The morning of the assessment finally arrived. Vash woke up earlier than usual, and for a few moments, he simply stared at the ceiling, thinking about everything that had happened since he woke from his coma. He completed his rehabilitation exercises, washed up, and had breakfast with his grandparents. Grandma looked at him carefully and reminded him not to put too much pressure on himself. "Just do your best," she said. Vash smiled and nodded. "I will." Grandpa gave him an encouraging look before Vash checked his belongings and left for school.
The journey felt strangely familiar. He had once been a student there, but two years had disappeared from his life because of the accident. Now he was returning for a chance to enter Class 10. When Vash arrived at the school, a staff member guided him through a quiet corridor instead of taking him toward the normal examination rooms. They stopped in front of a small office. "Your assessment will be conducted here," the staff member said. Vash nodded before stepping inside.
There were only two teachers in the room. A male teacher sat behind a desk, checking some documents, while a young female teacher sat beside him. When she noticed Vash, she gave him a warm smile. "Don't be nervous," she said gently. "Just take your time and answer what you know." Vash gave a small nod. "Thank you, ma'am." He then sat down at the desk prepared for him.
For some reason, his hands felt slightly cold. He looked at the blank desk in front of him. This was it. No classmates, no familiar school routine, just him, two teachers, and the assessment that would determine whether he could apply for Class 10. The male teacher placed the question paper on the desk but didn't hand it to him immediately. "Before we begin, remember one thing. Don't rush. Read every question carefully. If you don't know something, move on and return to it later." Vash nodded. "I understand."
Just before the paper was handed to him, the familiar system interface suddenly appeared.
[NEW SPECIAL MISSION]
Mission: Pass the Class 10 Admission Assessment
Objective: Successfully pass the assessment.
Reward: +20 System Points
Failure: No reward
Vash's eyes widened slightly when he saw the reward. Twenty System Points was far more than he normally received from his daily tasks. He quickly closed the interface and focused on the teacher in front of him.
The male teacher handed him the question paper. "You may begin."
Vash took a slow breath and turned the paper over. The nervousness he had felt only moments earlier seemed to disappear. His expression became serious, and his attention settled completely on the questions. He read the first one carefully, understood what it was asking, and began writing. Then he moved to the next question without rushing.
The assessment wasn't extremely easy, but it wasn't overwhelmingly difficult either. Vash estimated that around seventy-five percent of the questions were basic or based on concepts he had already studied. Those questions were manageable. He read them carefully, thought about each answer, and wrote them down. The remaining twenty-five percent was much more difficult. Some questions covered topics he had not completed, while others required a deeper understanding than he currently possessed.
When Vash encountered one of those questions, he didn't panic. He read it twice and realized that he hadn't properly studied that topic yet. Instead of wasting time, he moved on and continued with the rest of the paper. His preparation had taught him that getting stuck on one problem could cost him several others.
As he continued through Mathematics, Science, English, and Social Studies, Vash used Deep Analysis whenever he encountered complicated wording or information. The ability didn't simply give him an answer. Instead, it helped him break the information down and understand the relationship between its different parts. Once he understood the concept, finding the answer became much easier.
Eventually, Vash reached one of the more difficult questions. He stared at it for several seconds. The question looked unfamiliar, and he couldn't remember studying anything exactly like it. He read it again, trying to understand what it was asking. Then, without warning, something changed.
[Pattern Recognition Activated]
Vash froze for a moment. He looked at the question again. The answer hadn't appeared in his mind, but something else had changed. He could suddenly see the structure of the question. The relationship between the information reminded him of a problem he had encountered during his preparation, even though the two questions were not identical.
"This follows a pattern..." Vash murmured.
He carefully compared the different pieces of information and began working through the problem step by step. Pattern Recognition hadn't solved the question for him. It had simply helped him notice the underlying relationship. With his own knowledge and Deep Analysis, Vash was able to complete the solution.
A small realization appeared in his mind. He had thought Pattern Recognition was useless when he received it the previous day. Now he finally understood why the system had given it to him.
The rest of the assessment continued in the same way. Some questions were easy, some required careful thinking, and a few were simply beyond what Vash had managed to learn. He didn't pretend to know everything. When he didn't know an answer, he moved on and returned to it later. When he still couldn't solve something, he gave the best answer he could.
Eventually, the male teacher announced that only a short amount of time remained. Vash checked his paper and went through his answers carefully. He checked his calculations and corrected only the mistakes he was certain about. He didn't rush simply because the examination was almost over.
Finally, the teacher announced, "Time's up."
Vash placed his pencil on the desk. The female teacher collected his paper and gave him another gentle smile. "You did well. Now you'll have to wait for the result."
Vash nodded. "Thank you."
As he walked out of the small examination office, the system interface appeared once again.
[Special Mission: In Progress]
[Objective: Pass the Class 10 Admission Assessment]
[Result: Pending]
Vash stared at the notification for a moment. He didn't know whether he had passed. The assessment hadn't been too easy, but it hadn't been impossible either. Most of the questions had been within what he had studied, while the remaining questions had tested the limits of his preparation.
Vash slowly closed the interface.
For the first time in two years, he had taken a real step toward returning to school.
Now, all he could do was wait for the result.9