Chapter 17 - Reception

(1st Saga - Greater Magius, The Balance | Snow Guild Entrance Exams Arc)

Kaito’s POV

- Synoria | The 774th year after The Great Uprising, 2 years after the attack on Synoria Outlook

“Checking in? Please join the end of the line over there.”

I should’ve gotten here a lot earlier…

2 hours to reach Synoria. 40 minutes to travel through the other districts and reach the Central District. 10 minutes to reach the Snow Guild Headquarters.

Seika had insisted that arriving the day before the exams began was something everyone did.

Out of respect for her, I convinced myself it’d be fine.

This line certainly did not make me feel fine. 

Regardless, it was only a wait. At least it was better than missing the event altogether.

I decided to pass my time by observing the others entering and exiting the lobby.

I was aware that I had spent nearly two years isolated from society, but it was still pretty amazing to witness how comfortable people had grown with using the system.

On top of that, the Manaflow System’s presence had given way to steadily rising mana levels worldwide, allowing for a booming diversity of attributes and techniques.

However, what I found most interesting was the “registered item” policy being implemented.

Simply put, each applicant participating in any combat-related testing was allowed one “registered item” they could bring to accompany them.

As for what was considered a registered item, the rules essentially defined them as anything apart from a person’s basic clothing that would be intentionally used in combat.

Many applicants seemed to opt for a weapon of some sort, with many even bringing in magetech equipment.

A few people seemed to bring in charms or relics to help channel their mana, and one person even lugged in a piece of armor.

As for me, the object I intended to make my registered item was one I already kept on me at all times.

That, of course, was the glove given to me by Yukiko.

During my training, she had actually sent me an upgraded version that she herself worked on developing.

By that time, my wounds that required me to wear it in the first place had already healed, so the second version actually focused on managing the corruption in my right arm.

Through carefully placed channels that were woven into the fabric, the glove allowed me to simultaneously release both my mana and corrupted energy, with the former exiting through my palm and inner arm while the latter was expelled from my outer arm.

Hopefully, I had done a good enough job cleaning off the traces of corruption.

At least for now, I didn’t want anybody other than Yukiko and Setsuya knowing about my marks. 

Nearly 3 more hours passed before I finally neared the front of the line. 

By this point, there were only two more people ahead of me, but the wait behind me seemed just as long if not longer than when I first entered.

At my current position, I could now clearly hear the communication between the receptionist and each applicant.

Yet, hearing these exchanges made me wonder why the Setsuya opted for having only one person in charge of checking in all these people.

Right now, the person checking in was a girl, probably the same age as me, with short black hair and rather simple clothes.

The item she brought with her was a regular spear without any distinguishing characteristics. There were no traces of magetech or even mana on it.

Having seen the registered items of many other applicants, I wondered how she intended to compete with such a basic weapon.

I wasn’t really in a position to judge, however, seeing as I wasn’t even bringing a weapon with me.

“Alright, please hold still while I register your information.”

There was a pause, then a Ding!

I returned my gaze to the front of the line, where above the receptionist’s desk now floated a window displaying the girl’s system profile.

[ Name: Aria

Attribute: Shadow

< Common Title | Million Strikes > ]

It was the shortest profile I had ever seen.

“Thank you for your patience. The ceremony begins at noon tomorrow. Please make sure to arrive at least an hour in advance.”

The girl nodded and began walking back towards the building’s entrance.

I hadn’t noticed it before, but I wasn’t the only one watching her.

Everyone else near the front of the line was as well.

I could hear laughing from behind me.

She glared at each and every one of us.

I didn’t pay much attention to the person ahead of me, and before I knew it, it was my turn to check in.

“And what item will you be registering with us?”

I held out my right arm.

“If it’s possible, I’d like to enter with this glove here.”

“Alright, please hold still while I register your information.”

She looked away from my glove and directly into my eyes.

[ Siyol has targeted you with < Title Ability | Analysis (Lv. 4) > ]

I still felt awkward learning people's names through the system. It was as if I had obtained information I wasn’t supposed to have, without them introducing themselves yet and all.

Ding!

[ Siyol has activated < Title Ability | Record (Lv. 4) > ]

Over the counter, I could barely glimpse her placing her hand atop a book as traces of white mana flowed from her fingertips.

Just as I had seen with the previous applicants, my profile now floated above the desktop.

[ Name: Kaito

Attribute: “Spirit”

< ??? Title | ??? ??? ??? >

< Legendary Title | Incarnation of Wind’s Creation >

< Epic Title | Harmony of the Chosen and Forsaken > ]

So there were still no changes...

I expected to receive the same thanks and notice about tomorrow’s ceremony as everyone else had, but instead, she only narrowed her eyes and continued staring me down.

Had I done something wrong?

She was still staring at me.

At this point, it felt more like an attempt at a threatening intimidation

Maybe I could give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she was just having trouble seeing me well and was squinting for that reason?

But no, that wouldn’t make sense. She was wearing glasses.

How long had it been now?

Probably only 30 seconds. But still, that was a long time for a person to stare at you without saying a single word.

I was beginning to wonder how to get out of this situation.

“Hey, you! Guy with the half and half hair!”

Oh thank the gods.

The voice came from the line behind me.

“You’re him, right? The one they wrote that news article about a while back?”

Huh? Someone wrote a news article about me?

I turned around to get a look at the person talking to me.

A tall man, maybe a little older than me. Short, spiky silver hair. And a gleam in his eyes that I couldn’t quite read.

“So it is you! Y’know, it’s amazing that someone like you was able to fight alongside Setsuya himself.”

I didn’t know how to respond to his remarks.

Luckily, it didn’t seem like he was going to stop talking anytime soon.

“Did you hear? They’re calling you guys the ‘Heroes of Synoria Outlook.’ That’s quite the honor if I do say so myself.”

By this point, our one sided conversation was beginning to attract the attention of other people waiting.

Those farther back in the line were growing irritated with the extended wait, shouting things like “Hey! What’s with the hold up?!”

Rather ironically, it was the muttering of those closer to the action that I couldn’t quite pick up.

Yet, one thing was for certain. They were all looking at, pointing at, and talking about me.

Something was off about this whole situation.

There were words that implied respect being spoken, but there were tones of ridicule and contempt.

He took a few steps towards me and lowered his voice.

“Y’know… I heard from a few… contacts… that all those attacks back then were in search of you…”

It wasn’t my fault.

“...In other words… if you had never showed up, none of those people would’ve died, right?  Makes me wonder… how did those corrupted beasts get so acquainted with you in the first place?”

This bastard…

He took a step back and began speaking loudly again.

“But hey! If it weren’t for you helping to defeat Seraphim, who knows what would’ve happened, right?”

He began fishing in his pocket for something.

“Tell you what. You’re a big shot, aren’t you? I’ll give you the opportunity to work alongside me! Now isn’t that generous?”

He pulled out a bulky pouch and tossed it on the ground in front of me.

It landed with a jingle.

“25 gold. And it’s all yours if you make sure I’m the best candidate in these exams.”

“...this again..?”

“What was that? Do you accept?”

This guy was seriously pissing me off.

Without a second thought, I kicked his pouch back at him, directly into his groin.

The crowd went silent.

“I’ll see you on the battlefield.”

I began walking towards the exit.

As I passed by him, I could hear a raspy, pathetic voice.

“Hah… so that’s how you want to play… Kaito…”

I ignored him and kept on walking.

“Remember my name…”

[ You have become an applicable target for Kiel’s < Title Ability | Vengeance > ]