Was He a Backdoor Entrant?

"This is Mr. Skuton, and he'll be your future mentor—assuming you manage to get into Tingen University."

At last, the woman brought their earlier discussion to a close. Smiling, she pointed to the man who had just entered.

Lynch immediately turned to look.

The mentor was a man with a walrus moustache. He seemed good-natured, spoke gently, and had a worldly air about him. It was clear the headmistress hadn't let her bias get in the way of finding Lynch a reasonable mentor.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Skuton. I hope we'll get along well in our discussions."

Lynch promptly reached out and shook his hand.

The headmistress still looked eager to continue their discussion, so Lynch quickly said goodbye to her and left with Mr. Skuton.

He could talk things over with her again once he'd thought of more arguments. For now, all he wanted was to study in peace.

"When I arrived, I heard Stephanie joking with you. That's incredible! We teachers always thought she didn't know how to smile. You're not a younger relative of hers, are you?"

Mr. Skuton regarded Lynch curiously.

Lynch immediately waved his hands.

He had nothing to do with that woman. He'd only learned her name was Stephanie from Mr. Skuton.

"She was just discussing a question with me."

Lynch offered an explanation, and Mr. Skuton winked at him.

"Right, no connection at all. Just discussing a question. She told you not to say anything, didn't she? Don't worry, I'll keep it secret!"

Lynch stared at him, dumbfounded.

"I really have nothing to do with her!"

"I believe you!"

Mr. Skuton assured Lynch, with absolute conviction, that he believed him. Then he asked where Lynch lived. He explained that Lynch needed quite a few things, and there wasn't enough time to get them today. He'd sort everything out when he got home and send it to Lynch once it was ready.

The mentor also warmly told Lynch that he had several friends who met regularly. If Lynch had time, he could come to the university to see him on Friday evenings, and Mr. Skuton would take him along to meet the other teachers.

Mr. Skuton hinted that the teachers had been discussing this year's Tingen University entrance exam.

Lynch's expression turned to shock.

Wait, even universities had shortcuts?

Was he the kind of person who took shortcuts?

Was he someone who used the back door?

Well, yes, he was!

Lynch immediately stopped trying to explain his relationship with Miss Stephanie. Instead, he hinted that he'd put in a good word for Mr. Skuton with the headmistress. He wasn't sure how much that would help, but he'd definitely bring it up the next time he saw Stephanie!

Mr. Skuton was so delighted that he could barely close his mouth. He even took Lynch to the university dining hall for a meal, claiming it would help him get familiar with the place.

By the time Lynch finally returned to Daffodil Street, feeling thoroughly satisfied, it was already half past one in the afternoon.

Back in his room, he first greeted Klein, making sure to show his face openly and explain his current situation. Klein listened with envy written all over his face.

The original Klein had graduated from Khoy University, across from Tingen University. Lynch, meanwhile, was only one step away from getting into Tingen University!

But Klein soon set his jealousy aside.

He still had his cheat.

He had Above the Gray Fog, and his Tarot Club!

That was definitely something Lynch couldn't compete with.

Klein was so pleased with himself that when Lynch asked him to pay for his lunch that day, he handed the money over without hesitation.

Klein gave Lynch one pound a week for food, which included one lunch.

Since Lynch hadn't eaten Klein's lunch, he obviously had to pay him back.

With one soli and five pence in hand, Lynch happily returned to his room.

He had to admit, ever since moving to Daffodil Street, he felt like he had a bigger appetite. Maybe the surroundings were giving him a boost.

Lynch lay down in his room and took out two books.

Mr. Skuton had recommended that he read these two books first over the next couple of days.

Like other universities, Tingen University was easy to get into but hard to graduate from.

But even getting in was very difficult compared to other schools. For one thing, the textbooks used to set the exam changed every year. The question formats were often revised, and the subjects tested varied as well.

This year, Mr. Skuton had told him, these two books were absolutely essential.

As for the other exam materials, he'd lend them to Lynch after Lynch had understood these two.

Lynch opened a book and noticed that some passages had been marked as important. Clearly, Mr. Skuton was putting in the effort to get promoted.

Lynch shook his head with a laugh and began reading carefully from the first page.

The more he read, the more his head hurt.

After graduating, he'd barely read any physical books. He could hardly get through them.

Still, he forced himself to keep his eyes on the page. As long as he didn't let his mind wander, he was sure he'd gradually understand it.

Besides, there were no phones in this era to distract him. He had nothing to do besides read. He didn't even smoke. He couldn't think of anything else to do.

Perhaps Mr. Skuton had taken his education into account. Lynch found that one of the books was very basic, while the other built on it and was more difficult.

That was so considerate of him.

Still, there were things Lynch didn't understand, so he took out a notebook and began writing them down. He planned to ask Mr. Skuton about them on Friday evening. He could also write to him, of course, but things were clearly easier to explain face-to-face than on paper.

Lynch read and took notes. He didn't know how much time had passed when the Stone of Myriad Phenomena suddenly started twitching.

He checked the time. Three in the afternoon.

The Tarot Club had begun.

With Lynch's permission, the Stone of Myriad Phenomena began frantically absorbing energy.

This time was different from the first.

The first time, the Stone of Myriad Phenomena had only absorbed energy for a minute or two before Sefirah Castle noticed.

This time, it absorbed energy for a full five minutes before Sefirah Castle reacted.

A force attacked the Stone of Myriad Phenomena. Lynch was just beginning to worry when he felt that force disappear too.

Incredible. This thing could even devour the force attacking it!

Sefirah Castle didn't seem to have caught on yet. One force after another came hurtling at the Stone of Myriad Phenomena, and it absorbed every last one.

Only then did Lynch realize the Stone of Myriad Phenomena seemed to know a little about the Art of War.

Whenever Sefirah Castle attacked, the Stone of Myriad Phenomena stopped actively absorbing energy and pretended to be driven back. Then, when it started absorbing energy from Sefirah Castle again, the attacks grew a little weaker, and it waited for Sefirah Castle to send it another meal.

Lynch could barely keep from laughing.

This little thing was really good at this. It had his flair.

But even this trick couldn't keep Sefirah Castle going for long. About thirteen minutes later, Lynch heard Klein cry out in pain. Then the Stone of Myriad Phenomena stopped moving.

Clearly, Sefirah Castle had closed the entrance and kicked Klein out.

"Take it slower next time. Be careful. Steady and gradual wins the race. Don't act like you've never seen energy before. It's embarrassing!"

Grinning, Lynch mentally scolded the Stone of Myriad Phenomena, then stared at all the energy it had absorbed and beamed.