Chapter 4: Entrance Ceremony Test-3

I stroked my face in front of the mirror.

Is this… me? What have I been looking at all this time?

I’m definitely the most handsome boy in the province now.

Satisfied with the performance of the “Way of the Scholar,” I nodded in approval.

I decided to call this phenomenon “Scholar Surgery.”

The entrance ceremony schedule had been postponed to the afternoon.

The professors must have anticipated this from the beginning.

With some time still left, I reviewed my status window again.

「<Attributes> [Strength 19] [Dexterity 24] [Mana 16] [Perception 31]」

“Pathetic.”

That was my honest assessment.

If you convert an adult male’s strength and dexterity into stats, it’s 20.

So, my strength is slightly below the average for adult males. Considering that the average stat for freshmen is 30, it’s truly pathetic.

These lousy stats can’t be the default setting for the character.

It seems these stats reflect my physical abilities as I’ve been transported into the game world.

At least I’m grateful that my perception is in the 30s.

「<Skill Proficiency> [Archery: Beginner [v.7] [Swordsmanship (Bladed Sword): Beginner [v.3] [Mana Sensitivity: Beginner [v.1]」

I scrolled down to check my skill proficiencies. The high level of archery proficiency stood out.

Historically, scholars were skilled archers. I nodded in satisfaction at the well-researched attributes.

The only character who started with Beginner Lv.7 proficiency was Do Siwoo, the Sword Saint.

Although it’s a bit lacking compared to Do Siwoo, who was loaded with various proficiencies, I’m content with this.

「<Martial Arts> [Scholar’s Shot]」

“This is the problem.”

I brought my right hand to my mouth and tapped my nose with my fingers.

Martial arts. In “Agora Academy,” this is undoubtedly the most crucial aspect to pay attention to.

Although it isn’t shown on the status window, martial arts and skills grow just like attributes and proficiencies.

The more you use a martial art, the stronger its performance becomes, or you unlock new sub-skills, among other benefits.

Naturally, the best approach is to obtain a top-tier martial art early on and raise its proficiency.

But good martial arts only appear in the later stages of the game. It’s the dilemma of builds.

You can collect anything and use whatever appeals to you.

But the issue is that, while I’m a K-scholar, I’m also a K-gamer who prioritizes efficiency.

Now that my game build has become my life plan, I won’t take my life plan lightly.

I looked at another status window.

「<Urgent Quest: Entrance Ceremony Test> (Summary omitted) Reward: Quest-specific ‘Projectile Damage’ granted. Record of ‘Projectile Damage’ usage provided upon success.」

Although I completed the quest, the reward wasn’t anything special. It was just the tutorial, so I didn’t expect much anyway.

I rummaged through the usage records I received as a reward.

「Damage Modifier: 400% (Scholar’s Shot – Traditional Bow Usage)」

As a gamer who spent a lifetime sneaking in games under my grandfather’s 1984-level surveillance, I can tell you this isn’t as overpowered as it seems.

The 4x multiplier is substantial, but it comes with the condition of using a traditional bow.

Instead of using an 80-damage longbow, I have to use a 20-damage traditional bow, so they had to attach this modifier.

However, there are certainly top-tier traditional bows in the game.

That phrase will be useful in both the very early and late stages when weapon performance doesn’t fluctuate wildly.

One early game point and one late-game point for ‘Scholar’s Shot.’

「Damage Modifier: 300% (Sniping – Aiming for 10+ Seconds)」 「Damage Modifier: 250% (Sniping – Long-Range Shot)」

Now, this is definitely overpowered. A flat 500% modifier?

This is a skill that could be used as a main damage dealer even in the late stages.

But this isn’t the overpowered aspect of ‘Scholar’s Shot’; it’s the overpowered nature of ‘Sniping.’

Since I can’t pick martial arts based on just one skill, I’ll keep this in mind for now.

Two points for ‘Sniping’ as a high-damage skill.

「Damage Modifier: 200% (Scholar’s Shot – Targeting Magical Beasts)」 「Damage Modifier: 300% (Scholar’s Shot – Targeting Non-Corporeal Entities)」 「Damage Modifier: 200% (Scholar’s Shot – Targeting Magical Entities)」

This is a bit ambiguous.

However, it seemed I couldn’t fool the professors.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of potential you have. I hope your magic potential is high.”

That’s not going to happen, professor.

I swallowed the words rising to my throat and placed my hand on the crystal orb atop the altar.

「<Artifact: Altar of Appraisal>
Your potential in ‘Archery’ is ‘Miraculous.’
Your potential in ‘Magic’ is ‘Exceptional.’
Your potential in ‘Swordsmanship (Blade)’ and ‘Shooting’ is ‘Outstanding.’
Your potential in ‘Magic’ from the ‘Earth,’ ‘Water,’ ‘Wind,’ and ‘Fire’ branches is ‘Average.’
Your potential in ‘Swordsmanship (Dagger)’ is ‘Mediocre.’
Your potential in ‘Swordsmanship (Greatsword)’ is ‘Poor.’
Your potential in ‘Mana Sensitivity’ is ‘Insufficient.’
Your potential in ‘Throwing,’ ‘Light Magic,’ and ‘Evasion’ is ‘Terrible.’
Your potential in ‘Spirit Sensitivity’ and ‘Astral Magic’ is ‘Catastrophic.’
You have no potential in Black Magic.
You have no potential in Divine Magic.
Exception detected. The following skills cannot be acquired: – Gadget Eyes, Gigantic Drive
Exception detected. The following martial arts cannot be acquired: – Gaia Spear, Ghost Bow …」

“Huh. Umm….”

It seemed the way information appeared on the professor’s display was different from mine because her face went pale.

“Huh? What?”

Seeing the long list of skills and martial arts under the exception message, she seemed flustered.

“Huh… Ah… Whew…”

Only after reaching the end did she let out a sigh of relief.

It was obvious. She must have seen the high potential in archery and swordsmanship.

Professor Ji Yuri seemed at a loss for words.

Meanwhile, I revisited the system window’s contents with a sour expression.

So, seriously… What is this?

I wasn’t upset about confirming the potentials instead of setting them like in the game.

Sure, if things go too smoothly, it wouldn’t be fun.

The problem was the content of the potentials. I’ve never seen a list with most potentials being awful.

Well, whatever. As long as I have two useful potentials, that should be enough. I can let the rest slide.

Even though my plan, which relied on throwing as a backup weapon for my archer build, was ruined by the abysmal throwing potential, that’s fine.

What’s really troubling is that both my evasion and mana sensitivity potentials are awful.

Evasion is crucial in close combat, and mana sensitivity is necessary for all mana-using skills and martial arts.

And, most importantly, that weird exception message is the real issue.

What? I can’t learn certain skills? Can’t learn certain martial arts either?

Looking at the long list of skills and martial arts I couldn’t acquire, I noticed one thing in common.

“If it has an English name, I can’t learn it. If it’s related to spirits or souls, I can’t learn it either.”

This is ridiculous. How am I supposed to plan my growth without Planning, the skill that increases experience gain?

What am I supposed to do without Shooting Star, the buff skill that provides excellent mobility, a must-have for solo archer gameplay?

“It’s okay, Jo Seon-woo. If you look hard enough, there will surely be a path for you to grow as a hunter. Our academy will support you!”

That’s easy for you to say, but when I actually apply for counseling, you probably won’t even accept my request.

I still had enough self-restraint to not say this out loud.

I trudged down from the altar.

I quietly reflected on the results. High potential in archery and swordsmanship.

In contrast, my physical and magical potentials were extremely low.

I can’t even learn foreign—no, Western martial arts.

It seems this is another burden of being a scholar.

Damn it.