Finally, its time!
I almost didnt sleep at all last night,
My future depends on today, and I recently learned from Arath just how much my father spent on the tryouts
The tryouts take place in the Academy, the Academy building itself looks like some kind of huhe castle, in fact when I first saw it I thought it was THE castle
Something that comforts me as I see the sea of faces is seeing that Arath is just as nervous as me
I nudge him and whisper
"You got this"
He nods resolutely, and though I was speaking to him my words calmed me down too
We're in a large hoard of kids, theres around twenty long single file lines side by side and we're in one of them
We're standing on a part of a large courtyard
About 10 or so feet in front of each line is a pentagon with designs in it
And further ahead in front of where the lines are facing is a woman
She clears her throat with a booming voice that resounds across the courtyard, silencing everyone
The mana reverberates off her voice and its as if shes right in everyones ears
"Ahem- To conduct this test, the person in the front of the line will stand on the pentagon and the test will begin for them, after they are done they will be judged and moved elsewhere. For now, patience is appreciated. Thank you all, you may begin."
The kids including me remain silent, and the people at the fronts of the lines take deep breathes and walk into the centers of their pentagons
*Vroom*
Immediately theyre incased in a gentle glow
I whisper to Arath whos directly behind me
"Whats happening?"
He puts on his usual smug smile before reaponding
"Theyre being transported into their tests through mana duh, it scans their bodies and mind or something and then boom theyre in a test, though to us they're still just standing there"
In just a few seconds most the kids doing their test lost the glow and then begin to be separated and within 10 seconds its already the next batch
'What?'
I whisper back again
"Whyd they stop so quickly??"
This time Arath raises his eyebrow unsurely
"I think its something like for them its longer than it is for us?"
'Ah'
In a hushed voice I reply
"Ohhh okay thank you, thats AMAZING."
As if excited from my excitement he replies giddily
"It is isnt it!!"
___
Time passes all too quickly
And before I know it Im next in line, then stepping up to the pentagon
As soon as both feet are still Im immediately transported into what seems to be a white void with different weapons around me,
'A spear, a sword, a shield, a staff, a bow, what even are those ones?'
There seems to be different styles of each weapon such as longswords shortswords and greatswords or short bows and long bows, anyways, I obviously grab a shortsword.
As soon as I grab the handle Im transported into an empty grass field
A little green man holding a club appears and begins running towards me
"Defeat the goblin"
A voice resounds in my ears
'Phew, I got this'
'Hes quite slow actually'
As the goblin runs in I step in quickly and swing the shortsword and cut his throat before he even has the chance to swing
It feels incredibly real and even the look and smell of it isnt any less than reality,
But it feels the same way as when the system numbs my fear and emotions when I think about being reborn
Like it's kicking in to stop me from getting trauma from this
As I think that two more goblins appear, each with clubs
'Well here we go again.'
___
The first upgrade was the goblins growing in number, then they started getting stronger, after that they started using more advanced weapons, after that was the terrain changing from a field to a forest
'I guess the change this time is hunger and tiredness.'
My short sword never seems to dull, but I really am pretty hungry..
My gaze moves to the goblin corpse
'Iron stomach or whatever right?'
___
The wizard in charge of overseeing this child began to shudder as they saw what was happening in it, though for everyone outside of it time moved normally this wizard had to wait in the delayed time however long it took
This specific wizard had overseen many tests throughout the years but this.. Was horrific.
A lot of the kids have a rough time just adapting to the killing, some already have experience with it and can get through it but arent skilled enough to fight the enemies that continue to grow stronger, for some the hunger and stamina drain makes them fall to the enemies, but this boy..
'Hes eating them.'
___
'It seems like not long ago I accepted that Id have to do this with squirrels for the rest of my life..'
I smile slightly as I reminisce, not knowing that at the same time that bloody smile is being watched in horror by a certain grading wizard
The next pack of goblins approach, with my stomach now feeling full I adapt quickly to the tiredness and fight the next wave..
___
The first corpses have already began to stink, the bodies are piled, my eyes are heavy. My arm tries to lift but fails, the sword falls from the numb swollen fingers of my non dominant hand,
My right hand has stopped working a while ago.
Goblins surround me, arrows fly at me grazing me in every which way as I run towards the nearest goblin
Through this time, through this "test" Ive improved by leaps and bounds compared to when I started,
Reminiscient of being a hunter I close in on the goblin before sinking my teeth into his neck
*Slash*