The heavy doors creaked open, and the guard called out, "First group, go ahead."
"So, it finally started."
Jiho watched as the group disappeared inside. Before coming here, he had spent a lot of time researching the entrance exam. Despite its fame, detailed information was almost impossible to find. The nobles, the only ones with real experience, never shared their knowledge openly. Even after all his effort, the only thing he discovered was that the exam had two stages.
The first stage was a test of talent—the ability to sense and control mana. In this world, talent was everything. It determined your worth and dictated your future. Talent wasn’t just a blessing; it was destiny itself.
The second stage tested courage. In the hunter’s world, courage was the line between survival and death. Even the most gifted individual was worthless without the bravery to face danger head-on.
There was no place for the weak here, no room for cowards or the worthless. Cheonji Academy was not for such people—it had no place for them.
Maybe there wasn’t much detail about the exam, but there was plenty of information about the ruthless duels and fierce power struggles between the strong groups of students at the academy. Cheonji Academy was infamous for it—even among outsiders. The school didn’t just tolerate it—it encouraged it. This was the way they created future hunters.
Jiho knew all of this. He also knew he was an easy target, just a commoner with no backing. Sooner or later, people would come after him, trying to break him—the easiest one to crush. But he had already made a promise to himself: he would never give up. He would do whatever it took to grow stronger. Only then could he protect himself and others.
His fists clenched, the quiet intensity in his gaze burning brighter.
“Right now, I’m the weakest,” he muttered. “But one day, I’ll be stronger than everyone here.”
By this time, the first group had finished their exam. Wasting no time, the guard called for the second group, then the third. As time passed and more groups completed their tests, Jiho drew closer to the door. After a few more groups had taken their turn, it was finally his.
“Next group, go ahead.”
As Jiho passed through the massive doors of the academy, he felt an intense pressure from the faint runes above the door. As he stepped through the gates of the school, it was as if he had crossed an invisible border and stepped into a completely different world.
Behind the huge gate of the academy was a narrow pathway, surrounded by dense trees. The group walked a little further and reached an open area at the end of the path. In the center of this area was a table. Around the table sat three women with their eyes closed. They were the most elite among Hunters—the Seers, individuals blessed with the ability to perceive what others couldn’t. Their very presence commanded respect. Behind them stood a group of senior hunters, their expressions stoic and eyes sharp, silently observing the scene with an air of quiet authority.
Jiho moved slowly towards the table with his group, his heart pounding with excitement, not knowing what was going to happen or what kind of test he was going to take. As they approached the front of the table, an attendant stopped them and said in a cold voice,
“Your test is starting,” he said.
As soon as Jiho heard the words, he realized that something had changed around him. Before he had a chance to understand what was happening, darkness began to fall over his eyes. His consciousness was fading into a mist, as if reality was slowly being erased. Time and space seemed to melt away, giving way to an incomprehensible void. As the world around him blurred, all his perceptions transformed into something different.
He paused for a moment, the strange change leaving a slight but strong impression on him as vague shapes disappeared around him. And at that very moment, he was surrounded by a sudden burst of light. It was so bright and powerful that it illuminated everything, pulling him to a completely different place.
In this dazzling intensity, he found himself drifting into a deep void.
When Jiho came to, he found himself in the vast hall of an endless library. The ceilings were so high that he almost disappeared. The shelves were filled endlessly with books covered in leather of various shades. Each book was embroidered with intricate patterns and symbols, as if they all held an ancient secret. Jiho gently stroked the spines of the books with his fingertips; each one had a different texture.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
Suddenly, the warmth he felt in his fingers startled him. Without opening his eyes, he followed the warmth, and when his hands touched a book covered in red velvet, it vibrated slightly and opened by itself. The writing inside was in a language he could not understand, but it was strangely familiar to him. At that moment, a sense of pulsating energy appeared around Jiho and a sword slowly floated down from the shelves in front of him. When he picked it up, he felt a vibration coming from deep within the metal. Sometimes the weapon would glow with a bright light, sometimes it would fade, as if in tune with Jiho's mood.
“I didn't think this commoner would be so skilled,” said a young woman among the senior hunters, smiling.
The man next to her said in a cold voice, “His skill seems rather weak.”
The woman's smile faded as she looked at his face: “Choi Han-min, you really don't want anyone who is not noble in this school, do you? Moreover, this child's talent isn’t weak. He’s a Level Gray.”
Cheonji Academy ranked its students by talent, a system that shaped their futures. Most were sorted into five levels: F, D, B, A, and S.
F-levels struggled with basic mana control, barely managing to get by. D-levels showed slight improvement but still lacked finesse. B-levels had reliable skills—solid but unremarkable. A-levels excelled, mastering advanced techniques and showcasing true potential. S-levels, however, were rare prodigies capable of commanding elements, their power beyond the ordinary.
But alongside these ranks, there was another: Level Gray. A realm of uncertainty. Those with Gray talent carried the potential to surpass even the most powerful S-levels—or fall short, no stronger than an F-level. Only time could reveal their true worth.
Choi Han-min sarcastically said, “Look at his body. With a body like that, what do you think his talent could be?”
As she was about to retort, Kim Taejoon, the academy principal, said, “Enough. “His exam is not over yet. Even if his talent is uncertain, it is certainly there. We will make a decision based on the results of the second stage.”
At that moment, the world around Jiho began to change shape again. First he felt the ground being pulled out from under him, then everything in his field of vision slowly dissolved and melted. Suddenly he found himself in the middle of an old ruin, a ruined, stone-covered ruin. The stone walls were half collapsed and the earth cracked. The cold radiating from the environment penetrated Jiho's skin.
Looking up at the sky, he noticed the pale light of a blood-red full moon shining through the darkness, enveloping the whole area. This light gave everything around him an uneasy atmosphere. Silence surrounded Jiho as he tried to understand where he was. But the silence was shattered by a deep, bone-deep roar.
He was not frightened or panicked, but as he looked toward the source of the sound, a gigantic silhouette appeared before his eyes. Stepping out of the shadows, this creature was a gigantic werewolf, far from human form. Jiho's mind began to record the eerie sight as its silhouette emerged in all its majesty under the bright full moon.
The werewolf stood on two legs, the fur embedded in its muscular body rippling gently in the wind. His claws glinted like swords in the light of the full moon. He took a step, making the earth tremble. It howled relentlessly towards the sky.
But something else caught his attention; the werewolf was not focused on him, but on another being a few feet away. Jiho immediately realized what it was: A vampire. His face looked human, but the aura radiating around him was pure evil. A feeling of cold, deadly and dark energy enveloped his entire body. Jiho muttered in surprise:
“It's... a vampire...”
This creature was a mythical being whose very name people whispered in fear.
The vampire looked at the werewolf with fearless and contemptuous eyes.
Jiho felt very weak and small in front of these two mythical beings. He wanted to run as far away from these two creatures as possible, and just as he was getting ready to do so, his eyes caught sight of a few children ahead of the werewolf, trying to hide behind a small stone.
They were trembling with fear, their eyes wide and pleading as they silently begged Jiho for help.
At that moment, the only question that echoed in his mind was, “What are children doing in a place like this?”
Jiho didn't know it, but this scene he was in was entirely a reflection of the magic power of the Hunter Seers. His mind was completely trapped in the illusion created by the Seers, believing that everything he saw was real. The world as it was now was the truth for him.
Even among hunters, seers were considered a rare and highly specialized talent. Although their combat skills were limited, their special magical power made them unique. They could identify the divine abilities within people and measure the strength of these abilities. They could also project images into the minds of would-be hunters, testing their courage and willpower. It was impossible for Jiho to resist these powerful illusions; everything he encountered felt real to the bone.
Suddenly the vampire and the werewolf charged towards each other at the same time. They ran at breakneck speed and engaged in a ferocious battle. Jiho felt the ground shake with the violence of the battle. Despite the horrible sight, his eyes shifted back to the children. He couldn't ignore the little faces looking at him in despair. Once this battle between vampire and werewolf was over, the children would have no chance of survival.
There was only one thing he could do: To take those children and run away from here. For a moment, the thought echoed in his mind, “I hope they don't notice me.”
Jiho, without hesitation, Jiho started running towards the children.