An hour became two.

  Time stopped being something I could measure and turned into something I had to endure.

  My legs started burning first. Then my lungs. Slowly, every muscle in my body joined in. The pace I had started with was long gone. What I was doing now would barely count as jogging; it was more of a desperate struggle, something akin to a spirited trudge.

  'As long as I don't stop moving' That was all I muttered to myself.

  Seeing as Aluis hadn't said anything, moving was the only rule that mattered.

  But the test still wasn't over. Not yet.

  As if mocking our desperate struggle, the walls rose faster now, large slabs slid across the lane like moving barricades, spikes came up taller, sharper, and more deliberate. Everything was designed to push one's senses and judgement to the limit.

  A thought crept into my mind.

  'When would this be over?'

  I risked a glance sideways and saw about eighty candidates still moving with control. They were sweating. They were breathing hard. Some had blood on their hands or at their ankles. But they were not falling apart the way I was.

  "Am I the only one struggling?" I cursed under my breath. I could feel my vision starting to blur at the edges. But then a small warmth spread under my ribs. Call it stubbornness, or even luck, but pushing myself to the limit had finally earned me something more.

  [Endurance has increased slightly]

  [Stamina has increased slightly]

  I laughed once, short and ugly. It came out as a cough.

  The track shifted again. I exhaled and kept moving.

  The air tasted cold and bitter. Aluis still stood in the centre like he had been carved there, black uniform untouched by effort, mask hiding his eyes, presence pressing down on everyone present.

  He had not spoken in a long time.

  That silence was its own weapon. A pressure one couldn't deny.

  But seeing as he had no intentions of moving, I stopped paying him any attention.

  'I can't lose focus here,' I took in a sharp breath and forced myself to continue.

  Time slowed to a crawl. All I could do was count my steps, manically pushing through the pain and the burn.

  Eventually, I stopped caring about those around me.

  'Who cares how many are left?' I grunted to myself, 'As long as I keep going'

  That was all I had to do. Just keep going.

  I took another breath.

  In. Out.

  In. Out.

  Then it happened.

  Aluis snapped his fingers.

  The sound was small, almost casual. Then the track stopped moving.

  Walls sank cleanly back into the ground. Spikes retracted as if they had never existed. The rubble smoothed out, tiles knitting themselves back into a perfect, boring loop.

  I stumbled into my next step and jerked back; the sudden stop felt wrong. As if the ground was being pulled back beneath my feet.

  A jolt of pain ran through me.

  I dropped to my knees so fast I barely caught myself with one hand. My breath came in ragged pulls, and my stomach twisted. Around me, other candidates collapsed. Some fell onto their backs and stared at the sky. Some sat down immediately, heads bowed, hands shaking.

  Aluis walked slowly along the inner edge of the track, looking at us with a satisfied gaze.

  "The first test is over," Aluis spoke, and his voice settled into the candidates effortlessly.

  He raised his wrist.

  The band on it glowed.

  "Those with glowing bands have passed," Aluis continued. "The rest will leave the premises."

  For a second, nothing happened.

  Then, one by one, bands lit up across the field.

  A girl near the front gasped when her wrist flashed. A boy beside her swore softly. A cluster of candidates exchanged stunned looks and then started to smile despite themselves.

  I stared at my own wrist in anticipation.

  My chest tightened.

  Then, a faint pulse.

  The band warmed against my skin and lit up.

  I let out a long breath I didn't realise I'd been holding.

  Aluis turned to the candidates whose wrists stayed dark.

  "For those who did not pass. You will be teleported back to your departing origin," Aluis gestured towards the distance. "Gather around the magic circles carved outside the premises."

  The defeated candidates hesitated.

  Some looked angry. Some looked hollow. Others had already broken down; the gruelling test had already eroded their spirits.

  A boy with a bleeding foot pushed forward, limping, face twisted with frustration.

  "This is unfair," he snapped. His voice quivered. "I would've lasted if I hadn't gotten injured. I deserve to pass. This....this is irresponsible."

  The air stiffened.

  "That is unfortunate. But in the end, you were not selected," Aluis replied calmly with a shake of his head.

  "That's not an answer," the boy spat. "You didn't judge me properly. You didn't even watch properly. You just stood there. This is a joke."

  The boy's words echoed, tinged with frustration. I could instinctively feel the words dripping with desperation.

  My eyes slowly drifted towards Aluis, yet one glance and I could tell that he felt neither pity nor sorrow for the boy's cries.

  Aluis snorted.

  It was the smallest sound, the lightest gesture. But it carried the weight of a thousand words.

  He raised one hand and pushed forward, slow, casual, like he was moving air.

  The ground responded.

  Earth burst up in front of the limping candidate, dozens of sharp spikes erupting in an instant and stopping inches from his face. Close enough that the stone grazed his cheek. A thin line of blood appeared.

  The candidate froze.

  His eyes went wide. His mouth opened. No sound came out.

  Then he quivered and dropped to the floor, hands shaking uncontrollably.

  Aluis held his hand there for another second, and a horrifying silence gripped the room.

  "This is your last warning," he said, voice calm. "If you do not leave now, you will be counted as trespassers. The Academy holds no reservations against defending its property."

  He lowered his hand.

  The spikes sank back into the tiles like a thought dismissed.

  The candidates with dark bands moved.

  Fast.

  They scrambled toward the outer edge of the field, toward the glowing magic circles, faces pale and tight. The limping man crawled at first, then forced himself up and staggered away, not looking back.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  Yet tension did not leave with them.

  It stayed in the air like a smell.

  Aluis turned back to the ones who remained.

  "You have five minutes," he said. "I recommend you rest to prepare for the next test."

  Five minutes might be nothing. But to us dogged survivors, it felt like the world.

  The people around me dispersed, scuttling towards their own private corners of the field. Many started doing small things, like shaking out arms, stretching calves, pressing fingers into bruised spots. Some drank from flasks that appeared from coat pockets like magic tricks. Others sat perfectly still, eyes closed, conserving what little they had left.

  A few began eying each other like they expected a fight to break out.

  I stayed on the sidelines, breathing slowly, spear laid beside me, fingers resting on the wrapped shaft. I quickly took on a natural meditation pose, crossing my legs and stretching out my arms to my knees as I drew in large breaths.

  It wasn't a random thought. No, rather, I sat in a pose all too familiar to me since the time I'd played Advent.

  'Here goes nothing.'

  Meditation was a passive skill you could unlock to gain slow regeneration. Though I didn't possess the skill right now, this seemed the perfect time to try and unlock it. I was exhausted, sitting in the exact pose the skill was used in and knew somewhat how it worked.

  'Five minutes.' I murmured to myself, trying my best to follow a slow and deliberate breathing rhythm.

  By the time five minutes ended, I hadn't unlocked the skill, but I did manage to earn a few strange glances from those around me, which I promptly ignored.

  Moments later, Aluis lifted his hand again.

  The field changed.

  Tiles slid aside and reshaped. Stone rose and formed rows. Desks and chairs emerged from the ground and arranged themselves akin to a classroom built on a battlefield.

  The candidates stared in confusion.

  'Wait..A written test? Already?' I raised my brows. "Isn't this too sharp a twist?" I chuckled to myself.

  I looked back, and I could almost swear that Aluis had cracked a very faint smile. But the very next second, the air above the field stirred, my gaze flicked upwards, and Aluis took that chance to make himself scarce.

  Instead of him, a figure descended from the sky.

  He glided down with wings of wind at his back, translucent currents shaping themselves into feathered arcs. He hovered for a moment, black coat fluttering, then touched down lightly in front of the transformed classroom.

  He smiled.

  "Candidates," he said with a slow clap. "Congratulations on surviving the first phase."

  "I am Pasadin," he continued. "Your second examiner."

  A murmur rippled through the remaining candidates. But under his stern glare, the voices eventually died down.

  Pasadin held a thick stack of papers under one arm.

  "As you can guess. The second test is a written examination; the topics covered will test your general knowledge and decision-making," he said.

  "A hundred questions will be presented," Pasadin held up one of the question booklets. "You are required to answer any fifty."

  He lifted a finger and reiterated with a pause. "Keyword. Any."

  "Of course, you may answer more than fifty, and it will earn you bonus points", he added with a smile "However, incorrect answers will deduct points."

  Pasadin raised his hand, and the air stilled again. He flicked his wrist and released the papers upward. For a moment, they floated gently, and then they drifted through the air, each sheet guiding itself to a desk, landing perfectly aligned.

  "Take your places," Pasadin said. "You will have two hours. The purpose of this test has been made clear. We will start when everyone is seated. "

  Candidates moved quickly, chairs scraping, boots tapping against stone. People grabbed pens like they were weapons. Some sat with stiff posture. Some leaned over the paper instantly, eyes scanning.

  I found a seat near the side.

  My legs were still trembling, but my fingers steadied as I grabbed the pen on the table. I laid my spear carefully beside my chair, cloth still wrapped tight around the head, and looked down at the question paper.

  The first page was full of sections and numbers.

  'History. Geography. Coalition law. Demon classification. Mana theory. Basic tactics.'

  My heartbeat slowly settled into something cold and focused.

  Pasadin's voice cut through the last whispers.

  "One last thing. If you're caught cheating. You will be instantly disqualified." With a swift gesture, Pasadin rose through the air and observed us from the top.

  "Is that clear?" He cleared his throat and eyed our faces for a response.

  "Good. Begin."

  The second phase started.

  -

  I worked through the test one question at a time.

  History. Geography. Coalition law. I knew those sections by heart. My pen scratched in short bursts, stopping only long enough to flick to the next line.

  [Insight] triggered at each question, the answers appeared before my eyes, vivid enough that I could jot them down with full confidence. A few minutes in, I had already cleared out all the history questions.

  Geography wasn't any different. Primarily, the questions centred around the current landscape of the Human Coalition, bordering territories and the lands that had already been taken by the Demonic invasion.

  The geography books I had read contained everything I needed. As I scribbled down the answers, I made sure to include anything relevant.

  Coalition Law was by far the easiest of the three. It was simply a list of laws that defined every action required by the coalition. There weren't a lot, and at most, the questions asked for a brief explanation or sometimes even an application. Neither of which was a challenge, as [Insight] easily carried me through it.

  By the time I was done with those three sections, I heaved in a breath and looked up.

  A few clocks floated over the field, translucent circles with hands that ticked without sound.

  'Half an hour'

  That's how much time it had taken me to finish three sections. Counting out the questions, I had likely answered around thirty.

  'Twenty more. Just twenty more.'

  I turned the page.

  [Demon Classification]

  [Basic Tactics]

  [Basic Mana Theory]

  My pen slowed.

  Demon Classification wasn't too difficult. But the books I'd read hadn't gone into great detail. From my own perspective, I likely had the basics down, but I didn't know anything too impressive.

  I hesitated but answered a few that I was sure of.

  Next, my eyes flicked to the Basic Tactics section. I hadn't read anything on these. But I had played through my fair share of this war. And I could perfectly recall the real-time solutions players had come up with to tackle hordes of Demons.

  I wrote what I could about formations and strategies, adding a touch of personal experience. Unfortunately, that was my limit, but I hadn't yet completed fifty questions.

  'I need two more.' My thoughts spiralled, and I turned to the Mana Theory questions. I didn't know enough. No, rather, I barely knew the minimum.

  At best, I could use [Insight] to try to answer the question. But that was it.

  For a few seconds, I just stared at one question, jaw tight, and eventually I scribbled something down.

  'Not perfect.'

  But correct enough to stand.

  I wrote it and moved on before doubt could root.

  The next few went the same way. I grabbed what I could. I avoided what I couldn't. I took the gamble only when it was a calculated one, not a desperate swing.

  I looked up again.

  An hour had passed.

  As I did another mental count, I was sure of it. 'I am done with fifty.'

  My hand hovered, pen tip poised over the next section.

  And Viktor's voice flashed through my head.

  Do not hold anything back.

  I hated how true that was.

  If I sat here and protected myself, nobody would reward me for being careful. The Academy wasn't looking for safe. It was looking for worth. Yet if I took the risks and got the answers wrong, I could very well be penalised.

  At the end, the only logical answer was to make educated guesses. A play on words, so to speak. But only for the questions for which I already had some inkling of an answer.

  By the time my pace finally slowed, it wasn't because I ran out of questions. It was because I hit the edge of useful effort. Past that point, mistakes would creep in.

  I was sure I had done my best. There was no need to hesitate to put the pen down.

  I leaned back and let my shoulders drop.

  My heartbeat thudded against my ribs. I could feel a jolt of pain throbbing in my head, and a deep ache pulsing through my legs.

  I rested my forehead on my forearms and took a gentle breath.

  'Need to rest'

  Whatever happened next was lost on me. All I could recall was that about twenty minutes later, I snapped awake.

  Pasadin moved and cleared his throat as he hovered down to the ground. "Your time is up."

  No warning. No countdown.

  He lifted one hand, and the wind snapped through the classroom like a blade.

  "Pens down."

  Pens ripped out of fingers all across the room. Mine vanished from my grip before I even thought to react, flung into the air like it had never belonged to me. A chorus of surprised noises broke out, chairs scraping, hands reaching for nothing.

  Then the papers rose.

  Every sheet lifted cleanly, corners fluttering, drifting toward Pasadin in neat lines like a flock pulled by a magnet. They stacked into perfect piles in front of him without a single page out of place.

  Pasadin smiled, calm as ever.

  "Congratulations," he said. "You have completed the second phase."

  But his gentle words were lost on us. After all, I was sure most of us could barely fight through our desire not to pass out.

  'Perhaps that's just me', I smiled wryly.

  "The results will be marked within one or two hours," he added, voice mild. "At most."

  People shifted in their seats. Eyes started flicking sideways. Shoulders tightened. You could feel the anxiety leak out of everyone and soak into the air.

  Pasadin watched us shift anxiously and chuckled.

  " But the test is not over."

  That sentence alone hit like a punch in the gut.

  A few people made strangled noises. Someone swore, louder this time. A tired laugh came from the back, thin and brittle.

  The air thickened.

  From behind the rows of the makeshift classroom, Aluis reappeared and stepped forward.

  He reached the front, raised one foot, and stomped.

  One sharp impact.

  Magic reverberated through the earth.

  The classroom vanished.

  Desks and chairs sank into the ground like they'd been made of sand. Rows collapsed. The floor smoothed back into open stone. The world snapped back to the bare testing field under the cold sky, so fast it made my stomach lurch.

  "Look sharp. It's now time for your last and final phase of the test."

  Aluis lifted his hand, and a ring formed in the centre of the field.

  Stone rose. A circular plateau pushed up from the ground, clean-edged and elevated.

  Aluis faced us with a smile.

  "The first phase tested endurance and decision making under stress", he said. "The second tested whether you can think while exhausted."

  "The third phase tests whether you can do more than survive."

  He gestured at the platform.

  "Each candidate will spar," he said. "Against me"

  Aluis paused, letting the weight of his words settle.

  "This phase exists to allow exceptional candidates to show their practical ability," he continued. "If you impress me, you will pass directly regardless of your written test scores."

  Pasadin carried the stack of papers and stepped forward, "Of course, if you are confident in your written examination," he said, "you may abstain. You'll find the results when I am done checking."

  A handful of candidates sighed in relief.

  "However, there are no negative points for abstaining," Pasadin added.

  'Which means the only way my chances could go were up.' I picked up on it quickly.

  Aluis lifted a list in his hand.

  "The order of the spar will be randomly selected from the fifty candidates present here. Once I call your name, walk to the front. Then, decide whether or not you'll partake. Is that clear?"

  Everyone replied with a firm nod.

  He looked down. The pause was small, but it felt like the entire field leaned in.

  Then Aluis spoke the first name.

  "Kai Ashcroft."

  My eyes widened, and I reacted before my mind did. 'The protagonist of Advent?'

  I whipped around at the sound of that name, eyes darting through the crowd to spot the name.

  A lean boy stepped out from the crowd. Ashen grey hair, golden eyes. A slight ferocity to his appearance.

  'No. He's far younger than I remember. The Kai Ashcroft in the game was older, already a third year when the game started.'

  I scanned him from head to toe, and I was sure he was exactly the Kai Ashcroft that I knew, but if he was just joining the academy, did that mean that the world I was in was three years away from the events of the game?

  I pushed aside my thoughts and focused on Kai again.

  He looked tired like the rest of us. But there was a steadiness to him that didn't match his age. He moved deftly, with unnerving agility.

  Kai climbed onto the platform and faced Aluis.

  For a moment, my eyes locked onto the scenario in front of me, and a different curiosity arose. How strong was the protagonist from the story right now? How did I currently fare against an existence later regarded as the epitome of Martial talent in the game?