'MM?' Ryn slowly peeled his eyes open.
The first thing he saw was Asher's face, pressed uncomfortably close to the shimmering blue barrier, his teeth gritted in sheer irritation. The noble looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel.
"..."
Ryn blinked once, then twice. He sat up slowly, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small packet of wet napkins. He took one out, unfolded it with agonizing slowness, and began to wipe the sleep from his eyes and the corners of his mouth.
"Didn't you sleep yesterday?" Asher hissed, his voice muffled slightly by the energy field. "Why are you always sleeping? We just escaped death, and you treat this place like a hotel!"
'And you sound exactly like my mom,' Ryn muttered inwardly. 'If only you guys knew...'
He didn't bother explaining; instead, he just tossed the used napkin into the waste disposal slot on the desk.
"I'm awake now," Ryn said, stifling a yawn.
"Barely," Asher shot back. He pointed frantically at the timer floating above the stage. "Look, we have less than five minutes. Listen closely because I'm not repeating this."
Asher quickly rattled off the summary of the hour-long briefing Ryn had missed.
"It's a cumulative point system. No cheating artifacts allowed. If the system flags your eyes wandering to another screen for more than three seconds, it's an automatic zero. The rest of the instructions are on your screen. Read them. Now!"
"Thanks," Ryn said genuinely before turning his attention to the holographic desk.
________
[Written Assessment - Phase 1]
Time Limit: 60 Minutes
Total Questions: 40
Passing Score: 80 Points
________
Ryn scanned the structure. It was a standard progressive difficulty curve.
________
Section A: 10 Questions (1 Point Each) – Basic Theory.
Section B: 10 Questions (3 Points Each) – Applied Logic.
Section C: 10 Questions (5 Points Each) – Advanced Calculation.
Section D: 10 Questions (10 Points Each) – Theoretical Abstraction.
________
'Max score is 190,' Ryn calculated instantly. 'A passing score is 80. A top-tier score would be anything above 160.'
Beeeeeeep.
A sharp, digital tone echoed through the Grand Hall, cutting through the murmurs.
[EXAM START]
The screen flashed, and the first question appeared.
Ryn picked up the digital stylus, twirling it lazily between his fingers. He didn't rush like the students around him, who were already tapping furiously at their screens.
'Let's see...'
He looked at Section A.
Question 1: What is the standard conversion ratio of raw atmospheric arcana to stabilized arcana in a standard Green Core?
'Too easy.' Ryn tapped the answer.
He breezed through the first section. He answered nine of them correctly but decided to leave one blank, a tricky question about the history of the Academy founders. It was a believable mistake for a commoner to make.
Next, Section B. 3 points each.
Question 12: Identify the weak point of a Juvenile Glimmerfang based on the provided anatomical diagram.
Ryn looked at the image. Most people would say the eyes. The correct answer was the soft underbelly scales. Ryn obviously tapped the wrong one. He solved eight of these, purposefully misinterpreting another question about potion toxicity mixing just to keep his score grounded.
'Section C. Now it gets interesting.'
The difficulty spiked. These questions required actual knowledge.
Ryn solved them steadily. However, he made sure to make two specific "calculation errors" in the most complex ones. He didn't want a perfect score in the advanced section; that would draw the professors' eyes.
Finally, Section D. The "Hell" section.
These were worth 10 points each. They were open-ended theoretical problems/cases designed to stump even the best young scholars/arcanists.
Question 35: Explain the theoretical impact of a Void-Convergence on a stable Space-Time manifold using the Lorus Theorem.
Ryn stared at it. He didn't need the Lorus Theorem; he had literally just jumped out of a window using spatial manipulation. He knew the answer intimately.
'If I answer this correctly, they might put me in the Researcher track immediately,' Ryn thought. 'Too much work.'
He deliberately chose to write wrong answers for five of the ten questions, constructing answers that looked smart but were ultimately incorrect.
Ping.
[TIME REMAINING: 00:00]
The screens locked instantly.
Ryn set the stylus down. By his calculation, he had secured a comfortable, above-average score: 123, enough to pass easily, but not enough to be hailed as a genius.
"Hands down!" the Vice Principal's voice boomed. "The Written Assessment is concluded."
As the holographic barriers flickered and dissolved, the Grand Hall instantly erupted into a cacophony of noise.
The stifling silence was replaced by the chaotic sound of five thousand students exhaling at once.
"That last section was insane!" someone groaned two rows ahead.
"Did anyone get the answer for the Flux-Shift variable? I put C, but..."
"I didn't even finish! I left three blank!"
Some candidates were pale, staring blankly at their darkened desks, while others debated furiously with their neighbors, checking answers with frantic energy. A few simply leaned back, closing their eyes in resignation, waiting for the verdict.
"How did you do?"
Ryn turned to see Asher rubbing his temples, looking slightly drained. The intense mental focus required for the exam had evidently taken a toll even on him.
Ryn offered a faint, weary smile. "Probably not good. The last section was... abstract."
"Yeah," Asher sighed, glancing at his own screen. "Same here. Those questions really threw me off. But... I think we should be able to pass."
"Mm," Ryn nodded, leaning back in his chair. "Let's hope so."
He was lying, of course. He knew exactly what score he would get. But blending in meant sharing the collective anxiety of the masses.
Suddenly, the massive screen behind the stage flared to life with a blinding white light, cutting through the chatter. The hall fell silent instantly as the Vice Principal raised a hand.
"Attention!" his voice boomed. "The Stellar Nexus Mainframe has completed the evaluation."
Gasps rippled through the room. It had been less than a minute. The speed of the Academy's processing power was terrifying.
"The results are now final," the Vice Principal declared, his monocle glinting cold. "They have been transmitted directly to your personal terminals."
Ping. Ping. Ping.
A wave of chimes echoed across the vast hall as thousands of screens lit up simultaneously.
"Those who see a red 'FAIL' indicator... I am sorry, but your journey ends here. You are to vacate the premises immediately through the side exits. Transport is waiting to take you back to the city."