(I was going to skip today because I'm abroad but Dayden_Smith gifted 3 power stones. Thanks for the support :) bonus 1/3.)
Satisfied with the prevailing silence throughout the sea of applicants, Croft casually flicked his sleeve, and the ground shook in response.
Manipulating his profound card energy, an earth staircase lifted its head from the ground. As a 'Queen' rank earth mage, such a feat was as simple as breathing.
Looking down on the applicants from the peak of the stone staircase, Headmaster Croft's voice reverberated to every corner.
"This test is known as the climb to heaven, and it will test your card energy and willpower to the limit."
"But of course, you won't be climbing it like this."
As he finished this sentence, an impossibly dense pressure bore down on the applicants, the weaker ones taking a knee already to the monster in front of them.
Erwin Croft had released the entire pressure of his card energy onto the students who once hoped to reach the top. It felt like the air had turned to liquid as the students struggled to breathe at the all-consuming pressure.
The ground beneath Regulus cracked as he came to a sickening realisation as every hair on his body stood erect.
'This man is as strong as me in my prime. To think I would meet such a figure so quickly.'
King Regulus, the man who had once stood at the pinnacle and commanded the constellation of Leo, had found his match in this new world of monsters.
Struggling to regain their composure and raise their heads towards Croft, the applicants truly felt that they could now see the immensity of heaven and earth.
Yet despite the disparity in abilities between the two parties, pressure creates diamonds as a select group of students raised their heads with a grimace on their faces.
The headmaster, who now appeared demonic in most students' eyes, opened his mouth once more.
"You will climb. Even if you feel you are at your limit, you will continue to climb."
"Although the journey will grow harder with each step, remember what lies at the end. A place in my Karta Academy that will hone you into the sharpest blade or a mage that can shake the world."
"As you climb this staircase, you must remember the heaviest thing isn't the flimsy pressure I'm placing on you but the weight of the responsibility and beliefs of others you carry with you."
"Anyone who reaches the tenth step halfway to where I stand will pass the first examination. Remember never to stop circulating your card energy because no physical body can handle such pressure for a second."
As Croft concluded his speech, he glanced over at the interesting blonde boy he had spotted earlier mourning for his misfortune.
'If it was any other test, you might have stood a chance. However, the nature of this test makes any physical resistance to pressure practically void.'
Yet, as he was about to turn around, a confusing sight caught his vision. Regulus was smiling.
Seeing an insurmountable mountain in front of him, instead of feeling despair, every part of him was preparing to face such a challenge.
Regulus stood there unfazed by the pressure with a smile on his face. Without combat clothing, Regulus was still wearing formal attire in such a situation, causing him to stand out and increasing his regal aura that much more.
"The first test of this years Karta Academy's entrance examination, begins!"
Hearing Headmaster Croft's words, a stampede of students approached the staircase as they attempted to establish themselves in a dominant position on the staircase in front of them.
An arrogant young noble reached the first step, and confident in his ability, he quickly clambered onto the platform. The moment that followed would be branded into all the applicants' minds from that point forward.
In a lapse of judgment caused by overconfidence and carelessness for a mere moment, the noble's card energy rotation stopped. But that is all it took.
The sound of snapping echoed throughout the hall as the full might of the pressure descended on the boy. This was followed by a bloodcurdling scream of indescribable agony as a gruesome image came into sight.
The once haughty noble who had reached the first step brimming with confidence had both legs snapped at a 90-degree angle to each other.
Regarding the boy who looked like a doll that had been trampled upon by Croft's pressure, the colour could be seen draining one by one from students' faces.
The ghost-like applicant all shared one thought between them, as they muttered under their breath to reassure themselves.
'That was only the first step. There are nine more to enter the academy.'
Those who had been ignorant before finally understood why Karta Academy was called a 'place where every single student is a genius.'
Despite the sacrificial lamb spreading mass hysteria throughout the crowd, this didn't deter the real elite students.
Circulating their energy without leaving room for the pressure to reach them, golden medallion holders such as Rowan put into practice what they had been trained for since they were young as they ascended the staircase.
Sneering one last time at the commoners beneath him, Rowan focused on the staircase as he felt the pressure sharply increase on the fourth step, requiring his focus.
Seeing the future leaders of their respective kingdoms take the lead, the applicants in the crowd finally began to move as they ascended the staircase, giving their undivided attention to the circulation of card energy around them.
It was at that moment that, unnoticed by anyone, a radiant man with gold hair and crystal amber eyes took his first step.
Regulus was on the move.
Each step he took felt like a rain of punches as he took the brute force of the pressure onto his body.
Yet as he approached the staircase, if anyone had been watching him, they would have noticed a crazy smile across his flawless face.
-Author's Note-
Thanks for the support :)
Adding it to your collection, as well as power stones, really helps.