Around him, students began to collapse, unable to withstand the two hours.
The weaker ones were dragged out by instructors on standby. Only a few managed to hold on until the end—Jin, Edwin, Cecelia, and Thorian, the rank five student.
When the time was up, the doors opened, and the students stumbled out into the sunlight.
Steam rose off their bodies as they left the frozen chamber.
Sylvia said. "Remember this pain. The world outside the academy is harsher than anything I put you through."
Then, finally, she dismissed them for lunch.
Inside the dining hall, exhausted students collapsed onto benches. Plates clattered, food piled high. Hunger overpowered exhaustion.
Kael ate as though he hadn't eaten in days. Plate after plate disappeared in front of him, his fork moving faster than his thoughts. Some stared in disbelief.
"Oyee, are you a student or a starving beast?!" some of them exclaimed, clutching his stomach after barely finishing his second plate.
