An Angel Lives in the Academy
Chapter 11: The Angel Caught in a Test (8)

Leffrey looked at Jack and thought,

'Why is he crying? Does he hate being helped by me that much...?'

Still, there was nothing to worry about. The White family was famous for upholding their honor. Many people had seen him heal Jack, so now they had no choice but to compensate him instead of retaliating.

Preventing unreasonable retaliation, gaining money, and Angelic Power. With this much, even an obnoxious jerk could be saved.

Moreover, Jack would become a hero in the future. To defeat the demon king, they needed as many heroes as possible, so Leffrey couldn't let Jack break down here, whether he liked it or not.

"..."

And so, Jack fell asleep.

It wasn't strange. The underworld magic had infiltrated his magic circuit, penetrating beyond his muscles and skeletal structure.

It was so severe that even an active healer wouldn't be able to perfectly treat it. Even a famous healer would have to use most of their divine power to do so.

If Jack returned to his family home and had his condition thoroughly diagnosed, he would mistakenly believe that Leffrey had used most of his ‘divine power’ to heal him.

"That's a relief."

Klein exclaimed after taking a sip of tea.

"Jack White has taken the first step. Now let's proceed with the test quickly."

Leffrey looked at Klein.

'Isn't that too cold?'

Leffrey looked at Klein once more.

The way he was enjoying his tea and snacks with a peaceful expression.

The boy couldn't understand it.

*

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*

*

Unlike the first test, the second test proceeded quietly. There was no sudden downpour of water, and no need for candidates to fight over doors.

They simply entered the room when it was their turn and endured for 3 minutes. Those who couldn't endure just ripped off their bracelet inside the room and escaped.

Cases like Jack, who pushed himself too hard trying to reach 5 minutes, were unusual. And there were certainly no idiots who, with their bodies eroded by magic, wouldn't break the bracelet due to their honor and end up dying.

And so, there were no cases like Jack.

As soon as 3 minutes passed, they either quickly rushed out of the room or ripped off the bracelet and escaped. Even Yumari rushed out immediately after completing the 3 minutes.

'Well, she didn't exactly rush out.'

That's right.

Yumari came out of the room normally, as if she had just finished a meal at a restaurant, without being affected by the magic at all.

'Even that Hongwol rushed out, complaining about the heat.'

Hongwol chose the red room, the room filled with fire magic. After completing the 3 minutes, she nimbly rushed out and licked the back of her hand, which was swollen as if in pain.

"Hot!"

Lick- Lick-

'Wait, am I acting like an animal again? Again?'

With that thought, she immediately blushed and quietly lowered her hand.

Next was Leffrey's turn.

Leffrey, of course, chose the white room.

It was a room that no one had chosen so far.

Klein, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.

"Are you sure you want to choose that room?"

"Yes."

Sip- Klein took a sip of tea and muttered with a pitiful expression,

"Student, there's a reason why the other candidates... didn't choose the divine power room."

"I know."

Unlike other magic erosions that only damaged the body, divine power, the magic of the heavens, shattered both body and mind.

Humans couldn't bear to look upon or understand the heavens, so their minds would be broken, and since no one was innocent before the heavens, their bodies would also collapse.

It was truly the worst kind of magic erosion.

That's why those who handled divine power had short lifespans.

"Even people with divine power fear the erosion the most... Well, alright. Please go in."

However, Leffrey was confident.

The danger of white magic erosion mentioned earlier only applied to humans. Angels were creatures that originally lived in heaven, so what was there to fear about the magic of the heavens?

Leffrey opened the door to the room.

The inside was completely white. There was no furniture of any kind.

Click- He heard the sound of the door closing behind him, and Leffrey looked at his digital watch. 10 seconds had already passed.

"What, it's nothing special?"

Whenever someone says that, something always happens.

Suddenly, a question pierced the boy's mind. Why did Leffrey fall from Heaven to Earth?

'It was because he disobeyed God's command.'

God had ordered Leffrey to reap the soul of a woman. A young woman who had given birth to an illegitimate child and had no one to help her.

The woman pleaded with Leffrey.

She said that if he took her away, her child would starve to death.

She begged for mercy.

A cold city.

A place where merciless rain fell.

And people who treated the woman like a toy.

There was no mercy to be found in those thugs. No one would show mercy to this young woman, much less to her daughter who hadn't even been breastfed yet.

They would probably enjoy watching the suffering of this mother and daughter.

Leffrey felt pity.

"...Tears?"

A clear liquid flowed down his cheeks.

Why on earth?

Why was he crying?

Leffrey thought for a moment.

Then he finally came up with an answer.

This was a memory remaining in his body.

From the time when he still belonged to Heaven.

A memory of Leffrey, the errand boy of the heaven.

'Illegitimate child... illegitimate child?'

The boy bit his lip.

His vision was now focused on a narrow, dark gap. He lay there, staring at the gap. Through the gap... a red liquid was approaching.

'Wait, this memory... it's from when I was a child in my past life...!'

The smell of iron, of blood. Even though he was young, he could recognize what this liquid was. It was blood. The boy was scared. But an emotion much greater than fear blossomed in his heart.

It was sadness.

A sadness that his small body couldn't bear,

The loneliness…

'Dangerous.'

Leffrey looked at his watch with desperation. Only 1 minute had passed. He still had 2 minutes left in this hellish time.

'Dangerous...!'

The angel abandoned in a world soon to be destroyed, sniffled and knelt down.

But he didn't pray to anyone.

Because the desperate prayers he had offered hundreds of times in his life had never been answered. The boy had forgotten how to pray.

The heavenly mana eroded Leffrey's body.

There was no turning back now.

'Death...?'

He tried to break the bracelet, but

he had no strength in his hands.

'This is dangerous...!'

Leffrey thought as he lay collapsed.

[Young Angel, Leffrey.]

Amidst his fading senses,

Leffrey heard a voice he couldn't hear with his ears.

[An angel without wings is not an angel.]

Leffrey raised his head.

Heavenly light enveloped the boy.

[Remember that.]

[Heavenly mana, divine power completely erodes the body!]

[Body eroded by mana, death…]

.

.

.

[Racial trait activated.]

[Angels can convert divine power into %$#.]

[Reconstructing the body and soul using divine power.]

.

.

[Level up!]

[You have acquired a new Angelic Ability!]

Leffrey Lv.2

Race: Angel

HP: 40/40 MP: 30/30

Strength: 10

Agility: 6

Magic: 12

Esper Ability: 5

Angelic Power: 1

Martial Arts of the Archangel who Tramples Dragons Lv.1

Healing of the Seraphim that Heals All Creation Lv.1

Blessing of the Power Angel who Graced the King Lv.1 (New!)

'What, what is this?'

He was lucky. No matter how strong an awakener was, if they were eroded by divine power like this, they would surely die. But Leffrey was an angel. Even though he was covered in the dirt of the earth and had lost his wings, he was an angel.

That's right.

The boy had barely survived thanks to his racial trait.

Leffrey, barely regaining his senses, looked at his watch. 2 minutes and 50 seconds had passed. Now 2 minutes 55 seconds. And 3 minutes.

'Done!'

"Ugh!"

Leffrey barely managed to open the door with a body slam.

Professor Klein was looking at him

with a surprised expression.

"Amazing."

"Huff, huff..."

Leffrey regretted it.

He would never, ever do this again.

'Wow... even as an angel, enduring for 3 minutes is this hard. I really shouldn't have chosen it.'

There was a reason why adults told you not to do certain things.

Professor Klein still couldn't hide his surprised expression and whispered to Leffrey.

"Would you perhaps be interested in working in our lab..."

"...What are you talking about all of a sudden? I'm not even an academy student yet?"

"Talents who can endure the white room for 3 minutes are truly rare. We have a lot of experiments related to divine power that have been put on hold..."

"Wait, you're saying you need me as a test subject. What on earth are you talking about..."

He wanted to swear, but Leffrey couldn't.

'I can't even swear after becoming an angel.'

That's right. It was one of the minor characteristics of angels.

How could he, representing the heavens, dare utter vulgar words?

There was no point in complaining. Still, it wasn't like he gained nothing. He leveled up, slightly increasing his HP and magic, and also gained a new Angelic Ability.

This Angelic Ability, to be precise.

Blessing of the Power Angel who Graced the King (Angelic Ability) Lv.1

In the past, people anointed(smeared) objects with fragrant oil to make them sacred and even blessed people. And when referring to someone with royal authority, they indirectly call them "the anointed(Graced) one."

That's right. The heavenly fragrant oil poured by an angel is a powerful blessing, enough to bestow royal authority upon a person. From now on, you can obtain this heavenly fragrant oil by consuming power.

Spread that light throughout the world.

'Angelic Abilities are activated by consuming Angelic Power.'

'Hmm, a blessing-type skill, huh? My current position is closer to a healer, so a blessing skill like this... not bad.'

Leffrey tried using the newly acquired Angelic Ability.

A transparent oil gathered in the boy's hand.

'Wow, it smells good... should I try it?'

Lick- It had a nutty and sweet taste that stimulated his appetite.

'If I make bibimbap with this, it would be absolutely delicious. And I could fry eggs with this oil too.'

...Leffrey was lightly committing blasphemy.

*

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*

The second test was nearing its end.

About half of the candidates had disappeared again.

Leffrey was disappointed that he couldn't get Professor Klein's recommendation letter, but he decided not to dwell on it.

'I barely endured for 3 minutes. 5 minutes? I would have really died.'

One had to know how to give up cleanly. Especially when you’re life was on the line.

"There are about 4 people left now. I'll give you 20 more minutes, so please decide whether you want to give up or take the test."

4 people. Leffrey looked at them with the feeling of a victor who had already taken a beating. He couldn't recognize the other 3, but he could recognize one.

'Soya...'

To think that Soya wouldn't pass the test again. Where had that overwhelming magical genius from the future gone... leaving only this girl who didn't know what to do?

Leffrey could understand.

'In the end, Soya failed the Central Superhuman Academy entrance exam. This is the only academy that provides tuition support, so Soya won't be able to attend an academy.'

If Soya had received an education from good professors at a good academy, she would have become even stronger than the Black Magic Princess of the future.

The Soya of the future had no time to research magic because she was busy paying off the ridiculous debt she owed to a large guild and being forced to do illegal things for them. Therefore, it was only natural that her progress was slow.

'To think her progress was that slow even then...'

Leffrey naturally had to help her.

For the sake of hunting the demon king.

And for the sake of Angelic Power.

"Soya."

"...Why?"

Soya looked at him with a slightly wary expression. Leffrey found it a bit cute how she pulled down the brim of her hat as if she found it difficult to look at him.

"Did you take the test?"

"...Not yet."

Soya suddenly changed her attitude. She hid her fear and shouted confidently,

"Don't get the wrong idea. I can pass too. I'm just taking the rational approach of gathering as much information about the test as possible from the people who go in before me."

"I know."

"Then get lost. Don't interfere with my information gathering."

It was strange.

She wanted help more than anyone, so why was she talking like that?

When Leffrey pretended to leave, her hand twitched and reached towards him. But when Leffrey turned around, she immediately pretended not to notice and

"Hmm, I see. That room's parameters..."

She started muttering the same things over and over.

Leffrey felt a bit guilty.

'What am I doing, acting like this as an adult? I should stop teasing her.'

Leffrey looked at Soya and said,

"Soya, how do you make the color black with paints?"

As soon as she heard those words, Soya looked down at Leffrey with an annoyed expression. She seemed... very happy about something.

"What? You don't even know that while taking the Central Academy exam? Black is made by mixing red, yellow, and blue in equal proportions..."

Their eyes fell on the red room, the yellow room, and the blue room. But there was no black room among them.

Naturally, Soya was a black mage with a very high affinity for dark magic.

For Soya to pass this test, she needed a room where dark magic was the main component.

"...I see."

Soya muttered.

[Enlightening a future hero is a truly angelic act!]

[You have acquired a large amount of Angelic Power!]