"Good luck, brother." Lina encouraged me while pumping her fist.
I smiled, stood up, and walked toward the principal calmly while feeling the gazes of the rest of the people on me.
"Is it him?"
"The sickly prince. How was he admitted here?"
"I thought he could not absorb mana."
"Well, if he was admitted, it means that his talent is real."
"The second child of the Mithril Knight, huh? He doesn't look that strong."
"Yeah, his mana is not impressive either. Quite the opposite, it seems lacking."
"Was he really chosen by Central Academy?"
"Well, he is the last place. Perhaps that is why."
I could hear the words coming from the people around me. Most of them were not positive.
It was normal. I did not seem strong compared to the previous students. Quite the opposite, my sickly complexion and lackluster mana made me look weak.
Plus, I was the fiftieth-ranked student when admitted.
Although the admission ranking was not enough to determine how strong a student was, higher-ranking students were generally stronger, and lower-ranking students tended to be weaker.
The fact that I was ranked fiftieth meant that Central Academy evaluated me as the weakest student of this year.
It was understandable that people's reactions were not that positive.
I did not mind it, though. I was well aware of how people perceived me.
And frankly, I did not care.
In fact, I was not even planning to study at Central Academy at first. The reason I applied for admission was due to certain circumstances.
I arrived in front of the principal and saw him smiling at me amusedly, almost as though he was seeing something fun.
[Are you going to show something interesting?] He asked, although his lips did not move.
He was using an advanced technique to speak directly to my mind, so no one else but me could hear him.
I put on a helpless smile.
[I'll just do my best.] I replied using the same method.
[So can I expect a good show?]
[I'll try.]
The old man smiled and nodded at me.
"It's your turn, student Linsley. Good luck."
As soon as his words ended, I was engulfed by a strong light.
When the light dissipated, my surroundings had changed completely.
Instead of the auditorium, I was in some kind of plain. The only thing I could see around me was a short and verdant grassland that extended until the horizon with some occasional tree here and there.
I could feel the sunlight hitting my skin, and a soft breeze creating a pleasant rustling sound.
'What a realistic illusion.' I sighed in admiration.
If I was not aware it was an illusion, I could have mistaken it for reality.
I received a prompt to choose a weapon, and I chose a sword. That was the weapon I was most familiar with.
At that moment, a mechanical voice sounded.
[The test starts in three, two, one.]
When the countdown finished, a figure materialized in front of me.
It was an enormous bull more than two meters tall. It had strong muscles, sharp-looking horns, and a fierce aura enough to intimidate a normal person.
It was clearly not your common beast.
With just a glance, I got a clear idea of its strength.
'The peak of the natal realm.'
The natal realm, also known as the mortal realm, was how all the creatures that had not formed a core were referred to.
There were differences in this realm, though. After all, although both ants and humans were in the natal realm, a normal ant could never defeat a normal human.
Likewise, a creature at the peak of the natal realm was not something a normal human could defeat.
In fact, even if five normal humans joined hands, they could only be prey for a creature at this level.
"It's not going to be easy," I muttered to myself.
Considering that I was just at the mid-stage of the natal realm, I was at a clear disadvantage when facing this creature.
As soon as the creature finished materializing, it fixed its gaze on me.
Its eyes, filled with rage, narrowed in anticipation.
Then, it let out a loud bellow and charged toward me.
I took a deep breath. Watching a two-meter-tall creature charging straight at me was intimidating.
However, my expression was calm.
After all, I was someone chosen to study in the most prestigious academy in the world.
A mere bull was not enough to defeat me.
Before it could reach me, I circulated my mana.
"Darkness." I muttered.
And my vision became completely dark.
It was as though the sun suddenly disappeared. My vision was darkened to the degree where I could see absolutely nothing.
It was the same for the bull too.
The sudden loss of vision disoriented the creature. It grunted in surprise and tried to stop its charge, but I was not done yet.
"Confusion." I spoke up again.
This time, my sense of orientation was messed up completely. Right became left, and up became down.
In this state, even walking was extremely hard.
And once more, the bull experienced the same.
Disoriented, it stumbled and fell. It tried to stand up again, but its body did not move as it wanted. It could only struggle on the ground helplessly.
Finally, I spoke up for the third time.
"Mana rebound."
As a result, the mana inside my body became extremely violent. It rampaged inside my body, trying to escape my control without caring if it caused any damage.
The bull's mana underwent the same change.
It escaped its control, rampaging inside the bull's body while injuring its veins and internal organs. In just a second, blood started to flow out of its mouth, eyes, nose, and ears.
I slowly approached it.
The bull whimpered in pain. It could not see me, but it could hear my footsteps.
I could not see it either, but I did not need my eyes to 'see'.
Neither did I care about a messed up sense of orientation.
As for the mana rampaging inside my body? I have experienced it so many times that I can easily take a nap in this state.
When I arrived in front of the bull, it tried to struggle for the last time.
By this point, though, it was so weak that it could barely move.
"Sorry about this." I could not help but mutter, even though I knew it was an illusion.
Then, I stabbed my sword in its neck.
With just a stab, its life was snuffed out.
'This should have been good enough as a performance.' I thought to myself.
But suddenly, I felt a strong pain in my chest.
My expression changed. I brought my hand to my chest, but I felt my muscles losing strength.
My legs gave out and I kneeled on the ground while grunting in pain.
"Ugh… What the hell!?" I cursed in a low voice.
At that moment, I heard a soft bang coming from my chest followed by an intense pain that almost made me faint.
My heart had exploded.
"Shit…" I forced out a weak smile.
Out of habit, I looked at my watch.
Fifteenth of the first month, year 723.
10:45 am.
One second later, my consciousness disappeared.
I died.