Hellmode ~A Hardcore Gamer Becomes Peerless in Another World with Retro Game Settings~

We just arrived at the landing site of the Magic Ship in Academy City.

“Allen, we’re finally in Academy City!”

Kurena got off the Magic Ship and was impressed. Cecile and Dogora were behind her.

I came to the Academy City with Cecile, Kurena, and Dogora to take the Academy’s examinations in late March. If we passed, we would be living here for the next three years.

The arrival and departure points were filled with students who, like me, had arrived to take the Academy’s examinations. Nearly 20,000 students from all over the Kingdom came to the Academy City to take the exam.

Due to the large number of students coming to take the examinations, the Magic Ships that normally go through the Royal Capital adjusted other flights and increased the number of direct flights to Academy City during this period.

The official name of the City is the Academy City of the Kingdom of Latash, but there are very few people who call it that. This Academy City, which everyone calls “Academy City” and “Academy City,” boasts a population of several hundred thousand, far more than Grandver.

The landing site was large and the City was huge.

As we landed, I heard an announcement.

“If you are taking the entrance exam of the Academy, please head to the station with the green roof. The Magic Train will take you directly to the Academy.”

Letting the announcements and the flow of people take over, we started moving from the departure and arrival points towards the station.

(A Magic Train? A train that runs on magic?)

When I entered the green-roofed station as announced, there was a station attendant who told me that one silver coin would take me directly to the Academy. I paid the fare as I was told and walked off the station platform.

“Oh! A train!!!!”

“Train? That’s what I’m talking about!”

“It’s a train! Magic Train.”

“Are we going to ride this?”

“Looks like it.”

“How are you okay with this, Allen?”

Cecile couldn’t help but wonder why I wasn’t surprised and boarded the train without showing any resistance. Around me, the commoners and serfs from the village couldn’t get on the train right away and were looking at the Magic Train in a daze.

The Baucis Empire, located in the northwest of the Central Continent and ruled by Dwarves, has provided funds and technology to run this Academy City. It is said to be a better place to live than the Royal Capital, and it seems that a lot of technology is used in the Academy City.

(Looking back at it, Mihai didn’t talk much about the Academy City. I didn’t know there was a train like this, and for that matter that the Principal is a High Elf.)

When Mihai returned for spring break, he only talked about the Academy and not the city. Maybe he was conflicted about not letting Cecile expect too much.

Soon after, the Magic Train began to run.

“Awesome!”

“It’s amazing.”

“…”

Kurena’s face was pressed tightly against the window glass of the Magic Train, and she was looking at the scenery outside. She looked to the right and to the left, looking very happy. Cecile was slightly taken aback by her appearance. She might be wondering if Kurena really is a Master Swordsman.

Compared to the Grandver, which is under a rural Baron, Academy City is very developed, with five-story buildings along the main street as a matter of course.

Looking at Kurena, I worried if she might fail the exam after studying for it for the past two years.

(Well, she seems to be leveling up, so I guess she’s okay.)

Kurena and Dogora started participating in Boar hunting when they were ten years old. They started with a long spear as beginners. Their status increased, and both Kurena and Dogora had two long years to study for their exams, which I think would be enough.

(I heard that the entrance exam doesn’t include practical skills like wielding a sword. I didn’t even have four months to study for the exam, you know? Furthermore, I only accompanied Cecile to review for his exam.)

At the end of last year, I suddenly decided to attend the Academy. If the Viscount wanted me to go to the battlefield as Cecile’s escort, he should have told me about it earlier. I think I would have agreed even if I was asked when I was eight years old and just became his manservant. Even now, four years later, I still can’t find a reason to refuse.

It seems that the Viscount was not able to tell me until the last minute. The Viscount wrote me a note saying that the Appraisal was wrong and that I had a Talent.

The Magic Train stopped at a station in the center of the Academy City, near the Academy. While people were getting off the train, we got off together and started walking towards the Academy.

(Out of 20,000 people, how many will be taking the test today?)

This Kingdom of Latash seems to have a population of about 20 million people. If the population is that large, the number of children born every year would be around one million. That’s probably it if the birthrate is not too low like in Japan in my previous life.

Assuming that the number of those with Talent is 10% of the total population, or about 100,000, and subtracting those who are not suitable for combat, such as Merchants, and those who are not in an environment to take the exam, it seems that there are about 20,000 students who take the exam every year. Commoners and serfs are not obligated to serve in the military even if they graduate from the Academy City. Since graduating from the Academy City will give you preferential treatment in terms of jobs in the Kingdom, a huge number of students take the exam every year.

The examinations are not held in one day, but over several days. For this reason, the Magic Ship flights are adjusted so that the test sites do not become overcrowded.

I headed towards the compound. If I were to use the Academy analogy, the playground in front of the Academy building would be filled with a huge number of students taking the exam.

“Dear students, please go to the plaza first for the Appraisal Ceremony. If you have passed the exam, please come to the reception desk in front of the building with the numbered tag you were given.”

“Appraisal Ceremony?”

Kurena tilted her head and responded to the voice of a loudspeaker that seemed to be a magical device set up in the compound.

“Looks like we need to be appraised before we take the test.”

I answered Kurena’s question.

If I look closely at the compound, I can see that it is divided into several lines. It seemed that we would have to line up somewhere to undergo the Appraisal Ceremony. The four of us got in line.

(Oh, so we’re going to be appraised? I hadn’t heard of it, but there might be some Talentless ones in the mix.)

I remember a long time ago, some Noble called himself a Master Swordsman even though he was only a Swordsman. The Knight Commander said, “He couldn’t complete the duties he was given.”

Now that I think about it, I wonder if he was talking about his inability to perform as a Master Swordsman on the battlefield against the Demon King’s army. If you don’t have the expected strength, then the battlefield is going to be very difficult.

We lined up at the end of one of the lines and waited for our turn.

After an hour or so of standing in line with the four of us, the line had progressed quite a bit.

“Are any of you a Noble?”

“I am from House Granvelle.”

“Okay, I’m going to appraise you, so one at a time, put your hand on the crystal.”

(Mmm, Nobles are being marked, huh.)

The person who seemed to be the examiner was taking notes in response to Cecile’s words.

Dogora, who was first in line among us four put his hand on the crystal.

[Name] Dogora

[Strength] B

[Mana] D

[Attack] A

[Endurance] B

[Agility] C

[Intelligence] D

[Luck] C

[Talent] Axe Knight (Change in Name)

“You’re an Axe Knight. You should take the academic exam.”

He handed Dogora something that looked like a ticket. There was a number written on the ticket, which seemed to be a sign that he had passed the Appraisal Ceremony.

(Hmmm… Dogora’s Talent and age didn’t affect his ability values. But it’s still good.)

I got some kind of realization.

And then the examiner let out a “Oh!”. Next, Cecile put his hand on the crystal.

[Name] Cecile Granvelle

[Strength] C

[Mana] A

[Attack] D

[Endurance] C

[Agility] B

[Intelligence] S

[Luck] B

[Talent] Mage

“This is great. Your Talent and ability values are fine. Please take this and give it to the receptionist at the front of the building.”

(So this is Cecile’s ability values. I should write them down.)

Cecile also seems to have passed the Appraisal Ceremony. I made a note of her ability values in my Grimoire. Kurena then put her hand on the crystal and the crystal started shining.

[Name] Kurena

[Strength] S

[Mana] C

[Attack] S

[Endurance] A

[Agility] A

[Intelligence] C

[Luck] B

[Talent] Master Swordsman

“Master Swordsman? Are you Master Swordsman Kurena?”

“What? Yes.”

She gave them a look that said, “How do you know me?” It seems that the information about Master Swordsman Kurena, who is taking the exam this year, has been circulated to the examiners. The examiner recognized her right away. Like Dogora and Cecile, she was handed something that looked like a ticket.

(After all, ability values do not change with level or age. A 3-star Master Swordsman is indeed a rarity… a one-in-a-decade gem.)

It seems that the chance of finding a Master Swordsman in the Kingdom is about one in ten years. It’s pretty rare, but not so rare that there’s only one in the Kingdom. There are dozens of Master Swordsmen in the huge Giamut Empire. It is directly proportional to the population size.

What I’ve learned from asking the Viscount and magic teacher about Talents is:

One out of ten people have a One-Star TalentOne out of a thousand people have a Two-Star TalentOne person in ten years in the Kingdom has Three-Star TalentA Five-Star Talent is considered a miracle

The examiner in charge was startled for a moment, and then I held up my hand to the crystal.

“Oh!!!”

The crystal that I held emitted a tremendous amount of light. It filled the square with light that was incomparable to that of Kurena’s. The examiner let out a loud voice in anticipation of the light.

The examiners and students who were waiting for their turns to take the exam gathered their eyes around me.

And,

[Name] Allen

[Strength] E

[Mana] E

[Attack] E

[Endurance] E

[Agility] E

[Intelligence] E

[Luck] E

[Talent] Summoner

“What’s this result? All the ability values are E. You fail.”

(My Talent is “Summoner.” But still, I failed. I had a feeling that when they said they were going to appraise me.)

Allen was told by the examiner that he had failed the test.