### The Examination Hall
Three days after the Arena of Echoes, the remaining students gathered in the Grand Examination Hall.
It was massive — rows upon rows of ornate wooden desks stretching across a marble floor, each one enchanted with anti-cheating wards that glowed faintly blue. High above, balconies circled the hall where faculty members sat observing, their expressions unreadable.
Professor Whiskerbottom stood at the podium, his eyebrows arranged in what might have been solemnity.
"Welcome to your third examination," he announced, his voice amplified across the hall. "Seven hundred of you stand here today. By the end of this examination, only four hundred will remain."
A wave of murmurs swept through the students. Four hundred? From seven hundred?
Leo's face had gone pale. "A written exam. A WRITTEN exam. After everything we've been through—"
Mochiko elbowed him. "Breathe."
"The rules are simple!" Whiskerbottom continued. "You will have four hours to complete the examination. There are fifty questions. Each tests not just your knowledge, but your understanding, your creativity, and your ability to think under pressure." He paused. "Cheating is impossible. The wards will know. Attempting will result in immediate disqualification and a strongly worded letter to your parents."
Ryo, already slouched in his seat, raised a hand. "Can we nap if we finish early?"
Whiskerbottom's eyebrow twitched. "You may stare blankly at the wall like the rest of us, Kazehaya."
"Close enough."
---
### The Seating Arrangement
The five of them had been scattered across the hall — deliberately, of course. The academy wanted no collaboration, no comfort of familiar faces.
Leo sat near the front, surrounded by strangers who looked equally terrified. He could see Kagari three rows ahead, her posture perfect, her quill already waiting. Mochiko was somewhere to his right, her back rigid with determination. Noah sat near a window, his expression as unreadable as ever.
Ryo was in the back corner, already appearing half-asleep.
A proctor placed a sealed scroll on each desk.
"BEGIN."
---
### The Questions
Leo unrolled his scroll with trembling hands. The parchment was old, slightly yellowed, and covered in elegant script.
---
**Question 1:**
*A fire mage and a water mage are arguing about who would win in a duel. The fire mage says, "I'll boil your water before you can drown my flames." The water mage says, "I'll extinguish your flames before you can heat enough water." Using your understanding of elemental theory, resolve this argument with mathematical proof.*
Leo stared at the question. Then he started writing.
*"The outcome depends on environmental factors, relative ranks, and available mana reserves. Assuming equal ranks and neutral terrain..."*
---
**Question 2:**
*You are leading a team of five through a dungeon. One of your members is injured and cannot continue. Behind you, a horde of monsters approaches. Ahead, the exit is visible but blocked by a collapsing ceiling. You have exactly thirty seconds to decide. What do you do?*
Leo's quill paused. This wasn't just about magic. This was about *him*.
*"The injured member cannot be left behind. I would use a barrier spell to slow the horde, then..."*
---
**Question 3:**
*Explain the metaphysical difference between Aether and Core. Then, describe a scenario where a mage would benefit from thinking like a knight, and a knight would benefit from thinking like a mage.*
Leo smiled slightly. This one, at least, he knew.
*"Aether is external understanding imposed on reality. Core is internal will leaking into reality. A mage benefits from knight-like thinking when their calculations fail and they must simply WILL a spell to work. A knight benefits from mage-like thinking when..."*
---
**Question 4:**
*A noble family offers you a position as their personal mage/knight. The pay is excellent, the work is easy, and the family is influential. However, you discover they are secretly dealing with Umbra Region smugglers. What do you do?*
Leo's quill hovered. This was a trap question. There was no right answer — only a test of character.
*"I would refuse the position and report them to the authorities. Power gained through forbidden means corrupts everyone involved."*
---
**Question 5:**
*Diagram the mana flow in a Class 4 Fire Barrier. Then, explain how you would modify it to also repel physical attacks.*
Leo's hand moved faster now, sketching runes and flow patterns with practiced ease.
---
The questions continued, each one harder than the last.
**Question 12:** *Calculate the exact mana cost of teleporting a 70kg human 100 meters, accounting for atmospheric resistance and local gravity variations.*
**Question 18:** *You witness your closest friend commit a crime punishable by exile. They beg you not to tell anyone. What do you do?*
**Question 23:** *Design a spell that has never existed before. Explain its purpose, its components, and why it hasn't been invented yet.*
**Question 31:** *The Mirror Dummy refused to copy a student during examinations. What does this indicate about that student's soul?*
Leo's eyes widened at that one. That was about *him*. He had no idea what it meant.
He wrote anyway: *"It may indicate a soul that cannot be replicated — either because it is unique in ways the dummy cannot process, or because it exists outside normal parameters."*
---
### The Others
Across the hall, **Mochiko** attacked her exam like a duel. Her quill moved furiously, filling page after page with precise, aggressive answers. When she reached Question 18 — the one about witnessing a friend's crime — she paused for exactly three seconds, then wrote: *"I would make them confess. If they refused, I would report them myself. True friendship means holding each other to a higher standard."*
---
**Kagari** approached each question with the same quiet intensity she brought to combat. Her answers were elegant, precise, and methodical. For Question 23 (design a new spell), she described *"Hellflower Bloom"* — a spell that would scatter flame-seeds across a battlefield, each one blooming into controlled fire at her command. The faculty observer nearby raised an eyebrow and made a note.
---
**Noah** worked with cold efficiency. His answers were mathematically perfect, logically sound, and utterly devoid of emotional consideration. For Question 18, he wrote: *"The crime's nature determines the response. If it threatens the kingdom, report. If it harms no one, silence. Friendship is irrelevant to the calculation."*
For Question 31 (the dummy refusing to copy), he wrote: *"The student in question possesses a soul structure outside normal parameters. Further study recommended."*
---
**Ryo** finished in forty-five minutes.
He then immediately put his head down on the desk and went to sleep.
A proctor approached, frowned, and checked his scroll. Every question was answered. Some answers were... unconventional.
Question 4 (noble family dealing with Umbra): *"Take the money. Leak their operations anonymously. Let them deal with the consequences while you enjoy the paycheck. Everyone wins except the bad guys."*
Question 18 (friend commits crime): *"Depends on the crime. Murder? Turn them in. Stealing bread? Split the loaf. Everything else? Make them buy you dinner and we'll talk."*
Question 23 (design a new spell): *"Naptime Manifestation — instantly puts caster to sleep anywhere, anytime. Useless in combat. Amazing for my lifestyle."*
The proctor stared at the scroll for a long moment. Then he very carefully placed it in the "review later" pile.
---
### The Final Hour
As the four-hour mark approached, students around the hall showed signs of strain.
Some were sweating, their quills shaking as they struggled through the final questions. Others had finished early and sat staring at the walls, too exhausted to even fidget. A few had given up entirely, their heads buried in their arms.
Leo was among the last still writing. His hand cramped. His vision blurred. But he pushed through, question after question, until—
"TIME. QUILLS DOWN."
The word echoed across the hall. Proctors moved between the desks, collecting scrolls with mechanical efficiency.
Leo set down his quill and immediately collapsed onto his desk. He was vaguely aware of students around him crying, laughing, or simply sitting in stunned silence.
---
### The Results
Three days later, the results were posted.
A massive magical screen appeared in the main courtyard, listing names in glowing script. Students crowded around, pushing and shoving to see.
Leo couldn't breathe.
The list scrolled:
- **Abe, Kenji** — Pass
- **Akiyama, Hana** — Pass
- **Aldric, Celia** — Fail
Name after name. Pass. Fail. Pass. Fail. Pass. Pass. Fail.
Then—
**"Kazehaya, Ryo — Pass"**
Leo exhaled. One down.
**"Hitsugi, Kagari — Pass"**
Two.
**"Qiuyue, Mochiko — Pass"**
Three.
**"Von Reinhart, Noah — Pass"**
Four.
**"Willheim, Leo — ..."**
The screen flickered.
Leo's heart stopped.
Then—
**"Willheim, Leo — Pass"**
His knees gave out. He caught himself on a nearby bench, breathing hard.
Mochiko appeared beside him, arms crossed but her expression slightly less sharp than usual. "Told you. We're not average."
Leo looked up at her, then at Kagari, who had quietly joined them, then at Noah standing nearby with his usual blank expression, then at Ryo, who was somehow already eating a rice ball.
"You all waited for me?"
Mochiko shrugged. "You're part of the group. Obviously."
Kagari nodded. "We're teammates."
Noah said nothing, but he hadn't left.
Ryo offered a rice ball. "Congrats, glasses. You earned it."
Leo took the rice ball. His hands were still shaking. "I... thanks. Really."
---
### The Numbers
Later that evening, the official results were posted:
**Third Examination Results:**
- Total Participants: **700 students**
- Students Passing: **400 students**
- Pass Rate: **57.1%**
**Team 47 Results:**
- Ryo Kazehaya — Pass
- Noah Von Reinhart — Pass
- Mochiko Qiuyue — Pass
- Kagari Hitsugi — Pass
- Leo Willheim — Pass
Leo stared at the numbers for a long time. "From four thousand to four hundred. We've lost ninety percent of our class."
---
### That Night
The five of them sat on the academy roof, their unofficial gathering spot. The stars were bright overhead, and the city below glittered with lights.
Ryo was already asleep.
Noah stared at the stars, saying nothing, but something in his posture had relaxed.
And for a moment, under the stars, they were just five students — teammates, friends, bastards who had somehow found each other — sitting together in the dark.
Tomorrow, the final exam results will came out.
But tonight, they had this.
---
`[System: Final Examination Complete]`
`[System: 700 → 400 Students Remaining]`
`[System: Team 47 — All Pass]`
`[System: Team Cohesion +15%]`