The Academy's FFF-Class Summons are SSS-class Hunters

“Your name is Lilil… your talent is Summoner, correct?”

Handful of people with ‘trainer’ written on their hats greeted the entrance of the academy. They verified incoming students’ identity, and allowed entry to those who have been admitted.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hopeless magic strength. You don’t even know how to unsummon your summoner.”

The admission application Lilil sent by her pigeon detailed what kind of talent she had. Her magical strength wasn’t an issue for admission as long as she could show her talent – as in, if she can prove it.

“That… is correct…”

“Doesn’t know how to unsummon. And you claim that this man is your summon?”

“Yes, this is Mr. Jinhyuk, my summon.”

“Calling your summon a mister, you are a strange one. I guess it’s more strange that you summoned a human in the first place.”

Harsh evaluation, but it was the truth. Lilil couldn’t deny the trainer.

But unsummoning?

Jinhyuk recalled the spirit art. It’s a skill that calls the spirits, but to be more specific, those spirits are called from the spirit world.

Canceling the summons is unsummoning.

‘Is unsummoning a thing in this world as well?’

He would be returned to Earth if he is unsummoned. He didn’t even want to start thinking about it. He’d deny even if Lilil knew how to unsummon.

Jinhyuk spoke coldly.

“Even if she knew how to unsummon, I’d reject it.”

“To reject unsummon. The summon is insane as well. That’s sufficient to prove your seriously low-level summoning skills. You may enter.”

─It won’t be easy to be formally admitted.

The last words the trainer left lingered. Lilil tilted her head in confusion.

We are admitted now, aren’t we? What do they mean by formal admission?

Jinhyuk wanted to ask, but the trainer was already facing another student. They had no choice but to go in.

A little further ahead, another trainer stood in the center of a crossroad.

“Take left if you are from a family of noblemen, and right otherwise.”

Lilil was part of a noblemen family, but one that has lost its name. A family well known for their reputation in practicing noblesse oblige, had collapsed from being consumed by evil spirits so much to the point she couldn’t even tell anyone about it.

Not sure why the path was divided based on one’s origin, but Lilil walked to the right with a bitter feeling.

Jinhyuk felt strange as he walked along with Lillil.

‘This is a school?’

He knew it was called an academy, but they are a school too, aren’t they? This felt more like the military than anything. Jinhyuk felt confused as to whether he was entering a training camp or entering a school.

“I’m certain after seeing the crossroad.”

Leira spoke after a long silence.

“What do you mean?”

“I thought it was just a dumb rumor. That the academy has a temporary admission period before formal admission.”

“Ah, that rumor.”

Lilil reacted as if she had heard it before.

“I thought it was something they just said to mess with me…”

“Me too. It’s absurd!”

“What do you mean?”

“You see…”

Jinhyuk was dumbfounded after Leira’s explanation.

“You won’t be admitted if you can’t prove your potential?”

“Yes, but nobles enter with a guaranteed formal admission.”

The academy was known to be the place to earn the title of a noble. Despite that, the discrimination between the noble and commoners starts from the moment of admission.

One week of temporary admission.

Since nobles enter with a guaranteed formal admission as soon as they arrive, they spend the week building friendship among themselves. They get to have a short vacation before starting a full-fledged academy life.

On the other hand, the commoners had to spend that week trying to prove their potential. Without being able to do so, you’d get kicked out without a formal admission and reapply next year.

The discrimination doesn’t sound too bad up to this point. Even though the nobles gain formal admission through their special privileges, if they fail their exams and fall off, they will be suspended or expelled.

But the real problem was what came up next. Lilil and Leira didn’t take the rumors seriously because of this part of the process:

‘A placement test is held after formal admission. Fail to get a grade and get a failing score, and you will be expelled.’

A placement test was understandable to filter out the weak even among the nobles, but the commoners are already drained during the temporary admission period. How unfair is it to have a placement test immediately after without getting a proper rest?

It was nonsensical. That was why Lilil and Leira dismissed it as false rumors.

Now that it’s real, it was going to be problematic.

“Welcome, fellow students. My name is Rikal Arcor, the principal of the Academy.”

A large man spoke with a loud voice in front of the podium. He didn’t have a microphone, nor use a special magic, not even a bit of magical power. It was purely Rikal Arcor’s voice.

“All of you here must be here as commoners as guided at the crossroads. If there are any idiots from a noblemen family here, raise your hand. You are supposed to go the other way.”

No one raised a hand. Everyone were commoners, and came to the right place.

“There seems to be no one. Let me continue. You may be perplexed. The entrance ceremony is known to be attended by the Emperor and his knights, yet it’s just the principal alone on the podium.”

The Academy’s entrance ceremony was a sacred ceremony. A place where anyone with a talent can enter but not anyone can graduate. The entrance ceremony means to show resolve to the emperor that you would show your skills to the fullest at the academy.

“Unfortunately, you can’t get formal admission right away. How can I trust to put commoners before the Emperor?”

Such a sacred ceremony couldn’t have some useless nobody present. Of course, some sneak by even through strict filtering – that’s why there are failing students. But at least they show some qualifications to show your resolve.

A person without such qualifications could not be brought before the emperor. Those were the words of Rikal, the principal.

“Of course, the principal has no doubts that the students here will be formally admitted. But don’t forget that you are a temporary student for the moment.”

—For one week, you will only get your formal admission if you show your potential.

How does one show their potential?

Everyone stood in the field with the same question in their minds. Those who thought of it as false rumors, like Lilil and Leira, expressed their embarrassment, but those who predicted such a level of discrimination kept their eyes sharp.

Rikal spoke, answering the student’s gaze.

“You will form a team of three. The team will form based on a one on one interview with the trainers.”

The interview was to analyze the student’s personality, their strengths and weaknesses, and use them to form a team.

Was it to make the best team composition?

No.

“It’s to make the worst team ever.”

Show your best in the worst situations.

“It will be difficult for the team members to help each other, and that is my intention.”

There’s no point in making a team. The power of unity? Not interested.

“What the principal is interested in is the individual’s potential. But that doesn’t mean you can be selfish. If even one member of the team fails, the entire team is eliminated.”

A team of 3 where all fails if one fails. All members must pass in the worst team composition possible.

‘How does that even make sense?’

This meant that they wanted to see if we can help even the burdens in our team to pass the test. With a terrible composition, unity isn’t going to help. It’s strictly about how talented you are.

The worst kind of test.

‘Though, the difficulty would depend on what the goal is.’

Jinhyuk believed that the Academy is a place with some common sense. Everyone he has met so far, apart from few, had the decency to. It made sense, since the Academy is what produced these sensible people.

“Survive in the Orc Forest for a week. The students are responsible for all food and shelter, and even death. We will not take any responsibility.”

He was very wrong.

All the temporary students began to murmur.

Orc forest?

If it was a forest of goblins, it would be understandable. Those who applied to the Academy, of all places, should be able to take on a goblin one on one. Even the worst composition of three should be able to survive a week.

But an orc forest?

Even a good composition of three would have a hard time. Its enormous body and brutal strength was not something temporary students could handle.

“No need to look so worried, students. I said it’s a forest of orcs, but there are only two. If you are lucky enough to not encounter them for a week, you will survive. There are no other monsters.”

Wild animals were the only threats. It’s an ordinary forest, and the orcs, which are already low in intelligence, have been made even dumber with special magic.

There’s been at least some consideration for the temporary students.

“If that still scares you, you are free to leave.”

Rikal pointed their finger back at the path the students entered.

“The principal does not force the students. If you feel that this test is absurd, and see no possibility in making it out, walk away. No one deserves to be a nobleman with such a clumsy attitude.”

Doesn’t deserve to be a noble.

That was what the students needed to hear to finally understand the unreasonable difficulty.

“This is no playground! Everyone came here to earn the prestigious title of being a noble, is it not? Those who graduate from the Academy will be recognized by the Emperor and given the title of a nobleman. No matter how insignificant of a position you are in, nobles are more honorable than commoners!”

Rikal raised their voice.

“The nobles who are spending their leisure time on the other side – for them, this kind of test is a breeze! To think otherwise is to disrespect the nobles, and in that case, you have no right to obtain the noble’s name.”

Jinhyuk recalled the magic that Ishizu had. A level many levels beyond what Lilil and Leira had. What would she do if she was told to survive for a week in an orc forest?

Ishizu would quickly accept. “Nothing I couldn’t do”, she’d say.

There was nothing wrong with what the principal said.

“That is all for what I wanted to say. I’ll give you just five minutes; Those who want to leave, go.”

Reactions to Rikal’s speech varied. Some were quiet, while others discussed with another.

Within this crowd, Lilil was shivering quietly.

Ishizu told her to meet her at the academy. Hence she must pass this test. To face orcs, beings she never met ever before, was terrifying, but inevitable.

Her body trembled nonetheless. It was a natural reaction. An overwhelming fear took over her body.

Jinhyuk put his warm hand on that overwhelming fear.

“Summoner lady, what are you so worried about?”

Lilil looked up at Jinhyuk, who was a lot taller than her. Jinhyuk had a big smile, for reasons she did not know.

“To be honest, I was kind of scared, hearing about orcs and all. I wasn’t sure if it was viable with my summoner lady’s magical strength. But then I thought about it again – isn’t this rather an opportunity?”

“An… opportunity?”

“Yeah, it’s the best opportunity to eat two orcs, isn’t it? Let’s have some fun making magical popcorns.”