After his mandatory break, Yoel felt as if he had learned a good deal about the world.
Along with the landscapes and their geography, he also learned what type of creatures reside in every nation.
There were many fascinating ones, ranging from red-eyed squirrels and rabbits to monstrous flying skeletal dragons.
The world was quite bizarre, even though humanity had reached such a staggering level of technological advancements, their creations couldn't even put a dent in the weakest monsters out there.
This was a mystery that had yet to be solved, and it seemed that humanity wasn't even close to doing so.
After he finished his tedious learning session, he decided to continue on with his training for 5 more days and decided to spend the last 5 resting and strategizing.
It was a smart thing to do, although what was there to strategize?
He couldn't think of any specific situations due to his inability to gather any confirmed intel regarding the exams.
Although many rumors floated around, there were too many to pinpoint on a single few.
There was a lot of stuff to think about other than that, anyway.
They still hadn't made any announcements regarding the exams, if they'd be grouped up or alone, if they'd have to fight, if they'd have to solve puzzles or anything like that.
Even though the time participants had to absorb was only 5 days, he thought that it would be impossible to do anything regarding the exams even if they told us the details of them now.
However, Yoel's spiraling thoughts that were plaguing him were dispersed with a single light flicker from the cube, then a mechanical voice.
[Greetings, examinees. We have heard your concerns, and we shall answer. Gather in the academy hall three days before the exams commence.]
[We shall provide you with the information you have so painstakingly tried to extract from us.]
[That is all, examinees. We wish you the best of luck and a good rest of the day. Remember, training is important but rest is equally important.]
Yoel was quite taken aback by the sudden and important message sent to him by the academy.
For one, he didn't even know they could communicate through a device like this. They hadn't done anything remotely close to that the entire month they had spent there.
And second, he was baffled that they had so effortlessly discovered the rumors going around.
While yes, rumors like these were hard to keep from spreading, from what Yoel had seen.. there had been no cameras or anything of the like when he explored the place himself.
There had to be something supernatural at play, there was no way of knowing what they talked about if that aspect wasn't involved.
..Of course, there would be something supernatural at play, are you an idiot, Yoel? This entire academy is filled with people possessing strange abilities.
For a few minutes, Yoel let himself lie down on his bed and let his thoughts wander.
Enigma abilities.. huh.
They were quite a mystery if he thought about it, as well.
Yoel knew they came in many different forms and sizes. And took on many elements of the world that one wouldn't even think was possible.
For example, Yoel had once seen a staff member of the facility mimicking cutting down a tree, and the insane part was that the tree was.. actually being cut.
He had also heard rumors of many Champions manipulating the laws and materials that made the universe spin.
Although he wasn't sure how true this information was, it had become something Yoel often thought about.
Unfathomable power.. surely, it had been one of Yoel's desires. But had it been his main one? Well.. he didn't really remember.
Desires must be quite an intricate subject, aren't they?
However, just like every other time, a deep melancholy gripped his heart whenever he thought of his own chances of awakening a dream-like ability like those he had seen.
His awakening chance was miniscule. And even that was an understatement.
In a way, he had broken a record.. in the worst way possible.
He had the lowest chance of awakening an enigma.
And even if he did end up awakening them.. He was doomed to put in the most effort to see the least improvement in them for the rest of his life.
It seemed that no matter how much the boy trained, his insecurities remained.
It was natural, after all. He really barely has any chance of even awakening, even if he did his progress towards ascension would be arduous and tedious.
Once awakened, circulating Avon through his body and even manipulating the wild Avon would have been a hard, if not impossible task for him.
His confidence and hope weakened as he thought more about it. It was like an anchor of despair, keeping him in place and restricting his movements.
However, he was not going to let that anchor stay, as long as his soul was alight with even a candle flame of hope, he was not going to stop.
He steeled his resolve and went to sleep. He needed strength and energy for the days to come.
He let his sweet dreams whisk him away, for now.
At the same time, many other examinees believed the same. They had to get sleep, to get rest.
The actual number of participants was not something one could scoff at. Originally, they were split up into groups of 20 people and eventually they allowed more and more contact over time.
If one bothered to count, they'd notice that the participants were in the thousands.
Many wanted to enroll in this academy, whether it be out of their own discretion or other circumstances that led them to this decision.
Regardless, Yoel would have to compete against this number of people.. and come out on top.
Or.. in the top fifty participants.
He was unsure how well-taught all these people were, and he knew there was no use in trying to think about it.
All he knew was that he needed to give it his all.. and a bit more than that.
An intruder to his spiraling thoughts and questions, the cube suddenly lit up with a loud sound. Its shine had changed to an ominous red.
It was the sound of the alarm.
This alarm... can mean two things. Either the participants were getting desperate.. or there was something else, a foreign entity or something similar.
Whatever the case may be, Yoel followed academy protocol and stayed inside his dorm room until the order to move to the shelters was given.
Soon enough, he heard distant screams. They were distant enough however to not be able to properly discern entirely what they were saying.
All he could hear was mere fragments of the sentences.
"Escape.. Capture… Get away!"
Slowly, those screams drew closer as the lights flickered.
Whatever was happening outside was of tremendous calamity, seeing that even the prestigious advanced equipment of the esteemed academy were failing.
Yoel's heartstrings were being plucked one by one, his worry increasing exponentially.
And then… darkness.
His room was fully dark, the battle of light and shadow had ended. The electricity had gone out..
And just like that, the defenses of the academy had fallen.
At this point, Yoel's body had began to uncontrollably shake as fear kept him rooted to the solid ground.
One second passed.. then another.. and then two more.
Slowly, a deep whirling sound reached the shaking ears of Yoel, and then..
Light, once again.
The emergency circuits had kicked in. It appears the academy had planned for times like these.
It took a few seconds for Yoel to get used to the light again, although it hadn't slowed him by much.
Almost instantaneously, the cube shone with light and a booming sound was heard from it.
Unlike the mechanical voice heard from it before, this time it was the voice of a man that was clearly in his 40s, or older.
The voice spoke with a sense of pride and confidence, it exuded authority.
It made Yoel feel compelled to trust his words even more.
The voice spoke,
"Examinees, students. Let me dispell your worries."
"The academy has faced an attack against foreign entities, it appears that their objective was our academy. HOWEVER!"
"The threat has been properly dealt with by our esteemed guardians. So fear not, you will be able to sleep soundly."
"We will increase the defenses of the academy, and ensure you are all safe and sound."
With that, the cube stopped shining and it went back to its usual lighting.
~Vice Principal's Office~
A deep sigh reached the corners of the office. A man with an almost white beard found himself absentmindedly looking at a hologram.
The man had an expression of worry and anxiety on his face.
His wrinkles deepened his face, decorating it with ugly patterns.
The man was not in a good mood. After that attack, he realized how truly insignificant Humanity's evolution in technology was.
The creatures that had attacked appeared to be capable of disrupting the power and dismantling the defensive systems.. somehow.
After a brief investigation however, many had already deemed it impossible to figure out how. During their battle, the creatures had shown no prowess of manipulating electricity..
It was a mystery, an unsettling one at that.
What if more of these showed up? What if they appeared in more numbers than before?
Only a pack of three had shown up today, but who could say that more weren't going to show up tomorrow?
It was something tiring to think about.
As the man looked at the window behind his office, he sighed once again and spoke to himself.
"I hope I can keep things under control until he comes back."