'Huh, not bad. The Ogre's Skin looks useful," Arvian thought to himself.
"Oi, Shitty Monarch, what just happened? Where's our prize?" Jaxyn asked, looking confused.
"Only I can receive the rewards," Arvian replied, giving a sly, fake smile.
Next day
Today was the Azmaris Academy Exam.
Arvian wore a white shirt, black coat, and pants, while Jaxyn sported his black outfit with light golden-coloured accents and a matching short cloak. Both of them walked through the crowded streets of Azmaris city, their excitement building as they neared the Academy.
Dareth was with them, dressed in black clothes with blue grading on his shoulders.
There were many young men in the city, most likely all there for the Azmaris Academy Exam.
As they walked down the straight street towards Azmaris Academy, the large white buildings of the Academy came into view.
The closer they came, the more Arvian and Jaxyn marveled. Everything appeared so grand as the enormous white buildings of the academy towered above the ground with their large glass windows. The entire campus was divided into three big buildings, all connected by glass bridges. There were students gathered everywhere they looked on the academy ground, getting ready for the exam.
"Best of luck for the exam," Dareth said, before heading off toward the Academy buildings.
"What? Why is Dareth heading into the Academy?" Jaxyn asked, confused.
"I don't know. Just wait," Arvian replied.
'I remember now... hell... Dareth was acting as a professor at the Academy. In the novel... hell, why did I forget that?' Arvian thought to himself, a smile slowly forming on his face.
"I don't know... maybe he's hiding something," Arvian muttered.
Before Jaxyn could respond, suddenly, a stage materialized in front of the building, and a man with red hair stepped up, holding a microphone.
"Welcome to the Azmaris Academy! Today, we are hosting the 100th entrance Exam of Azmaris Academy. Since it's the 100th exam, we've decided to reduce it by one stage. Originally, the exam was divided into three stages, but this time it will be in two. Best of luck to everyone. Without wasting any more time, let's begin the 100th exam!"
Suddenly, a huge blue portal appeared in the ground, but it was different from the usual dungeon or dimensional portals. This one looked like it was connected to another world entirely.
"Now, all of you enter this portal for the first stage of the exam," the voice of the announcer rang out.
With a cheer, the crowd rushed toward the portal, causing the ground to tremble as they moved.
"Let's go, Muffin!" Arvian shouted, grabbing Jaxyn's hand as they sprinted toward the portal.
As they stepped through, they found themselves in a dense forest. The space around them was vast and clear, and in the distance, there were five towering fire walls.
The students were led to an ancient, enchanted forest known as the 'Labyrinth of Forgotten Mysteries.' The purpose of this forest was to assess the students' knowledge of which element to use to get through the various kinds of elemental walls. In addition to having numerous confusing passageways, the labyrinth also had dangerous monsters hiding inside.
Before anyone could say anything, the silence was broken by a man's voice. It was the examiner, an Academy professor.
"Welcome to the first stage of the exam. Let me give you the details and information about this stage," he announced.
"In this stage, you have to choose one of the five paths," the professor continued. "However, to pass through these fire walls, you will need to use your magic to break through. Be aware that the walls will reappear after 3 seconds. Along the way, you'll encounter puzzles that must be solved to continue, and at the end of the path, you'll face monsters. So, best of luck to all of you. And the time limit is 1 hour"
With that, the professor stepped back, allowing the students to begin their challenge.
"Arvian, we both will go through the same path," Jaxyn muttered, looking at the challenge ahead.
"Yeah, let's go," Arvian responded, determined.
Both of them approached a large fire wall blocking their way.
"We have to use water-style magic to pass through this fire wall. You cast the water spell, and then we'll run immediately. We have only three seconds, so don't delay," Arvian explained quickly.
"Got it," Jaxyn replied, his expression focused. He quickly brought his hands together and began chanting, "Water Style: Spreading Mist!"
A wave of water surged forward, creating a misty barrier that weakened the intense heat of the fire wall.
"Now, let's go!" Jaxyn shouted as the mist expanded, allowing them to run through the gap in the fire wall before it closed.
Quickly avoiding the flames, they both dashed through the opening in a flash. When they arrived at the opposite side, they glanced back in time to witness the fire wall erupting in flames as it closed behind them.
"That was close," Jaxyn said, catching his breath.
"Yeah, but we made it," Arvian replied, relieved.
The other students struggled to make it through the fire wall. Others were too slow and were caught in the flames, suffering excruciating burns, while others were able to escape. The students had to take immediate action to avoid the consequences due to the extreme heat from the fire wall. Some were left behind to tend to their wounds while the others continued.
As they advanced further, they reached a thick wooden wall blocking their path. Beyond it, a number of additional walls emerged, stacked one above the other.
"We have use fire element." Arvian said.
"Fire Style: Flames!" Arvian shouted, his voice determined.
Both Arvian and Jaxyn unleashed their Fire Style magic, sending powerful waves of flame toward the wooden wall. It began to burn, but the fire didn't completely destroy it. The wall quickly began to regenerate, as if it were alive.
"Looks like we need to cast at the same time," Arvian muttered, realizing they had to coordinate their magic. He quickly called to the other students who had made it through the fire wall, and together, they unleashed their flames in unison. The combined heat was enough to burn through the wooden wall, allowing everyone to pass.
They hurried forward, their footsteps quick and purposeful. But the ground beneath Arvian abruptly dissappeared as they approached the next section. Before he could hit the fall into the trap, Jaxyn's hand sprang out and grabbed his wrist.
"Jaxyn—!" Arvian gasped, struggling to hold on.