Chereads / Quicksand of Fate / Chapter 21 - 021

Chapter 21 - 021

After Emilio left, Lorenzo stepped back from the window and took the package, then sat on the bed. He opened the outer cover and found a neat and elegant black box. Inside, he discovered a paper document, a mobile phone, a wristwatch, a dimensional storage ring, and a silver card engraved with the insignia of Sentinel Academy. When he touched the card, a holographic screen appeared, explaining how to activate it—it simply required blood.

Foolish humans will always remain fools

 he thought

In thousands of years of history, they've never learned that nothing good ever comes from using blood. But then he reconsidered. Lionel Kaiser had burned all records of such research, leaving humans today as ignorant as their ancestors thousands of years ago.useing demonic and magical methods for something as mundane as proving their identity.

However, he reminded himself that even with records, humans always repeated the same mistakes in different ways. 

so they are just fools.

But Lorenzo's former psychiatrist had once told him, "If you want to merge with humans, act like one."

Since then, he had grudgingly followed that advice. He ignored human foolishness and even participated in it occasionally, as he was doing now. Despite knowing the dangers of using blood for such purposes, he pricked his thumb and pressed it against the card. The card absorbed the blood, its color shifting from silver to gray. A holographic display of his personal information appeared in front of him. The data wasn't entirely accurate, as it hadn't been verified yet. It was simply based on what the cadets or their parents had submitted when applying to the academy.

In most cases, the information was fake. But in Lorenzo's case, it wasn't fake; it was forged under the direct orders of Ricardo Accardi himself.

Name: Lorenzo Accardi 

Affiliation: Elite 

Age: 17 

Occupation: None 

Weapon: Sword 

Basic Skill: Eclipse Sword 

Innate Ability: Nocturnevow 

Element: Dark Ice 

Rank:

**Statistics** 

Strength:

Agility:

Stamina: E- 

Intelligence: A+ 

His eyes fell on the "Innate Ability" section, and he tilted his head in confusion. That wasn't his innate ability. Had someone made a mistake, or was the misinformation deliberate?

He couldn't fathom what his father was planning. If this forgery was discovered, it would be a scandal. Surely Ricardo Accardi knew that such an obvious deception couldn't go unnoticed!

Whatever. Lorenzo didn't care what his father thought or planned. All he ever got from Ricardo's schemes was more madness and headaches.

He tossed the academy ID card aside and picked up the academy-issued phone. External electronic devices weren't allowed in Sentinel's inner city. Only elite officials, top-ranking association employees, and academy personnel resided there. Sentinel City itself was classified as a special-class military zone.

Because it was an unused phone, there was only one stored file on the main screen. It contained the exam schedule, as well as the requirements and prohibitions for each of the three tests.

According to the schedule, the entrance exam was set to begin tomorrow, starting with the written test at five in the morning and continuing until twelve noon.

Just from the time allocated to the cadets, it was clear the questions wouldn't be easy. And if they were, there would be many of them. Most applicants to the academy were university graduates, and only a few, like him, who hadn't received basic education due to their circumstances, dared to apply to Sentinel Academy. 

After all, the first test alone was a nightmare for most applicants. The assessment measured not just academic intelligence but also practical knowledge of strategy, mathematics, politics, and science. The test was designed to weed out fools before anything else began. Sentinel Academy didn't train soldiers—it trained leaders who would go on to guide the world or take on the most dangerous and sensitive tasks, such as espionage.

No human spy operating outside human territory was ever a non-graduate of Sentinel Academy. Spying on demons, magicians, and even underworld entities within human territory required the highest levels of intelligence, knowledge, strength, and adaptability. Success demanded mastery of lie detection, counter-magic, and much more.

The other four academies? They trained soldiers and meat shields.

This was the significance of the written test, a hurdle that no one dared to take lightly.

Next week, there was the Uncharted Territory Test. This test gauged a cadet's ability to survive, respond to variables, and instinct. Luck was also a factor. After all, unlucky people were often more dangerous liabilities than even the most foolish fools.

The academy even preferred a lucky fool over an unlucky genius.

While others might not know this, the academy and the association were obsessed with luck. Those proven to be seriously unlucky were blacklisted and excluded from positions that could affect humanity's peace, such as government or military institutions.

Finally, the third and final test was designed as a public spectacle. It raised funds, entertained audiences, and showcased the combat capabilities of advanced cadets.

A test familiar everywhere and at all times: one-on-one combat.

Apart from the schedule, Lorenzo found lengthy texts about the terms, conditions, and other details related to the tests. But he didn't bother to read them. Emilio would handle all the practical matters, whether preparation or otherwise.

He tossed the phone aside and picked up the paper. With dull eyes, he read the title:

Disclaimer Document.

It simply meant, "fuck you, I'm not responsible for anything." If you died or became paralyzed for life, whether inside or outside the academy, don't bother blaming anyone. Sentinel isn't a kindergarten; it is a military training center for the elite.

To enter Sentinel meant desiring to become one of the world's elite and accepting the associated risks.

Additionally, by enrolling, one surrendered their rights. Within the academy walls, no one retained the privileges they had as humans living in human realms. Whether treated as an animal without will or an inanimate object without emotion, cadets had no right to complain. The academy even reserved the right to dispose of them at its discretion.

And, as an adult willing to become 'the best dog' one was required to place their blood print at the bottom of the document.

Lorenzo didn't like it at all, especially since it required yet another signature with a blood print.

"Humans are really stupid... but they're annoyingly stupid," he muttered.

He hesitated, frowning as confusion crept over him. His grand plan to escape complicated things. Unlike the formation on the card, this document was explicitly magical. Though the magic was cleverly hidden within a pure ethereal formation, it was undeniable.

The academy... they're mentally ill to practice magic so publicly and widely like this.

But he sighed. Refusing to comply would only arouse Ricardo's and Emilio's suspicions.

Breaking a second-level magic seal wasn't that hard, but it would be a little painful. It would feel like having your soul ripped from your body while being skinned with a dull, salt-stained knife as your heart was crushed.

It would only be a little painful...

Resigned, he pricked his thumb again and left his blood print on the document.

If he wanted to escape the great Accardi family, he figured it would be polite to at least endure some pain.