Taking my dear little succubus and the cat lady who had begged me to demonstrate my spell, we returned to the training grounds in the academy's inner area.
This place was teeming with people; upon closer inspection, I realized there were around ten thousand individuals just in this block of testing grounds.
The academy was divided into six areas, and before entering, we were briefly assessed on our basic knowledge by an outer palace professor.
'The quick test consisted of simple questions that lasted only a minute.'
After that, we were assigned to this area, which happened to be the least populated of all nine testing grounds.
Now, we stood in groups of six, and in my group, aside from Zora and Miyu, were the angel Raphael, the owl Wisely, and the human princess and summoner Gennie.
The floating orbs in the sky had determined our groups and only a glance was enough to tell me that these orbs were creations of the brilliant Sir Axiom.
They were connected to a larger orb hovering at the front of this expansive area beside an open space that was large enough for an elder dragon to land in its original form.
'That was precisely the size of the creature that would be taking this exam.'
This simple system created by Sir Axiom intrigued me greatly. It reminded me of something called video games from the high human continent. The interface was inspired by those peculiar creations.
The High System that maaintained this world was a lot more complex than what these orbs and the giant orb in the center can ever cover.
Additionally, there was this unique pattern to these things that put a lot of limitations on them.
The Syatem that was in place for Anovolda was much more free in terms of what it needed to handle and maintain.
Still, this was interesting…
"Hmmm?"
Suddenly, a notification chimed in our minds simultaniously.
[Ding!]
A floating window appeared before our eyes, causing everyone in the large open area to gasp in surprise at this sudden extraterrestrial phenomenon.
"Is this the Screen that mom was talking about?"
"It surprised me! No one told me it would come out of the blue!"
A blue holographic window had materialized before us, a translucent screen that showed nothing at the moment but remained captivating nonetheless.
Many attempted to touch it, but it was intangible; you couldn't physically interact with this floating object.
"Ooo. Isn't this kind of cool?" Zora wondered with a smile as she played with the screen and even tried using magic on it.
"Are these orbs projecting it?" Miyu didn't like how she was treating the screen as some adorable pet and slapped her hand, telling her to stay put for the time being.
Seeing the two, Miss Gennie smiled for a moment, remembering something… but then shook her head and looked away.
'Zora, along with the purebloods in my group, was equally astonished at this though.'
I had kept information about the tests and the academy's inner workings from those who were unaware. Except for a select few here, no one had any idea what this thing was or how we were going to utilize it.
Even though they had seen similar devices used in their previous worlds, it was unlikely they understood its purpose since, with the appearance of this blank screen, we had only just received permission to access this entire network known as [Andromeda].
'While it was connected to the High system, the Andromeda system was only a part of the greater whole.'
This system was also created by the monarch of the third higher plain, the sharpest mind in existence, capable of managing tasks more efficiently than normal creatures or even highly intelligent beings from outer space.
The system possessed intelligence and wisdom that surpassed even that of an actual dragon.
The original [System] was something he called his greatest creation, although I wasn't present when he made it.
'Back then, Anovolda did not exist as it does today and it was only after the creation of that high cosmic intelligence that we were able to meet.'
Nevertheless, this system's essence was undoubtedly based on the actual system he had designed to assist other life forms like ordinary humans and sentient creatures in this perpetually unstable world.
'Well, those two categories were quite different from one another, but this system was indeed fascinating.'
"What are you thinking so deeply about, Rian?"
"Ah, nothing great. I was just wondering how unique this thing is."
We had just gained access to it, which meant we were at least partially integrated into this academy and had basic access to its resources and information.
Everyone relied on this system as the core of their activities; while I didn't necessarily need it, I found it enjoyable to play around with.
'As the actual owner of this academy, I could have complete control over it; however, that didn't seem entertaining to me right now.'
What truly delighted me was witnessing the surprised expressions on the faces of my dear succubus, the cute kitty cat girl, and our innocent angel friend when they caught on to how I actually knew something about this screen.
"Rian? You know about this as well?!" Zora exclaimed excitedly as she waved her hand through the smoke-like screen with shining eyes.
Unlike them, I wasn't intrigued or surprised by the screen itself, and as I said, this whole of the system, the orbs around us, and the way they worked was what was more interesting to me.
"Ahem. Do you know what this thing is, Mister Rian?" even Miyu was asking me respectfully.
"Haha-, ahem."
A gentle chuckle escaped from Gennie's lips as she observed Zora and Miyu's curiocity.
With her golden hair and crystal-like green eyes– symbols of her strong affinity with mana, she radiated an aura of kindness and warmth.
"Hey! Don't laugh like that, gen!"
"Apologies, Miss Miyu. I didn't mean that."
"Hmph!"
As a beast tamer capable of forming pacts with other creatures, she held a rank equivalent to a [Rank-3] (Green) mage.
Gennie's beauty surpassed even that of Raphael; she embodied grace and charm in every way possible.
'Yet unlike many beings who naturally drew my attention, she had already been claimed by someone special.'
From what I could see, she was one of the happiest individuals around—much like the cat monarch or Molly—always exuding joy as she engaged with her surroundings.
Though her beloved wasn't present in this world any longer, she maintained a radiant spirit for wherever he might be now.
"Anyway, I was also curious about it, Mister Rian-."
"Can't you just shut up for a moment!" Wisely tried to change the air, but Miyu just didn't like how Gennie was finding her cute.
She was genuinely good-hearted though and had forged friendships with everyone here: Zora, Miyu, and even these two unfortunate souls who missed their chance during their first debut.
'Poor angel. At least he had a chance, unlike the arrogant owl.'