Finally, the massive bird began descending.
A few moments later, its enormous feet touched the ground.
I stepped off with the other examinees and followed the examiner who had brought us here.
He led us into a massive building.
A sign above the entrance read:
Testing Hall.
Inside, I noticed a large magical crystal standing in the center of the room.
One by one, the examinees stepped forward and placed their hands against it.
The crystal would glow and display their exact level.
Most people were around Level 6 or 7.
A few were Level 8.
There were even some Level 10 Awakened among us.
When it was my turn, I placed my hand against the crystal.
The light flashed.
Level 8.
Nothing more.
I wasn’t surprised.
I wasn’t the strongest here.
And I didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention anyway.
After the examination was finished, we were led toward another enormous building.
The testing grounds.
The person guiding us opened a massive door.
The moment I stepped inside...
I froze.
There were thousands of people.
No...
Not thousands.
There had to be more than ten thousand.
The enormous hall was clearly divided into two groups.
Commoners on one side.
Nobles on the other.
The nobles had already gathered together into their own groups, talking among themselves.
I didn’t care about any of them.
I simply walked toward the commoners and found a position where I wouldn’t attract much attention.
Then I waited.
Nobody dared to make a scene.
Everyone understood what was at stake.
One mistake...
And they could be kicked out of the academy.
The academy didn’t care whether someone was a noble or a commoner.
They only cared about one thing.
Strength.
After waiting for a while, a woman suddenly walked toward the center of the massive stadium.
The moment she appeared, the entire crowd became silent.
She possessed breathtaking beauty.
But what caught my attention wasn’t her appearance.
It was her aura.
She naturally commanded attention without needing to say a word.
She looked over the crowd.
Then she spoke.
"Hello, everyone."
"I’m the headmaster of the Celestial Academy."
"I’m here to explain the rules of this academy and, more importantly, your admission examination."
Her voice carried throughout the entire stadium.
"Listen carefully."
"Less than one-tenth of you will remain after this examination."
"We only accept the top one thousand."
A wave of tension spread through the crowd.
"For those who fail, you have two choices."
"You may remain at the academy and work for it."
"Or you may leave and apply again next year."
She paused.
Then continued.
"The admission examination itself is simple."
"We will first determine your levels."
"But make no mistake."
"Your level will not make this examination easier or harder."
"Whether you are Level 6 or Level 10..."
"Everyone will face the same examination."
The crowd became even quieter.
"The final examination will be a battle royale."
"Your performance will be determined through a point-based ranking system."
"When the examination ends, the top one thousand participants in the rankings will be admitted."
"Good luck."
She paused for a moment.
"Because you’ll need it."
Her expression suddenly became cold.
"And one final warning."
"Anything is allowed."
The entire stadium fell silent.
"If you’re afraid of death, leave now."
"This is your final chance."
"We don’t need cowards."
Her eyes swept across the crowd.
"Cowards cannot climb the Tower of Ascension."
"Don’t waste our time."
With those final words, she turned around and left.
Several examinees looked like they wanted to ask questions.
But the moment they met her gaze...
Their courage disappeared.
Nobody spoke.
I remained silent.
Honestly...
That was more than enough information for me.
Anything was allowed.
That meant killing was allowed.
Teamwork was allowed.
Traps were allowed.
Stealing was probably allowed too.
I would have to be careful.
But at the same time...
I could finally stop holding myself back.
I smiled slightly.
This was going to be interesting.
I followed the other examinees toward the actual examination area.
When we arrived, I saw a massive forest stretching as far as I could see.
The person in charge stood before us.
"Everyone, take one of these."
He held out several strange objects.
They looked like bracelets.
"These bracelets will monitor your points and ranking throughout the examination."
"Once you put one on, you will be teleported directly into the examination area."
He paused.
"Remember."
"The monsters inside are real."
"If you die in there..."
"You die in the real world."
Several people swallowed nervously.
Some looked pale.
Others clenched their fists.
I simply took one of the bracelets.
I examined it for a moment.
Then I put it on.
The instant it touched my wrist...
The world around me disappeared.
My vision blurred.
And when it returned...
I was standing inside a forest.
I looked around.
Trees surrounded me in every direction.
So this was the examination area.
I touched the bracelet and tried to understand how it worked.
A screen appeared before my eyes.
It looked somewhat similar to my status window.
I looked through it.
Then I saw the rankings.
[No. 1 — — 0 Points]
[No. 2 — — 0 Point]
[...]
[No. 999 — Asher — 0 Points]
I stared at the screen.
So this was the ranking system.
The headmaster had explained that the top one thousand would pass.
And this bracelet would determine our rankings.
But there was one problem.
I looked at the empty forest around me.
She had never explained how we actually earned points.
"...So that’s the part they didn’t tell us."
I smiled.
I guess I’ll have to figure it out myself.
I moved deeper into the forest, searching for other examinees.
I needed to figure out how this point system worked.
After walking for a while, I finally spotted someone.
Another examinee.
I watched him for a moment.
He looked weak.
Very weak.
I could probably kill him without much effort.
But killing him wasn’t necessary.
I had another idea.
I approached him from behind.
Before he could react, I appeared beside him and placed the edge of my sword against his neck.
His entire body froze.
"Your bracelet."
He looked at me in confusion.
"What?"
"Give me your bracelet."
He hesitated.
I pressed the blade slightly closer to his neck.
"Now."
He quickly removed the bracelet and handed it to me.
I took it and examined it.
I still didn’t know exactly how the point system worked.
So there was only one way to find out.
I crushed the bracelet in my hand.
The moment it broke...
The examinee’s body suddenly began to disappear.
His expression changed to one of shock.
"What—?!"
Before he could finish, he vanished completely.
I stared at the empty space where he had been standing.
Then my bracelet vibrated.
I looked down.
A notification appeared.
[Participant eliminated.]
[You have acquired 100 Points.]
[Current Points: 100]
My eyes widened slightly.
"So that’s how it works."
I looked at the broken bracelet in my hand.
Defeat an examinee.
Take their bracelet.
Destroy it.
And receive their points.
Interesting.
I glanced at the ranking displayed on my bracelet.
My name had already moved.
[No. ??? — Asher — 100 Points]
A small smile appeared on my face.
I had only just entered the examination...
And I already had my first hundred points.
Now I just needed to figure out how many points the others were worth.