Chapter 1 Entrance Exam Day

Ikelite Magic Academy, the Learning and Education Building.

Natural light spilled into the room through large glass curtain walls.

Lan Qi arrived early at the examination hall on the seventh floor, quietly sitting in the waiting area, anticipating the start of the exam.

Talia, who had come with him, couldn't enter the seventh-floor exam hall, but she was waiting on the outdoor terrace downstairs.

A spacious terrace area was located on an external corner of the building, featuring wooden flooring and benches for students and faculty to relax, enjoying the beautiful campus scenery, the outdoor sunshine, and the fresh air.

And there, a giant magic screen was broadcasting school information in a loop.

According to many others waiting there, they would soon be able to watch the live broadcast of the Knight and Mage Divisions' entrance exams on any screen throughout the school.

……

The seventh-floor venue, a giant atrium.

The space was open and airy.

Several giant magical devices stood, like silent giants.

The lights shone on the magical devices, refracting dazzling and magnificent rays of light.

These giant magical device components snaked and connected for dozens of meters, constructed entirely from mithril and magic crystals, exuding a cold aura while appearing exceptionally spectacular.

Many candidates seeing them for the first time in the waiting area couldn't help but marvel at the extraordinary achievements made by magical engineering.

For this exam, Ikelite Academy would activate this breathtaking "Artificial Shadow World Activation Terminal," bringing candidates an immersive Shadow World combat exercise.

Compared to some candidates who looked excited or uneasy, some seemed particularly calm, as if they were already very familiar with how to conquer the Shadow World.

Since the Shadow World combat simulation was a unified exam for the Knight and Sage Divisions, not only were there Sage Division candidates with refined temperaments waiting here, but also many candidates who looked like martial arts enthusiasts.

Of course... it wasn't impossible that they were Sage Division candidates.

Only those who passed this test would undergo the final assessment by professors from the two divisions respectively.

Sitting on the lounge chair and waiting for a long time, Lan Qi nervously rubbed his palms.

The live broadcast of the exam would be broadcast, and the academy's professors and pedestrians on campus would see it.

Precisely because of this, "public executions" often occurred over the years.

Many older students would watch the new students' entrance exams around campus with a gleeful attitude.

But thinking on the bright side.

The magic screens displayed information in a split-screen scrolling format.

Among so many candidates, the probability of him being noticed wasn't high.

And he had always acted prudently and discreetly, so he shouldn't attract attention.

Lan Qi thought to himself.

From who knew when, light footsteps echoed in the venue, but seemed to drown out all other sounds, reaching the ears of the waiting candidates.

This extremely strong presence from a certain expert naturally silenced the originally slightly noisy, spacious examination hall in an instant.

Lan Qi's thoughts were interrupted, and he looked up in the direction where everyone's gazes converged.

He saw a figure walking out from the inside of the venue, and at this moment, the entire seventh floor seemed to only have his footsteps.

As the footsteps grew closer, people finally saw clearly that the person was wearing a black classical suit, paired with a white shirt and a gold tie, with rhombus and cross-shaped sacred radiance patterns on the buttons and collar of the formal attire.

It was a brown-haired young man who looked younger than they had imagined, seemingly under thirty years old.

However, no one dared to underestimate him because of his age; being able to wear this kind of decoration meant that he was not only a teacher at Ikelite Academy, but also a divine official with a very high status in the Church of the Goddess of Destiny.

His pace was unhurried.

He walked to the front of the waiting area.

Looking at the group of candidates.

"I am Loren Krantel, the chief examiner for today, and also the Dean of the Sage Division."

The young man's eyes were gentle, and his temperament was utterly devoid of any sense of threat.

Many candidates' somewhat nervous hearts relaxed.

Compared to the stern and awe-inspiring examiner they had imagined a moment ago, the Dean of the Sage Division actually seemed very approachable.

"The theme of this exam is 'Wisdom, Temperament.'"

Loren continued methodically,

"In most cases, during the process of challenging the Shadow World, decrypting and advancing the target main quest along the correct path will not require you to defeat enemies whose rank far exceeds your own."

"However, if accidents or errors occur along the way, it will cause the Shadow World to move towards an extremely dangerous situation. Not only will you encounter enemies strong enough to instantly kill you, but you may even be hunted in reverse... or even face a death of a thousand cuts."

"Therefore, being able to successfully decrypt and obtain key clues in the Shadow World is very important."

Speaking of this, Loren paused suddenly, his expression becoming somewhat complex,

"Ikelite Academy actually experienced a heartbreaking accident. It was a failed Fourth-Order Shadow World, and none of the seven students who participated in the challenge survived."

His voice wasn't low, but these words echoed like muffled thunder throughout the atrium.

For teenagers in their teens, "death" might be a concept far removed from them.

However, many people may not have made the corresponding awareness before coming to this academy.

The examination hall was eerily quiet, and many candidates' eyes seemed to waver.

As if anticipating the students' reactions, Loren was silent for a few moments before continuing,

"The root cause was that the students in the team were too arrogant, which led to the mission's main quest deviating from the normal direction, and they didn't have enough ability to cope with the drastically changing and crazy situation."

"This is the imbalance of temperament and wisdom."

"Therefore, this year, whether it is the Knight or Sage Division, will pay special attention to the comprehensive ability of candidates to be mentally steadfast and properly respond to the situation."

"The exam questions you will face later will be a replica of a real Shadow World."

"Each of you will independently face the same single-player Shadow World, and successfully clearing it will be considered passing."

After briefly introducing the examination process.

Loren embedded a key, with a black crystalline glow, into the console of the "Artificial Shadow World Activation Terminal."

Subsequently.

The space in front of the magical device seemed to gradually distort, the color becoming darker and darker, until it gradually took shape, turning into a seemingly illusory gate, with countless twisted souls seeming to swirl in the giant mirror.

This was almost identical to the Void Gate that allowed people to enter the Shadow World.

Loren stood quietly in the hall.

And other school staff began to guide the candidates.

Directing them to pass through the Void Gate and enter the Artificial Shadow World.

At the same time.

The giant screen hanging on the wall of the atrium no longer played the usual images.

Instead, it turned into the Shadow World scene from the entrance exam!