"Welcome, candidates, to the 321st annual entrance examination of the Intis Institute.
Unfortunately, Chancellor Godfrey is unable to attend, as always.
You stand here today not because you have been accepted, nor because you have been chosen, but because you have proven yourselves worthy of being tested. From this moment onward, talent will not be measured by name, birth, or reputation, but by action alone.
There are over six thousand of you present. Only half will pass this first stage, and only half of those will survive the second to be admitted as students this September.
The entrance examination will now begin. Show us whether you deserve to remain."
Chancellor Godfrey… One of the strongest people within the empire and of the entire world, yet, he has never once made an appearance during the entire course of the Sword Sage's Saga…
I pondered as horns sounded.
Spectators in the stadium watched on the massive displays as we were dropped in a vast realm, stretching from deserts to tundras, forests to plains. The place was always procedurally generated, different every time to prevent possible shenanigans.
I was dropped in a forest. Not spotting anybody in my immediate vicinity, I equipped my relics and began walking, wielding my spear in a guarded hold, my Abyssal Hand by my side.
Making sure to take careful note of my surroundings as I advanced, I kept an eye out for anything suspicious.
Then, hearing the rustle of a bush, I snapped my gaze to the right. A pair of widened hazel eyes looked at me.
Narrowing my eyes, I took a defensive stance before— "OH MY GOD!! You're Aurelius right!?" she exclaimed, making her way towards me.
"Can I have a selfi— uhh, an autograph, pleasee?" Perhaps thinking it was too brazen, she toned down her request.
I was quite baffled—not extremely shocked because I knew many girls had a thing for villains/bad boys, which I guess I'm one now—but this wasn't something I prepared for
Hmm... How should I deal with her?
Striking her down without a care would probably be the most fitting response for me, however my favorite thing to do was making people mad.
Garnering a club of fangirls fawning over me will certainly ruffle some feathers with the boys, causing envy to stir in their hearts.
With my plan decided, I walked up to her, asking amusedly "...how am I supposed to give you an autograph? And how are you going to take that autograph with you?"
A frantic expression showed on her face as the realization dawned on her.
Before she could think of an answer, I placed an arm over her shoulders and pulled her into a selfie pose.
With my infamy, I knew many cameras would definitely be focused on me, so the selfie would be captured without a doubt. She could then get the photo from recordings of the broadcast.
"Here you go, this was what you wanted originally, right?" I whispered into her ear.
Feeling her trembling and quickening heartbeat at my touch, as well as thinking about the fangirls watching freaking out, I smiled.
Do they actually go "kyaaaaa—!" I wonder.
After a few seconds, I let my fangirl go and told her to get lost. Her mind was still in a haze, face flustered as she meekly walked away.
Continuing with the test, I trekked until I heard another rustle.
A boy with blue hair showed himself in the distance.
"HAHAHA! Seems like lady luck is finally on my side… To think I'll be the one to put you in your place," he snarled, a twisted smile on his face.
With an unimpressed look, I held my spear like a scarecrow as the man charged at me with an unnatural speed for his middle stage cultivation realm.
Seeing how I didn't take him seriously at all, his smile deepened.
'Hehehehaw, how poetically fitting is this? In the same way you defeated Quinn, your arrogance will be your downfall!' He thought.
Lunging towards me with his dual daggers, it didn't seem he knew… physics? basic logic? What do you even call this?
His daggers are around 20 cm while my spear is around 2 meters. So… do the math.
As he neared me, I thrusted my spear forward, the tip meeting him long before his blades ever had the chance, piercing a hole straight through his shoulder.
A horrified expression marred his face while dispersing into white particles.
I mean, what did he think was going to happen? …Did he think he could speed-blitz me?
I'm no expert on versus battle stuff, but don't you need to be like… three times faster at least?
He was certainly fast—which actually ended up costing him. With his reckless speed, it seemed he himself couldn't even react properly to move out of my attack.
Hehehehaw, thinking about it now, the situation mirrored the battle with Quinn well; in their reckless charge, my spear was able to penetrate deep into them. Newton's third law sure works like a charm.
Finished with my musings, I went back to roaming. There was someone I was looking for: Rose Windward.
I'm pretty sure she was part of the first batch of prospects considering she was eager to show off, unaware of the talented's preference to save themselves for last.
I wanted to find her, and beat her up.
Okay, that kinda sounds bad, but it's for her own good.
Originally, Rose thought she was the shit (which she was, ended up ranking fourth after all), going around defeating many candidates, no problem.
However, then she faced Miyaura, who beat her up pretty easily.
It wasn't that Miyaura was much stronger than her, it was because of her arrogance and prejudice towards high noble heirs/scions of powerful guilds, causing her to underestimate them.
She, who came from nothing, believed she was better than those spoiled rich brats who never experienced a true battle, fighting with their life on the line.
The humiliation of comfortably being beaten by Miyaura stung deep, which was an extremely important aspect for her character growth.
In this changed timeline, I can't be sure she'll end up facing Miyaura the same way, so I'll have to take the responsibility of beating into her some character development.
***
Meanwhile, in a desert environment to the north of the forests, a dude with an 'above average' looking appearance faced a fellow whose features were sharp, on the line between handsome and beautiful.
A/N: Okay, sorry for not posting yesterday. I was genuinely crashing out over the dumbest ticket EVER. Apparently, in NY, the registration sticker *HAS* to go on the left side (driver side) of the windshield.
GENUINELY WHAT THE FUCK??? WHO MADE THAT FUCKING LAW??? HOW DOES THAT MAKE ANY GODDAMN SENSE??? WHEN I WAS PUTTING IT ON, I THOUGHT "OH, IT SHOULD GO ON THE LEFT SO IT DOESN'T AFFECT DRIVING VISIBILITY." IS THAT NOT MORE LOGICAL???