The school buzzed with excitement as students hurried from one teacher to another, their faces a mix of enthusiasm and anxiety. As Miles stood in the corridor outside his classroom, the head teacher of his class, Mrs. Williams, called to him. He followed her through the long hallways and up a flight of stairs until they reached a door with a wooden plaque inscribed with "Principal" in gold letters.
Inside, an old man sat behind a desk, speaking to someone through his communication wristband. When he finished, he glanced at Miles, his expression tense. He gestured for Miles to sit, then spoke in a tone that was both majestic and gentle. "You must be wondering why you're here, Mr. Miles Ash."
Just sitting in front of this old man he could feel his whole body under pressure as if he was a mere ant staring at God himself. But Miles struggled and finally a low voice came out "Yes"
The principal gave a faint smile and continued, "Your talent is quite unique, Mr. Ash. The school was unable to decide how to assess you in your talent test. Therefore, I have decided your marks will be based on your other tests. Perform well."
Mrs. Williams, clearly surprised, opened her mouth to speak, but the principal quickly motioned for Miles to go for the test.
As Miles was ushered out of the office, he overheard a brief exchange between Mrs. Williams and the principal. "Why?" she asked. But Miles couldn't focus on their conversation; all he wanted was to breathe, as the pressure finally began to ease. His mind swirled, and one thought lingered: The principal is really mysterious.
When he arrived at his classroom, his thoughts turned to the upcoming test. He wasn't going to give me a talent test? Miles felt a sense of relief. He had expected a zero or that his luck would be tested again, but now, there was a chance he could still get into the Elite School.
He told Ryan about the decision, and Ryan was happy for him. They both watched the clock as only ten minutes remained. The classroom grew silent, and all eyes were on Mrs. Williams and the ticking clock.
The first test, before lunch, focused on bookish knowledge about the wild. Miles wasn't particularly interested in studying books, but he will still score good because of his good memory. To get into the Elite School, a student needed a combined total of more than 400 marks across all tests. For Miles, he'd have to make up for the talent test with his performance on the other tests.
When the clock struck 8:00, the screen in front of everyone flickered, and the test papers appeared. Students quickly began filling in their answers, and time flew by. By noon, the book-based portion was over. Miles scored 122 out of 200—better than he had expected. Ryan, however, had scored only 90, which wasn't the worst in the class.
As they chatted and roamed during the break, the time for the monster combat test finally arrived. Most boys were excited to fight monsters in VR, a chance to show off their strength. For them, only fists mattered.
Miles, however, was worried. He had no combat talent or skill to fight monsters. Other students' non-combat talents could make up for marks in their talent tests, but Miles had no such luxury. He would have to perform well here.
Standing in line in front of a large screen, students watched as different individuals fought various monsters. Soon, it was Ryan's turn. He stepped into one of the pods placed beside the screen. A small section on the screen displayed Ryan facing a large brown rat. It was a Round Rat, a low-level monster very common in the wild. The creature had sharp teeth, a bloated round body, and tiny legs that seemed to struggle under its own weight. The Round Rat's primary weakness was its slow speed, and its large belly could be easily cut if one had fast enough speed—something Ryan specialized in.
Seeing Ryan perform well motivated Miles. When his name was called, he entered the pod and found himself in a grassy plain. In front of him was a monster about half his size—eight legs, four eyes, and a small mouth. It was completely covered in black fur. The creature was a Poison Spider, another low-level monster common in the wild.
Miles's motivation evaporated. He thought, Why am I so unlucky? This was the hardest monster for him to face. Its weakness was mana attacks, something he didn't have. All he had was a small black dagger, and he wasn't sure it would pierce the spider's tough fur.
As the spider moved toward him, its legs dripping with purple poison, Miles knew that touching the liquid would cause him to fail the test immediately. The spider came closer. Determined, he decided to give his all. When the spider raised a leg to attack, Miles rolled forward, positioning himself beneath it in an instant.
He thrust the dagger into the spider as best as he could, but to his shock, it only went in an inch before stopping. Trapped with nowhere to go, Miles fought against the panic rising in his chest. The spider raised its leg to strike. Miles quickly pushed off the other side of the spider, managing to roll out just in time.
Outside, spectators were amazed by Miles's performance, even though they expected him to fail. Ryan who had finished his test saw Miles on the screen and thought seriously—Does his talent make him unlucky. Miles, now panting and exhausted, found himself in a tough spot. His attacks were useless, unable to penetrate the spider's defense. But he couldn't give up. He had to defeat the spider for his future.
An idea struck him as he studied the spider's movements. Taking a deep breath, Miles rushed toward the creature. As the spider raised its legs to attack, Miles dove underneath and kicked it with all his strength. The spider lost its balance and started to fall. Miles quickly pushed off the ground to avoid being crushed, but his hands, still holding the dagger, remained beneath it.
As the spider crashed to the ground, the dagger pierced its head. Blood spurted out, staining Miles's hand. Sweat poured from him as he emerged from the pod. Outside, everyone stared at him in awe. No one had expected the Poison Spider to be dealt with in that way, and they were even more impressed by Miles's ingenuity—any wrong move could have been fatal due to the poison.
Miles glanced at the screen, where his score of 90 was displayed. He was satisfied. Approaching Ryan, he said, "That was bloody genius, Miles."
Miles blinked, surprised. He never talked like that, Miles thought.
Next came the most difficult test—the Survivability Test. It assessed a wide range of skills: reaction time, knowledge of the wild, strength, critical thinking, and more. In this test, students had to survive for an hour in a VR simulation of the wild, filled with dangerous monsters and plants that could attack at any moment.
Miles was confident in this test, knowing his sharp eyes and quick thinking would give him an edge. Once inside the VR simulation, he found himself in a dark forest, surrounded by towering trees and dense bushes. The atmosphere was tense, filled with a palpable sense of danger.
Miles moved cautiously toward the trees, using their cover to protect one side. As he walked, he spotted various monsters, carefully avoiding them. After 20 minutes, he encountered a Round Rat that he couldn't avoid. He decided to kill it quickly and move on. Hiding behind a tree, he ambushed the rat with a single strike, ending its life swiftly.
The test was relatively easy for Miles, but not for others. Some students killed beasts, only to attract more and be overwhelmed. Others climbed trees to escape, only to be killed by Hanging Snakes.
When the test ended, Miles's score was revealed: 99— the highest in the history of Greenwood Pre-Awakened School. Mrs. Williams and several other teachers praised him for his remarkable performance.
Finally, the last and most important test of the day: the Talent Test. This was a student's best shot at gaining entry to the Elite School, since talent test was of 200 marks with any D rank student able to get above 100 easily.
Out of the 20 seats available, most were already taken by rich students with well-nurtured talents. It was the harsh reality: those with money and power had the best opportunities, while those without had little hope. The government turned a blind eye to the injustices faced by the powerless, and most accepted it as the way of the world.
The Talent Test had separate rooms for different types of talents: Body Enhancement, Elemental Affinity, Combat Support, Non-combat Talents, Beast Trainer abilities, and more. But Miles didn't fit into any of these categories. As he waited for the others to finish, he felt the weight of uncertainty.
Two hours passed, and the sun began to set. Everyone turned toward the screen in anticipation of the scores and their chance to enter the prestigious Elite School. But Miles was more nervous than anyone else—he had no idea what his score would be.
Finally, the scores were released…