Chương 95: UNIFIED ACADEMY ENTRANCE EXAM (7)

Yuna's eyes were wide with worry as she grabbed Jimin's sleeve.

"We have to go see Hyun-woo right now," she said, her voice trembling.

"We can't," Jimin refused.

"The exam isn't over yet." He shook his head firmly.

"And he's in the infirmary right now. Only examinees and medical staff are allowed inside right now. Spectators aren't."

"But-""Yuna…" He looked at her seriously.

"Calm down. We'll see him once everything ends." She bit her lower lip, finally lowering her head.

"Okay…"

The duels continued. The remaining quarter-final matches concluded one after another, each contestant desperately fighting for a place among the final four. Soon, the semi-finals began. Kang Min-jae fought his way through with relentless determination, eventually entering the finals. There, he faced off against a gravity manipulator. The duel stretched far longer than Hyun-woo's. It was incredibly intense.

But eventually, he managed to win by a hair's breadth, officially becoming the champion of this duel segment of the exam.

With the duels officially concluded, the stadium fell into tense whispers as everyone eagerly anticipated the release of the overall final result. And around that time- Jimin and Yuna finally made their way toward the academy infirmary.

"Move fast," Yuna said anxiously.

"What if he's badly hurt?"

"Calm down. He's fine," said Jimin.

"How can you say that? Didn't you see how badly he got hit?" Yuna said again. She looked increasingly anxious.

"When we meet him… Ask him if he's too hurt," she said hesitatingly. Jimin raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Why not ask him yourself?" he teased her.

"N-No." She immediately looked away.

"You do it." He couldn't help but smile.

"Seriously?" She glared at him.

"I said you do it." Jimin let out an awkward chuckle. She's a completely different person, when it comes to Hyun-woo. Who would think she's the shy girl of the class? Then, they arrived at the infirmary. As soon as they entered, they found Hyun-woo in a patient's robe, sitting halfway upright against the hospital bed. There were only a few white bandages around his abdomen and left shoulder. But other than that, he seemed quite fine. Still- The moment their eyes met, Jimin casually lifted his hand.

"Hey. Are you too hurt?" he asked awkwardly, as he could practically feel Yuna's gaze drilling into the back of his head. Jimin looked at Hyun-woo with pleading eyes. Please… Just say you're fine. Hyun-woo blinked. What's with him suddenly? He looked genuinely confused about his tone. As this wasn't how they spoke. He realized there was something going on. So, he just played along.

"N-No. I'm alright. I'm just resting right now," he said.

"They will release me at any moment." Yuna and Jimin both let out a sigh of relief. But unlike Yuna, Jimin's wasn't simply because Hyun-woo was fine.

"So… She came too?" Hyun-woo asked.

"Hi," He instantly waved at Yuna, who was hiding behind Jimin. Yuna was caught completely off guard. But she gave a tiny wave back.

"H-Hi," she said, her face immediately turning pink. A mischievous grin slowly crept onto Jimin's face.

"Yeah… She's actually a huge fan of yours," he said. Yuna's eyes widened. Eh?

"When I told her that you invited me-" Jimin continued, but was interrupted, as Yuna suddenly landed a fist on his back. He gasped but tried to mask it with an awkward laugh. Sheesh… That actually hurt. Support-type or not… That's still a Manaborn's punch. Hyun-woo tilted his head.

"You were saying?"

"N-Nothing. Forget it," Jimin said. He immediately tried to change the subject.

"About your duel-" Hyun-woo instinctively frowned, trying to stop him there. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. But then-"It was awesome," Jimin followed up with a cheerful tone. Hyun-woo was surprised, as he thought he would talk about his loss. He stared at him for a moment, a little smile unknowingly forming on his face.

"I know, right?" He matched Jimin's energy.

"It really was..." Yuna also tried to chime in. But then she frowned, "If that rich brat didn't have all those expensive artifacts… You would've definitely won." Silence. The room instantly became quiet. Jimin closed his eyes for a brief second. Shit. Hyun-woo looked at Yuna calmly. Then-"Of course, he did," he said, breaking the silence.

"But it doesn't matter. A Rifter's gear is a core part of their power… And so is their background. How do I compete in something I don't have?" There wasn't bitterness in his voice. Only conviction. He continued, "Which means… I simply had to beat him with my own power… That I earned myself." Then- He looked directly at Yuna, his eyes narrowing.

"Or are you saying I wasn't strong enough?" Yuna froze.

"I-I..." her expression darkened immediately, as her eyes immediately became watery. Then suddenly-"I was joking," Hyun-woo said, waving his hand dismissively.

"After all… I did lose." His expression softened.

"So don't take it so seriously." Yuna finally let out a sigh, as relief slowly returned to her face. Jimin simply maintained an awkward smile. Gosh… His humor is still the same. Just as dense when it comes to girls. Seeing that reminded Jimin of their school days. Hyun-woo had been one of the most popular boys in school. He was the cool guy of the boys and the heartthrob of the girls. But he was just too busy doing his own stuff, so he never paid them any heed.

Broke a lot of hearts, and other guys reaped the benefits. But Jimin even missed out on that. Then suddenly-"Anyways, it doesn't matter," said Hyun-woo.

"I managed to show what I had to show. That's what matters." Yuna gave a confused stare. Jimin had already guessed the gist of it, but he also gave a curious look. Hyun-woo let out a sigh.

"This was the final stage of the duel segment. We're basically guaranteed to get admission in any of the top three academies," he said.

"What mattered was showing my value to the key people… So that I can get special attention and special offers. Which I did," he said confidently, with a smirk.

"You mean that little dragon spirit of yours, right?" said Jimin. Hyun-woo nodded with a grin.

"Yeah about that… I have a lot to ask…" Jimin continued.

Their conversation went on for a while. Jimin discovered that Hyun-woo found the gauntlet a while ago, but found the spirit in his recent raids. He also thought about the idea of bonding with a spirit. But figured that he had to find one first and his level growth slower to begin with. So, he set the thought aside for the time being. Time passed surprisingly quickly. Soon the time came, when the results were about to be announced. Jimin, Yuna, and Hyun-woo were glued to the screen in the infirmary.

Hyun-woo had just changed into his casual clothes, as he had already been discharged. Then-"Attention everyone!" the host's voice boomed across the entire stadium.

"The overall evaluations for this year's entrance exam are now finalized!" The top 50 list was shown on the screen.

"Standing at the absolute peak... First place goes to Kang Min-jae!" Min-jae was sitting in his family's VIP box. A smug, satisfied smirk spread across his face, as he witnessed the cheering crowd. Immediately, notifications began chiming simultaneously across the stadium as people from the examinees' families started checking their phones for the full breakdown. But Hyun-woo didn't have to. Because, he had already found his name sitting proudly in 5th place of the list, displayed on the screen.

A genuine smile spread across his face.

"Fifth huh?" Yuna clapped both hands together.

"You made the Top Five! That's amazing!"

"I knew you'd make it!" Jimin threw one fist into the air.

"Let's go!"

Not long afterward- The three finally left the stadium together. It was already afternoon. For the first time all day, none of them carried any tension. The exam was finally over. They celebrated outside at a nearby street cafe, having a fun time. Some people even recognized Hyun-woo on the spot, asking for selfies. It was normal for the top students to become famous all of a sudden, After all, they were considered to be the future star Rifters. Before they wrapped up, Hyun-woo turned to his friends.

"Since we all survived, come over tomorrow. I'll be hosting a little house party at my place."

"Count me in," Jimin said instantly. Yuna nodded quickly, her cheeks blushing slightly.

"I'll be there." With the plans locked in, the three parted ways for the evening. Jimin was soon on his way to the orphanage by bus. As the vehicle was running down the city streets, his phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to find a text from Ji-hye.

'Hey! I placed 32nd on the healer's list! I'll be throwing a house party really soon, and you're absolutely invited!' Jimin smiled and typed back a quick reply, congratulating her warmly on the incredible rank and accepting the invitation.

Meanwhile- Hyun-woo finally returned home. The moment he opened the front door-"You're home!" His mother rushed over immediately. His father wasn't much calmer.

"Congratulations!" It was natural for them to look excited. But they were far more excited than Hyun-woo had imagined. But before he could fully grasp the situation, his father immediately handed him over an envelope. It was a premium, heavy-stock envelope with a familiar glowing logo. Hyun-woo's eyes widened slightly. Eastern Horizon Academy? Without wasting another second, he opened it instantly. His eyes quickly scanned the contents. The smile on his face slowly widened.

It turned out to be a fully-funded elite scholarship offer from none other than the Eastern Horizon Academy. In fact, Hyun-woo was a bit surprised. He expected to be easily accepted, when he would apply for an academy. But even he had never expected such a direct offer. This fast on top of that. Maybe… A grin spread across his face. I showed a little too much.

Elsewhere- Moon Soo-bin relaxed comfortably inside the backseat of her luxurious black vehicle. A crystal wine glass rested elegantly in one hand. She gently swirled the red wine before taking a small sip. A satisfied smile lingered across her lips. It's only the third time… That I've personally sent someone a direct admission offer. Her gaze drifted toward the skyline. Lee Hyun-woo… Let's hope you make the correct choice.

Jimin finally arrived back at the orphanage. Dinner was soon to be served. At the dinner table, the kids only chattered about the arena duels, pestering Jimin to share his experience. So, he started bragging as well. After dinner, he followed his usual routine. Meditation. After finishing, he went to sleep. Despite the loss, the day had turned out to be a fun one overall. The excitement of the day slowly settled. Soon he closed his eyes, drifting away in sleep.

As another fun day awaited him, before his final evaluation began.