The atmosphere was heavy, stifling, and saturated with the scent of a sour tang of fear enveloped the room. Each breath was an uphill task for every candidate who received Soma's oppressed mana that he exuded from his body. Not only the candidates, the four main characters, and even some of the seniors in place turned their gaze at him in terror.
Amongst those gazes, there is one distinctive gaze that harbors not fear but curiosity directed at him, and that came from Mary, who is being suppressed to the floor and pretends to struggle in this situation.
Soma, who witnessed that, snorted in silence as he knew her true identity. He walked until he was in the open area, canceled the oppressive aura he exuded, and managed to liberate the room from that heavy atmosphere into a normal state where the scent of freedom was so refreshing for all of the people present.
"Excuse me, senior?".
