Kian Goldmaul POV

  It has been a few months since I took my last school exams.

  Today is the first day of the Godspire Academy entrance exams, and I woke up at 7:00 a.m. in Thaddeus’s house to prepare.

  After changing into my clothes, I look over at Thaddeus and ask, “Where will the exams be held?”

  Thaddeus has already changed into casual attire and has hidden his horns using magic. “They are going to be held in multiple schools throughout this city. We will be heading to the specific one that called for you.” he explains.

  We leave the house together and head toward the tramway station.

  As we sit on the train, Thaddeus provides more detail on the process. “You will enter VR most of the time to answer the written exams; it is a measure to ensure no cheating occurs.”

  After ten minutes of travel, we arrive in front of the school building.

  Thaddeus checks the time. “It’s 7:33 a.m. there is still almost an hour before they officially start,” he notes. “Let us go to a nearby coffee shop and buy you some cakes to eat while we wait.”

  …

  …

  …

  It is currently 8:20 a.m. as I arrive in front of the VR machine.

  It looks different from the one I used at the military base; the suit and helmet design are different, and this model does not have a treadmill for walking. It is likely because these units are not manufactured for combat simulations.

  I put the gear on and take a seat in the chair.

  After ten minutes pass, I am brought into the VR world. I look around, noticing I am alone in a grass landscape area with a chair beneath me and a computer screen positioned in front of me.

  I look at the screen and notice a thirty-second countdown ticking away.

  Once the countdown finishes, a face appears on the monitor and I recognize it immediately.

  Grandpa?

  “Hello everyone, I am the Vice Principal of Godspire Academy. I will be explaining the rules of the first exam for you all.”

  There is no doubt; he is my grandpa. The looks and the voice are more than enough to recognize him, and he is hiding his horns from what it seems.

  “For today, it will be a simple writing exam of the sort you are all used to,” he says. “The rules are simple as well. You will be solving the exam on the computer in front of you, though of course, you can choose to solve it on paper if that makes you feel more comfortable. You do not have to show the process of how you reached your answers, as cheating here is impossible. There is an Artificial Intelligence watching over each of you, and the VR headset you are wearing cuts off all outside world sound.”

  He continues the explanation clearly. “If you feel uncomfortable being alone, there is an option to be seated next to other students as long as they choose the same, but you will not be able to communicate with them. You cannot speak, and if you try to communicate using hand signs, the AI will flag you and give you a warning. After three warnings, you will be disqualified from the exam. If you feel a warning was unfair, you can report it using the computer and a teacher will review the footage.”

  “The exams are going to be science-based. No history, no language… I am pretty sure you all knew that already, so hopefully you did not waste any time studying those subjects. The writing exam will last for only one day, and the total duration for the Academy exams is only two days. After every individual exam, there is a twenty-minute break. You can see on the computer what exams are scheduled to follow. Make sure you write your name, age, and parents' names correctly. Well then, without further ado, you can start.”

  After saying that, Grandpa’s face disappears from the screen. In its place, a digital form appears requesting me to input my name and other personal details. After writing my information and confirming it, the first exam begins: Logical Reasoning.

  I take a quick look at the questions and then check the schedule for the exams following this one. After this, there is Chemistry. In the afternoon, we have Physics and then Mathematics.

  This schedule might tire a normal person out, having to complete them all on the first day, but that is probably a deliberate part of the test.

  I scan the problems. The exam seems to be extremely difficult—at least for ordinary people—but for me, the logic remains easy to answer.

  …

  …

  …

  It is the next day, and just like yesterday, I am at the school using the VR equipment.

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  My grandpa’s face reappears on the computer screen. “Hello everyone, it’s me again, the Vice Principal. The majority of you are probably tired from yesterday’s exams, so we will get straight to the work you are going to do today.”

  “The first exam of today is a memory exam. Like it sounds, the test will challenge your memory. The exam only has two sections: the first one is quick and pattern-based, and the second one is a long-form text recall. The rules are the same as yesterday; the only difference is that you can only complete the first section on the computer. Well then, like I said yesterday, make sure you write your name, age, and parents' names correctly. Good luck.”

  After inputting my information again, I start the first section.

  The screen shows me a game featuring four different colors. I click to show the tutorial. It lights up red, then yellow, then red again. I am prompted to repeat the pattern.

  Simon? It is essentially the game Simon Says. No wonder it is described as a pattern-based section.

  After finishing the tutorial, a prompt appears before the main exam starts: “The patterns are fully randomized. The game will go on until you lose or reach round 150.”

  On the first round, it starts by lighting only the red button. I click it. On the second round, it lights the blue light and then the yellow light.

  So that is what the prompt meant by fully randomized; it isn't just adding one new light with the previous one.

  After an hour, I finish, feeling a bit tired. Round 150, huh… somehow I finished the entire thing without making a single mistake. If I were in my past life, I probably wouldn’t have even achieved round 20, let alone 150. This success is likely thanks to my current almost-photographic memory.

  After that, I move to the next exam.

  A set of instructions appears: “Read the story carefully. You will not be allowed to scroll back up as you read, and you are only allowed to read it once with 30 minutes timer. After you finish, answer the exam questions, which will be about very specific details in the story. 5000 words.”

  I start reading the story. It is a narrative about a person’s medieval journey from a small town to a city, accompanying various merchants and convoys. It could even be viewed as a little boring, but I still made sure to read every single word.

  Afterward, I answer the questions. As they warned, the questions are very specific. For example, they asked exactly how many merchants were present when it was only mentioned a single time at the very beginning of the text.

  This part only lasts half an hour, leaving me with another half an hour to spare.

  After confirming my answers and finishing the exam, I exit the VR to rest.

  I notice I am not the first person to exit, probably because I took longer to complete all 150 rounds in the first section.

  After fifty minutes, we are not sent back into the VR machines.

  The teachers at the school explain that the next portion is going to be a magic exam, followed by a combat exam.

  These will be done in person and recorded before the footage is sent to the Academy.

  They hand us two papers to write our names on. They explain that the magic exam consists of us demonstrating all the magic we know and shaping it differently from its original form if we are capable.

  After ten minutes of waiting, it is finally my turn. I hand the teacher both papers—one for him to record my results on and the other for him to hold so I do not accidentally rip it apart during the demonstration.

  “For now, use every magic you know in its normal form, and then change their shapes if you can,” he instructs.

  I nod, but before I can begin, I suddenly hear Thaddeus’s voice inside my head. “By the way, Kian, do not use fire magic. We don’t want people to know you have a mutation. So, when you’re about to use fire magic, just nod, and I will manifest it on top of your hand. I will shape it according to your skill level.” he says telepathically.

  I act as if I didn't hear anything and start using magic.

  I begin with water, then move to air, and then wood.

  When I reach the point for fire, I nod.

  Just as Thaddeus promised, a fire appears above my hand, and it is changed into all the shapes I am currently capable of doing.

  I demonstrate the other magic I know, such as zoom magic and the rest.

  The teacher nods, handing the extra paper back to me. I return to my seat and wait. After half an hour, everyone finishes, and following a twenty-minute break, we start the combat exam.

  We are tasked to fight the same type of training dolls I usually practice with.

  The rules are that we cannot use magic or martial arts during the sword sparring part. I already wrote on the combat paper that I am proficient in swordsmanship, martial arts, and archery, so I will undergo testing for all of them.

  After half an hour of the exam I finish it as well.

  After that, I went to eat lunch at the school cafeteria, just as I did yesterday.

  In the afternoon we are instructed to put the VR gear back on.

  After five minutes, the final exam starts. This time, my grandpa does not appear on the computer screen; instead, we are put directly into the exam. I write my information again and look at the prompt.

  “This is a talent exam. This exam covers multiple different subjects that you never learned in school. You will answer the questions and are required to stop on every subject once you do not know the answer to a question. The questions will get progressively harder. You have 4 hours in total.”

  After reading that, I look at the subjects provided: strategy, politics, war orders… there are about ten different subjects, and every single one of them has 100 questions.

  I answer all the questions I can, and after three hours of intense focus, I finish.

  I sigh, feeling tired from today exams.

  I remove the VR gear and call Thaddeus, informing him that I have finished the exams. After he arrives, I leave the school and follow him.

  “Is that it?” I ask.

  He nods his head. “Yeah, that’s it. So, how were the exams?”

  “Easy, but tiring,” I reply.

  He nods, a small smile appearing on his face. “Good. Well then, let us return home and wait for your results.”

  Chapter End