Chapter 81: Chapter 81 Entrance Exam Part 01.
One of the male teachers from the academy came out of nowhere, standing on the stage. After he finished his words, the room turned chaotic, as a couple of candidates were blank with the sudden event that transpired to them.
Soma and Hina exchange glances before they link hands, separated and grabbing their brown envelopes, respectively. Soma tore the brown paper, took out the contents inside and laid it out on the table.
In front of him were three pages of scribbled paper filled with a question to the brims. Soma observed each page and formulated his strategy of which one he should be working on first. From the three papers, one of the pages contained a question from General knowledge and the other two were related to a Dungeon, monster, and gate things.
After mulling it through, Soma decide to start with the General knowledge first.
The tension in the room rose as many candidates' hearts throbbed for the starting test that would decide their future in this academy. The air turned heavy as the sound that echoed inside the room was the sound of a moving pen scribbled on the piece of paper. All the candidates were currently in battle with their questions in a single paper.
"I will give you two hours to finish the test".
As the candidates were focused on their papers, the teacher clear loud voice reverberated in the room that caused many students to stiffen their bodies halting their thoughts, at the sudden announcement, making their minds disturbed even further, plus they still had lingering feelings about the tragedies earlier and were currently facing the test. They are all in doom.
Soma had already known that the trick would occur, so he was prepared in advance and managed to calm Hina, who almost got eaten by the tricks. This is different from the novel he read, where Hina could easily clear all of the tests with no problems at all because of her rough personality.
But, the current Hina was different; she still retained her shy part and still always acted in a tough front to a stranger, but now she always acts mellow in front of Soma, because of the time they spend together. He hopes that Hina could be opened up a little to other people if she could attends the academy.
Every candidate who heard the announcement began to shoot their bloodshot eyes to the paper, trying to tear them apart and even squeeze their brain to dry trying to figure out how to solve a problem. It was chaotic. The room was deathly quiet, and many students were focused on their tests.
There are also those who, unfortunately, had their thinking abilities halted and couldn't solve even one problem.
Time passed, and half an hour later, Soma flipped the major knowledge test and then began his other test.
"Hm?".
The next test he took was filled with questions about Dungeons, Gates, Monster, and many other that related to an awakeners. He breathed a sigh, for he happened to memories all of the knowledge of these problems in his brain.
Soma, with a calm face, began to solve his first question swiftly and continued to the next. He is so focused that he is oblivious to his surroundings that he is being stared at by the teachers, who happen to hear Soma flip his paper and start his other assignment.
After another half an hour, Soma flipped the pages in his hand and started to do his last paper. For the record, Soma didn't completely answer all of the questions on his second page. He only answers the questions that he knows and empties the answer sheet he doesn't know how to answer, such as the method of making small potions and stuff.
It seems the academy was not too inclined to battle-related problems as there is a question for a person who specialises in craftsmanship.
"..That's it, time is up. All of you stop your hands".
Two hours have passed in a blink, and the teacher who stands on the stage shouts to inform the time has finished for the candidates to work on their assignment.
Soma calmly flipped the pages as he breathed a sigh, and from his side, he could hear a loud sigh coming from Hina, who slumped her body to the tables that seemed burnt out.
"Haaaa… Finally over".
"Good job, Hina".
"Hmm, You too, Soma. Haa, So tired".
Hina again buried her face in her folded hands while exuding a huge sigh. Soma smiled wryly, seeing her tired figure.
"..Then let me announce the one who passed the first exam".
The word from the teacher that echoed through the vast room turned the bustling room into a deathly silent state, as every candidate that was relieved the test was over tensed their body for the test result that would be announced straight ahead.
"What? Right now?".
Hina sprung her body up as she opened her eyes wide in disbelief. Many other students also feel the same way Hina feels, not excluding the main characters.
There is only one person who manages to keep his calm in this situation, that is Soma, who knows that this will happen beforehand.
In the novel he read, it was explained that every inch and nook in the auditorium room had been facilitated with a high-tech magic tool that could observe every candidate accurately and transfer every video and data it gets to the teachers who was in charge to give a live-time scoring.
"..You saw the number on your respective seat, right?".
Upon the mention of the number, many candidates began to duck down and observed the numbers on the table.
"..The numbers on your respective table will be shone, signalling you are passing the first exam".
As the teacher finished his words, Soma could see the numbers on his tables shining in white light. Soma, who saw that breath a sigh, loosened the tension in his body for a bit, for knowing the result of the exams. Even though he has confidence in his brain, there is nothing he can do if the word exam will bring tension toward his own being.
"Ah, I am glad".
Hina's relief voice echoed as it entered Soma's ears. He jerked his head to the side and saw the number on her table shone.
"Good for you, Hina".
"Thanks, Soma. Let's celebrate it later".
"It was still not over yet".
"What?".
The once quiet room now burst with various emotions that overwhelmed the atmosphere; happy, sad, regret, anticipation, and relief filled the now bustling room. There were many candidates who were so overcome with joy that they started to dance in place and shout loudly like madman.
There are also the ones who had tears and gritted their teeth in frustration for not seeing the shined numbers on their tables.
Soma caught those views in his sight as he surveyed his surroundings with a serene gaze in his eyes.
"..Everyone who passed. The senior outside will guide you to the next phase of the examination so that you may please leave the room, and for those who didn't pass, please stay, for I have something to discuss with you guys.. ".
"Soma..?".
"Yeah, let's leave this place".
Soma and Hina stood up from their seats and slipped past the other seat before standing in the line that would bring them outside. He turned his gaze to the surroundings, observing many candidates who failed in their first step to attend the most prestigious academy on the planet.
"Soma, what's wrong?".
"Nothing..".
At the very least, he hoped for those who didn't pass the exam to find their path respectively.