Chapter 773 Combat Exam [Pt 1]
[Moments Earlier]
'Ater, you genius!'
Rey and Lucielle—both of them in their Dragon disguises—stood among the rest of the Examinees in a massive hall. They had neutral expressions on their faces, but their minds were racing with several things.
For Rey, he couldn't help but internally thank his immensely incompetent Familiar.
'I have no idea the kind of insight that guy has, but he really did make everything easier for us.'
Apparently, Ater was able to interrogate the two Dragon Generals who infiltrated the Capital over two weeks ago, learning all about the Empire's workings—including details of the Academy and how to get in.
It was all thanks to that information that Rey and Lucielle knew how to navigate their way in the Empire… which brought them to their current predicament.
—The Academy Entrance Exams.
'Getting past Customs wasn't particularly difficult, due to my Skills, though we still had to remain very lowkey…'
Entering enemy territory was a task that could never be downplayed.
He and Lucielle prepared every countermeasure possible in case something went wrong, and these were already measures he had discussed with Ater prior to his departure. He had to worry about every variable.
Thankfully, everything was smooth sailing—from their arrival at the Empire to their temporary accommodations—all leading up to this moment.
'I thought the biggest issue would be getting into the Academy, but I never expected the process to be so simple until Ater told me.' Rey smiled, both hands in his pockets as he observed the Dragons that littered his sight.
There were at least thousands of them present—some looking young, while others appearing a little too old to be going to school.
People belonging to various age groups could be spotted waiting, just like them.
'Well, I guess that's what happens when the Education System is non-discriminatory…' None of that was his business anyway.
Glancing at the excited Lucielle, who was doing her best to hide her excitement while looking at so many Dragons around her, Rey felt a bit of a sigh leaking out of his lips.
'I was worried that she'd be a little uncomfortable here, due to being surrounded by so many enemies and also because we're so far from home, but… she seems to be in a much better mood than even me.'
Lucielle's cheeks were slightly flushed with pink as her wide open eyes took in everything.
Honestly, she resembled a teenager more than an adult.
'Almost makes me think her disguise is real too…' He looked away, noticing that she had noticed his gaze on her and was now turning towards him.
To distract himself, Rey went over what had happened prior to their current situation.
'We've already gone through a few tests: the written exam, which is basically just basic comprehension and writing skills, the physical exercise exam, and the mana aptitude exam…' All of them didn't take very long and weren't very difficult.
Rey was initially worried that they would ask him something regarding the History of the Dragon Empire, or something of the sort, but just as Ater had assured him, it was nothing that complicated.
Neither he nor Lucielle had any issues with that—or any of the other tests for that matter.
'Physical tests were a breeze, though Lucielle struggled a little with that. And as for Mana, I had to severely limit myself in that category.' He smiled.
There was no way he could allow his true power to be exposed in such a place.
'I'm definitely stronger than a Dragon General, and I'm pretty confident that I could hold my own against a Lord—though, I won't be sure of victory until I actually fight and beat one.'
Such an entity had no place in the Dragon Academy, yet here he was.
'Still… still…'
He cast his gaze forward and noticed that a small crowd of Examiners had now joined the Examinees in the hall—most likely to announce the fourth and final part of the Entrance Exams.
This was also the most important.
'Everything else contributes ten points each, making a total of thirty. This one has a chunk of the points—seventy percent.'
Just as he thought this, the Chief Examiner stepped forward and explained exactly the same thing.
His voice was absurdly loud due to an Enchanted Item that resembled a microphone.
The massive expanse they were in resembled the inner court of a football stadium, but much larger than any stadium Rey had ever seen. There were also no spectator rings.
Just enough space for thousands of Dragons to duke it out in a—
"Battle Royale! You will all fight each other until the time limit is exceeded. The last people standing are those who will be deemed to pass."
That meant it was possible for a varied number of people to pass. Most could pass, and most could fail—depending on how strong they were and how long they held on.
… At least, that was what it seemed like on the surface.
'But the time limit is arbitrary.'
"The Time Limit won't be disclosed to you all, so keep fighting until we inform you the time is up." The Examiner's voice roared in the hall, causing some to smile knowingly.
Rey was among those who did.
'That's because they won't stop the fight until a sufficient number of Examinees have fallen.'
In essence, this wasn't just about hanging on, but about knocking down the opposition as fast as possible so the round would end quickly.
'Veteran Examinees already recognize this. I can see a few faces that fall under that category already…' He looked around and found some rather confident grins among the uncertain or cautious ones.
He reckoned, from their Status Windows, that they were more likely to pass than the other inferior candidates.
'Doesn't matter in the current situation, though.' Rey and Lucielle had already agreed on how they would pass the final portion of this exam—and it was Ater's recommended choice too.
'We're the only ones passing this round!'