For the next week, I tried my best to prepare myself for the entrance exam. My dad and I ran through simulation after simulation, and though as dated as his methods were, they still worked, surprisingly well.
He told me about an interesting fighting style called "Moon Jitsu" that I was to learn at the academy. He wanted to teach it to me early so that I could use it to my advantage when I took the entrance exam.
In a short amount of time, I essentially doubled in skill. I learned how to properly use my father's sword, well, I guess it's my sword now. I even gave it a name. I'm calling it the Celestial Blade. I think it fits its aesthetic nicely. A nice violet glowing blade, and an almost cosmic black finish to the handle.
On the morning of the 7th day, I woke up at around 7:00 AM. I had an hour to get to the enrollment center. My father decided to drive me there. We got into our car and made the trip to Eritoakademi.
My father recently invested in one of the new "Sasaki Roadster" models of car, it used new technology that hadn't been seen before, such as a tracking system that let you input coordinates to figure out where to drive, but it was still powered by steam, like everything else in this world.
"BYE HACHIRO, COME HOME SAFE!!" yelled Misako out the door as we left. Her words, though as piercing as they were, meant a lot to me and motivated me to do well.
On the way there, my father decided to tell me a few things I should know about the exam, things that he encountered when he enrolled back in his day. He said there were a "few important and tricky things to be aware of"...
"So, when you arrive, just state your name, age, preferred fighting style, and any history you have of fighting unusuals, which in your case is, unfortunately, none...but I'm sure they won't dock points for it, it's rare to see a student enroll whose fought unusuals before."
I hadn't fought any unusuals, or even encountered any for that matter since I was an infant, and even then, I have no recollection of it.
"Dad, why did you keep me away from that type of stuff for so long? Were you worried I'd get myself into trouble?" I asked.
"Well, of course, I was worried you'd get yourself killed. Ever since your mother died, I've been terrified of demons. Losing you would mean losing two-thirds of my family, you and your mother. Imagine how that would leave Misako, she'd be scarred for life." He replied.
"I trained you as best I could, trying to avoid unusual activity, and I'd say you turned out pretty good."
"Well, just because you say I'm good doesn't mean I am relative to everyone else," I said.
"Listen, you'll understand just how far ahead you really are when you arrive. If everything goes how I expect it to, you'll be admitted without fail."
I had to trust my father's words. I only knew how talented I was in comparison to the neighboring kids who I dueled with, and I almost always defeated them all on every occasion. But if what he said was true, that would mean I'd also be able to compare with other real extraordinary individuals.
"Thanks, dad. So, what are some of the tricky things I should watch out for?"
"Well, there are just a few things to be aware of, firstly, you'll be given a written exam about things you already know in terms of combat and the unusuals as a species."
"Secondly, you'll be asked to run through a simulation where you must escape traps, evade enemies, and collect objectives."
"Finally, and this is the most important part, you'll be put through a real-world scenario...like, you'll fight against an actual unusual, and be tasked with killing it."
I looked at my dad, and he looked back at me. We both had similar expressions on our faces.
"So you mean if I pass all of my tests I'll be tasked with facing an actual unusual??"
"Yes, you along with everyone else who scored high enough to pass the exam will be thrown into a simulation full of unusuals, and you will be tasked with finding and killing one. Don't worry, they're all anomalies, so it shouldn't be too bad."
There were six "threat levels" assigned to unusuals based on how powerful they were. Anomalies, Aberrants, Menaces, Terrors, Behemoths, and Leviathans. My dad used to tell my sister and me tales of how he took down Leviathan-level demons in his prime.
"Well that makes me feel somewhat better, anomalies are only threats to individuals right?" I asked.
"Well, individuals and small groups of humans, but we're talking regular humans here, an extraordinary such as yourself should have no problem taking them down. Just make sure to go for the core."
"Right, you mentioned how the only way to defeat an unusual is by shattering their core, I hope I can find it..."
"You'll find it, just hack away until it reveals itself, then, when you spot it, strike it as hard as you can, and it will break, turning the unusual to stone."
The biology of unusuals was...uncanny to say the least. Inside of their bodies was a spherical object known as a core, and by breaking this core, you would kill the unusual, and its body would turn to stone. However, if you fail to destroy the core, the unusual will regenerate and heal itself...
"We're getting close to the school, your sword is in the back seat right?"
"Yeah, it's back there with all my other stuff, I didn't know packing for a dorm would be so challenging, figuring out what to bring and what to leave behind."
"You can say that again, I'm just glad we had enough room in the hitch, I was worried we'd run out!" said my father.
We had hitched an extra trailer-like compartment to the back of our car to hold most of the belongings that I was planning on bringing with me. By enrolling at Eritoakademi, you would also live in a dormitory building, or an apartment if you could afford one.
Regardless of if you were admitted or not, you were allowed a 3-night stay free of charge while the entrance exams take place. If you were not admitted, you'd be given a few days to vacate, but if you make it in, you can stay.
We approached the entrance to the school, the plan was to drop me off at the front and then for my dad to go to where I would be living and drop my supplies off in my room before heading home.
"Okay Hachiro, we're here. Don't forget your sword, and remember everything that I told you. Remember your training, this will be one of the hardest things you've ever done."
"I will, thank you so much for letting me do this dad, I won't let you down. Just drop my belongings off in my room for me, I'm not sure how long this will take." I said.
"You got it, kid, be safe, and remember if you make it to the final test, and your life is in danger, just call out and people will be there to rescue you, though, I doubt you'll need it anyway."
My father gave me a salute before driving off towards the housing region where the dorms and apartments were. I turned around, attached my sword to my hip, and gazed at the grand entrance to Eritoakademi. It was magnificent, with large walls and pagoda roofing, and an extravagant and lush exterior.
Standing by the front doors of the academy were two gentlemen in suits, I walked over to them, and they both greeted me with handshakes and friendly gestures.
"Welcome to Eritoakademi, my name is Mr. Yori, are you here to take part in the annual entrance exam?" asked one of the gentlemen.
"I am," I replied.
"Wonderful, what is your name, and where are you from?"
"My name is Hachiro Karasagi, and I live not far from here, close to City X."
"Splendid, you're a local, that makes it easy for you to travel to and from here back to your home. I wish I was as lucky when I attended here, I'm from City B, clear across the nation!"
"May I see your sword? I need to assure it is of acceptable quality before you may enter," said Mr. Yori.
I presented the man with my sword. He unsheathed it, turned it a few times, and even took a few swings with it, before re-sheathing it and returning it to me.
"What a magnificent blade you possess Hachiro, where did you find such a sword?"
"It's my father's sword, actually, he attended this school when he was my age," I answered.
"What is your father's name?" asked Mr. Yori.
"Kaizo. Kaizo Karasagi," I said. The man's look shifted from that of professionalism to a slightly shocked expression.
"Really? The headmaster, Mr. Otsuka has mentioned his name a few times before, I heard he was one of the finest students to ever grace the halls of this institution..."
This came as a shock to me, considering my father never told me about where he went to school until my birthday. I had no idea he had an entire legacy at this institute.
"Well then Hachiro, if you would, please, come this way!" said Mr. Yori. I followed him into the building, where I would take the first steps to become an official student at Eritoakademi.