"Fuck. It's your fault."
Lythian cursed Seven as he glared at the long line stretching before them. Today was the last day of registration after all.
Of course, the line had to be this long.
"If only you didn't try to be a hero there."
Seven barely spared him a glance.
"I didn't ask you to follow me."
"F… Fucker…"
Before Lythian could complain any further, a staff member made their way down the line and handed out number identification cards.
Lythian was handed his card first.
[776]
Then, the staff handed the last one to Seven.
[777]
For a second, the staff looked at him with a gaze that seemed to say 'lucky' before they smiled and walked past him.
"Cut off! I repeat, the registration is cut off!"
The staff's voice sent a wave of groans through the crowd behind Seven.
Glancing behind, Seven saw that most of the people had clenched their fists, some cursed under their breath, some even rushed and tried bargaining to the staff.
A few people, though, remained in place looking crushed.
'A second later and I would've shared the same fate as them.'
Seven flicked the identification card between his fingers.
'Lucky.'
Gradually, the line moved at a slow but steady pace. The hundreds of people before them dwindled, one by one.
Finally, after an hour and half, it was Lythian's turn.
He was then gestured by a staff member to step forward.
Step.
Seven watched him, with hands stuffed inside his pockets as if he couldn't be bothered.
As Lythian reached the center where another staff stood, they pointed him to a floating, cube-like crystal.
"Place your palm here."
Lythian did it as instructed, pressing his palm against the cool surface. The crystal flickered, scanning the aura coursing through his body before pulsing with a white glow.
— Affinity Verification Complete!
"Fingerprints."
Lythian placed his fingertips down to the designated spots.
— Identity Verification Complete!
A soft, mechanical sound echoed.
Then without waiting for further instruction, the staff presented a thin, metallic needle.
"Blood testing."
Pain. But a pierce of a needle is just a grain compared to the torture he had experienced back in the basement prison.
Lythian took it without any hesitation.
Swiftly, he pricked the tip of his pointing finger and let a single drop of blood fall into the shallow basin below.
Drop.
The moment blood hit the surface of the basin, golden inscriptions lit up along its rim.
— Bloodline Verification Complete!
Nodding, the staff motioned towards the glowing magic circle on the floor.
"Step in."
Step.
Lythian stepped inside.
Almost immediately, a formation of scriptures lit up beneath his feet. Then, a wave of energy went up and down, analyzing Lythian's body.
— Aura Analysis Complete!
Another mechanical sound echoed, followed by a crystal that floated towards Lythian's chest.
"Stay still."
The crystal hovered over his heart, scanning for any irregularities like curses and seals.
— Curse and Seal Detection Complete!
For a moment, the staff smiled as they handed Lythian a form.
Snatching the pen from the table, Lythian scrawled down the necessary details in messy handwriting, then flicked the form back across the table when he was done.
Step.
Lythian stepped back.
"Next."
The staff announced, gesturing for Seven that it was his turn.
Step.
Seven stepped forward.
When he reached the center, the staff barely looked up to him while already gesturing toward the crystal cube.
"Hand on the crystal."
Seven placed his palm flat against the surface.
'Affinity Verification.'
In the novel, this was the first and most basic requirement.
No matter how talented someone was with a sword, if they lacked aura, they were unqualified to enter the academy.
The cube still glowed beneath Seven's palm.
It analyzed his flow, comparing it to the color of his tattoo bracelet—the standard method of assessing control.
Brody, for example, had a black bracelet, a sign of reaching the peak threshold of the first gate. But his control was clumsy, erratic. Cases like his were considered atypical.
Power without control was just wasted potential.
The cube pulsed.
Light brown radiance shimmered.
— Affinity Verification Complete!
"Average…"
The staff muttered, barely interested. It met the requirement.
That was enough.
"Next."
They motion toward the glass panel beside them.
"Fingerprints."
Seven pressed his fingers against the cool surface. A faint ripple spread across the panel, scanning him.
'Identity Registration.'
This was the academy's way of ensuring no one slipped through under a false name. Every applicant was cross-checked with the kingdom's records.
Seven already knew what would happen.
A soft, mechanical sound echoed.
— Identity Verification Complete!
The staff's eyes flickered to the results. Their expression didn't change, but Seven could feel the scrutiny longer than the others before him.
The staff now know that he was a Hart.
Still, they said nothing; just a single nod before moving on.
"Blood sample."
A needle-like device was handed to him.
'Bloodline Verification.'
For a moment, Seven hesitated. But he had no choice, so he pricked his finger and let a drop fall into a waiting basin.
Normally, bloodline verification wasn't required now that his name had been confirmed, but the staff needs to follow the protocol to finish every step.
If an applicant belonged to such a lineage, the basin's inscriptions would glow.
And as expected, it glowed.
His blood hit the surface. The inscriptions flared in platinum-blue, pulsing twice before fading.
Hart Bloodline.
— Bloodline Verification Complete!
Seven caught it again—just the briefest flicker in the staff's gaze before they looked away.
"Inside the circle."
Seven did.
Step.
'Aura and Mana Capacity Analysis.'
But since he's a swordsman, only aura would be measured.
Seven stood still as faint lines of energy wrapped around his body, measuring his muscle density, reflexes, and stamina.
This was the step that separated ordinary swordsmen from prodigies. Those with weak aura flow wouldn't make it past this.
The scan ended.
The formation dimmed.
— Aura Analysis Complete!
But the result displayed made the staff stitch their brows together.
[Unidentifiable.]
The process repeated again.
But the same result came out.
Again.
And again, but the results were still the same.
Thus the staff just wrote something down and gestured to the next step as a small crystal floated towards Seven's chest.
"Don't move."
Seven didn't.
'Curse and Seal Detection.'
The most crucial test. The academy didn't just reject the weak—it rejected the unstable
Cursed individuals, those with broken aura circuits, or those carrying ancient seals were seen as risks. This crystal would reveal any abnormalities.
For a brief second, Seven wondered if Theia's Eye would trigger a reaction.
The crystal hummed.
— Curse and Seal Detection Complete!
Then, silence.
— Results are ready.
— Please check the record on the main desk.
The staff walked back towards the center desk and studied the result. As he did, his lips pressed into a thin line.
But in the end, he didn't say anything.
Still, it was clear that he was uncomfortable.
"Fill this out."
The staff gave him a form.
'Basic Information.'
Seven grabbed the pen and lazily wrote his answers.
/ Name: Seven
/ Age: 17
/ Birthday: 53rd Day of the Seventh Season
/ Talent:
Seven hesitated.
He knew that talent was supposed to be answered by either magic or sword, as it would be crucial for the upcoming test.
Normally, he was a Hart and could use aura, so he was supposed to write 'sword'.
'System. Status.'
[Name: Seven Hart (Yoon Seojin)]
[Talent: Highly Unpredictable]
Sigh.
'Fudge it.'
/ Talent: Unpredictable
His handwriting was neat… if the standard was kindergarten.
After all, he barely put any effort into it. But still, he finished faster than Lythian did earlier and pushed the paper back.
That was it.
The registration was finished.
"Uhh… Excuse me?"
Maybe not.
The staff called for him just when he was about to turn around and leave.
For a moment, Seven thought that the staff would scold him about writing 'unpredictable' as his talent.
But it wasn't because of it.
"Yes?"
"Full name, please."
Seven nodded.
There was no point in hiding it, as the analysis already verified his identity.
And since it was required to write proper basic information on the paper, he had no choice but to do it.
/ Seven Hart