A few minutes prior...
Tyr had just arrived at the waiting room. He couldn't help but survey the other examinees as he waited--his eyes scanning across all those in front of him.
There were about 100 total people in the room, and dozens more joined in seemingly every half an hour or so.
20 Examinees were tested at a time from what Tyr could see since the young lady at the front called 20 names at a time. So, the room didn't fill up. It looked to be perfectly in balance at all times.
As Tyr looked around, most of what he saw were nervous expressions and body language.
Many faced the ground, their eyebrows curled inwards and frowns on their faces from the stress of the matter.
'I wonder if you can only take the test once or something...' Tyr thought to himself, not fully grasping the tension of the matter.
Many had their shoulders drooped forward, their faces shadowed as though this was one of the most dreadful days of their life.
"Hahaha!" A man suddenly burst out into a laugh sitting to the very left of Tyr. He was tall, bald, and seemed to be in his early thirties.
He had a scar on his cheek and wore leather great with a short sword sheathed by his waist. He conversed with a small group of friends while continuing to laugh.
"Yeah! Of course, I'll pass! It's going to be easy as pie!" The man yelled, capturing the attention of several people in the room.
"Yes!" A shorter, smaller guy wearing similar clothing exclaimed: "If anyone can pass, it's you, Don!" He exclaimed.
Tyr raised a brow, 'Cheerleader much?'
Another small guy next to the baldy exclaimed, "Yeah! You're the man Don!"
The guy was getting a lot of love. Only from these two though...
"How… how could they be so arrogant?" Another voice sounded, this time from the other side of Tyr. It was a fat guy with glasses on and a basic set of attire. He was whispering under his breath as he faced the ground and twiddled his thumbs.
"Don't they know that they are all inferior? We are all inferior? We are only taking this test because we are the pathetic humans abandoned by the Gods. We are the ones without Ancestral Abilities…" The fat guy continued whispering to himself.
Tyr was creeped out. 'Why do I have to get seated next to these weirdos'?' He questioned, slightly irritated.
Despite the guy acting funny, what he was saying was serious. And it made Tyr think. It was a point of view that he hadn't fully considered.
But the more that he thought about it, it only made more sense.
If there was one thing humans were good at, it was prejudice in Tyr's eyes. So, how could those with Ancestral Abilities, especially the stronger ones, not discriminate against those without it?
More things began to make sense to Tyr after he realized this, 'It makes sense why these guys are pretty nervous for this exam I guess. Before they even take it, they know the whole reason why they are taking it in the first place is that they are worse than another demographic of people. It's pretty demotivating if you think about it.'
His eyes wandered to his left, where the cocky bald guy was, 'It seems this guy is just trying to hide his insecurity of the fact that he is a part of the many who don't have Ancestral Abilities by hyping himself up using those lackeys. Pretty damn sad.'
Soon enough, the next 20 examinees were called up. The fat guy to Tyr's right and the bald guy to Tyr's left were both a part of this group.
As they stood up and joined the party of 20 entering the exam room, the bald guy gave the fatty a good slap on the back: "Don't be such a downer, lardy! You can always become a farmer or something." He mocked, causing his friends to laugh even more as they all entered the exam room.
About half an hour later, they all came out again. One figure sprinted out of the room with utter confidence and power. His man tits and fat belly jiggled in the limelight as a bright smile stretched across his face and a bright glimmer shone in his eyes.
This figure… was the fatty from before.
"I passed! I passed god damn it!" He exclaimed in shock and excitement.
The baldy walked behind him, his back slouched and a frown appearing over his pale face.
Out of nowhere, the fatty slapped the baldy on the back hard enough to make him stumble forward and nearly fall. "Better luck next time, dork!" The fatty yelled, joyfully skipping out of the exam room.
Tyr couldn't help but burst out laughing as he saw this.
***
After a while of waiting, Tyr's name was called up…
Tyr entered the exam room with his group of twenty. As soon as he did, he was met with a completely unexpected scene.
Firstly, they all walked onto a wide balcony made of steel. This balcony wrapped all around the large, round room everyone was in.
Slowly, everyone spread out and stood behind the iron railings–looking down at the arena below them.
It was a battleground, its floor composed of pristine white-stone slabs, polished to a gleaming finish.
The walls, fortified with thick iron layers, exuded an aura of indestructibility as if they could endure relentless assaults without a scratch.
Overhead, a colossal glass dome bathed the entire arena in brilliant light, casting an almost ethereal glow.
The room was vast, its sheer size awe-inspiring. As Tyr took in the impressive sight, the murmur of the other examinees filled the air, their excited whispers and speculative conversations creating a lively hum.
Everyone seemed eager, theorizing about what the upcoming exam might entail.
"They keep the exams under tight regulation and change them up every month or so."
"I wonder what this one is going to be like."
"I hope its easy…"
From where Tyr stood to the other side of the room, about 100 feet away, he could see a group of figures standing there opposite of him.
Looking to his left and right, he could see four more small groups of about 4-5 people separated about 10-20 feet apart each.
'Who are they? Examinators?' He questioned.
Out of nowhere, a voice sounded from the speakers placed in every side of the dome: "First contestant, Ionel Grendel, please make your way into the Exam Arena."
And so it began…