CH 30: Entrance Exam

[Before I show you the new system screen, I would like to walk you through what is new.]

"Alright."

[Stage 2 of the system adds a lot of new things and also changes what you have become used to from the first stage. First, the leveling has changed from gaining enough XP to completing a certain quest. Now you don't have to worry about gaining hundreds of millions of XP to level up every time.]

"That was getting pretty annoying."

[Second, completing more than just the level quest will also give out more rewards. After the level quest, there are three more quests you can accomplish. There is the Bonus Skill Points quest, the Item quest, and then the Skill Unlock quest. The Bonus Skill Points quest is self-evident. The Item quest will reward you with a valuable item, and the Skill Unlock quest will unlock a skill.]

"I'm guessing the difficulty goes up for each quest?"

[Correct. Third, a new section of the main page has been unlocked. It is the Skill Store. Unlike with Skill Tree paths, the Skill Store is where you can spend skill points to unlock only one skill. The skills in the store are not related to Mana Arts or your knowledge but to your passive abilities. Think of it like powers that are unique to yourself, sort of like your body and mind upgrades.]

"Wow, stage 2 has a lot of new stuff."

[Fourth, is the unlock of the -Consolidation- section that you have seen before. Consolidation is a way to gain the characteristics of different beings you have bested in battle. The system will determine if the fight was worthy to grant consolidation or not.]

"I remember seeing that. To think it was something that powerful…"

[That is all of the new additions and changes to the system for now. The Path of Power that you have chosen will give quests, items, and skills related to becoming more powerful. Quests are not mandatory and there are three ways to receive new quests. The first way is to complete the current quests. The second way is to dismiss the quest. And the third way is to fail the quest by either trying and failing or by just ignoring it until the events of the quest pass.]

"Can I keep dismissing quests until it gives me a good one?"

[You can only dismiss a quest once per week. Since the level-up quest determines the other quests, if you dismiss the level-up quest then all the others will be dismissed as well.]

"Alright, I think I get it now. Show me the system page."

[Yes, sir.]

…

Name: Kaiser Raijin

Level: 36

Level Up Quest:

[Pass the entrance exam of Pantheon Academy.]

Bonus Skill Points Quest:

[Impress your examiner during the entrance exam of Pantheon Academy.]

Item reward Quest:

[Rank in the top 10 students for the entrance exam of Pantheon Academy.]

Random Skill Quest:

[Rank first in the entrance exam for Pantheon Academy.]

Skill Points: 6

Status:

Health: 100%

Stamina: 100%

Mana: 100%

{Skill Trees}

{Skill Store}

…

"The entrance exam, huh? It doesn't seem that hard."

I was curious about the skill store, so I clicked it and a list appeared in front of me.

Everything in the store had a large lock icon over it and each skill was grayed out.

"What's with this?"

[You have insufficient funds to purchase any skills, master.]

"Can you tell me how many I need to see some?"

[The first 3 skills are each worth 50 skill points.]

"Not bad. Let's check out Consolidation."

The screen changed and revealed a new list. But this one was completely empty.

[Since you have not defeated any other beings while having -Consolidation- available, the list of consolidations available is empty.]

"Got it."

With all the new changes, I was quite overwhelmed, even more so than when I first saw Pantheon. I had already thought my system was overpowered, but now it almost seemed like overkill. But I knew the quests weren't going to be easy forever, just like how the XP for each level increased exponentially the more I progressed.

"Thanks for the help, Emy."

[You're welcome, master. I believe you made the right choice today.]

"About the Path of Power?"

[Yes. The Path of Peace would only hinder your current self. For someone like you, the Path of Power is a good choice.]

"Someone like me?"

[You are very talented at fighting, Kaiser. Most people in your shoes would not be near your level in this short amount of time you've had your powers. Choosing the Path of Peace would have cut off that talent and forced you to take a step back from your current life.]

"Thanks. I'm glad I chose the right one." I yawned and dismissed the system screen. "Tomorrow is a big day. Goodnight, Emy."

[Goodnight, master.]

…

The next morning, I met Phiona down at the pub, which was now serving breakfast. Since it was early, most of the patrons were calmly eating their eggs and drinking their coffee before they set out for the day.

We both agreed to skip breakfast and left the building. Parked on the street was a carriage with a golden falcon emblazoned on the side. At the front were two large Clydesdales waiting for the man sitting at the front to guide them.

"Good morning, young masters," Gerald said. "Are you ready to depart?"

"Good morning, Gerald," Phiona greeted. "Yes, we are ready to leave."

I also greeted the man and Phiona and I climbed into the carriage. Soon after, we left the hotel and continued on the road to the center of the massive city of Pantheon.

…

At noon, we finally neared an enormous campus that stood above the city. It was held up by a singular massive building, which I assumed to be the dorms of the students. Near the top, I could make out towers and a single castle-looking building at the center.

"This is the Pantheon Academy, Brother," Phiona said, also gazing at the massive structure.

"I thought I had seen it all, but this is crazy! How many students go to this school?"

"Every country sends 5000 children a year to participate in the entrance exam. Each year, around 1000 pass the exam. The study period for students is four years, so that means there are around 4000 students that attend Pantheon Academy at all times. Plus the faculty and staff, that makes around 5000. So a lot of housing is required to accommodate everyone."

"Wow."

Phiona chuckled. "You've been saying that a lot recently."

"I mean, the Mana Realm is nuts! I don't know what else to say!"

Phiona laughed and teased me about how I'm easily impressed as we headed toward the towering structure.

Once we stopped, Gerald called out to us.

"Young masters, we have arrived."

Phiona spared me from her teasing and we exited the carriage. We stood at the bottom of the academy in front of two massive gates leading inside.

Phiona looked up at the gates and back to me.

"This is where we part, Kaiser," She said with a sad expression. "The place where you take the entrance exam is behind you. Since I'm a third-year student, I need to report to my dorm in a couple of hours."

I smiled and embraced my sister in a big hug. "Thanks for everything, Sister."

She reciprocated the embrace and smiled. "I know I don't need to worry about your exam, but be careful with the other students once you get into the school. Pantheon Academy can be a brutal place."

We separated. "Don't worry, Sister," I said, reassuring her. "I'll see you soon."

Phiona nodded and turned to the gates that were guarded by two knights in spotless silver armor that looked identical to the knights outside the walls. Phiona showed the two guards a card she pulled out of her pocket and was allowed in. Before she crossed into the school, she turned and waved at me. The gates closed behind her and I was left alone with Gerald.

"I will also take my leave, young master," The driver said. "I wish you good luck with your examination."

"Thank you, Gerald. Goodbye."

The man bowed and climbed onto the carriage and the horses turned and traveled back to where we had come from.

Now alone, I sighed and faced a large dome to the left of the Academy.

"I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

I headed toward the dome and met two guards in front of the gates to the structure.

"Name," The one to the left said in a monotone voice.

"Kaiser Raijin."

Barely a second passed and the guard nodded. "You're good. Go ahead."

The gates opened by themselves and the two guards moved to let me through.

'I noticed his eyes scanning something in his helmet. Must be some sort of list.'

The gates closed behind me with a loud creak and I looked around the dome. Inside, there was a large crowd of kids my age. There must have been over 50,000 people here!

Everyone in the crowd was gathered in groups. I saw a bunch of varying looks among them. Some people had long ears and pale skin, some were muscular and tall with reptilian eyes, some had tanned skin and wore linen fabrics, some had feline eyes and fur around their bodies, some had horns protruding from their heads, some had deep crimson eyes and long fangs, some were short and had child-like appearances, and the rest were either human or had fins or light blue skin.

The dome was filled with a cacophony of voices coming from the thousands gathered.

'So these are all the races of the Mana Realm… Excluding the fairies, nymphs, and giants.'

Even though each race was in their own group, I just walked to the middle of the crowd. Many people eyed me. Some with curiosity, and others with annoyance or disgust. But I wasn't focused on how they viewed me. I turned on my mana vision and scanned everyone at once, limiting myself to only see large volumes of mana.

Several large mana sources bloomed from around me, each with different colors.

'Several C and B-ranks. A couple of high-tier B-ranks and one low-tier A-rank. Good.'

After I finished my scan, my vision returned to normal. I closed my eyes and focused on my thoughts. Everything around me faded away as my senses were pulled into only myself.

It was unnecessary because of my Acuity, but I still took a moment to prepare myself for the exam. Today, I had one goal: To be the best.

Suddenly, an enormous source of mana entered the dome from the opposite side of the entrance. My eyes instantly opened and peered through the crowd.

"Silence."

Only one word from the man was enough to completely silence the entire dome. A pressure extended over the crowd and the kids began to drop like flies. Thousands fell to their knees and gasped for air at the man's sudden onslaught.

The pressure continued for a few minutes and more people dropped. At the moment, all I could feel was a little tickle that made my hair stand up and made my skin form goosebumps.

'This is around an A-rank pressure, although a lot weaker than the dragon from the Zone in Silvercrest.'

The pressure dissipated and the kids were finally able to catch their breath.

"Anyone who fell to the floor has failed the entrance exam for Pantheon Academy."

The man's voice rang out again and the content shocked the thousands that had failed. Voices of complaint and anger spewed out around me.

"Send them out."

After his command, nearly half of the crowd in the dome suddenly vanished.

I was surprised by the sudden disappearance of thousands of people. My eyes darted to the walls of the dome and I could make out what looked like circuitry embedded into the stone.

'Looks like runes or something similar.'

Now that the crowd around me had thinned out, I could make out the man that I assumed to be the person heading the exam. He looked young, but I knew looks did not determine age in the Mana Realm. His hair was black with a bluish tint and he had piercing hazel eyes. He wore a back and dark blue robe lined with gold. Everything about him screamed authority.

"Now," The man said after everyone that had fallen to their knees left. "Let's start the exam."

Murmurs from the examinees spread throughout the dome after his announcement.

"That wasn't the start of the exam?" Asked a girl from the human crowd.

The man's lips curled slightly. "I was just picking the weeds from the garden." His face returned to its usual state and he introduced himself. "Now that we only have the budding flowers left, we can begin. My name is Professor Dynelle. I will oversee the exam this year."

The gates behind us at the entrance closed and the dome started to darken, eventually leaving only a sliver of light left from the doors that the Professor had entered through.

"Now, prepare yourselves. The exam begins in 30 seconds."

Many grew confused at the man's words and started to panic. I only calmly waited and observed the professor.

After 30 seconds passed, the man spoke again with a tinge of amusement. "Good luck."

Suddenly, I felt my body being transported from my current position. The feeling was similar to how I was pulled between realms.

Everything around me changed into a pitch-black area. Even with my perception, I couldn't see anything due to there being no light present.

*Screech*

A high-pitched noise came from in front of me. And then, multiple lights flickered on, revealing a square, white room. It was quite large. I would guess it was around 50 meters on all sides.

Across from me stood a familiar rodent with sharp teeth and big ears.

*SCREECH*

The rodent screamed in anger once it saw me and without hesitation, rushed toward me.

"Bring it on, tough guy."