Off to a Good Start... Probably

Death.

The one thing humans fear the most.

To those it visits, it marks the end of everything. But strangely enough, it could also signal the beginning of something new—albeit in a very twisted way.

Take this for example: the death of a king or ruler might throw an entire kingdom into chaos, spark a revolution, or turn the world upside down. A general falling in battle could crush his army's morale in an instant, becoming the first drumbeat of their defeat.

Of course, death doesn’t just come for the powerful. It might come for your father today, and tomorrow you’re left inheriting the possessions you always wanted to mess with as a kid. A bittersweet prize, sure—but hey, let’s try to see the silver lining.

Or maybe it’s your wife. Your girlfriend. The one you were planning to spend your life with… gone, just like that.

Painful? Yeah. It tears lovers apart, splits families, ends wars—or sometimes starts them. No matter what form it takes or how deeply it strikes, death is, ironically, the only fair thing in this world.

That’s how I see it, anyway.

Everyone’s going to meet it—sooner or later. Doesn’t matter if you’re a king or a nobody, a saint or a monster, happy or sad. No matter your status, your wealth, or how ready—or unready—you are, it’s coming. It won’t wait for you to get your affairs in order. It doesn’t care if you’re too poor to afford the aftermath. It just comes.

A stubborn guest. Generous, too. Fair, absolutely. And yet—how absurd is it that the one thing truly fair in this world comes from a world that doesn’t know what fairness even means? There’s no such thing as "perfect justice." The only thing truly equal in this life has always been death. It punishes the wicked, sure—but it takes the innocent too. No one likes it. No one gains from it. But everyone fears it.

It brings with it a gift. One that some have called “Heaven’s Judgment.”

Maybe I’m not doing it justice. Or maybe I’m describing it all wrong. Everyone sees death in their own way. Some call it “a guest,” like I do. You might call it your worst enemy, an unavoidable curse you’d do anything to dodge. Or maybe, it’s a savior—something you’re desperately waiting for to finally free you from your suffering.

That “guest”… yeah, I think it knocked on my door once.

Or at least, I thought it did.

It’s always been on the list of visitors I knew would eventually come—I just never knew when. But I was certain it would arrive eventually. I won’t lie and say I was prepared. Hell no. And if you ask me? I wasn’t interested in welcoming it at all. Even if fate gave me a sneak peek at its calendar, I wouldn’t want to know when it’s coming.

I was drowning. At least, that’s the last thing I remember before fainting.

Sinking into the gut of a slime monster—one of the weakest types in the world, as far as I know.

Yeah. Weak or not, it was more than enough to take down trash like me.

And this, right after I’d successfully stolen that bag full of badgets from that snobby noble. Barely made it out of that mess with the thunder beast—I still don’t know where the hell it was pulling those lightning bolts from.

After finally seeing Alice’s face frozen in fear, and getting my sweet little revenge...

Death decided it was time to show up—wearing the skin of the weakest creature imaginable. Like it was mocking me. Like it was saying: “This is what you get for playing in rank above your own.”

Didn’t I tell you it was fair?

But still, like I said... what visited me wasn’t death itself. Just a shadow. A ghost. A whisper. It stayed for a moment—long enough to paralyze me—and then vanished.

As the host of this lovely guest, I was... more or less fine with how the meeting ended.

What reminded me of all this?

Right now, I’m lying in a bed.

In a place I don’t recognize.

Somehow, I survived that slime. But weirdly enough, I’m more curious about where I am than how I made it out alive.

Maybe it’s because... deep down, I feel like I already know the answer. And for now, I’d rather not dig into it.

White ceiling. White room. White bed.

...Heaven?

Did that slime actually finish me off?

Just when I was starting to buy into that theory, the door beside me creaked open—one I hadn’t even noticed was there.

Someone stepped inside.

...And just like that, the disappointment hit me.

Maybe I actually wanted to be dead, since I was heading to heaven anyway...or so I wish.

My eyes—barely able to stay open—dragged themselves toward the door.

A girl stepped in.

Or was it a woman?

She was short either way, with round glasses sitting on her nose, dark gray hair that just reached her shoulders, and a tiny book or notebook tucked under her arm. She wore a noticeable shade of lipstick too—made me second-guess her age all over again.

Her timing was... weirdly perfect.

“Oh? You’re already awake?” she said, catching my eyes fluttering beneath heavy lids.

Her voice—soft and chime-like. Definitely a young woman.

...Wait, no. I don’t care if she’s a girl or a woman. Can someone just tell me where I am and why I can’t move?!

"Ah, wait—let me disable them first."

Them?

Before I could even ask, she must've noticed me trying to move. The young lady—not that I’m convinced that’s the right word—stepped to my side and placed her hand on some device next to my head. It emitted a strange beeping sound, and suddenly, I felt my entire body relax.

"How do you feel now?"

"Ah... Better... cough!"

Coughing? Ah right—my throat was so dry. No wonder I couldn’t speak properly.

"You're a little dehydrated. Make sure to drink some water. You’ve been asleep for three days, after all."

Her tone couldn’t have been any more indifferent. And then she just casually dropped that bomb on me.

Three days?! Wait, no. I still haven’t gotten an answer to my question—where am I?

"Where..are we?"

I asked, switching to a more collective phrasing—we—in a barely audible whisper. I wasn’t even sure she heard me. The young woman tilted her head slightly, wearing a face that practically said, "What’s this kid babbling about?"

Well, reading the room has always been one of my few talents, but expressing myself? Yeah, not so much. Still, I was sure my question was clear this time.

"...You don’t remember?"

She stared at me for a few moments, confusion clouding her expression, before finally speaking—only deepening the fog in my brain.

"Remember... what?"

For some reason, her eyes widened a bit in surprise at my answer.

Wasn’t that kind of an overreaction? I mean, the last thing I remember was that slime thing swallowing me whole. No idea where it came from, where I was, or how I even ended up here. A little explanation would be nice, so please, stop looking at me like that.

"..."

After a brief pause, she let out a soft sigh and looked back at me with her signature deadpan expression.

"You really don’t remember, huh? Well, according to the scan, you did suffer a fair bit of trauma—both physically and mentally. And after being in stasis that long, memory loss isn't exactly surprising."

She said it like she was talking about the weather. Completely emotionless.

Scan? Trauma? All she’s doing is multiplying my questions.

And what’s with that tone of hers—

"Shiro Leonard, one of the Stalefort exam participants, right? According to this, despite lacking several basic skills, you somehow caused a catastrophic explosion during the second exam in the forest. You lost consciousness on the spot."

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Before I could even mock her voice in my head, she resumed speaking while flipping open a notebook and twirling her pen around in a weirdly elegant way.

And really, was it necessary to bring up my “lack of skills”?

But as I thought about it... something clicked. I didn’t remember everything she said, but it felt like random puzzle pieces in my mind had started to align. Like I was tracing faint feelings tied to blurry memories.

It was like something was fogging my vision—keeping the truth just out of reach.

"As a result, the exam was completely suspended. Apparently, the explosion scorched nearly a quarter of the forest. Impressive, right?"

That... that part.. The explosion. The one thing I had absolutely no recollection of.

And honestly, I couldn’t tell if she was praising me or scolding me. Still, my original question remained unanswered.

"Uhm... where exactly am I?"

I asked again. The snarky recap was appreciated—kind of—but what happened next? How did I end up here?

Especially if what she said was true—burning down part of the forest, canceling the entire exam...

This time, the young woman furrowed her brows and gave me a stiff, skeptical smile.

"...He doesn’t even remember his savior."

Savior? Oh come on. I'm telling you—I’ve got amnesia, alright? Don’t make this more dramatic than it needs to be. I’d really appreciate it if you stopped giving me that look and just—explained!

Almost like she read my mind—or maybe it was just written all over my face—she flipped through a few more pages and continued.

"Leo Hawk. You do remember that name, at least, right? According to his testimony, after the explosion and once the flames had settled, he found you—'burning,' apparently. Said you looked like you were the source of the fire. So, he used the crystal to force an emergency evacuation, bringing you straight back to the building. The exam had already been canceled, and everyone else had returned. He told the staff about your condition, and you were rushed here. To the Stalefort Academy Medical Wing."

Hearing her speak in a slightly more detailed tone this time... I think I finally pieced together what I needed to know.

So, after all that... guess I’m not in heaven, huh?

"...Yeah. Thank you.."

I whispered my gratitude, barely audible. That’s all I could muster at the moment. My mind was still chewing on everything she said—trying to recall, to make sense of it.

I mean, I was seriously shocked. Causing an explosion big enough to torch a quarter of the forest? That wasn’t even in the realm of possibility for me.

How did that even happen? I don’t know how to cast anything close to that level of magic.

Why would I do it? It’s not like I had a reason to wipe out a chunk of the woods, even if I could.

And most importantly—what happens now? What about the exam? Did I pass? Fail? What about Leo? I remembered he was already injured even before the explosion.

Just as all those questions began to flood my mind, the door creaked open again.

This time, a very familiar face appeared. One that instantly anchored itself in my brain.

"...He really is awake."

With a quiet, deep, commanding voice that solidified his presence instantly, the man walked slowly toward my bed, his predator-like eyes locked on mine.

"Thank you. You may leave now."

"Alright~ But be gentle with him, okay?"

She responded to his dismissal with what might have been a sign of concern... delivered in a tone so opposite to the words that I genuinely started to wonder how she even does that.

I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my nerves in check after hearing her response...

It had been a minute—maybe two—since that man, Supervisor Shin, stepped into the room. And just like that, his calm yet suffocating presence filled the air. Now that we were alone, I could feel it even more intensely.

And the worst part?

He hadn’t stopped staring at me since he arrived.

As if he was analyzing me… or maybe sizing up his prey.

He’s not gonna execute me here, right?

Because there’s this ominous pressure radiating off of him, and I can feel his fury. It’s not showing on his face, but it’s definitely there, simmering beneath that expressionless mask.

Finally, he moved. Toward the wall… or more precisely, toward a curtain hanging to my left.

Shin stopped in front of it. Then, without saying a word, pulled it aside to reveal a large window behind it.

And through that window—clear as day—I saw a scene that would send chills down anyone’s spine.

Straight ahead, just a bit downhill, there was a vast forest stretching out endlessly.

And right there, in the middle of it… a completely scorched section.

It looked like a massive dragon—no, a whole clan of dragons—had unleashed their fiery wrath on that land, leaving it in absolute ruin.

Smoke was still rising from that area, like the flames had just recently died out.

I’ve got a really bad feeling about this.

“…Do you know who caused it?”

Shin finally spoke, his gaze fixed on the forest outside.

“…Yeah.”

I answered, hesitant.

I didn’t directly say it was me. But I didn’t deny it either.

I was unconscious when it happened—or at least I think I was.

Still, I doubt he’s in the mood to listen to that kind of explanation.

An explanation from someone who didn’t even know what the hell he was doing at the time.

After I responded, supervisor Shin turned to face me again. This time, he walked right up to the side of my bed and raised a hand.

…For a second, I genuinely thought he was going to strangle me.

But instead, blue light flared from his palm—

—and in the blink of an eye, a simple chair materialized from thin air.

Magic.

Like it was the most mundane thing in the world, he just summoned a chair and sat down on it like nothing.

Pretty impressive, honestly…

Especially to a village boy like me.

“…Passed the first test, failed the second right at the start after getting your badge stolen by someone way out of your league. Nearly crippled your own partner—although that part wasn’t entirely your fault. Got the Gyork mad enough to summon a pack of monsters to fight alongside him against a bunch of kids. And then, after finally securing your prize, you got trapped in a slime…”

I don’t know why he paused there, but I swear I saw the corners of his mouth twitching—like he was fighting back a laugh.

So he was watching. Closely, even.

Ignoring my absolutely brilliant fight against that stuck-up noble or whatever he was supposed to be, everything else he said was just... painful to hear.

No praise, huh?

Come on, at least pretend I did okay—I survived, didn’t I?

Then he kept going—continuing his little roast session.

“…And just when you were about to be completely devoured, you exploded with magical energy and torched the entire forest.”

“....”

Not exactly proud of that one.

I didn’t even know how I did it.

And even if I told him that, I doubt he’d believe me.

“…Let me ask you something. Do you even understand the consequences of what you’ve done?”

“No…”

“…Are you hiding your powers?”

“I’m not—”

I’m not hiding anything. And I think he knows that.

But still, I couldn’t bring myself to outright deny it.

Not when I looked back at the rising smoke that hadn’t stopped for three whole days.

I couldn’t say for sure that there was nothing inside me.

Because something was there.

I didn’t know what it was…

But it caused that destruction.

I didn’t know how to control it, couldn’t even feel it…

But it was there. Deep inside.

Just thinking about it—about the fact that something within me could snap at any moment and burn everything down—made my heart sink.

Supervisor Shin was staring directly into my eyes.

Hadn’t looked away since he started talking, I realized.

Then, after several long seconds, he let out a deep sigh and leaned back into the chair.

His voice was a bit calmer now.

“…Just so we’re clear, the exam wasn’t called off because of the explosion. It was stopped because the Gyork summoned monsters.”

That little truth alone eased some of the pressure off my shoulders.

So it wasn’t me?

I really thought I was the reason they shut it all down, but hey—good news for once.

…Or so I thought, until he kept talking.

“From the moment the Gyork made his call, we were on standby—ready to step in and halt the exam at any moment. And honestly, some of us thought it should’ve been stopped the second that happened.

It’s even in the exam rules, after all: ‘If monster groupings appear, the exam must be suspended until the examinees’ safety is secured.’”

That part made sense… but one word stood out to me—“suspended.”

Did that mean the test actually continued… even after the explosion?

“That clause was already violated when the Gyork summoned his beasts. But we didn’t move right away because… well, there were some promising talents among the examinees.

I thought, maybe they could handle the situation themselves. But right when we were about to see how that decision played out, someone unleashed a flaming magical explosion, and that… that forced us to shut it down, permanently.”

…No need to mention who that “someone” was, I suppose.

So, in the end, the test wasn’t completed.

I don’t know why, but... I felt kind of relieved.

Maybe because the chances of getting disqualified just dropped?

"Now then... what do you think we’re going to do with you?"

Are you going to forgive me and let me retake the test?

…Of course, I didn’t have the guts to actually say that out loud.

Sure, I can get snarky in my head, but that’s where it stays—in my head. Sometimes even involuntarily... and honestly, I’m just glad no one around can read minds.

“...I don’t know.”

Naturally, I was going to be punished.

But I didn’t want to say that out loud, so I just played dumb and waited anxiously for his response.

And then... he said something I really didn’t expect.

"You’ll be punished—harshly. Most academies wouldn’t stop at just expelling you. They’d go as far as shaming your entire family. That’s what usually happens.here at Stalefort… I’m not saying we go soft when it comes to the rules, but... sometimes, just sometimes, we make exceptions—for the ‘gifted.’”

He said that... but even he sounded unsure of his own words.

Gifted?

What does that have to do with me?

I mean, I knew I was getting punished. Why not just say that from the start and get it over with?

"You probably think that has nothing to do with you. You have no talent, after all. I doubt you even understand what makes someone ‘gifted’ or why they’re called that. but after the fire... people started seeing you differently. You used to be just some talentless nobody. Now, at least in the Director’s eyes, you’re an unpolished gem."

…Huh?

A gem?

I mean, yeah, I was kinda thankful—for the Director’s words, if nothing else.

But that... that hit different.

Did that mean I...?

"So, considering all that, and as a special exception—Shiro Leonard, you’re still officially a participant in the Stalefort entrance exam."

Whaaa—!?

No way! I wasn’t expecting that at all!

But just as I felt the corners of my mouth starting to rise—

"...the exam that has now been canceled entirely."

"...Hah?"

Okay yeah, this time I couldn’t hide the shock on my face.

What’s wrong with this guy?!

If it was canceled, then just say so from the beginning!

Why go through the effort of cheering me up first?!

Was he doing this on purpose??

I didn’t get it anymore.

How was I supposed to move forward if the whole exam got canceled?

Yeah, sure, I’m happy I got “special exception” status or whatever.

And yeah, maybe I’m a “gifted” case now.

But... that’s a separate issue!

It’s like supervisor Shin could read the confusion written all over my face.

He stood up and walked steadily toward the door.

H-Hey, wait a minute! Is that it?!

What the hell am I supposed to take from that—

“Five days. That was the original duration of the second exam. It got cut short, obviously. But during the days the princess was unconscious, the academy compiled all the data from the initial test period. In the end, sixty-four candidates passed—no third exam needed. They’re being officially admitted as new students. That was the Director’s decision."

"...so.."

"As for you... congratulations. You ranked fourth.”