Lucas was walking along the city sidewalk when he realized that something was different that day. The streets were exceptionally crowded; traffic jams were forming everywhere, and horns echoed between the tall glass-and-steel buildings that lined the avenues. At the center of the city stood a colossal castle, with three massive spires tearing through the sky and making the surrounding skyscrapers look like children beside it. The castle could be seen from any point in the city, but today, almost no one paid attention to it. It seemed that everyone was focused on the same thing, as if they were all heading to the same place.
For Lucas, it was no different. At no more than seventeen years old, he walked amid the crowd. His dark blue hair, almost black, was always slightly messy, and his gray eyes, cold and attentive, gave the impression of someone who observes more than he speaks. He wore a dark hooded coat, reinforcing his discreet and reserved presence. Strapped to his back, near his waist, there was a sword sheath, carefully hidden beneath the coat. His calm, almost indifferent expression revealed nothing of what was going on in his mind as he also moved toward the place everyone else seemed to be heading.
When he finally arrived at the location, Lucas looked around, surprised — not by what he saw, but by the fact that exactly what he had expected had come true. Before him stretched an immense plaza, still small compared to the absurd number of people gathered there.
There were, at the very least, more than thirty thousand candidates crowded together. Everyone seemed prepared. Some wore expensive armor, holding their chins high and displaying almost arrogant confidence. Others were more discreet, carrying only a bladed weapon strapped to their belt, without much confidence but also without showing nervousness. Even so, most were trembling inside. After all, there was no way not to be nervous in that situation. Lucas, of course, was no exception.
Somehow — and with great effort — he managed to push through the crowd and reach where he wanted. And then he saw it.
A massive steel gate rose before him, with the letters UG engraved on its surface, blending shades of blue and red. Despite its impressive size, the gate could not completely hide what lay behind it.
Lucas tilted his head upward, nearly straining his neck. Three large buildings rose before his eyes: tall, elegant, almost entirely covered in glass panels that reflected the sky, the clouds, and the surrounding city. A subtle smile appeared on his face, mixing anxiety and fear, as thoughts piled up in his mind.
'So this is the Unique Gift University… the most prestigious university in the world in the study of gifts. A place created to help its students understand and master their unique gifts.'
Unlike most people, who had been standing and waiting for hours, Lucas did not have to wait long.
— "Drr" —
A strange sound echoed throughout the plaza. The gates began to open.
Behind the gates was a vast concrete pathway. Lucas swallowed hard and, despite his anxiety, maintained a calm posture and looked forward.
'The time has come'
Everyone prepared to enter. Although not everyone could fit at once, there was no chaos; the crowd advanced in an organized and restrained manner. An awkward silence began to dominate the atmosphere, broken only by the sound of armor and weapons clanking with each step.
Lucas stopped and raised his gaze. In front of him stood the first building. Unlike the other two, which stood side by side, this one rose slightly farther ahead — perhaps much farther — although the sheer size of the structures made them seem almost pressed together.
He took a step forward, and the automatic door opened. As soon as he entered, Lucas was astonished by the grandeur of the interior. The buildings already looked enormous from the outside, but the size of that hall defied any expectation. More than thirty thousand people entered without difficulty, and there was still space left, as if another fifty thousand could fit inside without any issue.
Lucas turned his head to the right and, far in the back, against the wall, spotted a raised altar. At its center stood a microphone, solitary, waiting for the right moment to be used.
From a door against the wall, just behind the altar, emerged a tall, slender man with gray hair and slightly reddish eyes. He walked to the center, approached the microphone, and opened his arms. The moment he spoke, his voice echoed throughout the hall, shattering the heavy silence that dominated the room.
"Welcome to the admission exams of the Unique Gift University. Here, you will learn to use and refine your gifts to the fullest… and you may become great royal knights — and perhaps even monarchs."
Lucas watched the man closely. Despite hearing those words, he felt no hope at all. He knew that getting in would not be easy.
'Despite what he says, the probability of anyone passing is less than 1%. According to the statistics I read to prepare myself, last year there were fifty thousand candidates… and only two hundred were admitted.'
Lucas sighed.
'And everyone here must be aware of that.'
Even so, the presenter continued, with the same controlled calm.
"My name is Arthur Ragnar. I am here to guide you and explain how the exam will work."
He paused briefly, letting the silence weigh on the crowd, before continuing:
"The exam is simple."
Arthur raised his finger and pointed upward.
"All you need to do is reach the top. Reach the final floor of this building. It has twenty floors, and the moment you step onto the twentieth, you will officially be admitted as students of UG."
A restrained murmur spread through the hall. People began looking around, as if expecting to find stairs, elevators, or any hidden passage. However, no one dared to speak. Until a young man wearing expensive armor, chin raised and eyes arrogant, stepped forward.
"That doesn't make sense," he said. "There are no doors, no stairs. How exactly do you expect us to climb?"
Arthur turned his gaze to the young man and smiled — a calm, almost amused smile.
"You don't need to worry about that," he replied. "Just follow the instructions."
The young man frowned, clearly dissatisfied.
"What instructions? You haven't explained anything yet."
Arthur shrugged, indifferent, and looked away. Ignoring the question… he then turned back to the crowd.
"In a few moments, all of you will be teleported to the first floor. If you follow the instructions correctly… you might manage to reach the twentieth without too much trouble."
Lucas slightly raised an eyebrow as he observed the presenter.
'Hump… if it were that easy, everyone would pass.'
Even so, he kept the thought to himself.
Then, a strange white light emerged from nowhere, rapidly expanding until it covered the entire space. It was neither hot nor cold — just intense, impossible to look at. Arthur smiled, made a brief bow, and declared:
"Good luck. I hope to see you on the twentieth floor."
The light swallowed everything.
Lucas's vision was completely erased.
***
When Lucas opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was the weight of his own body. He was lying on hard, uneven packed earth, with thick roots crossing the surface. Above him rose towering trees, so dense that they distorted the view of the sky, allowing only fragments of light to filter through the leaves.
He slowly stood up, pressing his head with his right hand, still dizzy.
'Where am I?'
That was when he noticed something strange. His left hand remained tightly clenched, and he felt something small inside it — for a moment, he even thought it was an insect. Instinctively, he opened his hand suddenly.
It was not a bug.
There was a simple folded piece of paper and a pill.
Lucas picked up the paper and opened it. Written on it, in handwriting far too simple for what he expected, were the words:
"Take the medicine and follow the instructions — Arthur Ragnar."
In the corner of the paper, there was a poorly drawn smiling creature.
Lucas hesitated. The pill rested in his palm, far too light for something that was clearly not harmless. But then he remembered Arthur's words.
"Just follow the instructions."
After a few seconds of indecision, he swallowed the pill.
As soon as it slid down his throat, a brutal pain exploded in his head. It was as if something was being forcibly awakened inside him. Lucas staggered, clenching his teeth as his vision trembled.
When the pain began to subside, he raised his gaze.
And then, he was left speechless.
"What the fuck…?"