Chapter 215: Transcendence Academy (1)

Louis had passed the written test without any issues.

“Haaah.”

He slumped in the wide chair and let out a loud yawn.

“Ugh… When will this end?”

The exam that started early that morning was still ongoing, even as the sun sank toward the west.

In truth, the written test itself had concluded in just two hours.

The real problem was that scoring the tests, announcing the results, and selecting candidates for the second-round interviews had taken far too long.

The interviewers were apparently too busy to schedule anything else today.

Louis’s face twisted into a scowl.

If that was the case, they should’ve held the written test earlier.

That way, the interviewees wouldn’t have been left waiting like this.

Louis grumbled inwardly as he pulled out a small notebook from his pocket.

The cover of the notebook was completely blank.

When Louis opened the front page, he found a line already written inside:

William Georgeki.

Louis added another sentence below it:

Need to improve the inefficient Transcendence Academy admission system.

Having written the second line, Louis proudly tucked the notebook back into his pocket.

Good, good.

From now on, Louis’s notebook would be filled with all the problems he discovered about the tower.

In other words, Louis’s notebook would serve as a blueprint for purifying the tower’s future - and for some, it would become a death warrant.

When this notebook is made public someday, a new wind will blow through the tower.

For some, it will be a bombshell of work.

For others, it will be a cold, cutting wind.

Louis, clutching the important notebook, turned his gaze to one side.

I wonder if the kids are doing well.

It had been nearly eight hours since he’d parted ways with his travel party.

I’m a bit worried.

Of course, his concern wasn’t for the travel party itself.

He was worried about those who might get dragged into their affairs.

…They should handle things properly.

The tasks he was currently handling needed to be dealt with quietly, without drawing too much attention. If they attracted too much notice, it could limit his future actions.

And just as that thought finished forming—

Boom!

In the distance, somewhere, an explosion echoed.

The source of the sound was none other than the pilot training ground.

A sense of unease slowly crept up in Louis’s chest.

No way… It can’t be, right?

Despite his doubts, he took out a small communication stone.

He’d prepared for this moment by attaching a Fin to the other side.

Just as he was about to activate the stone—

“The interview will now begin. Candidates 1 through 10, please enter.”

At the invigilator’s announcement, people scattered across the area began gathering.

Boom!

Another explosion reverberated.

His intuition was clear: this was the work of the Twins or their disciples.

But there was no time to confirm.

His interview number was 10, after all.

“Please… show some mercy…”

Louis shook his head repeatedly as he followed the guide to his seat.

The spacious interview room.

Louis sat in the prepared chair, studying the faces of the interviewers.

Four men and women in their forties, along with an old man.

From the old man radiated an intensity that made it clear to anyone present that he held the highest status in this interview.

Oh? Not bad.

Louis detected a deep stubbornness in the eyes of the white-bearded old man. It was the gaze of a craftsman—one that could only be possessed by someone who had devoted their entire life to a single pursuit.

While Louis marveled inwardly, the interview began immediately.

After brief self-introductions came questions aimed at gauging technical understanding.

Interviews on Earth and here aren’t much different after all.

And the reactions of the candidates being interviewed.

One who delivered answers that were clearly memorized, spouting them out smoothly.

Another who trembled uncontrollably, unable to articulate proper speech.

The candidate answered with practiced ease.

After this round of interviews, it was Louis’s turn.

“Applicant No. 10. Please give us a brief self-introduction.”

“Hello. I’m Louis.”

A moment of awkward silence followed.

The first-class apprentice, clearly taken aback, asked, ”…Is that all?”

“Yes.”

“Have you seen how diligently the other applicants prepared? This might give a negative impression of Applicant No. 10.”

“Hmm… You might think that. But I didn’t come here to flaunt my social status. Do you need such things to enter the Transcendence Academy? Isn’t my knowledge of the Transcendent more important than my background?”

Harold, the old man seated in the middle, showed interest in Louis’s story.

“You’re Louis, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“So you’re saying you’ll prove yourself through your skills… Is that correct?”

“Exactly.”

“Good spirit. Though whether your skills can back up that spirit remains to be seen.”

It was a cold criticism.

Despite this, Louis answered with a smile.

“It will be sufficient.”

“Oh? Excellent. Then let me ask you this. Sometimes, against the pilot’s will, the left leg of the Transcendent moves half a second slower. What is the cause of this?”

“Exactly half a second?”

“Yes.”

“Then the nerve transmission circuits near the left ischium are worn out.”

”…?!”

The answer came without even a moment’s hesitation.

Harold’s face stiffened slightly at Louis’s confident voice. He pressed further:

“What causes the neural transmission circuits to wear down?”

“Multiple factors contribute. External shocks or aging can play a role, but most cases stem from overloading the circuits beyond their rated capacity. It’s a problem born of brute-force power increases.”

Another razor-sharp answer followed. Interest flickered in Harold’s eyes.

“Then…”

The questioning continued. For a long while, Louis and Harold engaged in a back-and-forth that made one wonder if this was truly an interview setting. Both candidates and interviewers watched the pair in stunned silence.

Meanwhile, Louis’s lips curved faintly as he fielded Harold’s questions.

This… is intriguing.

Having spent years researching alone, Louis had never engaged in such deep discussions about the Transcendent with anyone before. That’s why he found this conversation particularly interesting and enjoyable.

And then…

Those eyes…

They held the same stubborn determination of a master who had walked a single path. The exchange with this old man reminded Louis of that day long ago when he had worked with Dexter to create the Transcendent.

After several more rounds of questions and answers…

Harold gazed at Louis with admiration in his eyes.

“Who taught you…?”

“I’m self-taught.”

”…Impressive.”

With that, the conversation came to an end.

The word “excellent” from the Master’s lips was nothing less than a certificate of approval. None of the other interviewers or candidates doubted this.

Louis slightly bowed his head at the compliment directed toward him.

“You flatter me.”

“I hope you will continue to strive with such dedication in the future. Then let’s conclude this interview. Everyone, please leave.”

With those words, the ten candidates filed out in a group.

Click.

“I-I’ll call the next interviewees.”

“Indeed.”

While the waiting fourth-grade apprentice hurriedly went to summon the next candidates, Harold’s gaze remained fixed on Louis’s application form.

Louis emerged from his interview looking refreshed, a stark contrast to the other candidates’ expressions of anxiety and disappointment.

“Ugh, it’s finally over,” Louis muttered, his relief palpable at the end of the tedious process.

I wonder if the others are done yet.

As he was about to join his travel party, Louis’s attention was drawn to a particular corner.

“Hm?”

Shiba sat there, muttering incessantly while staring intently at a large notebook.

He must have passed the written test.

The notebook was likely filled with anticipated interview questions.

Keep pushing forward.

Louis mentally cheered him on as he passed by.

A moment later…

“Huh?”

Shiba finally noticed something amiss and looked up, scanning his surroundings.

”…What was that?”

After confirming nothing was amiss, he turned his attention back to the notebook. There was no room for distraction now. Every moment was precious, and he needed to memorize as many characters as possible.

Murmur, murmur…

Thus, Shiba focused intently on the notebook once more.

Meanwhile, Louis had left the examination hall and pulled out his communication stone.

“Me. The kids?”

A short communication signal was sent, and soon a response came through:

Oh, Mr. Louis! We’re all done here too! We’re gathering at the main gate!

“Really? I’ll be there soon.”

Louis quickly hurried forward.

Soon he found the group gathered together and asked, “How was it?”

The twins answered in unison, “It wasn’t anything special.”

True to their nature as twins, they gave identical responses. Then came another voice from beside them.

“I finished it in one hit!”

“Me too!”

Louis asked about their test content, bewildered by their excessively cheerful reactions.

After a brief explanation:

“One hit…”

Louis grabbed his forehead.

”…That one hit?”

The pilot test was even simpler than the technician test.

They placed a thick steel plate and struck it using attribute power.

The candidates’ results were determined by the marks left on the plate.

This was a simple yet effective method to quickly select skilled candidates from the much larger pool compared to the technician test.

And in such a test, the twins and Flame siblings caused an accident.

They completely destroyed the steel plate with a single strike.

That explosion earlier… was it really your doing?!

What I feared has come true.

Louis let out a long sigh.

“I told you to go easy…”

“I-I did go easy!”

“You really didn’t hold back at all…”

Khan and Kendrick discreetly averted their eyes.

“Ah, I just followed them since Khan and Kendrick started first.”

“M-Me too!”

Kani and Tania shifted all the blame onto their companions.

Louis clicked his tongue at their reactions.

Well… Since we made such a scene, we probably won’t fail.

The test results would come in two days, but it didn’t seem like there would be any problems.

And Louis’s prediction proved exactly correct.

Two days later, their names appeared on the list of successful candidates posted at the main gate of the examination hall.

However…

Top Technical Division Candidate: Louis

Top Pilot Division Candidates: Khan, Kani, Kendrick, Tania.

The real problem lay in the glaringly prominent placement at the top.

Khan and Kani’s eyes lit up with mischief upon seeing Louis’s name.

“Louis… You told us to do it half-heartedly, but you…”

“You didn’t even do it half-heartedly yourself.”

Flustered by their accusatory gazes, Louis shouted, “I-I did it half-heartedly! It’s just that the others were too incompetent!”

“Yeah, right. That must be it.”

“We did it half-heartedly too.”

The Flame siblings vigorously nodded in agreement from beside the relentless twins.

Under their combined assault, Louis had no choice but to surrender. He finally let out a deep sigh filled with resignation.

“Ugh…”

It seemed his quiet academy life was now a thing of the past.

Then…

I need to change my approach.

If “half-heartedly” wouldn’t suffice, he’d simply have to put in his best effort.

As Louis mulled this over, a voice called out from behind him:

“Excuse me…”

A small hand rose from one side.

Under the weight of all eyes upon her, Lavina blinked rapidly and asked, “So… what should I do now?”

With the rest of the travel party having already entered Transcendence Academy, the reality of being left alone outside had begun to unsettle her.

As she hesitated, Louis smiled and extended a sheet of paper toward her.

“You should… start with this.”

The single page fluttered in the air. The moment Lavina took it and read the first line, her eyes widened in shock.

“This is…?!”

Her expression quickly twisted into a frown.

“N-no! What is this?!”

Louis responded indifferently to her refusal. “If you don’t want it, what then?”

“Th-then… is there any other way besides this?”

“You’ll have to find one yourself.”

“I told you to trust me! I told you to believe in yourself!”

“That’s why I presented this solution, right?”

“This is ridiculous!”

Lavina’s voice, brimming with despair, echoed through the skies above Syron.

Watching Lavina throw a tantrum in protest, Louis smiled knowingly. He was certain she would ultimately consent, despite her vehement objections.

She’ll bounce back eventually.

Louis snickered as he observed Lavina’s resistance.

Ten days after receiving their final acceptance notices, Louis’s entire travel party entered the Transcendence Academy.

After the entrance ceremony concluded, a multitude of people emerged from the vast auditorium. Half wore black uniforms, while the other half donned white attire. Among them was Louis, clad in a white uniform.

I’m glad they didn’t have that annoying representative oath for new students.

He’d been slightly worried about being chosen as valedictorian, but thankfully no such troublesome event occurred. Had there been an oath, he might have seriously considered dropping out of Transcendence Academy altogether.

At that moment, an instructor shouted in a booming voice:

“Pilots, this way!”

The black-uniformed pilot trainees moved as one.

“Technicians, over here!”

This time, the white-uniformed students shifted en masse.

So they’re splitting us up…

I had already anticipated this to some extent, given that the pilot and technical teams would have different curricula.

However…

“Unbelievable! Why must Louis be separated from us?!”

“This is a conspiracy!”

“T-Teacher!”

The scene at the entrance during the enrollment ceremony—where the twins and Tania whined about not wanting to part with Louis—was nothing more than a minor commotion.

Kendrick, that bastard seems thrilled to be separated from me.

He decided to postpone punishing him for that until their next meeting and swiftly disappeared among the other white-uniformed freshmen.

“Teacher!”

“Louis!”

Watching his travel party wail as if they’d never see him again made his face burn with embarrassment.

The situation was so extreme that even other freshmen stopped in their tracks to stare at them.

“Hurry up! Move it!”

Louis urged the tech team newcomers who had come to a stop.

The pilot and tech teams rapidly distanced themselves from the others.

As the voices trailing behind them grew fainter, Louis finally relaxed and began surveying his surroundings.

They must have walked for about five minutes.

“This is the low-level training area you’ll be using for the next year. Don’t go poking your noses into the intermediate and advanced sections over there.”

The instructor gave a brief overview of the building.

“The low-level students are divided into four classes of 25 each. Check the class assignments on the board and move accordingly. Oh, and the numbers next to the class lists indicate dorm room assignments. Memorize them and find your way to the dorms.”

With that, the instructor departed.

Soon, the new members of the tech team flocked to the bulletin board in a group.

Louis observed the board from a distance. Even without approaching closely, he could clearly see its contents.

As expected, Class 1.

At a glance, it was obvious. The classes had clearly been assigned based on entrance exam scores.

Seeing nothing else to do, Louis headed straight for Class 1.

The lecture hall was completely empty when he arrived—perhaps he was the first to come.

Louis’s eyes sparkled.

This is my place!

He claimed the seat at the back by the window. Here, he could quietly lie down and sleep, completing the perfect school life.

Just as he was about to rest his head on the desk, other new students poured in.

A moment later…

Screech.

The sound of a chair being dragged out next to him made Louis raise his head slightly.

He froze instantly, overwhelmed by an all-too-familiar presence.

The same reaction gripped Louis when their eyes met.

After a prolonged moment, they simultaneously broke the silence.

“L-Louis-nim?”

”…Shit?”