Entrance Exams

Resting within the confines of his room, Roy's stomach grumbled like a ferocious lion. He hadn't eaten throughout the whole day and he needed to in order to keep his energy up for tomorrow.

"Ah damn it, I'm feeling too famished and I can't go down there, not after what just happened." He muttered softly to himself, placing his hands on his stomach.

"I'll eat as early as possible tomorrow, that way I'll be able to satisfy my hunger and be in top shape for the exams." He added, retiring swiftly to his bed after changing to his pyjamas. He had grown rather distant from his roommates these days, the major reason was to avoid them asking him questions which would make him lie even more to their faces.

"In due time, you all will understand why I'm doing this." He uttered, trying to convince himself that his heart was in the right place. The following moments, he slept quickly and soundly, his energy was low after expending that much Soul-Energy.

[7:00AM]

[Exam Day]

The day he had been preparing for had finally arrived, not only that but it turned out the rest of the family had plans, so he had to utilize his time carefully. He got up from bed and as usual found the rest of his roommates sleeping, he attended to his personal hygiene and donned his usual clothing, being cladded in the purest black.

"Alright." He left the orphanage swiftly, he didn't want to run into big mom like he did the previous day, questions were bound to arise.

An hour and thirty minutes passed, he arrived at the Heroes Odyssey, the venue of the entrance exams. As expected a large crowd made up of all the candidates and a few spectators including one of the Academy's most esteemed guest, the King of their very own kingdom, King Arthur V.

They were all gathered within a large and spacious hall which originally were used for special events in the academy.

They all had thirty minutes to spare before the exam commenced, this provided the opportunity for them all to get to know each other. After all, if successful accepted into the academy, there was a possibility many amongst them would end up as classmates.

"Hi." A feminine voice reached out to Roy who stood at the back of the crowd, not willing to attract attention to himself.

"Hm?" Focusing his gaze on her, he was swiftly taken aback by her undeniable beauty. Lady Sephrina, a well recognized noble is a vision of elegance and grace, her slender form draped in intricate silk robes that shimmer with every movement. Her cascading ebony hair, adorned with delicate pearls and amethysts, frames a face of porcelain perfection—high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes the color of twilight skies.

"I'm Lady Sephrina, I don't think I've seen you around these parts before, are you new to Azarock?" With a voice that rivaled that of an angel's, she smiled trying to gain insight on Roy's identity.

"No not really, Azarock is where the rich and powerful live, what is someone like me looking for in a place like this?" He said rhetorically, as beautiful as she was he paid no attention to her. His only focus was to take the exams with little or no interaction with royals or nobles.

"Rich and powerful? Are you implying that you are not a noble or a royal? Even with the Soul-Energy I'm sensing from you?" Peaked with curiosity, she interrogated him.

"Who knows."

"I'm just someone with an ambition." He added as he began departing from her, not interested in going further into the conversation.

Lady Sephrina watched with curiosity as he left, she felt disrespected by him walking out on her but there was just something about him that caught her attention. "Wait, will you be participating in this year's entrance exams?" She spoke quickly before he could leave completely.

"Yeah." He replied before completely leaving her side.

"I wonder who he is, he doesn't look or dress like a noble or royal. Is he a commoner? But I could sense his Soul-Energy, is he disguising himself?" Numerous thoughts rushed through her head as she attempted to decipher his identity.

"Greetings, our esteemed guests and candidates." A loud voice resonating from a podium in front of the crowd, echoed throughout the hall.

"You can call me Shun Li, I am a teacher here at HO but for this phase, I am your examiner." Shun Li was a slender and tall man, despite his nature he is feared across the academy, mainly because whenever he is in charge of hosting the exams, half the candidates always ends up failing.

"The exams are scheduled to commence immediately by 9:00am sharp, customarily you are required to be here 30 minutes before the start of the exams. But as a hero time waits for no man! Danger can arise from out of nowhere, what defines a true hero is their ability to adapt quickly to the situation. There are a total of 1000 candidates this year and 700+ have failed to make it thirty minutes before the commencement of the exams, hence they are disqualified." With a strict declaration, Shun Li descended from the podium.

Murmurs began arising swiftly from the crowd, the rumors of Shun Li's strictness appeared to be highly valid.

"I see, the exams had already begun the moment we all woke up. Timing is everything for a hero regardless of how early he is, as long as he made it. That's probably one of the deciding factors that builds a true hero." Roy uttered within his thoughts.

Shun Li ordered for the gates to the academy to be shut in order to prevent the disqualified candidates from gaining access, as of present there were only a total of 250 candidates left.

With Shun Li in charge of the first phase, the numbers were sure to trim even more by a greater margin.

"Let the exams begin." Shun Li spoke, declaring the official start of the Heroes Odyssey entrance exams.