The Entrance Test concludes

Weird.

That's the best word to describe the young man before me.

"Cull the Meek" discloses a few weak points that I can forcefully exploit with enough effort and I could tell that his Rank should be lower than mine but why do I get the feeling that this won't be enough to defeat him?

Are my senses deceiving me? Maybe I have lost too much blood already and my judgment is impaired. But no matter how much I think about it, something feels wrong.

He feels wrong. Like a different puzzle piece that doesn't align with the rest.

Taking my and Isabella's condition into account, I don't have time to ponder on these things. My temperature is dropping and that at a rapid pace. Death is looming over us. I can feel it.

If only I could always carry a fire source with me like that Onyx guy. Then I wouldn't need to rely on luck so often.

Shaking off such thoughts, I turned back to the young man who seems to be doing nothing except sit there. He didn't seem to notice us entering because he had his eyes closed while meditating.

"Excuse me?" I called out to him.

His crimson-red eyes snapped up, looking straight at me. His piercing gaze made my skin crawl. Though fortunately, he showed no signs of aggression or hostility.

"If you're able to talk, then you should have recovered enough. Take these and do your best for the remaining minutes. I don't want my art to be a disappointment. I have the highest hope for you after all." He exclaimed as he tossed me 2 icicles.

"What? No, I need your immediate help. Do you have something to warm her up? I fear she won't make it if not..." I pleaded, hoping for the best.

"Don't worry about her. The test will end very soon so she won't freeze to death. Rather than that, absorb these ice shards. The rich mana inside them will help you break through faster." He bluntly replied without any further explanation.

"How would you know that this will end soon?" I asked.

Was this information given? Did I just miss something?

However, even after waiting for a response, he never answered. Instead, he simply turned his attention back to absorbing the mana out of the ice.

I looked closer at the ice shards he gave me. I could indeed feel the abundant mana inside. Increasing my strength does sound tempting. I'll give it a shot.

Circling the mana inside my body, I extended it into the ice, forming a small net.

With great care, I slowly pulled the makeshift mana net into my body, taking a little bit of the mana from each shard with me.

Repeating this process several times, I was able to drain the shard of all of its precious mana. Sadly, my control of mana isn't great which is why it took a while.

During the process, I couldn't help but worry about Isabella. She kept shivering but her consciousness has faded long ago.

Will she truly survive this? If I could I would notify the academy but I don't know how.

With no solution at hand, I decided to focus on myself. I pulled off another icicle and repeated the process.

It took me a while to get the right balance between not freezing to death and still efficiently absorbing but I eventually got the hang of it.

Minutes passed by as I drained the ice from its mana. The young man in front of me remained completely silent during the entire ordeal.

Not once did he move or say anything. I wonder why he wants me to absorb these shards. What's the catch? Seeing that he also absorbs them, I don't think they are harmful but it is still suspicious.

The icy coldness within me gradually began to subside and my body slowly recovered. As my internal temperature rose, the numbness left my limbs and I felt the warmth returning to them.

Suddenly, a voice resounded through the ice chamber.

"Congratulations aspiring students! You survived this test of ours. Be prepared to get teleported."

Hearing the announcement, I sighed in relief. Now I at least don't have to worry about Isabella dying anymore.

It didn't take long before a blending light fully engulfed my surroundings. After a momentary disorientation, I found myself in the hall again. This time, with significantly fewer people.

Medical staff rushed in as they dragged away the unconscious bodies of contestants, Isabella included. I guess getting to the brink of death was within their expectations.

The remaining participants conversed amongst themselves as they enjoyed the warmth in the hall. Compared to that ice region it was like stepping into a tropical paradise.

Things seemed peaceful again when suddenly a humongous amount of killing intent erupted in the hall. And surprisingly, it didn't even come from the staff.

Trying to locate the source, I was shocked to see the reason for the sudden commotion.

The guy I met before fighting the scarabaeus, dressed in clad armor stared at Onyx with an intense glare. His expression was one of anger and hatred and he seemed ready to start a bloodbath.

Walking up close to them, I was shocked to see what caused their feuding. That crazy girl, I think her name was Luna, stood beside him. Her condition is as unstable as it can get.

From afar, she looked just fine but now standing next to her, I realized that she is missing a whole arm. There were also deep wounds along her torso and legs.

Her clothes had been ripped apart and bloody stains covered most parts of her body. Did Onyx cause this?

However, even in her condition, she didn't look that bothered by her injuries. In fact, she was even smiling a bit.

I thought she was joking about seeking danger but apparently, I was wrong. She definitely has a screw loose.

"Luna... are you okay?" I asked.

She turned towards me and smiled brightly. "Of course I am fine. 'Tis but a scratch. Nothing a good healer cannot fix." she said confidently.

"Did Onyx do this to you?" I inquired.

"Yeah... he pretty much destroyed me. I couldn't even properly enjoy myself since he ended the fight rather quickly. Can you imagine? It got to the point that the academy staff asked me if I would want to surrender or continue the test after the fight. How ridiculous! They sure are softies, thinking this will hinder me." she complained.

Her whole arm is missing and all she is thinking about is how she couldn't enjoy that fight? Even the people in the Underhive weren't that insane. She needs to be locked up for sure...

"You bastard..." Luna's brother spat those words, seething with rage.

However, those words fell on deaf ears as Onyx didn't even acknowledge his existence. He simply stood still, staring down at Luna without saying anything.

"Roy stop it already, I said it's fine." Luna spoke out.

In spite of Luna's words, Roy didn't let things be and instead walked up to Onyx, grabbing him by his collar. It was only then that Onyx finally reacted to him.

Staring deep into each other eyes, the two glared at each other. A tense silence filled the air with the conflict about to be escalated.

"You dare lay your hands upon my sister! If that arm can't be fixed I will torture you until you will die a gruesome death." Roy threatened.

Onyx didn't seem to be intimidated in the least. Responding to his threats, he said: "You got 3 seconds. 3... 2..."

Roy didn't let go of Onyx though but smirked instead. Almost as if he wanted to provoke a fight. Maybe he wants an excuse to avenge his sister?

"1..."

Without warning, Onyx grabbed a small knife from his belt and was about to impale Roy with it. His attack was like a blur to me as he moved with speeds impossible to describe.

The knife though never hit its mark. The blade stopped abruptly right in front of Roy.

But it wasn't Roy who stopped the knife no, he wasn't even able to react in time as his expression turned to horror. He clearly overestimated himself.

"Now, now, don't involve this academy in your little strife." Exclaimed professor Erosius as he suddenly appeared right beside them, stopping Onyx's hand mid-swing.

With a calm voice, he continued: "If you are that eager to fight, make an official duel out of it. Then I have no problems with it."

Onyx gave a disinterested nod as he walked away. Meanwhile, Roy kept glaring at him with hostility, refusing to accept defeat so easily.

With the conflict de-escalated, Professor Erosius vanished from where he was and reappeared at the podium. He took a moment to survey the situation before speaking again.

"Once again, I would like to congratulate everyone here. You are the lucky few that passed the test. There will be some adjustments based on your performance today but don't worry."

He paused for a while before continuing. "As you all should know, you will be split up into 5 classes. Class A is the best in terms of available facilities, education, and opportunities. After that comes Class B, C, D and finally E-Class."

I heard some groans coming from the crowd. Apparently, not everybody felt confident enough to be part of the A-class group. Not that I care. I'm lucky I even passed.

I do wonder though in which class I'll end up. Hopefully not in the same as the rest of these lunatics.