl with a similar vibe to Zernia.
Likewise, she was a girl with white and silver hair. However, the eyes were gold. Gold was also evidence of excellent lineage.
Seti von Adelbein Rhineland.
After checking the admission ticket, Kendra barely suppressed the laughter that was about to come out.
‘There can be such a coincidence.’
It is surprising that the test taker was of Adelbein descent, and even had a Rhineland surname.
What kind of family is the Rhineland family?
This is a prestigious family that ranked in the top 10 in the medical industry alone.
It is different from other prestigious families that do business and politics. Rhineland achieved money and fame solely through study. Historically, they were all natural bugs.
About half of Rhineland children pass Stellarium. Afterwards, she showed excellent grades in her Academia course and often entered medical college.
As a result, other test takers had to be nervous when they saw this surname in the Stellarium entrance exam every year. It’s a famous story.
‘… ‘You’re lucky this year.’
Kendra guessed that there might be two successful students in this exam room.
Next, Kendra made eye contact with the blonde haired girl. Her name is Rustila Kersil. She had some prestige in the legal profession, and she was a child of the Kersil family.
Because it was from a prestigious family of an average level, Kendra tried to just check the girl’s face and test result and move on.
But I couldn’t do that.
“… ….”
After facing Lu Stilla’s face, Kendra returned to her teaching table. He carefully took out each tissue so as not to disturb other test-takers. Kendra pulled out some tissues and returned to Rustilla’s seat.
Kendra carefully placed her tissues on her desk. Lu Stilla nodded her head and wiped her eyes without saying a word. She looked so haggard that her appearance was indescribable.
I didn’t think he was showing this kind of face simply because the test was difficult. There must have been something going on.
Kendra now headed to the fourth row. The boy sitting in front of her sensed Kendra’s presence and raised his head.
The same golden eyes as Seti.
Her face… It was slightly different, but also strangely similar.
‘Eidel von Rhineland.’
In an instant, cold sweat broke out on Kendra’s spine.
‘If it’s Idell, she’s a famous bastard for a while.’
Eidel was a famous person from the time Kendra was first hired and started working at Stellarium. It all started when I appeared on programs such as ‘My child won’t change’.
There, Idel had the personality to grab her older and younger siblings by their hair and violently shake them. In addition to that, there were all kinds of harsh words exchanged among the galactic residents who watched the program because of how many evil deeds he had committed.
Kendra also enjoyed watching that program. I don’t know about the other kids there, but Idel had the feeling that if she had been her parents, she would have thrown him out.
Anyway, Idel has appeared in the news occasionally since then. It was mainly about crime. When Idel got into an accident, the Rhineland family always took care of it. I remember that he was not criminally responsible because he was a juvenile.
Kendra glanced at Seti at the end of the third row.
‘Did you two come together?’
Kendra turned around again. Eidel was looking at her tiredly. There was no tremor in her yellow pupils.
I felt madness for no reason.
But Kendra thought it was just her mood.
Anyway, it’s none of my business. If you come to your senses, that’s fine, and if you have an accident here too, just call the security and kick them out.
After confirming her identity, Kendra returned to her teacher’s desk. He gently lifted a chair and placed it next to him and observed the students as if he were watching them.
From now on, it was time for a long yawn….
‘… Uh?’
Idel grabbed her pen. One on her left hand and one on her right hand. Holding her test paper with both her elbows. He was solving a problem by using both pens at the same time.
‘Am I looking at it wrong now…? ?’
Kendra rubbed her eyes.
No.
Palak!
Idel has turned the next chapter. And she repeated what she had just done, as if rolling on a treadmill. Kendra lifted her head slightly.
There was no disorder in his handwriting. Accurately, we were solving both problems at the same time at a considerable speed. One was a non-literary fingerprint and the other was a literary fingerprint.
Idel read the non-literary passage and checked the answers to the literary questions. In this way, he flipped through several pages.
Kendra managed to bite his jaw that was about to fall out.
The same was true for essay type and math problems. Eidel’s eyes are looking in different directions. For a moment, it may feel like someone is cross-eyed. In any case, it wasn’t something a human brain could do.
‘Other students….’
Kendra shifted her gaze to Zernia, who was likely to pass. She solved some problems with ease and others with a whimper.
This Stellarium entrance exam is difficult. Upon hearing the news that smart kids were coming in, the test committee raised the difficulty level significantly.
There were only two students who could solve all those problems. Eidel of the Rhineland family, and Zernia of the Adelbein family.
It was a close match. Kendra’s breath caught in her jaw. It feels like watching a horse race with all your money on the line. Her eyes constantly shifted back and forth between left and right.
Who is faster?
Who will solve everything first?
Who will guess more correctly?
I had so many questions. Kendra hoped the results would come out quickly. However, I didn’t feel like this time was boring at all.
It could have been so. A maddening crunching sound tickled her ears and heart. Additionally, that sound brought despair to the rest of the students in this exam room.
Even though Idel was using both of her hands, she had similar speed to Zernia. She also thought that if she was going to do that, it would be better for her to solve one problem at a time.
‘Well, I can’t interfere that far.’
She tiptoed her toes and waited for the hand of her watch to reach noon.
***
Meanwhile, Idel, who was solving her math problem with both hands, saw Kendra staring at her blankly and cursed her.
‘Hey man, stop shaking your leg…’ !’