Along the way, we stopped by the shop where I work to pick up the raw materials needed for orders. While there, I also grabbed a tracksuit, a few loose t-shirts, and a flower pot. The taxi driver and I ended up chatting quite a bit during the ride.
Strangely enough, he even gave me a photo of his daughter. We clicked a selfie together and parted ways after exchanging contact information.
After arriving at the apartment, the driver uncle even helped me carry my things up to my floor. I invited him over for tea, but he politely refused, saying his daughter was coming home soon, and he wanted to pick her up and surprise her.
"I'm sure she'll like it," I said.
"I hope she does. I even brought a gift for her. It's almost time. Take care," he replied before leaving.
After accompanying him back to his taxi, I returned to my apartment.
I don't know if it's because I rested for a week, but I don't feel tired at all.
It's almost night, so let's order something while I work on my commissions.
---
One Week Later
At Nanstria Academy.
"Thank you, students, for gathering here. I am Nork Hendriksen, and I will be in charge of putting some muscle and grit into those stick-like arms of yours."
Professor Nork slowly descended from the podium, his long, dull brown hair tied in a ponytail swaying like a tail behind him. His black eyes, coupled with a large scar across his face, made him look infinitely more cruel and dangerous.
The students he glanced at trembled like small kittens. As he made his way to the left side to stand with the other teachers and staff, their fear became even more palpable.
"Now, the dean of our academy will enlighten our soon-to-be students and comrades," the host's voice resounded in the massive conference hall. However, there was no one on the podium.
Suddenly, an immense pressure descended upon the hall, making it difficult to breathe. Some weaker students collapsed, while others dropped to their knees, gasping for air.
"Good afternoon, students. I am sure most of you already know me, but for those who don't, I am Pete Dekker, headmaster of this academy and a Queen-grade Black Knight."
With those words, the pressure vanished, and students finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Tall and slim, with short white hair and silver eyes, Headmaster Dekker stood in a pristine white suit. He looked like a seasoned warrior in his later days. Compared to Professor Nork, however, his appearance seemed almost heavenly, despite the little stunt he had just pulled.
A wave of applause spread through the enormous stadium-sized conference hall. Whether it was for his speech or simply for the relief of the pressure being lifted, only the students knew.
A single loud clap silenced the room.
"I'm sure you are aware, but there are rules in this academy. However, I will not tell them to you now. I have only one piece of advice—survive. May we meet again."
"Excuse me, Headmaster Dekker, but what does that m—"
Before the student could finish, everyone in the conference hall vanished.
---
Like raindrops on a stormy night, students fell from the sky. And amidst them, so did I.
Falling like a ragdoll, I noticed that most of the students already knew about the test. They had prepared. Some were flying, others were gliding, a few created protective barriers, and some, like me, were simply free-falling.
"What the h—" The rushing wind choked my words, and my descent accelerated.
'Think, damn it—think!'
Observing others, I noticed something—some students weren't falling straight down; they were adjusting their descent at an angle.
'Where are they headed?'
A lake.
They were aiming for the lake.
'Wait. That's suicide. Falling from this height would make water feel like hitting solid concrete.'
Then I noticed something peculiar—some students were free-falling, yet their descent slowed at the last moment, allowing them to land safely.
'Huh? System, analyze!'
[Analyzing…]
[A large-scale Wind Grace spell has been cast.]
[Effect: When close to the ground, it will soften the fall.]
'Good.' Cutting off the system, I began gliding in the opposite direction.
'The headmaster said "survive." That means this is a survival game. Better to act alone.'
As I neared the forest, a sudden silver flash appeared below, followed by a powerful gust of wind that slowed my fall.
I landed with a roll, dispersing the impact, and quickly rose to my feet.
If it weren't for that sudden gust of wind, I would've landed badly. Before I could figure out what caused it, a vine lashed out from the undergrowth, cracking against the spot where my foot had been moments ago.
Another vine hissed past my ear, mere inches from striking my face. I barely dodged a third, but the fourth was too fast—I took the hit on my forearm. A burning pain shot through me.
A beautiful flower, wrapped in thorny veins—deadly in appearance and even more so in action.
[Analysis complete.]
Name: Corpse Flower
Gene: Common
Grade: None
Rank: -F
Combat Power: -F
Weaknesses: Fire, Ice, Lightning
"What's with plant-type monsters always coming after me?" I muttered, remembering the hellish time I had with a mutant corpse flower previously.
"But this one's weaker. And this time, I'm prepared."
Dodging to the side, I threw a mana crystal at the creature. The moment it touched its core, it erupted from within, obliterating it instantly.
"I considered using an explosion spell, but that would be reckless in a forest. A Rank-D electric shot works just fine," I mumbled to myself.
Suddenly, my black watch—one that all students received before entering the academy—vibrated.
Tapping it, a notification popped up.
[Congratulations to Student #482269 for the first kill!]
[Points: +10]
"…\U0001F92F"
"The headmaster hinted at survival, but he didn't say anything about having to kill monsters."
'I came here because I don't like being in a group. Turns out that was the right choice.'
Another vibration.
Tapping the watch twice, a new notification appeared.
| Entrance Exam |
| Goal: Survive for 3 days |
| Additional Goal: Gather points by any means necessary |
| Rules: |
Killing other students is prohibited. Any violation will result in expulsion.
Points can be transferred between students via smartwatches.
To forfeit, activate the smartwatch function to call an instructor.
Excessive harm toward students is prohibited and will result in disciplinary action.
| Points earned will be added to the second test. |
'Lots of loopholes in these rules…'
Scanning my surroundings, I searched for a place to settle.
'Survival 101: Establish a base of operations first.'
Dense bushes, strong trees, no marks suggesting it's in the way of any beasts or is much traveled.
"This place will do…"
Bringing out the mana stones I got from killing some plant monsters on the way from inventory.
"System don't assist on skills until i say so"
[understood]
[auto assist has been turned off]
I cleared the area of bushes by using a wind cutter spell I had in spell storage and then buried the 9 mana stones in the ground.
Using the skill collective engraving I engraved all 9 manastones at once with the spell earth molder.
|||
Skill: Earth Molder
grade/rank: Pwn/E
Class: Restricted Sub
Category: Crafting.
Mastry: 23%
A skill that allows the user to mold the earth as per their will.
Note: only usable through engraving.
Cooldown: None
Cost: mana
|||
Using earth mold I made Pocket and made the outside look like a big boulder and made sure that it was hidden in the bushes.
With its entrance hidden by a mechanism it will only open when I give it mana.
Mana also has unique configurations like fingerprints, though it's easy to mask but hard to imitate.
Made sure it was sturdy, set up some defensive spells and marked it using a tracking spell so I could find my way quickly.