January 15th, 2012 — 7:12 AM
Valos Hall Dormitories
Perspective: Elfie
Knock. Knock.
I groaned, pulling the thick, plush blanket over my head. The bed was too soft, the room was too warm, and the sun was definitely too bright.
Just five more minutes.
"Elfie! Get up!"
Kai's voice drifted through the heavy wooden door. Muffled, but entirely too awake.
"Go away," I mumbled into my pillow, hugging it tighter against my chest. "I need more sleep."
"The introductory ceremony starts in exactly 1 hour," Kai replied flatly. "If you don't open this door soon, I am going without you and telling the instructors you got lost looking for breakfast."
My eyes snapped open.
The ceremony!
I launched myself out of bed, nearly tripping over my own feet in a tangled mess of blankets. I rushed into the washroom, splashing cold water on my face to forcefully drag myself into reality.
I changed quickly, pulling on the crisp white collared shirt, the pleated black skirt, and the cropped jacket with its gold buttons. I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the red criss-cross ribbon tie. I pulled my pink hair back into a high ponytail, tying it off with a sleek white ribbon that perfectly matched the collar.
My bright blue eyes stared back at me in the glass. The gold Solerenne Academy brooch gleamed on my lapel.
I actually look like a student here.
I took a deep breath, grabbed my bag, and threw open the door.
Kai was leaning against the stone wall of the corridor. He wore his uniform perfectly, his dark hair slightly messy, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.
He looked at me, scanning me up and down. "That was fast."
"I'm awake," I said, puffing my cheeks.
He pushed off the wall. "Have you eaten anything?"
I shook my head. "No time. I rushed."
He reached into his pocket and tossed a small cloth pouch at me. I caught it instinctively. I opened the drawstring and peered inside.
Almonds and dried walnuts.
I looked back up at him.
"I bought them at a transit station," Kai said, already walking down the hall. "High calorie density. Good energy. Eat it up."
I trotted to catch up with him, popping an almond into my mouth. I chewed slowly. It was crunchy. And completely devoid of sugar.
"Kai," I whined, pulling on his sleeve. "I want a pastry. Or a waffle. Something sweet."
"After the ceremony," he said, not breaking his stride.
"But I need sugar to function! My brain is running on empty!" I pouted, exaggerating a limp as I walked beside him. "I'm going to collapse during the director's speech. Is that what you want? You want me to faint on the first day?"
"I'll catch you," Kai replied smoothly. "And then I'll feed you more almonds while you're unconscious."
"You're evil."
"I'm kind hearted."
We stepped out of the dormitories and joined the stream of students heading toward the Grand Gymnasium.
The sheer scale of it was staggering. The massive domed roof was supported by pillars of polished white marble, illuminated by floating magitek orbs that cast a warm, golden glow over the interior.
The floor was already packed. I looked around, my eyes widening.
We weren't the only ones in uniform. There were hundreds of students here. And they weren't just humans.
I saw a group of Elves standing near the bleachers, their tall, elegant frames draped in the academy black. Not far from them, a pair of Demons with subtle obsidian horns curved back through their hair leaned against a wall. There were Beastkin with twitching feline ears and muscular tails, a few broad-shouldered Dwarfs, and even Dragonics with faint, iridescent scales lining their jaws. Even Fairies were here.
"There are so many," I whispered, sticking close to Kai.
"They all received the same letters we did," Kai said, scanning the crowd.
The noise level was immense. Some students were laughing and boasting, while others stood alone, radiating tense, nervous energy. We found a quiet spot near the middle of the crowd, waiting.
As the clock struck 8:00 AM, a deep, resonant chime echoed through the gymnasium.
The chatter died instantly.
A group of adults walked onto the raised platform at the front of the hall. They wore immaculate, sweeping robes indicating their status: deans, department heads, senior professors, and elite instructors.
At the very front stood a man who commanded the room just by existing.
He was tall, with sharp features and a thick, neatly trimmed beard. His piercing eyes swept over the students like a hawk analyzing a field of mice. The aura around him was suffocating, heavy with raw, condensed mana.
Director Valerius Vane.
"Welcome," his voice boomed, amplified perfectly by the acoustics of the room. It wasn't loud, but it demanded absolute silence.
"To the Solerenne Academy of Sorcery."
I felt a shiver run down my spine. Beside me, Kai's expression didn't change, but his posture shifted slightly, bracing himself.
"You stand here today because you were chosen," Valerius continued, his gaze sweeping the crowd. "Each of the 120 of you was personally invited. Hand-picked by our scouts and recommended by the greatest instructors across the empire. You are here because you represent the apex of your generation."
"Academic intelligence. Physical dominance. Exceptional magical affinities."
A wave of pride rippled through the students around us. Shoulders straightened. Chins lifted.
Valerius's eyes narrowed. "But do not let that pride blind you."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"The goal of this academy is not to coddle talent," the Director declared, his voice hard. "Our purpose is to forge it. To sharpen your gifts to their absolute breaking point. We are here to create the future's leaders. The strongest sorcerers. The saviors of our races for the upcoming calamities that threaten this world."
He stepped closer to the edge of the platform.
"Look at the history of this institution. Over the centuries, beyond thousands of students have walked these halls. Our grading is a true meritocracy. It cares nothing for your noble blood, your past achievements, or your wealth. It cares only for your hard work and your absolute talent."
"Nobody who survives this academy does so by being lucky."
Nobody who survives.
I swallowed hard. The pride in the room had vanished, replaced by a suffocating, heavy tension.
"That is why," Valerius said slowly, "we did not require an entrance exam prior to your arrival."
A murmur of confusion rippled through the crowd.
"You were scouted. You were observed," Valerius said, his voice rising in volume. "But you have not yet proven that you are worthy of stepping foot in my classrooms. Therefore, your first assessment begins right now."
Right now? My eyes widened. I looked at Kai. He was staring unblinking at the stage.
"This is the special entrance examination," the Director announced. "A test of both your academic capabilities and your physical prowess. You will compete against the very people standing next to you."
He paused, letting the silence stretch until it was agonizing.
"45 of you will fail this assessment. You will pack your bags and return home in disgrace."
Gasps erupted from the crowd. Students looked at each other, eyes wide with sudden paranoia and fear.
"Only 75 of the total 120 invites will proceed to officially join this academy," Valerius concluded, a dangerous smile touching his lips. "So, I suggest you listen very, very closely to the rules."
A soft chime echoed through the massive hall. From the side doors, academy workers in silver-threaded coats stepped forward, carrying levitating trays. They moved through the crowd with alarming speed, handing a small, sleek artifact to every single student.
I took mine as the worker passed. It was a palm-sized device made of polished mithril and dark runic crystal, glowing with faint blue mana-veins.
"These are Dwarvian Phones," Valerius's voice boomed. "Indestructible for the duration of this exam. They will act as your pairing relays, your test sheets, and your combat monitors. Look at them."
I tapped the smooth crystal surface. It flared to life, projecting a crisp holographic display.
[Student ID: 00114 - Elfina]
I glanced over at Kai. He was holding his, turning it slightly to show me.
[Student ID: 00115 - Kaiser Everhart]
"The examination consists of two pillars," the Director explained, holding up two fingers. "Academia and Combat. You each possess two lives—one in each pillar. To remain in this academy, you must secure at least one victory. Save one life, and you advance. Fail both, and you are eliminated."
Two lives. Academia and Combat. If I fail the written test, I have to win a physical fight. If I lose the fight, I have to pass the written test. I gripped my Phone. That's fair. But it's brutal.
"The academic and physical exams will take place tomorrow," Valerius stated. "Today, you will only do one thing: find your opponent."
He lowered his hand. The Phone shifted, projecting a massive timer set to 60 seconds.
"In a few moments, your Phone will calculate your merit-based pairings using the data our scouts collected on you. Stronger candidates will generally face stronger opponents. This is deliberate. Once your opponent is displayed, you will have exactly 60 seconds to decide whether to Accept the match, or Skip."
Skip? We can choose not to fight them?
"You may use the skip function twice," the Director clarified, his eyes gleaming with predatory approval. "However, skipping forces the system to assign you a completely random opponent. The student you skipped will automatically be granted a full win and advance safely. After two skips, your third pairing is permanent."
It's a psychological trap. My mind raced, analyzing the layers of the rule. If I get paired with someone terrifying, I can skip. But the next person could be worse. And the person I skip gets a free pass! It's a gamble of cowardice versus confidence.
"Tomorrow morning, the Academic Phase begins," Valerius continued, commanding the silence of the room. "A 100-question examination spanning six core disciplines: Celestial Magic, Cursed Arts, Elemental Mastery, Arcan Mathematics, Arcane Sciences, and Geographic & Ley Line Studies. You will have 90 minutes."
I let out a slow breath. Celestial magic and elemental mastery I know. Arcan mathematics? I'm going to fail that entirely.
"But be warned," Valerius said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper that still carried perfectly. "10 of those questions are deliberately unsolvable. Crafted with paradoxes or incomplete runes. If you answer an impossible question, you will lose 0.5 points. If you correctly leave all ten blank, you will receive a massive bonus of 5 points. This tests your intellectual humility. Hubris kills far more often than ignorance in the real world."
Answering wrong hurts you. Leaving the impossible ones blank rewards you. I bit my lip, staring up at him. He's testing if we know our own limits.
"Immediately following the academic phase, you will engage in the Combat Phase," Valerius declared. "10 minutes in our underground arenas. All magic, weapons, and artifacts are permitted. The Orb will enforce safety wards to prevent death, but nothing else. Yield, or incapacitate your opponent."
The silence in the gymnasium was absolute. The students were frozen, calculating their odds, staring at their Phones with mounting dread.
Director Valerius Vane paused, letting the weight of the rules settle. A faint, almost amused smile touched his lips. He raised his hand one last time, and the gymnasium lights dimmed slightly.
"One final rule," he announced. "The Alliance Clause—also known as the Cheat Format."
A ripple of confused, shocked murmurs spread through the crowd.
"Academic excellence alone does not define a sorcerer," Valerius said, his tone commanding. "In the real world, facing world-ending calamities, raw individual intelligence is rarely enough. Pride that refuses collaboration is a fatal flaw. Therefore, during the Academic Phase, you may invoke the Alliance Clause once—for exactly one subject."
I stared at the stage, my heart pounding. A cheat format?
"Before the exam begins, you may privately select one other student via your Phone," Valerius explained. "You may ask them to answer one specific subject on your behalf. If they accept, they will gain temporary access to your test for that subject only."
My eyes immediately darted to Kai. He could do Arcan Mathematics for me!
But Valerius wasn't finished. His dangerous smile widened.
"However, the Alliance Clause is reciprocal. If you ask a student to write for you, your Phone will automatically assign one random subject for you to write on their behalf. You will be forced to assist them in return."
A collective gasp echoed through the hall.
"This creates genuine risk," Valerius said heavily. "A weaker student may drag down their stronger partner. A reckless alliance could collapse your entire score. Those who choose wisely may secure a decisive edge. Choose your allies carefully. Betrayal, incompetence, or arrogance will be punished by the results themselves."
He stepped back, his imposing figure casting a long shadow across the platform.
"Your pairings will commence shortly. Begin."
The Director stepped back. The massive timer above began counting down from 60.
"What do you think?"
"It's a meat grinder. But there are loopholes."
"Loopholes? He literally just said 45 of us are going home."
"Read between the lines, Elfie. Two lives. You only need one to advance."
"So?"
"So, sacrificing one life to completely secure the other is a valid strategy. If you know you're going to lose the physical combat, you don't fight. You yield immediately, save your energy, and use the Alliance Clause to guarantee your academic life."
"That's... actually really smart."
"Also, the skip function. It's not just a trap. It's a sacrificial mechanic."
"Sacrificial?"
"If two people are friends, and one is weaker, the stronger one can deliberately get paired with them, or manipulate the randomizer, and skip. It burns a skip for the strong one, but automatically grants a full win to the weaker one. It guarantees their survival."
"You are not doing that for me."
"I didn't say I was."
"Kai! You're not thinking about yourself! If you burn a skip, you get a completely random opponent! What if they're terrifying?"
"Elfie, look at me. I'm incredibly lucky. The universe likes me. I'll probably get paired with someone who has asthma and a severe fear of loud noises."
"You are not lucky! You trip over flat surfaces!"
"That was one time, and the floor was visibly uneven."
Chime.
The Phones vibrated violently in our hands. The sixty-second pairing window had opened.
I looked down at Kai's screen.
The holographic display generated a massive, glowing profile.
[Opponent: 00001 - Rose Valentine]
[Overall Evaluation: 100/100]
[Physical Strength: 98/100] [S]
[Magical Capacity: 99/100] [S]
[Magical Control: 100/100] [S]
[Combat Experience: 96/100] [S]
[Tactical Intellect: 97/100] [S]
[Academic Knowledge: 100/100] [S]
[Mana Affinity: 99/100] [S]
[Mental Fortitude: 98/100] [S]
[Social Skills: 100/100] [S]
[Survival Instinct: 95/100] [S]
Silence stretched between us. I slowly looked over to Kai's profile on the screen.
[Overall Evaluation: 12/100]
[Physical Strength: 15/100] [F]
[Magical Capacity: 0/100] [F]
[Magical Control: 0/100] [F]
[Combat Experience: 6/100] [F]
[Tactical Intellect: 25/100] [E]
[Academic Knowledge: 30/100] [E]
[Mana Affinity: 12/100] [F]
[Mental Fortitude: 22/100] [E]
[Social Skills: 10/100] [F]
[Survival Instinct: 18/100] [F]
I stared at the glowing F's. I looked at Kai.
"Asthma and a fear of loud noises, huh?" I asked drily.
Kai's expression didn't change, but his finger hovered rapidly over the screen. "The system is unfair. Clearly."
Before he pressed the button, I felt a sudden weight in the air. I looked across the massive gymnasium. Through the sea of hundreds of students, Rose Valentine was looking directly at us. Her piercing blue eyes were locked onto Kai. She offered a small, terrifyingly polite smile.
Kai didn't even blink. He slammed the [SKIP] button.
The screen flashed red.
[Match Skipped. Penalty applied. Generating Random Opponent. Wait for now.]
Chime.
My Phone lit up. I immediately pulled it to my chest, staring at the holographic display.
[Opponent: 00042 - Leena Grelynn]
[Overall Evaluation: 72/100]
[Physical Strength: 82/100] [A]
[Magical Capacity: 80/100] [A]
[Magical Control: 78/100] [B]
[Combat Experience: 85/100] [A]
[Tactical Intellect: 70/100] [B]
[Academic Knowledge: 72/100] [B]
[Mana Affinity: 82/100] [A]
[Mental Fortitude: 82/100] [A]
[Social Skills: 50/100] [C]
[Survival Instinct: 75/100] [B]
I compared it to my own.
[Overall Evaluation: 68/100]
[Physical Strength: 42/100] [D]
[Magical Capacity: 88/100] [A]
[Magical Control: 85/100] [A]
[Combat Experience: 48/100] [C]
[Tactical Intellect: 72/100] [B]
[Academic Knowledge: 86/100] [A]
[Mana Affinity: 89/100] [A]
[Mental Fortitude: 80/100] [A]
[Social Skills: 90/100] [S]
[Survival Instinct: 65/100] [B]
"She's older," I muttered. "And physically stronger. But I might have an edge in raw mana."
"A balanced match," Kai noted, leaning over. "Merit-based pairing working exactly as intended."
Chime.
Kai's Phone flashed green. His random opponent had been assigned.
[Opponent: 00088 - Rigel Ravin]
[Overall Evaluation: 60/100]
[Physical Strength: 62/100] [C]
[Magical Capacity: 58/100] [C]
[Magical Control: 55/100] [C]
[Combat Experience: 60/100] [C]
[Tactical Intellect: 64/100] [C]
[Academic Knowledge: 58/100] [C]
[Mana Affinity: 60/100] [C]
[Mental Fortitude: 65/100] [C]
[Social Skills: 55/100] [C]
[Survival Instinct: 61/100] [C]
The picture showed a boy, roughly a year older than Kai. He had messy brown hair, intense eyes, and a broad, highly muscular physical build that looked like it belonged to a seasoned mercenary, not a student.
His stats were overwhelmingly average—straight C's across the board. But compared to Kai's absolute sea of E's and F's, Rigel looked like a minor god of war.
"Why is the ranking so unfair?" I hissed, genuinely annoyed. "He outclasses you in literally everything!"
"I skipped merit-based," Kai said calmly, pocketing his hands. "Random means random. I gave up the right to a fair fight the second I skipped the princess. I have no choice now."
"You're going to get crushed!"
"Hello there."
I jumped, spinning around.
Standing right behind us were two people. The tall, green-haired Elf with the piercing eyes, and the broad-shouldered boy with the mercenary build.
Leena Grelynn and Rigel Ravin.
Rigel offered a casual, slightly apologetic wave.
"Hi," he said.
I stared at them, completely caught off guard. Up close, Rigel's broad shoulders were even more imposing, while Leena practically radiated energy, shifting her weight from side to side in a lazy but cheerful rhythm. They looked like an upgraded, superior version of me and Kai.
"Sorry to sneak up on you," Leena said, her voice bright. She gave a loose, stretching wave. "I'm Leena Grelynn. This big guy is Rigel Ravin. We're from the same village, scouted together. Best friends, basically." Her vibrant green eyes flicked between me and Kai. "It looks like you two are friends too."
"We are," I said quickly, recovering from my shock. "Elfie. And this is Kaiser. But you... you guys are our opponents."
"Only on paper!" Leena said with a grin, leaning forward. "I noticed your [Mana Affinity] is super high. Celestial magic, right? I use high-tier wind magic. We could do some crazy spell combinations."
"You really think so?" I beamed, instantly warming up to her despite the situation.
"Yeah, about the exam," Leena continued like she was sharing a secret. "There's a loophole."
I blinked. "A loophole?"
"Director Valerius was testing our patience," Rigel explained, his voice calm and intensely focus-driven. "The pairings weren't completely simultaneous. They were staggered. He generated them from the top down. I watched the crowd's reactions. The absolute best students were assigned first."
He gestured vaguely toward the center of the hall. "First, the girl with blonde hair, Rose Valentine. Then a boy with a serious, mean look and green eyes—"
"He had similar eyes to me, but I'm definitely cuter," Leena interrupted, tossing her braided hair.
Rigel ignored her gracefully and continued. "Then a person with golden eyes who hasn't made a single facial expression yet. Odd people. The point is, the 60-second window was a trap to force panic skips."
I frowned, trying to keep up. "But the timer..."
"The timer only forces the first interaction," Rigel said, sounding like an absolute genius connecting invisible dots. "Like the ten fake academic questions, some rules here walk a very thin line. We can still skip a student anytime after the window closes if both parties mutually agree. But we don't even need to do that."
He looked at me, then at Kai.
"We can work together," Rigel stated simply. "If we cooperate, we can both win."
"How?" I asked, completely drawn in.
"The rules state you only need one life to survive. Academia or Combat," Rigel said. "If one side intentionally fails the academic phase, and the other side intentionally yields the physical combat, both sides secure exactly one life. We ensure all of us survive. It's a game of cooperating, not fighting."
My eyes widened. I felt a surge of ecstatic relief. Compared to Kai's blunt, bland explanation earlier, Rigel's detailed breakdown felt like absolute brilliance.
Rigel found the loophole before Kai even had a chance to react, or rather, before Kai fell for the timer trap and skipped Rose Valentine. Rigel is really smart. The analysis Kaiser did earlier was so superficial and broad, just on the surface level—even I understood it easily. But Rigel's analysis was precise, calculated, and much smarter. Is Rigel actually smarter than Kai?
I glanced between them. Rigel certainly looked the part—he was taller, far more muscular, and carried himself with a quiet, focus-driven confidence. Kaiser just stood there, slouching slightly, looking completely unremarkable.
Why is Kai so quiet? And how can his stats be so low? Back at the orphanage, he used to read those massive, dusty graduate-level magic books and explain high-level magical theory to me like it was child's play. He knew the complex mathematical layouts of ancient spells. Yet his academic knowledge stat on the Phone is a 30. A failing grade. Maybe his terrible physical stats are real—he is lazy, after all—but the academic scores don't make sense. It's so odd.
Either way, it's a perfect plan. No one gets hurt. No one gets sent home.
Leena leaned over, peering at Kai, who had been standing completely silent with his hands in his pockets.
"Why isn't he speaking?" Leena asked, tilting her head.
"I'm just a little shy," Kai replied, his tone perfectly flat.
Rigel rubbed the back of his neck, looking slightly apologetic. "I actually saw his stats on the screen for a while. I was... shocked. To be honest, I'm surprised he even received an invitation."
I felt a sudden, hot flash of irritation. I stepped slightly in front of Kai. "Excuse me?"
Rigel quickly raised his hands. "I'm sorry! I apologize. It was just surprising, that's all. The physical and magical traits were... very low."
Kai didn't look offended. He just tilted his head slightly. "I wonder what merit they were based off."
"I was wondering the same thing," Rigel said, his brow furrowing slightly.
He extended his hand toward Kai, while Leena offered hers to me.
"Let's cooperate," Rigel said firmly. "Work with us, and the four of us will survive and enter the academy."
I smiled broadly and shook Leena's hand. Kai pulled a hand from his pocket and shook Rigel's.
It's the perfect plan, I thought, my heart soaring. If we cooperate, we can't lose or be kicked out.
But as I stepped back, I noticed Kai's eyes. They were locked onto Rigel and Leena. He wasn't smiling. His gaze was terrifyingly calm, analytical, tearing through the layers of the interaction as if he was reading something completely beyond my perception.
Kai is always like that.
Leena clapped her hands together, breaking the tension instantly.
"So!" she beamed. "Do you guys wanna go out for breakfast?"