CHAPTER 7-ACADEMY ENTRANCE EXAM

X walked through the entrance of the mansion, carrying Brik on his back, swaying with exhaustion. The sound of him falling to the ground echoed through the mansion. Brik's Grandmother rushed to the entrance as fast as she could, and when she reached there, she saw X lying down, sobbing. Brik was next to him, unconscious, with sharp bone claws protruding out of his knuckles. She looked out of the entrance towards the gate, undoubtedly waiting for Ken to enter and explain what had occurred. After a few moments of silence, X stopped sobbing and wiped his tears with his bloodstained tunic. He then spoke in a broken voice

'He won't come. He's dead. Dead.'

X then walked into the mansion, to the guest room where he stayed. He returned with his pack, containing all his belongings. He saw Brik's Grandmother standing still, processing what he had just said. X himself had not yet processed it himself, but he couldn't stay here. He took a deep breath, then said

'I am leaving. He died protecting us from demons. Brik blames me for his death, so I cannot stay here. Thank you for having me here. Tell Brik... tell him that it was a pleasure to be his friend.'

He then walked out. He did not know whether she had heard him or not, but he had to tell her, in hopes that Brik would understand him later. He stopped at the gate and turned to see his only friend lying down. Now he no longer had even one friend.

He walked through the city, walked while stumbling on his own feet, walking while his vision blurred due to exhaustion. He finally reached the inn which had told him that with the money he possessed, he could stay there for two months. Compared to Brik's mansion, this place looked shabby, a small building made mostly of stone. It rose to two stories and was packed right in the middle of a noisy street. X entered the small entrance and walked straight towards the place in the center, where the inn owner sat. He was a short, thin man, who looked about as tired as X felt. X spoke to him, looking down towards the poorly furnished floor, hoping to not burst out in tears.

'You...had told me that with this much money, I could stay here for two months.'

X placed his pouch full of gold coins on the counter, and the man replied, uninterested

'Yes, but no food will be provided.'

'Sure, but can I work here for those two months? I will pay for the food with my salary.'

The man nodded, then got up climbed the stairs, and pointed to a door in the far corner.

'Work starts tomorrow'

He said, then he walked away. X entered the room. It was barely used, which was evident by the cobwebs and dust. But after everything he had been through, X did not feel disappointed and started dusting.

2 Months Later.

 The Royal Academy. The kingdom's pride and prestige. A massive building in the center of Rossenberg, one so big it makes Brik's mansion look like a hut. Thousands of pillars hold a three-storied building, with countless training rooms, libraries, and other research centers. Made of pure white marble, a person who graduates from this academy will start off as a Stage 2 knight, while everyone else will start off as a Stage 1 knight. In the center of the academy, stands the Knight Tower, a structure that maintains complete control over all knights, and holds the same authority as the Royal Palace. 

X stood in front of the massive gate, wrought with pure iron. An old man stood behind it, around 70 years old, with a long white beard that came up to his abdomen. With a wave of his hand, the gate swung open, and in a booming voice, he ordered

'I am the headmaster of the Royal Academy, and leader of the Tower, Dusan Sinclair Rubeus. I formally welcome all of you to the Royal Academy. By the end of the examination, at least four of you will stay back as students. I wish you the best of luck. Follow me.'

The children almost rushed forward, but the knights standing on either side enforced discipline, and they walked forward in orderly lines. X was the second in his line, and while turning his head and counting, he was able to see approximately 250 people. Among them, he was able to see a familiar face.

Standing near the end, stood Brik. But he looked nothing like before, with muscles that sadly reminded X of the time he released his claws. He looked sad, and more importantly, angry. He then turned his head, and upon seeing X, his expression shook, becoming the same friendly Brik he knew, before morphing back to his previous expression. X frantically turned his head forward. The blue-haired girl in front of him turned her head and asked 

'Do you think it would be too hard? You don't think so, right? I hope not. I do not think I would be able to pass if it is too hard.'

X was extremely uncomfortable and looked down. Suddenly, they stopped walking, and X, who was not looking forward, crashed into the girl. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned. Just at that moment, X moved back. This was so embarrassing. Her face was tinted slightly blue, like her hair. She stared at him angrily. Just then, the tower master, Dusan Sinclair Rubeus, spoke in a booming voice, and she turned, completely forgetting about the clash

'All of you, look forward. You will be given five minutes before the examination begins. You can find partners and form teams, or fight solo. We have prepared the weakest of the Stage 1 demons, whom we call Stage 0 demons. You are expected to fight off and kill these demons. Professional knights will be positioned here, so if anything life-threatening occurs, they will be here to protect you. You are not allowed to hurt other knights. The top 8 students will be allowed to participate in the second exam, and among them, the top four will be selected.'

X stared around. 5 minutes. He had to find partners in five minutes. He was confident in his abilities, but he was not sure if he could do it himself. That girl, he was scared to talk to her. Brik was even worse, they couldn't talk without bringing up Uncle Ken. There were a lot of people with swords, and spears and shields, but they all seemed to know each other. He spotted a few peculiar people. A guy with an expensive sword who stood alone. A girl with one of her hands wrapped in bandages. A fat guy without any armor or weapons. A guy with muscles that matched Brik's. A girl, who was the only archer. there were a lot of people, but X found talking to them too uncomfortable. He would much rather fight on his own. He finally decided that he would talk to the blue-haired girl. He walked up to her and tapped on her shoulder. She turned and looked at him. Taking a deep breath, he said

'Can...Can I join you?'

The girl looked at him for a minute, then looked at the hatchet, and said

'Well, okay. But I am not strong, so I think it would be better for you if you fight by yourself. You look powerful.'

X nodded, and the girl went away, going as far away as she could from the start line. Just then a bell rang five times. The time was up. Dusan Sinclair Rubeus then spoke

' You will now be given twenty-five minutes. In that time, you are expected to kill as many demons as possible. If you manage to kill 25 demons, you will directly be enrolled in the academy, and the top eight participants with less than twenty-five demon kills will have to participate in the next round. Now, you will be transported to this village in front of you. It has been specially built for this, and hundreds of demons roam this village. If you have partners, stand beside them. All the best.'

X took out his hatchet. His palms were sweaty. He was extremely anxious, but he was also excited. Who knew that he would have to kill demons? He looked forward, seeing many students in front of him. Then suddenly, one by they disappeared. Then suddenly he was in a village, right beside a small house. There was a demon in front of him, as tall as a man, feeble and thin like the inn owner. While it had sharp claws, they were small compared to the other demons he had faced. The Tower master was right. These demons were not that dangerous. They were basically Stage 0 demons. The demon rushed at him, and X's body started to heat up. He held his hatchet tightly and got ready to behead the demon. 

Just then, a splash of water hit the demon at extreme speed, sending the demon crashing down. Another one of these water strikes hit the demon, heavily damaging it. And this time, X saw that the water had taken the shape of a three-pronged spear. A trident. He looked up, towards the place from where these tridents appeared.

'Riptide-Trident'

A girl was flying in the air, her blue hair floating like she was underwater. Her arm stretched forward, and from the tip of her hand, water streaked out like a trident. Slamming into the demon, the trident killed it. This girl killed a demon in three strikes while being far enough to not get counter-attacked. It was impressive. The girl then saw X and spoke in a quavering voice.

'I...I told you I was weak. It took me three shots to kill this demon. You could have killed it easily. The name is Aqua, by the way.'

The girl then flew away, leaving behind the corpse of the demon. X's body steamed. She stole his kill. 25 demons left to get enrolled. He walked forward, saw a demon, and said

'Fire Escape.'