The train stopped at the station in the southern city, and the gates opened. The group exited the station and hailed a taxi to take them to the exam center.
This city was vastly different from the holy city. It wasn't a concrete jungle; instead, it was adorned with beautiful trees and a network of fresh, flowing rivers.
The river seemed to weave through the entire city, filled with water taxis and personal boats gliding along its surface.
Unlike the towering skyscrapers of the holy city, the buildings here were shorter but wider, creating a more grounded and expansive feel. The people dressed differently, too, wearing long, robe-like garments in a myriad of colors. Men and women wore similar outfits, except the women had an additional long strip of matching fabric draped around their necks, complementing their attire.
"How odd it seems that the culture has changed so much over just 10,000 kilometers."
Jay remarked, gazing at the city through the car window.
"The people here seem freer, probably because there are fewer monster attacks. It's also a popular destination for wealthy people, thanks to its environment and diverse culture."
Mira said, sitting in the front seat beside the taxi driver.
"Yes, absolutely!"
The taxi driver chimed in with a bright smile.
"Ever since the Samut Rainforest was cleared of monsters, our fortunes have turned around. Before that, this city was unprogressive and poor—people couldn't even afford three meals a day. But now, everything's changed. Tourism brought in wealth, and the Awakened Party that cleared the rainforest became our city's champions. We even built a statue to honor them."
"Oh, and how are they?"
Jin asked, his gaze filled with curiosity.
"They were a party called the Revengers," Luke replied. "Their team leader was a disciple of the Ivory Queen. They all reached Platinum rank within a hundred years. Quite an achievement."
'The Ivory Queen... I think I've met her before. The matriarch of the House of Raphael, one of the three great clans.'
In the middle of their conversation, a sudden downpour began out of nowhere.
"You're here for the NAAT exam, right? Just remember, the weather here is unpredictable—rain can start at any time."
The driver warned them.
They arrived at the ORDER's branch in the southern city, which served as the exam center. It was located a bit farther from the train station.
Mira took Luke to a different location for his exam.
Since Luke was a Level 8, he didn't need to go through the entire examination process. He only had to take a single combat test to qualify.
He sure has it easy, Jin thought to himself, grumbling internally.
Before leaving, Mira explained the registration process to them and wished them good luck.
Jin and Jay entered the exam center and made their way to the registration area.
Their registration was already completed beforehand; they just needed to submit their documents to receive a badge number for the test.
Seven queues were already filled with Awakened candidates waiting for their turn.
"I had no idea so many people Awaken every year," Jay remarked, scanning the counters for an empty spot to submit their documents, but all of them were occupied.
"I think around 200,000 Awakened are participating this year across 10 different exam centers in the empire," Jin replied. "It sounds like a lot, but it's nothing compared to the empire's total population of over 400 billion."
The awakening rate in the empire was 0.008%, significantly higher than the global awakening rate.
The large number of applicants was partly due to repeat participants—those who had failed the test in previous years but were trying again, as an Awakened could apply up to eight times if they failed.
Besides, even if someone obtained their soul, it didn't necessarily mean they became stronger. Most couldn't even reach the Awakened state and remained in a deep sleep, living and dying like non-Awakened individuals due to a lack of resources. Even those who managed to Awaken often couldn't progress beyond Level 2 in their entire lifetime.
Jay looked around nervously, his eyes searching for someone he could relate to for some reassurance. However, most of the participants were middle-aged, with some even older. Teenagers were a rare sight, which only made Jay feel even more out of place and anxious.
"We should join the line before it's too late."
They chose the shortest queue, but even then, they had to wait for half an hour before their turn finally came.
When they reached the counter, Jin handed over his documents, including his residential card and mentorship recommendation.
Jin hadn't originally possessed a residential card, but he had managed to obtain one during his entry in the human realm. He even enrolled in a school as proof of residency. With a bit of mind manipulation, he was able to secure the necessary documentation.
The mentorship recommendation was a mandatory requirement for Awakened candidates. It ensured they gained experience under the guidance of a certified, ranked Awakened mentor for at least one year.
Luke had been under Albedo's mentorship for years, and even Jay had a recommendation from Mr. Hank, who was his original mentor.
Jin's recommendation, however, listed Mira as his mentor, as he hadn't officially become Albedo's disciple yet. He still needed to undergo the formal master-disciple ritual to solidify that bond.
Jin actually preferred it this way. Becoming the disciple of a King—a position of great prestige in the Empire—was not something he desired. He detested the attention it would bring and preferred to keep a low profile.
The officer checked all his documents using a computer, a new invention with far superior calculation and information technology compared to anything else.
Jin knew there shouldn't be any problems, but he couldn't help feeling his heartbeat quicken.
After finishing the checks, the officer handed Jin his documents and registration number with a big smile.
"Good luck on your exam."
After Jin finished, Jay also completed his turn, and the two of them waited for the start of the first exam.
Jin was reading a book that covered all the previous exam papers.
The NAAT, or National Awakened Attribute Test, was an exam for the Awakened to register with the ORDER.
The exam consisted of three tests, and the first one, the theory test, was about to begin.
With half an hour remaining before the test, the announcement started, instructing all applicants to head to their assigned examination halls listed on their registration forms. They were to sit according to the seating arrangement based on their registration number.
Jin checked his registration number: GTR-4493410028/492, which assigned him to examination hall number 492. Jay's number was GTR-4493410029/492, and his hall was the same.
They made their way toward the hall, joined by many other participants.
[Unique Skill: Seer of Unseen]
Jin analyzed the group using his unique skill.
'Most of them are weaklings, except for a few good ones.'
They sat at their assigned desks, with Jay sitting behind Jin at a separate desk. Each desk had a screen where the questions would appear.
The theory test was conducted in a multiple-choice format, consisting of 160 questions. Each question had four options to choose from, with 4 points awarded for a correct answer and 1 point deducted for an incorrect one.
The wise strategy was to only answer the questions you knew, leaving those you weren't sure about unanswered.
Jin had analyzed the results from previous years and determined that at least 200 points were needed to pass the test. This meant he needed to answer 50 questions correctly while avoiding the ones he didn't know.
But for Jin, that wasn't the real concern. Instead, he was thinking about how many correct answers he needed to avoid drawing too much attention. After some thought, he decided to answer 90 questions correctly and get 30 wrong, aiming for a total score of 330 points—more than enough to pass the test.
The questions appeared exactly when the timer started, giving them three hours to complete the 160 questions.
Jin looked at the first question, which asked which monster ruled the Daris region of Kacoa Swamp. The correct answer was "the Phantoms," but Jin intentionally chose "the Sand Whale."
He finished the test in half an hour and glanced at Jay, trying to do so discreetly to avoid drawing attention from the officers guarding the hall. He saw that Jay was asleep.
'Has he finished? Or did he just give up because he didn't know anything?'
Once the allotted time was up, everyone left the hall and waited for the results, which were posted within the hour.
The results were presented as a national ranking of all the applicants who had taken the exam.
Out of all the applicants, only 17,854 had passed the test.
Jin checked his result on his phone—it was 8,632, which was satisfactory to him. It was a perfect rank that wouldn't draw too much attention.
Just then, eight names appeared on the big screen. They were the top scorers of the year, with each of them having scored a perfect 640.
One of the names was GTR-4493410029/492, and the name was Jasmine.
'Jay is one of the top scorers.'
Jin stared at the screen, wide-eyed.
His gaze then shifted to another name on the list—one he recognized from the Unseen Realm, mentioned by the little kid.
The name displayed was Gaya Raphael.