All eyes fell on the instructor as he faced the sitting applicants. The instructor looked to be in his early thirties; quite young for the standard of the new world. But Adam was not deceived. After all, appearances could be deceiving.
The instructor was quite handsome with his flowing purple hair. His eyes were the same shade as his hair, a combination that was all too common in the current world. He was also dressed in a lavish purple suit to match his natural looks.
The instructor had one hand in his pocket as his eyes roamed the grand hall. With a dazzling smile, he finally introduced himself.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Asher Princeton, and I’ll be acting as your vice-principal should you qualify to enrol here." The man introduced himself with a reassuring smile.
While the other applicants basked in the confident demeanour of the vice-principal, Adam’s eyes slowly widened as he swallowed the lump in his throat.
’Seventh Realm!’
It took a few seconds, but he was able to perceive the vice-principal’s realm. This was the first time Adam’s eyes had fallen on a person whose realm was one realm higher than his father’s.
’If this is the vice-principal, then what of the principal?’ The more Adam thought about it, the more cautious he grew. ’And just how much Spark does he have?!’
Adam could not perceive an end to the Spark flowing through the vice-principal. It felt like he stood before a vast ocean. It easily surpassed what he sensed from his father.
Unconcerned about the thoughts running through the applicants’ heads, the vice-principal continued. "The second part of your evaluation will be taking place in the wilderness, themed Survival. And as the name implies, all you need to do is survive."
Applicants exchanged glances. Some looked unbothered, others looked concerned, and a few looked frightened. Even so, no one dared to voice their thoughts. Adam was one of the few to show no change in expression.
Asher Princeton flashed another smile, impressed at their self-control despite the complaints they wore on their faces. "Every applicant, regardless of what class type they chose, will be required to partake in this trial. You will be given a few items to aid you."
As his words landed, several officials stepped out of wherever they were and distributed backpacks to the students, their movements organised and precise. Adam received his backpack and looked inside without hesitation.
"Inside, you will find a day’s worth of rations and a one-use communicator for emergencies only." Asher briefly explained. "You have only one objective: survive for 72 hours."
Just as the vice principal had stated, Adam found a bag of rations, a bottle of water and the communicator. There was nothing else. ’Survive three days, and we only have a day’s ration.’
Adam had many questions, but he kept quiet. He had initially thought the second part of the evaluation had to do with fighting skills. Sadly for him and the other applicants, the trials were different every time. Their luck was simply not good.
Before any daring applicant could voice their doubts or complaints, the vice-principal flashed another smile and said, "Good luck. You’ll need it."
’That’s it?’
Adam was momentarily confused. Before the thought could settle, however, a brilliant light flashed across the hall and swallowed all the applicants, teleporting them to the next stage of their evaluation. The once-brimming hall fell empty, leaving only the officials and the vice-principal.
Standing on the stage, the vice-principal wondered if the kids truly understood the assignment. He directed his gaze towards the high windows, seemingly looking at something in the distance.
Meanwhile, the parents and guardians who came with the kids were seated in an auditorium-style hall with a giant holographic display before them. Not much had gone on during the three-hour-long written exams. As such, many simply gathered in familiar groups and conversed.
Jonathan sat alone, simply observing the interactions. He encountered a few other parents he recognised and exchanged brief greetings with them. Some were surprised to see him there, but they didn’t think too much into it.
Every parent would most certainly see their kids as special, and there was nothing wrong with that. Whether his son passed the evaluation stage would be another matter entirely.
Close to the end of the written exams, a note appeared on the screen, respectfully urging the parents and guardians to take their seats. Embedded into the armrest of their seats were viewing tablets they were urged to pick up.
On these devices were instructions on what the second evaluation was about. Jonathan frowned the more he read. It described the nature of the second test, highlighting that the Survival Trial would take place in a controlled evaluation zone. It was a section of the wilderness enclosed by powerful containment systems.
The zone was dangerous enough to be challenging, but constantly monitored by instructors who would intervene should things get truly dangerous.
Jonathan had qualms about the survival trial. His son knew nothing about surviving in the wilderness; most of the kids didn’t. Until they awakened, most parents kept their children away from such places.
But as Jon looked around, he realised only he and a few others looked concerned. The majority of the other parents and guardians looked as though they had expected this much from the very beginning.
"Isn’t this a bit too much?"
A complaint finally came from the crowd, drawing attention. The parent who had voiced their thoughts seemed surprised she was the only one. Fortunately for her and everyone who had similar complaints, one of the officials addressed her.
"Rest assured, ma’am. The academy is closely monitoring every student to ensure no major harm comes to them."
"I-Is that so?" the woman asked, not quite convinced.
"Your child can be withdrawn from the evaluation if that is what you want, ma’am." The official stated and then added, "Do understand that would mean forfeiting their chance."
"I-It’s fine." The woman quickly answered.
A few continued to discuss the scenario in hushed tones. Jonathan looked back at his viewing tab and reread the content. It had a few more instructions on how he could focus on whom he wanted to follow.
Suddenly, the main display ahead switched from instructions to a view of the wilderness, drawing everyone’s attention.
’It’s starting.’
Before the eyes of the watching parents, the applicants appeared midair above the wilderness, being dropped off at varying points.
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