Tyler erged into a vast hall with a towering platform at its center. He scanned the surroundings, noticing that others—both children and adults—were streaming in, their expressions a mix of excitent and apprehension. Although the crowd was thick, Tyler couldn’t spot any of his crewmates. They must have been directed to separate testing areas.
As Tyler waited, a table materialized in front of him, topped with a small holographic projection. The figure in the image was a middle-aged man with stern features, sharp eyes, and a slightly weathered expression, giving him an air of authority and experience. The hologram straightened, and with a calm yet authoritative tone, he spoke, "Hello, students. Welco to the entrance test. I am Khalid, a professor of Abyss Art."
The figure introduced himself succinctly, then continued, "There will be three stages in this test: the written exam, the practical exam, and the final interview. Only those who excel in the written and practical exams will advance to the final interview. Make sure to do your best."
With those words, Khalid’s image flickered and disappeared. Tyler looked down to see several sheets of paper now lying on the table, waiting for him to begin. He picked them up and glanced at the first page, which outlined the structure of the exam.
The written portion was a rigorous test designed to asure each applicant’s readiness for the academy. The multiple-choice questions spanned various subjects, from reading comprehension and logic to math and critical thinking. The purpose was clear—to assess their knowledge and problem-solving abilities and determine if they were capable of handling the academy’s demanding curriculum.
Tyler found himself smiling as he began to read. The knowledge he’d amassed from Hawk’s books would undoubtedly co in handy now. He scanned the first question:
"When did the Abyss erge?"
The question reminded him of the long, insightful discussions he’d had with Hawk, where they had covered everything from the historical roots of the Abyss to the nature of its influence on their world. He quickly scribbled down his answer and moved on, his confidence growing with each question.
The exam continued with questions about basic materials and their properties—common ingredients that were used in charms, arrays, and a few inquiries about fundantal technology. Since Tyler had selected Arrays as his specialty in the prior aptitude test, the majority of questions focused on Array chanics, configurations, and the underlying principles of energy transfer in technology. For soone of Tyler’s skill, the questions seed unusually straightforward. He raised an eyebrow.
"Isn’t this a little too easy?" he murmured under his breath. But then he realized sothing odd. His voice didn’t carry. It was as if he were talking in a vacuum. Experinting, Tyler tried to reach for his storage devices and noticed with so surprise that they were gone. Even the copper pot he usually kept at his waist had vanished. He blinked, realization dawning on him.
"So... I’m inside a virtual space again?" he thought, slightly frustrated. "When did I even enter it?"
Despite this minor annoyance, Tyler refocused on the exam, working thodically through each question. As he neared the end, the difficulty of the questions ramped up, requiring deeper thought and more nuanced knowledge. Still, he managed to complete the test before ti expired.
The mont he put down his pen, a gentle pull seed to tug him from his seat, and before he knew it, he was ejected from the virtual space. Blinking as his vision adjusted, Tyler found himself back on the vast platform, his surroundings exactly as he’d left them. A quick glance down confird that the copper pot was back on his waist, and his storage devices were once again secure.
"Alright, no doubt now," he thought, giving his storage device a subtle pat. "That was definitely a virtual test."
The sound of murmurs and gasps pulled his attention back to the stage. Khalid had reappeared in front of the crowd, his imposing form towering over the platform. Tyler’s eyes widened slightly as he took in the sight—Khalid stood at an impressive 7 feet 5 inches, clad in a desert-inspired outfit that seed to reflect his affinity with sand. He rode atop a srizing wave of sand, which surged and curled beneath him as though alive, creating the image of a man surfing a frozen tsunami.
With a booming voice that echoed across the platform, Khalid addressed the students, "The first stage has concluded. The results will be posted shortly. In the anti, prepare yourselves for the practical exam." He scanned the faces in the crowd, his intense gaze lingering on a few individuals as though he were weighing their potential.
Tyler couldn’t help but wonder what the practical test would entail. His mind began cycling through possibilities. Would they be required to construct an Array from scratch? Or perhaps dismantle one under a ti constraint? He had no doubt the practical portion would be far more challenging.
Khalid’s voice echoed through the vast hall, "The practical exam begins now."
Before Tyler could blink, a white light enveloped him, and he found himself standing alone in a large, dimly lit room. The walls were lined with ancient runes, and the entire space pulsed faintly with the hum of powerful arrays woven into its structure. Every corner of the room seed sealed by an intricate barrier.
"Your goal is to escape the room as many tis as possible," Khalid’s voice resonated from above, almost as if speaking directly into Tyler’s mind.
Tyler instinctively reached for the copper pot at his waist, only to realize it was gone. "Again... virtual space," he muttered, a hint of frustration in his voice. The academy’s ability to plunge him into these simulations without warning was unsettling.
"Alright... let’s get to work," he muttered, refocusing his attention on the room’s only visible exit: a sturdy door at the far end, secured with a complex locking chanism. Floating text appeared above the door, displaying several options: Array, Alchemy, Cooking, etc.,
Curious, Tyler selected Array. In an instant, the door’s appearance shifted to a heavy stone slab, adorned with complex array patterns etched in faintly glowing lines. Several materials materialized in a neat pile to his left, and Tyler quickly understood the task: he had to select and utilize these items to disable the locking array.
"Too easy," he smirked, rolling up his sleeves. Array work was one of his strengths, and the patterns on the door, though intricate, seed basic to him. In minutes, he pieced together a dispelling charm using the available materials, focusing on disrupting the door’s energy lines. With a soft hum, the array deactivated, and the stone door swung open.
Tyler stepped through, but instead of moving forward, he found himself back in the sa room. The door he had just unlocked was gone, replaced by a similar-looking door but with new floating text above it.
"Huh." He frowned and glanced back, confirming there was no exit behind him. The white walls stood resolute, giving no hint of any previous door. The word ’Array’ is completely dimd. Even if he touched it, nothing happened. Intrigued, Tyler chose the next option above the door: Technology.
This ti, the door transford into a sleek tal slab with a nurical keypad and a set of embedded security arrays that pulsed faintly with power. To his left, a new set of materials and unfamiliar devices appeared, including strange tools he hadn’t seen before—tools that clearly weren’t ant for array work alone.
Tyler ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the door. The combination of technology and arrays fascinated him. His mind raced as he examined the keypad, which appeared to link to a protective barrier that would likely repel brute force. He wasn’t sure how to disable it directly, and the unfamiliar tools didn’t help.
After several monts of contemplation, Tyler smirked as a plan ford in his mind. Using the materials provided, he quickly crafted a small, self-detonating array, designed to create a controlled explosion just strong enough to crack the security chanism. Positioning it carefully, he stepped back and watched as the array flared brightly and then detonated with a low boom. The door’s fra shuddered, cracks spread across the tal, and with a firm push, Tyler forced it open.
But as soon as he crossed the threshold, the familiar sight of the sa locked room greeted him. The door he had just shattered was gone, replaced by a new option above the next door.
"Again?" he murmured, eyebrows raised. The instructions echoed in his mind: Your goal is to escape the room as many tis as possible.
Nodding to himself, he looked at the remaining option: Combat. Selecting it, he braced himself.
He also looked at the cooking option. He was little confused, ’We can open a door by cooking?’
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Author here~
Thank you for supporting my novel! I’ve updated the cover to the Volu 4 design. I’m sure you can already guess who the character on the cover is....
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