So this is the academy eh? It is much bigger than I thought it would be but it is still modest. The majority of the space is taken up by residential housing and markets which are strung along the highly popular roads and paths. It's similar to a large kingdom at least from what I could tell from the outside but due to the extremely high walls I could only see the academy and the tallest buildings.
The other facets of my knowledge were attained by some friendly adventurers that I tort- i mean asked for some information while I was in a nearby dungeon but I heard from another group that they had unfortunately died outside the boss room by a pack of venous snakes, not like I cared as they were greedy bastards eyeing up my weapons and armour.
This place was strict to an almost inexplicable level. Just to get inside you had to either be a high noble like a marquee or a duke, Have enough money to buy a whole residence which was almost impossible Unless you had boundless wealth or connections and finally to pass the entrance exam where after you are accepted you are given a residence where your family can live peacefully while you attend the academy.
I could get in by using the rest of the gold i had left from Mishia's reserve and my own that I had earned by clearing and closing dungeons but I needed money for when I was in there to buy the remaining ingredients and metals that I was missing to create Thorium, the metal that she used for her armour.
I would use it to create a new set of armour and my main weapon, How I missed the grip of the MK1 but I would be able to upgrade it straight to MK3 after all my improvements in magic.
Calming my mind before I went too far i needed to pass that exam although my strength was unparalleled for my age so I had no need to worry unless some calamity of an individual were to appear.
Walking up to the woman who seemed to be a secretary for the academy I noticed that the line had thinned significantly even though there was a line in front of me earlier.
"Hello I would like to sign up for the entrance exam please."
Using her best customer service face to hide her evident boredom she looked up to me.
Sure sir, Do you have the entrance fee of 4 Platinum?
4 Platinum just to gain entrance to the exam, it's lucky that I had a decent amount of wealth.
"Sure here you go" Putting my hand in my pocket I used my dimension magic to pull out 4 Coins with a unique mana signature before placing them on the table.
Without hiding her surprise at the money she handed me a ticket and told me to head towards the large group of students. Well over the thousands and maybe into the 10's of thousands students of all walks of life were mingling with each other creating cliques. I could see mixes of different races, nobles in groups and some students sitting alone while waiting for the exam to begin.
I had some knowledge of the first test as it was not a secret after all if you wouldn't take part in this test there was no point in even trying to attend.
I was gaining a lot of attention from my features as narcissistic as it sounded, She had given me an identity and I didn't want to hide it just to stop some people looking at me. I could feel some envy and hostility but no one approached as it would not be wise under the eyes of 'them' but I could practically feel the target on my back.
I would put myself in the top 25 to show my strength but I would mainly hide in the sidelines as anyone below the top 10 would be overlooked according to ex members of the academy. Whether that knowledge was true or they had a sour experience within the academy walls I was willing to risk it for the rewards that were granted for being at the least in the 25th position.
Most buildings were flats or apartments but those who were in the top 25 got a small residence closer to the academy and held all the amenities that I would need once I picked some specialized classes.
Attention all potential cadets! The first test is about to begin so do not resist the magic being cast on you.
A large runic circle engulfed every person who was attending the entrance exam. The raw mana that was being exuded turned me loopy as a clash of different mana particles came into my view. Damn my new racial skills!
Feeling a wave of nausea I could tell we were being teleported and a second spell was being weaved along with it. I could neutralise the teleport with my mana but that's only because it was so weak due to the mass teleport.
As I opened my eyes I was in a field with multiple students around me and a single figure in the centre in a podium.
"Attention all cadets welcome to your first trial. Above you is a number", Looking into the sky a number 10,256 was visible,
"This is the number of cadets currently present! Your task is to eliminate the other cadets until only you remain. There are only 4,000 places available in the academy thus if you die before 4000 people remain we will not resurrect you after the first trial. So survive because your life is in your own hands."
A malicious grin etched her face creating unease In most of us.
"Good hunting!"
She and the podium disappeared and all that was left were students. Most looked on in confusion and horror while some had their minds broken by their fight or flight response while others prepared for battle.
Me meanwhile, I called out a pitch black sword and spun on my heel killing the first group of people. Blood splattered on my face giving me a crazed look as I smiled with all I had. This was the perfect stress reliever after all my issues during my travels.
Some looked like deer in headlights while others lunged at me becoming prey to my blade. I reveled in the screams of agony from the young teens. Each and every student was 18 including myself but it seemed that most had been sheltered from actual combat. The inexperienced children among me were but prey to me as I weaved through their attacks that were too heavy.
It was a slaughter but I noticed others that were similar to me, those that had experienced actual life threatening battles. It was obvious in their stances and movements but none had actually died and resurrected just to fight again. None of them even had the amount of experience to get close to me. Each step, each swing was filled with exploitable gaps perfect for my style and each movement created excess exhaustion.
I would savour them for last. If I didn't have to pull back that is. The academy advisors would look over every part of the battle and if I killed too many my rank would increase too much and bring forward unnecessary attention. However as there were still around 9000 people left I could go wild but I must not use my bloodline powers or I would become a research subject for sure after all even the staff are at the minimum D rank individuals and the teachers were insurmountable for the current me even with the strength I had gained during my journey.
After hacking and slashing and chopping at the flesh of my foes beautiful ichor dripped off my blade painting the area around me. I hoped that each person I killed would cause a chain through the others so that they would avoid me causing me to kill less and create a balance.
It was working as we reached the last 100 positions, most avoided me and those who did charge at me I just redirected into another person's blade making the kill theirs and not mine. And thus we were left with a group of 25 people each one had definitely seen a conflict or two however I didn't see the person I had my sights in earlier. He must have died or backed out but how or why? He was definitely stronger than most others, he should have been at least 15th place. Never mind I'll look into it later.
It was an equal split between girls and boys 12:12 and then there was me who had no gender and was irregular to begin with. I had been watching them all battling I grasped their magic and movements slightly as I couldn't look over every battle perfectly even with my eidetic memory and observation skills.
I looked at the person who was running towards me and decided to fuck with him. As he ran towards me with his sword hung high I jumped and impaled myself on his blade. Student.exe stopped working as he stood there in confusion. I pulled the blade out trying to create as much damage to myself as possible as I spit blood onto his face. I definitely went too far but it was so good to see the lost look on his face. I couldn't wait to see what place he would hold and how he would react next time we see each other.
The cooling sensation of death embraced me once more. Ah how I missed this feeling after all this time.
~~
Did that student just commit suicide by jumping on another students sword?
Yes he did vice-head
I see
...
...
...
When he awakens check him for any mental abnormalities and keep a close eye on him.
Yes vice head!
~~
Waking up I was met by a white room filled with other students we were all seated on a chat with a desk in front of us. On the desk was a paper however I didn't touch it after all we don't know the rules and maybe touching the paper could be a reason for expulsion.
"Good afternoon class!"
The same woman as last time wearing a shit eating grin was standing before us.
"Congratulations on passing the first test. I'm sure you all have questions but before any of you ask the other 6250 candidates failed the test but they didn't die. We wanted to test you when you thought your life was on the line. They have signed an NDA over the fact that they weren't killed and you have to as well. This does not mean you can't tell others the theme of the test like we had told all others you just can't say that the student candidates don't actually die.
As for those candidates they will be moved to other academies under our names to be nurtured while misinformation is spread that the candidates have died. "
Her smile widened at the look of horror on some while others broke down. She was truly one sick vindictive fuck but it wasn't too bad. Who wouldn't want to have fun in their job.
"Please sign the paper in front of you and then move on to fill out the test. You will have 2 hours to complete it and then you will stop. A second more and you will be escorted off the premises and your paper will be destroyed.
Have fun~"
The test would be easy for me if our time studying in her domain meant anything so I could at least look at the increase in strength I had gained since I set off on my adventures.
=========================================
STATUS =========================================
Name: Noir
Race: Primordial Vampire
Title: BLOODED VAMPIRE [DRAGON]
LVL: 40/100
STATUS:
Str: C
Agi: C-
Sta:C+
Int: S-
Mana : B-
Aura: C
Skills:
Hypnosis
Blood control
Blood hardening
Regeneration
Mana sonar
Space/Time control
Dimensional space
Hide presence
Blink {Space affinity linked skill}
Teleport {Space affinity linked skill}
Creation magic {Space affinity linked skill}
Basic element spells
Passive skills:
Weapon mastery C
Gunmanship- E+ (SS+ Locked)
Swordsmanship D--(B Locked)
Scythemanship C+ (SS+ Locked)
Calm Mind (Complete)
Parallel processing 65%
Mana Blessing (Complete)
Dragon scales 2%
All elements affinity 16%
Cold blooded (Complete)
Passive Mana circulation 88%
Passive strengthening 40%
=========================================
I had made much progress throughout my dungeon exploration and travels. I had gained new space oriented skills along with skills related to my bloodline although they were hard to increase in power or I couldn't assimilate the skill.
I was heartbroken that my gunmanship had been left behind since I hadn't created my gun yet and thus I couldn't acclimate to it. I would have to push myself extra hard once I was able to.
I learnt the creation magic that Mishia had used to build my weapons and it was more versatile than I had ever thought.
But it was all overshadowed by my stats which I had been able to painstakingly increase during the killing of the boss monsters of the low rank dungeons. I wasn't a protagonist blessed with luck and I couldn't just beat high rank dungeons due to plot armour. I had to painstakingly train myself and I even lost some limbs to the bosses that were the same rank as me.
I met some people from other races who weren't complete assholes and even a noble or two who didn't abuse their power. It was a decent time although I doubted I would ever see them again as they were all older than me. It seemed that I had an easier time talking to those older than me since they weren't childish and filled with enough hormones to cause me issues.
The more I killed the easier it had become and eventually my mental state was classed as a skill.
I was truly strong, at least compared to those my age. I just needed my equipment and to finish a few experiments once I was granted access to my new home. I was that. confident in my strength and knowledge especially since I had reached S rank in intelligence. I was able to maintain my parallel processing for 3/4 of an hour which gave me plenty of time to monologue to myself and finish the test.
"Time is up stop writing and leave the hall. You will receive your results in an hour!"
Leaving I couldn't spot the people who were in the top 25 anywhere. They were really melding into the crowd. I wonder who won after I died? I would learn once the results were given anyways so there was no point in caring.
I was being looked at but I needed to get used to it. I couldn't wear a bandana anymore so I would have to wait for these people to lose interest in me.
Haah- What a first day in the academy.