The team scenario chamber was a massive underground complex designed to simulate real combat conditions. Magical illusions created environments ranging from dense forests to ruined cities, while conjured creatures provided opponents that could actually kill careless candidates.
Alex found himself assigned to Team Seven along with four other candidates who'd clearly been selected to create maximum interpersonal conflict. The composition was no accident—one noble traditionalist, one merchant progressive, one merit faction candidate, and one wild card whose political leanings were unclear.
"Wonderful," muttered his teammate Elena Blackwood, a Level 16 Ice Magic specialist from a minor noble house. "Stuck with the orphan who thinks he can fight above his station."
The merchant candidate, Thomas Goldweaver, was more pragmatic. "Politics aside, Chen demonstrated real ability against Valdris. We'd be stupid to ignore that asset."
Sarah Brightforge nodded agreement. "Tactical effectiveness matters more than bloodlines in actual combat."
The fifth member of their team remained silent. Kael Shadowmere was a Level 18 candidate who'd demonstrated unusual stealth and assassination techniques during his magical aptitude test. His political affiliations were unknown, and his personal background was mysteriously sparse in the academy records.
Professor Castellan's voice echoed through the chamber. "Team scenarios will test your ability to work together under pressure while accomplishing tactical objectives. Your assignment: infiltrate the Sunken Citadel, eliminate the demon cult that has taken residence there, and retrieve the Codex of Forbidden Techniques they've stolen from the academy's restricted library."
Magical projections showed them their target—a partially submerged fortress complex crawling with demonic entities ranging from Level 15 imps to a Level 25 Greater Demon leading the cult. The tactical briefing indicated approximately forty enemies of various power levels.
"This is a real scenario," Professor Castellan continued. "The demons are genuine summoned entities, not illusions. The Codex is an actual artifact of significant value. Candidates who die during this exercise will remain dead. Academy healers will attempt to preserve your lives, but make no guarantees."
Alex studied the mission parameters with growing interest. Forty demon kills would provide substantial experience points, and the Codex of Forbidden Techniques sounded like exactly the kind of resource he needed to expand his magical knowledge.
"Teams have two hours to plan and equip themselves," the Professor announced. "Combat begins when you enter the scenario chamber."
During the planning session, Alex observed his teammates' capabilities and personalities with analytical detachment. Elena was competent but arrogant, likely to create problems if her authority was challenged. Thomas was skilled at logistics and resource management but lacked combat leadership experience. Sarah was brilliant at tactical analysis but had minimal actual fighting experience. Kael remained an unknown quantity with clearly hidden depths.
"Standard infiltration approach," Elena declared, assuming command through noble privilege. "I'll provide magical support, Thomas handles supplies and battlefield control, Sarah manages our equipment and fortifications, Kael scouts ahead, and Chen... can carry the heavy supplies."
Alex smiled without humor. "I have a different suggestion."
He outlined his plan with the confidence of someone who'd successfully managed violent operations in two different worlds. Direct assault through the main entrance while the demons expected stealth infiltration. Overwhelming force applied to eliminate weaker enemies quickly, then systematic hunting of stronger targets. Retrieve the Codex as a secondary objective after establishing complete tactical control of the fortress.
"That's insane," Elena protested. "We'll be outnumbered ten to one."
"Only initially," Alex replied. "Demons are individually powerful but poorly coordinated. Break their command structure and the rest will fragment into manageable groups."
Kael spoke for the first time. "The plan has merit. Demons respond poorly to unexpected aggression." His voice carried undertones that suggested personal experience with demonkind.
Thomas nodded slowly. "It's tactically sound if we can execute the initial breach without casualties."
Sarah was already running calculations. "We'd need precise timing and overwhelming firepower for the opening engagement."
Elena's objections were overruled by practical consensus. Alex found himself in effective command of the team despite being nominally the lowest-status member.
The Sunken Citadel materialized around them as they entered the scenario chamber—a fortress half-consumed by dark waters, its remaining towers crawling with demonic entities whose magical signatures blazed with malevolent power.
**[ANALYZE ENEMIES]**
**Imp Swarm (x24):** Level 15-16, Weak individually but dangerous in groups
**Demon Warriors (x12):** Level 18-20, Heavily armored melee specialists
**Demon Sorcerers (x3):** Level 21-23, Powerful magic users with area effects
**Greater Demon Commander:** Level 25, Multiple magical immunities and devastating attacks
Alex's Combat Precognition showed him dozens of potential battle sequences, identifying optimal approaches for maximum experience gain while minimizing team casualties.
"Elena, I need your strongest area-effect ice spell targeted at the main courtyard," Alex instructed. "Thomas, prepare binding enchantments for anything that survives the initial barrage. Sarah, set up defensive positions for fallback if we get overwhelmed. Kael, watch for flanking attempts from the tower levels."
The assault began with Elena's **Absolute Zero Field**—a spell that flash-froze everything within a fifty-meter radius. The technique was impressive by academy standards, instantly killing half the imp swarm and significantly weakening the demon warriors.
Alex followed up by leaping directly into the courtyard, his practice sword somehow cutting through demonic hide that should have resisted mundane weapons. His Omniversal Combat Mastery adapted to fighting supernatural entities, identifying weaknesses and exploiting them with surgical precision.
**[LEVEL 15 IMP SLAIN x12]**
**[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 1,800]**
**[LEVEL 16 IMP SLAIN x6]**
**[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 1,080]**
**[LEVEL UP! 12 → 13]**
The surviving demons rallied around their warrior-caste leaders, forming defensive positions that would have stymied a conventional assault. Alex's response was to demonstrate why conventional tactics were irrelevant when facing transcendent abilities.
He moved through the demonic formation like water flowing around stones, his enhanced speed making their coordinated attacks look clumsy and predictable. The practice sword in his hands became an instrument of systematic destruction, finding gaps in armor and exploiting magical vulnerabilities with impossible precision.
**[LEVEL 18 DEMON WARRIOR SLAIN x8]**
**[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 2,880]**
**[LEVEL UP! 13 → 14]**
Elena watched from the defensive position with growing amazement. "He's fighting like someone twenty levels higher than his rating."
"And he's barely using magical enhancement," Thomas observed. "That's pure combat technique."
The demon sorcerers responded to the decimation of their front-line forces by launching area-effect spells designed to eliminate all five team members simultaneously. Walls of hellfire erupted across the courtyard while acidic poison clouds spread through the air.
Alex's response was to activate a minimal level of his reality manipulation abilities, creating localized barriers that deflected the magical attacks while appearing to use advanced but plausible defensive techniques.
**[SKILL LEARNED: HELLFIRE RESISTANCE]**
**[CURRENT LEVEL: 3 (BASIC)]**
**[UPGRADE AVAILABLE]**
"Not yet," Alex murmured, noting the skill for later enhancement.
**[SKILL LEARNED: POISON WARD]**
**[CURRENT LEVEL: 2 (BASIC)]**
**[UPGRADE AVAILABLE]**
**[SKILL LEARNED: AREA DENIAL MAGIC]**
**[CURRENT LEVEL: 4 (INTERMEDIATE)]**
**[UPGRADE AVAILABLE]**
The academy's combat scenarios were providing exactly what he'd hoped for—exposure to magical techniques he could acquire and then upgrade to transcendent levels.
Kael emerged from the fortress towers, dragging the corpse of a demon sorcerer behind him. "Two more eliminated. The Greater Demon is in the central spire, probably preparing a major summoning ritual."
**[LEVEL 21 DEMON SORCERER SLAIN x3]**
**[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 1,890]**
**[LEVEL UP! 14 → 15]**
Alex nodded and began moving toward the fortress entrance. "Elena, maintain overwatch from here. Thomas, secure our retreat route. Sarah, prepare for structural collapse—I'm going to bring down some walls. Kael, with me."
The central spire was a tower of black stone wrapped in demonic enchantments that pulsed with malevolent energy. The Greater Demon Commander waited at its apex, surrounded by the ritual components for summoning something that would have challenged even Rare-tier academy masters.
**[ANALYZE TARGET]**
**Target:** Malphas the Destroyer
**Level:** 25 (Super Rare Tier)
**Abilities:** Hellfire Mastery, Demon Summoning, Reality Corruption, Physical Immunity (mundane weapons)
**Weaknesses:** Overconfident, vulnerable to unexpected tactics
**Threat Assessment:** Extremely Dangerous to normal Level 15 candidates
The Greater Demon was a towering figure of muscle and flame, with wings that spread like shadows across the ritual chamber. Its magical aura was genuinely impressive—enough raw power to level city blocks and magical defenses that would shrug off most academy-level attacks.
Against Alex's transcended abilities, it was just another target.
"Mortals," Malphas rumbled, its voice carrying undertones that tried to induce supernatural fear. "You dare interrupt the Grand Summoning? I shall feast upon your souls and—"
Alex appeared beside the demon before it could finish its monologue, the practice sword somehow punching through supernatural hide that should have been impervious to physical attacks. The blade found the exact point where the creature's natural armor was weakest, sliding between plates of demonic carapace to pierce vital organs.
**[CRITICAL STRIKE! WEAKNESS EXPLOITATION SUCCESSFUL]**
Malphas roared in pain and surprise, lashing out with claws that could rend steel. Alex was already moving, his Combat Precognition showing him the creature's attack patterns 3.7 seconds before they occurred.
The fight that followed was less a battle than a systematic dissection. Alex's Omniversal Combat Mastery identified every weakness, every opening, every moment when the demon's defenses were vulnerable. The Greater Demon's overwhelming power meant nothing when it couldn't connect with attacks against an opponent who knew exactly where it would strike.
Kael watched from the chamber entrance, his eyes wide with fascination. "Impossible. He's fighting a Super Rare tier entity with a practice sword and winning."
After five minutes of increasingly desperate attacks, Malphas collapsed with Alex's blade buried in what passed for its heart. The demon's final expression was one of complete bewilderment—it had never encountered a mortal who could simply ignore its supernatural advantages.
**[LEVEL 25 GREATER DEMON SLAIN]**
**[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 3,125]**
**[LEVEL UP! 15 → 16]**
**[LEVEL UP! 16 → 17]**
**[LEVEL UP! 17 → 18]**
**[LEVEL UP! 18 → 19]**
**[CONGRATULATIONS! RARE RANK ACHIEVED]**
**[NEW ABILITIES UNLOCKED:]**
- Enhanced Mana Regeneration: Magical energy recovers 500% faster
- Spell Penetration: Magic ignores most conventional defenses
- Aura Manifestation: Project power as visible, intimidating presence
- Magical Resistance: Reduced damage from supernatural attacks
The power rush from four simultaneous level-ups was intoxicating, but Alex maintained his focus on the mission objective. The Codex of Forbidden Techniques lay on the ritual altar—a tome bound in materials that hurt to look at directly, filled with knowledge that conventional students would need decades to safely absorb.
Alex opened the book and began reading, his Enhanced Learning Matrix absorbing magical theories and spell formulations at superhuman speed.
**[SKILL LEARNED: SOUL MANIPULATION]**
**[CURRENT LEVEL: 1 (NOVICE)]**
**[UPGRADE AVAILABLE]**
**[SKILL LEARNED: DIMENSIONAL MAGIC]**
**[CURRENT LEVEL: 2 (BASIC)]**
**[UPGRADE AVAILABLE]**
**[SKILL LEARNED: DEATH MAGIC]**
**[CURRENT LEVEL: 1 (NOVICE)]**
**[UPGRADE AVAILABLE]**
**[SKILL LEARNED: TIME MANIPULATION]**
**[CURRENT LEVEL: 1 (NOVICE)]**
**[UPGRADE AVAILABLE]**
**[SKILL LEARNED: REALITY ALTERATION]**
**[CURRENT LEVEL: 3 (INTERMEDIATE)]**
**[UPGRADE AVAILABLE]**
The forbidden knowledge flowed into Alex's consciousness like water filling a vast reservoir. Spells that could rewrite the fundamental laws of physics, techniques that could manipulate the flow of time itself, magic that operated on scales beyond mortal comprehension.
All of it raw material for his system's unlimited upgrade potential.
"Time to improve the merchandise," Alex whispered, focusing on his newly acquired skills.
**[SKILL UPGRADE: SOUL MANIPULATION]**
**[MULTIPLIER ACHIEVED: 1,847,293x]**
**[SOUL MANIPULATION → ABSOLUTE ESSENCE DOMINION]**
**[NEW CAPABILITIES:]**
- Complete control over spiritual energy in all its forms
- Ability to directly damage, heal, or modify souls
- Soul binding: Create unbreakable loyalty in targets
- Essence absorption: Gain permanent power from defeated enemies
- Spirit realm access: Travel between material and spiritual planes
- Soul resurrection: Return the dead to life under your control
**[SKILL UPGRADE: DIMENSIONAL MAGIC]**
**[MULTIPLIER ACHIEVED: 2,394,857x]**
**[DIMENSIONAL MAGIC → OMNIVERSAL SPACE MASTERY]**
**[NEW CAPABILITIES:]**
- Create stable portals between any two points in existence
- Dimensional storage: Access infinite personal pocket dimension
- Reality anchoring: Lock areas of space-time against modification
- Planar banishment: Send enemies to hostile dimensions
- Multidimensional awareness: Perceive all parallel realities simultaneously
- Space folding: Travel anywhere instantly by compressing distance
**[SKILL UPGRADE: DEATH MAGIC]**
**[MULTIPLIER ACHIEVED: 3,847,251x]**
**[DEATH MAGIC → ENTROPY ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY]**
**[NEW CAPABILITIES:]**
- Instant death effects that ignore all resistances
- Necromantic mastery: Control all forms of undead
- Life force manipulation: Drain vitality to enhance yourself
- Decay acceleration: Age targets to dust with a thought
- Death immunity: Cannot be killed by any conventional means
- Undeath mastery: Exist as living death entity if body is destroyed
**[SKILL UPGRADE: TIME MANIPULATION]**
**[MULTIPLIER ACHIEVED: 4,293,847x]**
**[TIME MANIPULATION → TEMPORAL DOMINION SUPREME]**
**[NEW CAPABILITIES:]**
- Complete control over local time flow (stop, slow, accelerate)
- Temporal loops: Trap enemies in repeating time cycles
- Future sight: See all possible outcomes up to 1000 years ahead
- Past modification: Change historical events within limits
- Time travel: Move freely through temporal dimensions
- Chronological immunity: Unaffected by temporal attacks or paradoxes
**[SKILL UPGRADE: REALITY ALTERATION]**
**[MULTIPLIER ACHIEVED: 6,847,392x]**
**[REALITY ALTERATION → OMNIPOTENT REALITY REVISION]**
**[NEW CAPABILITIES:]**
- Rewrite fundamental laws of physics in local areas
- Matter creation: Generate anything from raw energy
- Concept manipulation: Alter abstract ideas and universal constants
- Probability control: Ensure desired outcomes occur
- Existence editing: Remove people, objects, or events from reality
- Universal authority: Your will becomes local natural law
The knowledge integration took several minutes, during which Alex's consciousness expanded to encompass insights that would have driven normal minds to madness. He now possessed magical capabilities that transcended anything the academy had ever taught, hidden within the persona of a talented but unremarkable orphan student.
"Chen!" Kael's voice carried a note of urgency. "The fortress is starting to collapse. The Greater Demon's death destabilized the summoning magic."
Alex closed the Codex and tucked it under his arm. The book was officially academy property, but he intended to continue studying it after the examination concluded. His Perfect Cellular Control modified his appearance to suggest exhaustion from the demon fight rather than transcendent enlightenment.
"Mission accomplished," Alex said as they rejoined the rest of the team. "Demon cult eliminated, Codex recovered, no casualties."
Elena stared at him with an expression caught between awe and suspicion. "You fought a Greater Demon with a practice sword and won. That's not normal, even for exceptional candidates."
"I got lucky," Alex replied with careful modesty. "The creature was overconfident, and I managed to exploit its weak points."
Thomas was studying the tactical aftermath with professional interest. "Lucky or not, you just demonstrated combat effectiveness equivalent to a Level 23 specialist. The academy examiners are going to take notice."
Sarah nodded agreement. "This performance will definitely secure your admission. Probably with scholarship opportunities and advanced placement options."
As they emerged from the scenario chamber, Alex noticed Professor Castellan watching him with speculative eyes. The combat demonstration had been exactly calibrated to suggest exceptional talent without revealing impossible capabilities, but he was clearly now on the academy's radar as a candidate of special interest.
"Team Seven, report your mission status," Professor Castellan called.
"Objective completed successfully," Alex replied. "Demon cult eliminated, Codex recovered, all team members alive and functional."
The Professor accepted the Codex with hands that seemed reluctant to touch the forbidden tome. "This scenario typically requires multiple attempts and accepts significant casualty rates. How did you manage total success on the first try?"
"Coordinated team effort and aggressive tactics," Alex said diplomatically. "We decided to hit them hard and fast instead of trying elaborate infiltration."
Behind the Professor, several academy masters were engaged in intense discussion while reviewing magical recordings of the team's performance. Alex's enhanced hearing caught fragments of their conversation:
"—power levels inconsistent with reported background—"
"—combat technique suggests extensive training—"
"—possible hidden backing from noble family—"
"—recommend advanced placement and close observation—"
Perfect. Exactly the kind of attention that would open doors while maintaining his cover identity.
**[STATUS UPDATE]**
**Host:** Alex Chen
**Level:** 19 (Rare Rank)
**Academy Examination:** Phase 3 Complete (Awaiting Final Results)
**New Magical Schools:** Absolute Essence Dominion, Omniversal Space Mastery, Entropy Absolute Authority, Temporal Dominion Supreme, Omnipotent Reality Revision
**Mission Performance:** Exceptional (eliminated Level 25 threat, zero casualties)
**Academy Interest Level:** High (marked for advanced placement)
**Political Position:** Merit Faction alignment, gaining respect from all factions
**[EXAMINATION COMPLETE - AWAITING FINAL EVALUATION]**
As the examination candidates were dismissed to await final results, Alex reflected on the day's achievements. He'd gained seven levels in a single combat scenario, acquired five new schools of transcendent magic, and established himself as one of the academy's most promising incoming students.
More importantly, he now had legitimate access to the most exclusive educational institution in the city—a position that would let him study advanced magical theory while maintaining his criminal empire from the shadows.
The game was evolving exactly as planned.