Chapter 18 - Entrance Exam [Part 3]

Author's Note: I'm going to try and write Yukio's dialogue and actions in 1st person this time around. Let me know if you like it, or prefer 3rd person.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I slept well that night. I dreamt about my mother, and how she'd always call me on Saturdays to ask about my week, as I was a college student...so much for going to college, considering I was now stuck in Etheria for god knows how long. Regardless, my dream served as the only "interaction" between me and my mother since I was summoned, so although artificial, it was nice.

When I woke up that morning, I noticed Yui had snuggled herself against my body, with her leg half-wrapped over mine. She was stretched out, practically taking up the entire middle of the bed. I gently pushed her to the side and got up. I grabbed my clothes, headed to the bathroom to get dressed, and found that the door was locked. I knocked.

"Oh! I'm in here changing, sorry! I'll be out in a minute!"

It was Mayumi's voice that came from the room. I told her I'd wait, and I did. After a minute or so, she came out, and I entered to change. I closed and locked the door, and proceeded to put on a gray t-shirt and some pants. I combed my hair and did my daily routine as usual. When I exited the bathroom, I noticed the rest of my party getting up.

"Ah, morning already? Time flies when you're sleeping. It's weird."

"I'd expect you to know the most about time here, Esper Witch."

"Hey, time is still a weird concept to me. I'm not good enough to foresee the future yet, just wait though, someday I'll predict your downfall."

"I can't wait to hear it...zzz"

Ambrosia and Cyprus were chatting to each other, both half asleep. Ambrosia had made a mess of the covers, while Cyprus lay peacefully. They were bickering back and forth in a friendly manner, gradually waking up. The time was 8:30 AM, and Yukio's test was scheduled for 9:15.

"Hey guys, you can sleep longer if you want, I don't need you to follow me. But pretty soon, I'm going to head out for my test."

Immediately after I said this, I could feel the air grow cold around me, as if someone suddenly cranked the A/C up super high. Then, I noticed Ambrosia, who had started to glow green. Then, the blankets on her bed started to float, and fix themselves. Ambrosia then rose into the air and rapidly flew over to me. I was startled.

"AH-"

"YUKIO. I want to wish you luck on your test. Answer logically, and don't be afraid if you aren't sure what to write down, just try your best."

"Thanks, Ambrosia, but you didn't need to fly at me like that! Hey, when I finish, I'll receive my quest, right?"

"Yeah. You'll be given your quest after you finish your test. Don't be intimidated by how they word it though, their goal is to strike fear into those incapable of being heroes. You'll do fine. Just focus on yourself."

"Alright, thank you. Okay, guys, I'm going out now to take a jog, and then head over to take my test!"

"Good luck Yukio! Bring back good news for us, okay? We'll be waiting by the admin building when you finish!" said the party.

"Absolutely! I'll catch you all on the flipside." My party gave me a confused look, perhaps that phrase was uncommon in Etheria. Ambrosia giggled, however.

I gave a salute to my party and exited the hotel room. I decided to take a jog around Camp Alpha to see the things I hadn't seen yet, as well as get a breath of fresh air before my test. I wanted to get the blood flowing.

I jogged around for a good 20 minutes, and as the time approached 9:00, I made my way to the admin building. I entered and was greeted by Hiroki once more. He had a clipboard and a pencil in his hands. He smiled and waved.

"Welcome back Yukio Sazuke, are you ready for your written exam?"

"I sure am. My mind is all set and ready to go."

"Alright, then follow me to the exam room. You'll be taking the exam with the other candidates, so make sure to keep quiet so nobody loses their focus."

"Sounds good."

I followed Hiroki into a large room with chairs and desks. It reminded me of a classic classroom setting, except the people in the room changed the atmosphere entirely. There were at least 20 other people in this room with me, people of all sizes and backgrounds. Some of them were scary-looking, while others were just casual people. Regardless, they all wanted to be a hero.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. All of the candidates have arrived, meaning you may now begin your written exams. You have 2:15 to complete the exam. The first part is a multiple-choice, the second is a written response section, and finally, an open-ended question. Good luck, and no cheating. If you're caught cheating, you'll be fed to a monster."

The candidates looked up with expressions of fear and concern. Hiroki then began to laugh.

"I'm kidding. But if you're caught cheating, you'll be disqualified. GOOD LUCK! YOUR TIME BEGINS NOW!"

The exam had begun. I had 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete the entire exam. I gazed at the paper, analyzing the questions... they seemed simple enough, just logic questions, really. But I could tell they were trying to trick you. The answers were odd. They were all similar, yet only one of them was the most correct option.

Regardless, I answered the multiple-choice questions as best as I could. A few of them stood out to me, though, as challenging. Questions 3, 16, and 25 were difficult... I kept these questions in the back of my mind...

~~YUKIO SAZUKE'S WRITTEN EXAM~~

3. Your party has perished, leaving you as the only survivor. You're a level 5, faced against a level 7 monster. What is your next course of action? The monster is heavily injured, but still incredibly dangerous.

[A.] Retreat entirely and RCD for backup. - Yukio's Choice

B. Retreat to a safe distance and RCD for backup.

C. Do not retreat, and RCD for backup.

D. Charge in head first to attempt to kill the monster.

-----

16. Your RCD has died, and your flare gun is jammed. You're in grave danger and need backup ASAP. What is your next course of action?

A. Accept death honorably, there is nothing more to be done.

B. Attempt to kill the monster in one final attack, accepting death if necessary.

C. Retreat as quickly as possible, IF possible, toward a nearby camp.

[D.] Retreat as quickly as possible, IF possible, parallel to a camp, but not towards it. - Yukio's Choice

-----

25. You're called in for backup, but you're currently dealing with another monster. Many lives are at stake, more than your situation. What is your next course of action?

A. Retreat from your battle and help the others, leaving your monster behind unattended.

[B.] RCD for backup to your monster, wait for their arrival, and then help the others. - Yukio's Choice

C. Lead your monster to the other one and take them both on.

D. Decline the request, and RCD for someone else to back them up.

-----

The exam was challenging. Many of the situations put me into deep thought. However, I took too long to think about my answers. In a real situation, I would have less than a fraction of a second to make my decision... Just like that, I had burned through an hour of my time answering the 30 multiple choice questions... I moved on to the free-response questions.

These questions were similar, except instead of giving you choices, they wanted you to go into detail about how you would proceed given a specific situation. This forced me to think harder about what I would do, but I attempted to answer them as best I could.

After spending nearly 40 minutes on the free-response questions, I moved on to the open-ended question. I had 35 minutes left to answer this one question. It was one of the hardest questions I ever had to answer. It read the following:

"Please consider the following hypothetical scenario: Your city is being threatened by a level 7 monster, who wants nothing more than to consume your friends and family, not including you. If you allow this to take place, thousands of lives will be saved, but your friends and family will die. If you refuse, the monster will wreak havoc on the city, killing nearly 100,000 individuals whom you do not know. What is your next course of action? You are a level 5 hero."

I immediately thought of my mother and father. Although my father was already deceased, I still considered him a part of the question. I then thought about Yui, Ambrosia, Mayumi, and Cyprus, along with my other friends from Earth... I would lose all of them, but in return, save 100,000 people I don't know... the answer should seem obvious, but it was so challenging...

Regardless, I tried my absolute best to answer it. I chose the option that seemed the most logical to me. I had to think outside the box, so I did, and I wrote my answer... it read the following:

"Considering I am friends with a very high-ranked hero, Esper Witch, who has connections to the top hero in the camp, I personally would call upon her to help apprehend the monster. Every monster is able to be killed, regardless of strength, as that is how basic biology works. If something is alive, by all means, there is a way to kill it. I would then pray for the arrival of "Hero", to help finish off the threat, saving both my friends, family, and the 100,000 lives currently at stake."

I wrote my answer and submitted my test... relief immediately overcame me, as I thought about what I had just written. The question never specified if the monster was able to be killed or not, it simply said that it was a level 7. Considering who I know, I answered logically.

The rest of the applicants around me began to turn their tests in, and as the 2:15 on the clock expired, Hiroki rang a bell, signaling the end of the exam. I did it, all I had to do now, was accept my quest.

"Congratulations everyone on completing your hero entrance exam. Please wait up to 1 hour for me to grade your exams, and then meet me in room 20 to accept your scores and your quest. Thank you!"

I stood up and exited the room. I could tell the others around me were nervous, but I wasn't. For some reason, I felt exceptionally calm. I exited the building, waiting for my test to be graded. My party hadn't arrived yet, so I decided to take a stroll around Camp Alpha for an hour.

When an hour had passed, I returned to the administration building to receive my test grades. I entered the building and noticed a line of people waiting by room 20. The doors flew open, and Hiroki began handing papers back to candidates. Some were overjoyed, scoring high, while others were ashamed, scoring low...

Hiroki approached me and handed me my paper. He then looked me in the eyes and said the following:

"Yukio, you scored the highest out of all of the candidates. Please meet me in room 20 to receive your quest! Congratulations!"

"Oh, OH, WOW, THANKS! This is great news! I'll be in right away!"

Hiroki left, entering the room. I opened my papers to check my scores, and I was shocked. Ambrosia's energy infusions boosted my physical score astronomically, and my natural intelligence helped me on the mental! My grade card displayed the following:

~~YUKIO SAZUKE: HERO ENTRANCE EXAM RESULTS~~

Name: Sazuke, Yukio

Age: 19

HT: 6'2

WT: 84kg

PHYSICAL SCORE: 48/50 (#1)

MENTAL SCORE: 43/50 (#3)

OVERALL: 91/100 (#1) - PASS

QUEST LV: 3

PLACEMENT ESTIMATE: LV 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I placed at the top of the candidates, something I had never expected to do. I was proud of myself, but also nervous. I was slated to receive a level 3 quest... I had barely any sword training with Mayumi, and my physical skills without Ambrosia's energy infusions were lackluster. I would need a miracle to happen for me to succeed.

Regardless, I entered room 20, ready to receive my quest. I walked over to Hiroki, and he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Yukio, I'm impressed with your results. You placed at the top of the candidates, meaning you will receive a level 3 quest. Are you ready for the details?"

"Yes... I believe so. What am I required to do?"

"Your quest is... to successfully kill a level 3 Scatterwolf... They are native to areas near Alpha. We will lure one in for you, and observe as you attempt to defeat it. If you can do it, we will admit you into the Hero Camp, and provide you with a name and rank. Do you accept?"

I thought about it for a while. I had no idea what a Scatterwolf was, and to be honest, the name frightened me. But, I had no choice but to accept, if it meant I would become a hero, so I did.

"I accept... When will my quest take place?"

"Tomorrow at 2:00 PM. Meet here, and we will find you a Scatterwolf. Congratulations, Yukio, you're one step closer to becoming an official hero..."

"Also, your answer to the open-ended question was very interesting...I was unaware that you had connections with Ms. Esper Witch... which changes my opinion of you, as Ms. Esper Witch is usually a very closed-off person, with few friends... if you see her, tell her I said hello."

"Ah, I see. Yeah, we're pretty good friends. I just thought that having a connection with her would give me an opportunity to defeat the monster threatening the city. I hope my answer wasn't too outlandish."

"Not at all. It was very logical, and I respect that. I'll see you tomorrow, Yukio Sazuke."

I shook Hiroki's hand and exited the room, walking past the numerous heroes all analyzing their scores. I could immediately tell who passed, and who failed, based on their reactions alone. I exited the building and was met with my party waiting for me. Ambrosia was the first to speak...

"Yuuukiiiooo, how was your exam?"

"Heh, let me tell you all about it..."