The next morning, I got up early and prepared for the next phase of the entrance exam.
The written test.
As someone who had already read the novel, I knew this part would be a breeze.
I practically knew half the answers already.
After getting dressed, I stepped out into the academy corridors.
The halls were massive, built from polished white stone veined with silver, with towering pillars stretching toward ceilings so high they disappeared into shadow. Sunlight streamed through enormous glass windows, painting the floor in gold.
Students moved everywhere.
Some walked in groups, whispering nervously.
Some tried to review notes one last time.
Others wore confident smiles that looked a little too forced.
I barely paid attention to any of them.
How many of them would survive the future that was coming?
How many would still be smiling in a few years?
I kept walking.
Soon, I arrived at the examination hall.
And even I paused for a moment.
It was enormous.
Larger than most stadiums.
Rows upon rows of desks stretched so far ahead they almost blended together, arranged with perfect precision in a descending pattern like an arena. Elevated balconies ringed the walls above, where proctors and academy staff could oversee every student at once.
The ceiling arched like a cathedral, painted with scenes of ancient battles and heroes of the past. Massive chandeliers of crystal mana-light floated overhead, illuminating the room brighter than daylight.
At the very front stood a raised platform with a single desk.
The supervisor's seat.
"…Hm."
I suppose everyone takes it together.
I checked my assigned number and made my way through the endless rows until I found my designated seat.
Then I sat down.
I wonder who's going to sit next to me.
I got the answer quickly.
Not even five minutes later, someone pulled out the chair beside me and sat down.
Black hair.
Cold blue eyes.
An expression like he'd never smiled once in his life.
And those eyes were already on me.
Not even trying to hide it.
My eyebrow twitched.
…Out of everyone, it had to be Silver.
On my other side—
A soft shuffle.
I glanced over.
Mhm?
She seems quite weak.
A girl with short black hair and onyx eyes carefully took the seat beside me, clutching her papers like they might run away.
She looked completely panicked.
How did she survive the first phase?
Then our eyes met.
She immediately blushed and straightened up.
"A-ah…"
Hm?
"N-nothing! I-I'm Clara."
I smiled lightly.
"Nice to meet you, Cadet Clara. I'm Noctis."
Her face somehow became even redder.
"A-ah… y-you're rank two…"
"I suppose I am."
Before she could answer, the room suddenly quieted.
A woman entered from the front.
Long blonde hair.
Sharp green eyes.
Every step measured.
She carried herself with the kind of authority that silenced thousands without needing to say a word.
"I am Emma Hawthorne."
"The supervisor for this exam."
Her gaze swept across the hall once.
"You will be provided with 300 questions."
A pause.
"You will have 150 minutes to solve them."
Several people gasped immediately.
Emma's expression didn't change.
"Relax."
"To enter the academy, you only need 100 correct answers."
The tension eased—slightly.
"Time is of the essence."
"Skip the questions you cannot answer, and return to them later."
Her eyes sharpened.
"We begin in two minutes."
The room erupted into frantic page shuffling and muttering.
Beside me, Clara whispered quietly.
"Good luck."
Hm?
I glanced at her and smiled.
"Yeah."
"You too."
Emma raised a hand.
"Begin."
—
"Phew…"
It's finally over.
I leaned back in my seat and stretched my shoulders as students all around the hall let out groans, sighs, or the sounds of people whose souls had just left their bodies.
That last question though…
Was that really in the novel?
I glanced back at the final page of the exam.
Question 300:
A third-circle mage possesses dual affinities of water and lightning. Their mana core rotates at 14 pulses per second while maintaining an external barrier spell with a drain rate of 3.2 units per second. During combat, they attempt to simultaneously cast Tempest Veil (requires rotational synchronization of both affinities at a 3:5 ratio) while stabilizing a fractured mana pathway in the left arm.
Given the following conditions:
Base mana reserve: 870 units
Internal regeneration rate: 1.8 units/sec
Pathway fracture reduces channeling efficiency by 27%
Water affinity lowers thermal backlash by 18%
Lightning affinity increases burst output by 35% but destabilizes flow after 9 seconds
Core pulse drops by 0.6 per second after exceeding 80% output
Barrier spell cannot fall below 1.4 units/sec without collapse
Tempest Veil requires a minimum stable pulse frequency of 9.5/sec
If synchronization ratio deviates by more than 0.4, spell implosion occurs
Tasks:
1. Determine the maximum safe duration Tempest Veil can be maintained.
2. Calculate the remaining mana reserve at termination.
3. Propose an alternate circulation route using secondary shoulder meridians and estimate efficiency loss.
4. Explain whether converting the lightning stream into segmented pulse-casting would increase survivability.
5. If the mage forcefully overclocks the core to 18 pulses/sec for 4 seconds, determine the probability of core cracking assuming prior stress accumulation of 41%.
…
What kind of psycho writes this for entrance students?
Even I had stared at it for a solid minute.
"Haah… whatever."
A cold voice spoke from beside me.
"How many questions did you attempt?"
My eyes shifted sideways.
Silver.
Hm?
I thought he'd be mad at me for eliminating him.
I answered casually.
"I attempted 299 out of 300."
His blue eyes widened—just slightly.
A reaction most people would miss.
"…I see."
Then he stood.
And simply walked out.
Just like that.
No threat.
No hostility.
No dramatic speech.
U-um…"
A timid voice came from my other side.
I turned.
Clara was clutching her papers again.
"Do you know the heir of the Ryker family?"
"Hm? Silver?"
"Uh… no, I don't."
"O-oh."
She hesitated.
"Um… how was the exam for you?"
I shrugged.
"Hm. I suppose it was pretty good."
She smiled in relief.
"Me too."
"I think I was too paranoid."
Soon, a loud irritated voice echoed from the front.
"You moron! Time is up—just hand it over!"
Everyone turned.
Emma Hawthorne was standing over a boy with golden hair who was still writing furiously.
"Oh come on, miss~ just give me a bit more time."
He looked up and grinned lazily.
"Also… you should smile more. You're quite beautiful."
A vein visibly appeared on Emma's forehead.
"HAND. IT. OVER."
"…Hm."
Do I know him?
Well, whatever.
I stood and left the hall.
—
"Snore… zzzz…"
Elsewhere.
A girl slowly woke from her sleep.
Purple hair spread messily across the desk beneath her.
She blinked once.
Then twice.
"…Did I have something important today?"
A yawn escaped her.
"…Whatever."
"I'm sleeping."
She dropped her head back onto the desk instantly.
This was Alyssa Croft.
Exam Score:
0 / 300