Chapter 60: Evaluation [1]

[[ Daily reminder. Dear, Junior Cadet, Victor Bright, you have less than forty minutes until the start of the evaluation. Please arrive in time at the requested location to complete the final process of your admission into the prestigious institution.

— The Management.]]

I stared at the translucent window screen projected from my bracelet before me and cursed bitterly.

"Shit!"

I was late.

No, not quite.

"I'm fucking late."

I waved my left wrist and quickly shot up to my feet. The white bedsheets placed on my bed next to me fluttered lightly as a result of my sudden actions, but I didn't bother or spare it a glance.

I jerked my head to the sides and swept my dorm room with a glance.

What was I looking for? I had no idea!

I looked down at my body. I was half naked and only wearing a piece of pajamas.

'Pants.'

For now, let's take off the pants.

"Dammit, Meta, why didn't you wake me up earlier?!" I cursed and gritted with clenched teeth as I struggled and wrestled with the soft fabric or my pants that refused to come off!

[I don't know what your talking about. I'm a system, not an alarm clock.] Strangely enough, I could visualise Meta shrug her nonexistent shoulders in my head.

No! No time for useless thoughts. Get your pants off and get naked first-

...that sounded so wrong.

I didn't bother to respond to Meta, and instead focused on quickly getting ready. In time, I was out of those blasted pants of mine and hurriedly went to freshen up.

At the moment, I was currently in a rush to get out of my room for an appointment of some sort. Aegis was very particular about punctuality and keeping to time.

I was careless.

Never once had I thought that I would also have to redo this part of my life since my Transmigration.

Dammit. It was a sincere blunder on my part...

It took me ten minutes to get out of my pajamas, brush my teeth, and roll out of the bath. Then an extra eight minutes to find my pants!

"Shit. Now I can't find my socks..."

Ah, I hate this stage of my life. The waking up early for school and loosing a pair of socks on a late day part.

"Fuck this. {Appraisal}!"

[Skill {Appraisal} level 3 has been activated.] The details of the world the filled my vision changed significantly with various informations and windows popping up.

With a frustrated thought, I dismissed all of those, and instead peered through solid objects to find those dammed socks!

I looked through the roofs, through the walls, and through the floorboards. Eventually, after a blasted couple of minutes I found the location of my hidden socks.

"Meta, how long left do I have before the Evaluation begins?" I asked apprehensively and Meta promptly responded

[Not more than twenty minutes.]

Then she brutally said.

[You won't make it.]

'Fuck you!'

While swearing at my luck, and very supportive system, I believe I made the last finishing touches and quickly headed for the door without looking back.

I was in such a rush to get out quickly that I didn't even bother to straighten my uniform, or fix my messy hair. My bed was undone, and my room was in shambles and litered with pieces of clothes scattered all around, after turning it upside down for searching for my damned socks.

I gave my room one last exasperated look before closing the door shut behind me.

And without a moment notice to waste,

'Run!'

I bolted down the empty hallway.

***

"Ah...how did it come to this? Just where have I gone wrong, Meta?"

Ah, right. It was right from the moment I decided to attend the Academy. Ouuu, then I spoke a lot of hot air, didn't I?

That was one year ago.

Right now I was walking down a long and seemingly grand empty passageway, lined with tall and wide windows on the left that were drapped and covered in burgundy wine curtains. Each piece of curtain was embroidered with a specific design.

It was the academic insignia of Aegis; a resplendent shield donned with a sterliing crown that was swirling with what resembled twinkling stars at the top, and a few other details.

In front of me, leading the way, was a middle aged man with already graying hair. He was wearing a rather high quality and stylish black suit. His graying hair was nearly styled and his back stood straight and tall as he briskly walked forward.

All of this just contributed to giving him a rather respectable and professional bearing. Kind of like those butlers of high level households.

'Ah, he is a butler though.'

I wasn't sure of the details, but yeah, he more or less was.

This middle aged man was assigned to lead me, who barely made it in time for the evaluation, to the room or suite it will be held.

As a result of my my late entry, I was the only one who was currently being led down the empty passage. My back was slightly hunched and my shoulders were stiff.

Was I nervous?

No.

I was unmotivated.

No. It would be more accurate to say...

'I'm exhausted.'

I was burned out.

The energy and stamina I spent panicking and sprinting all the way here from my dorm room had left me an empty and unmotivated shell.

Of course the physical exhaustion was just all in my head. I was an Awakened at the peak of Mortal Rank, a sprint halfway across Campus wouldn't leave me entirely depleted physically.

But I was mentally exhausted anyway.

I glanced at the straight back of the Middle aged butler leading me, and didn't restrain my urge to yawn.

Just then, I heard him say in a crisp and concise voice without turning around.

"The details of the evaluation will be briefed and introduced to you once you have arrived at the location. Until then, I can only wish you the best of luck, and for you to do your best."

'...Even his voice sounds professional.' quite frankly, half of what Mr. Butler said went out the other end of my ear.

But I more or less understood what he was talking about.

In a matter of seconds more, the Middle aged man in a fancy black suit, stopped with poise all of a sudden.

Finally...

"We're here." I heard him say.

...we had arrived.

I languidly raised my gaze and shifted it off the back of the man and stared forward. Just before us, at the end of the long and empty passageway, were two large and exquisite wooden doors.

The two frames stood imposingly, exuding a certain amount and type of pressure.

And behind that door...

'Hmm? There's a lot.' I cocked my head slightly.

I could feel a vast number of various different presence.

The middle aged man who led me here didn't linger on formalities or anything. He briskly walked up to the double doors, and fluently pushed them open before me.

'Welp, I guess this is it.' I restrained a sigh, and instead took in a deep breath. As the doors were pushed open, I could slowly feel a number of gazes converge to my figure.

The doors were pushed entirely open, until the room on the other side was left completely exposed to see. There was large number of people,. students like me, in uniform, who have also come to be evaluated.

They waited and loitered around a large hall with some forming groups, and others leaning against the walls or columns. Inadvertently as the door was pushed open, and as the last, and unexpectedly final person to arrive this late, my single appearance garnered a lot of attention.

Before entering and without making an obvious show of it, I swept my gaze through those I could see already.

There were all sorts of gazes directed at me, and a majority of them were seemingly probing me.

'Checking out the competition, huh." I casually thought, then smiled inwardly.

'That's too bad for you then.' they had no chance of discovering anything from me.

And just as expected, in a second, all of the gazes slowly averted from my figure, some easily disregarding my presence like I wasn't worth the attention.

I didn't mind the sudden cold and aloof looks of dismissal I received, and felt the cold touch of a bronze ring on one of my left fingers before stepping into the room.

The butler glanced at me one last time as I walked past and nodded. Then just as elegantly as he did before, he closed the wooden doors shut behind me.

After that, a middle aged woman rushed up to me with a clipboard in hand.

She had on a pair of thin framed glasses, and her light brown hair was styled neatly in a professional bun. She was wearing a black suit just like the man from before.

She coldly scrutinized me. But, though I said that, her gaze only lingered for less than two seconds before disregarding me

Then she said in an empty voice.

"And you are?"

I didn't mind her attitude and indifferently responded.

"Victor Bright. Code number: 688801." I said curtly.

The next moment the lady scanned through whatever was in her clipboard and eventually nodded.

"Await your name and call, then head straight in for the room at the end of the hall." She coldly said and turned to walk away.

I had already taken my gaze of her retreating back, and turned to taking in the rest of the sight of the packed hallway.

Then I lazily said.

"Roger that."

[A/N: Incoming bonus Chapter for the 20 more powerstones!!]