This Place Was Really Too Well Chosen (1)
The combat test against magical creatures was a traditional program that had existed at the Ability Academy since its inception. All the magical creatures in this test were bona fide, with thirty percent of them farmed and the remaining seventy percent caught and put into the huge test field built specifically for the occasion. The field was divided into multiple zones that simulated the living environment of a variety of magical creatures to make the confrontation with them more realistic.
Although the whole test was visible and monitorable, there were still instances when the situation went out of control and accidents occurred. Therefore, all new students are required to sign a waiver of liability before taking the actual test. Even so, people who want to enter the Ability Academy still tend to rush into it一after all, it is the most authoritative and influential school in the entire continent, and the resources and power involved behind it are equally strong, making it the top school that all ability users can only dream of.
Shi An lowered his head, pretending to seriously scan through the long disclaimer in front of him. In fact, the words in this lengthy text were nothing but squiggly, meaningless lines to him. At the end of the disclaimer, Shi An pressed his hand seal on it. Then he stood back in line.
Behind him was the tall, steel-gray wall that took on a cold, metallic luster under the sunlight, revealing a strange sense of interweaving at the top of the wall. That was the border where the magical simulation and the real world overlapped each other.
Since he had only taken the exam once, Shi An entered from the bottom of the rankings.
He stood drowsily at the end of the line, hanging his head wanly while listening to the names of the other freshmen being read out.
Shi An had never missed the snacks and video games hidden in his dorm so much before as compared to now. It was unknown how much time had passed, and finally…
…… “Shi An!”
As though he had just woken up from a dream, he looked up slowly in the direction where the voice came from and blankly reacted with a “Huh?”
There’s actually a student that’s not paying attention on this occasion?
“……” The corners of the academy teacher’s mouth twitched. “Shi An, it’s your turn to choose.”
Although the interior of each magic area was connected, the initial choice of entrance location often determined the difficulty of the new students’ pre-points accumulation.
There were only two hundred quotas for direct passage in each area.
The order of entry was arranged according to the combined results of the two previous examinations, and the higher ranked freshmen would have a greater chance to choose the area they want to enter. So this implied that the students at the bottom of the ranking would only be able to choose from the remaining areas.
Shi An blinked and looked at the only two areas that were lit up in front of him. One area was bright golden yellow. The other had a grayish iron tone.
Of course it’s the first one!
Shi An made his choice almost without hesitation.
This time the examiner’s seat was not set up in the field for simulated tests, but high above it, appearing as though it was a command room to coordinate everything. The oval-shaped room was very wide, and a whole curved inner wall was complete with a screen that could monitor the movements of the candidates in the real-world simulation.
After hearing Shi An’s answer, several examiners simultaneously showed an expression of incomprehensibility. Generally speaking, the area that remained until the end was not too good. It was either that the difficulty was really too high and direct death would be the result without any points. Or the difficulty was too low, the area was barren with a very low density of demons, and basically they were all farmed demons without much aggression. Therefore, the amount of points provided was so small that even if the whole area was fully combed, it might not have much impact on the ranking.
And the area that Shi An chose …… Belonged to the latter type. A low-risk area without any high-threat magical creature.
Although it was as expected, the examiners still felt some disappointment. They had certainly heard of Shi An’s reputation as a waste since a long time ago, but the said person still did manage to answer the additional question in the written test, so most of the examiners had some hidden expectations for him.
…… Maybe it was to conceal his abilities?
But now, Shi An’s choice made the examiners all begin to doubt their earlier thoughts.
一He was just lucky before, wasn’t he?
On the examiner’s seat, Mu Heng’s eyes slightly narrowed while he carelessly looked at the screen in front of him. There was an invisible aura around his body that made people instinctively hold their breath and dare not approach. Even the other examiners all had, intentionally or unintentionally, moved slightly away and were forced to become more reserved.
Mu Heng’s gaze fell on the back of the teenager striding forward, slightly narrowed his eyes without a trace. One of the examiners approached, and asked after carefully drafting his words, “How was it, Mr. Mu? Are there any students that are worth your attention this year after looking at so many of them?”
Mu Heng’s movement of tapping his fingertips on the desk stopped unnoticeably. His expressions were unreadable as he replied with indifference, “None.”
*
