Chapter 410: The Exam Begins
On the day of the entrance exam, Inif handed a badge to Yuliya.
“This badge proves your eligibility for the exam. Just follow the academy’s instructions when the time comes. I’ll head in first, and I’ll wait for you at the door when it’s close to your turn.”
With that, Inif strutted through the academy’s gates and vanished inside.
Meanwhile, Yuliya was in a room beside the academy’s entrance, where the entrance exam was set to take place.
With three days still to go until the official start of classes, most of the assembled crowd consisted of those participating in the entrance exam.
Yuliya scanned the room and saw mostly young faces.
Full of youthful vigor, the youngest among them appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen, and the oldest was barely twenty.
All of them were within the Gold Level range of power.
At such a young age, combined with that level of skill, one could say they were almost freaks of nature.
Getting a chance to take the entrance exam for Saint Felis Academy was no walk in the park; they had all gone through multiple rounds of selection before arriving here.
After all, just gaining entry into Saint Felis Academy is already a prestigious honor.
Once they graduated, they’d undoubtedly reach Emerald Level status, and their combat abilities would have a noticeable edge over typical Emerald Level graduates, increasing their odds of breaking into Legendary Level later.
Graduates of the academy would be adored no matter where they went, enjoying special privileges.
And these folks were merely candidates for the entrance exam; there were even more who got direct admission due to their exceptional talents.
“Seems like Saint Felis Academy is quite the place,” Yuliya thought to herself.
As she observed the others, she noticed many eyes gravitating toward her too.
Well, it couldn’t be helped—she stood out like a sore thumb among them.
“She’s really young, huh…”
“Can someone so small really be here? Doesn’t look like she came with anyone either.”
“Not necessarily. Who knows what race she belongs to? I’ve heard some races look like little girls even after hundreds or thousands of years!”
Yuliya felt a hashtag forming on her forehead, but she kept up a polite smile.
What’s wrong with looking like a little girl? It’s a fantastic vibe!
The crowd continued whispering among themselves, but nobody dared to approach her.
Yuliya didn’t mind; let them gossip!
Finally, the side door swung open, and someone called out, “Candidates, please line up and enter through the four checkpoints for verification. After entering, the exam won’t start immediately, so don’t worry.”
“Non-candidate personnel, please wait outside.”
At this, everyone neatly formed a line.
With all of them being Gold Level practitioners, the order was impeccable.
When it was Yuliya’s turn, the examiner took her badge and waved it over a desk, which displayed Yuliya’s registration details.
“11 years old, beginning Gold Level? From the Lysetti Kingdom…”
Nearby, another examiner peeked at the information and asked with a hint of confusion, “Reaching Gold Level at 11? With this kind of talent, you should have been recommended for admission!”
“Ah, I didn’t break through earlier. By the time I hit Gold Level, the recommendation slots were already filled, so I thought I’d give this a shot,” Yuliya replied, sticking to her rehearsed excuse.
The two nodded in understanding and had her touch a crystal ball to confirm her Gold Level status, before granting her passage.
However, they deliberately took out Yuliya’s file and called over a person on standby in the distance.
“Hand this to the director.”
With such a prodigious student, a little extra attention doesn’t hurt; it’s an old tradition.
In the aftermath, two more candidates received similar special attention.
Once verification was complete, the door shut, plunging the room into sudden darkness.
The candidates remained calm, focusing on the still-illuminated area in front.
Soon, a figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
“Hello, candidates! I am Okor, a mentor from the Magic Academy of Saint Felis, and I’m the examiner for this entrance exam.”
“Many of you are probably aware of our academy’s traditional entrance exam, but I’ll repeat it just in case.”
“Since once you’re admitted, a lot of what you’ve learned will be tossed out the window and you’ll have to start from scratch, our entrance exam does not test knowledge or combat skills. Instead, we evaluate your adaptability.”
“Regardless of whether you enter the academy or not, you will all undoubtedly have to embark on your own journeys in the future. The ability to adapt is absolutely essential.”
At his words, the candidates began to murmur amongst themselves.
Yuliya smirked to herself.
Now that’s an interesting twist!
In truth, the claim not to test knowledge or combat skills meant that those were well covered on the path to even getting here.
Those who stood in this room had to be knowledgeable and powerful.
Yuliya was quite curious about how they planned to measure adaptability.
After a brief chatter, the students settled down again, and Okor declared, “The rules for this exam are simple: candidates must not harm each other.”
“Now then, let the first round of the exam officially begin!”
Before the candidates could process that, a magic circle suddenly lit up on the ground.
Yuliya recognized it at once—it was a Teleportation Array.
In the next instant, a burst of bright light erupted.
As the brilliance faded, the candidates found themselves in a colossal arena.
According to Inif, the entrance exams spanned two days, with three rounds each day—a total of six sessions overall.
Yuliya was slotted for the first round.
There were nearly a thousand candidates in this round, but they occupied only about a third of the huge arena.
While the candidates debated the examiner’s rules, caught up in confusion, they were hit by another surprise.
Two more Teleportation Arrays lit up at the front and back of the arena.
More people?
Indeed, more beings arrived—but not in a manner anyone anticipated.
Before the white light fully dissipated, two furious roars echoed through the air.
Two enormous heads emerged, displaying fearsome jaws and eyes glowing a haunting blue flame.
Moments later, their full forms were revealed.
A serpent’s tail, a lion’s body, a tiger’s head, and eagle wings.
Measuring over ten meters long and three or four meters tall.
What in the world is that creature?!
“Looks like a beastmen, but it’s a mix of several beast races.”
“No, no! It’s definitely not a beastmen!”
Among the candidates were many from the Beastmen race, who vehemently denied any connection to this creature.
Eventually, a more knowledgeable candidate yelled, “It’s a Chimera! An artificial creature made from various species! I heard there are researches on this at Saint Felis, but I didn’t expect it to actually come to fruition!”
Yuliya narrowed her eyes.
A Chimera? Now that’s a neat concept.
But unfortunately, these two were mere illusions.
Though, compared to regular illusions, these two had physical forms and could actually attack.
And their power? Mid-level Emerald.
In the blink of an eye, the two Chimeras charged towards the cluster of candidates, ready to wreak some chaos!
