When it was his turn, the whole world became bright around him. Because he wanted to see exactly what was happening, his eyes were stunned by the bright light, and he became blind for a short while.
He couldn't see anything, but he felt the ground beneath him disappear. It felt as if he was falling down a dark pit.
The feeling of weightlessness didn't last long. In just ten seconds, his feet struck the ground.
There was no heavy impact after his feet touched the ground again. It was as if he was never falling because if he was, he should have accumulated a lot of momentum during his fall, which would have caused him to crash into the ground.
He rubbed his eyes and murmured, "Either I didn't fall at all or I fell but had my momentum negated somehow."
He was still blind. All he could see was a world of whiteness. It took a long while before he could recover his sight.
When he recovered his sight, he noticed that he was alone in a hallway. The hallway had smooth white walls.
The hallway was about 4 meters wide and 3 meters tall. It wasn't small. It also seemed endless. At least he couldn't see its end from where he stood.
What he could see were the statues in the middle of the hallway placed at an interval of 50 meters. There was also a plaque on his right a short distance from him.
There was something written on the plaque. When he focused on it, he saw that it was information about this test.
FIRST TEST: Obstacle Course.
OBJECTIVE: Defeat the golems and advance as far as possible.
RULE 1: You have a maximum of 1 hour for this test. You can quit anytime and be returned to the teleportation platform. Just say, "I surrender." You will also be forcefully eliminated and returned to the teleportation platform if you take too much damage.
RULE 2: You will earn points for each golem you defeat, not for how long you last in the exam. The golems will increase in difficulty the farther along you progress. The amount of points you earn will also increase along with the increase in difficulty.
RULE 3: The points you earn in this test will be relevant in your evaluation for the entire examination. You can also use your points to exchange for cultivation techniques after the examination if you fail to gain admission into a sect.
RULE 4: You can use any means to destroy the golem as long as they have not been banned. As long as they incur a certain amount of damage that is considered lethal, you can defeat them without destroying them completely.
RULE 5: The golems can only be harmed when they begin to move. They will move when the golem preceding them has been destroyed and when you're within 50 meters of them.
GOOD LUCK.
The rules were easy to understand. He understood all of them clearly except the fourth rule. He wasn't sure of what could be considered lethal damage, but he wasn't concerned about that too much.
"I guess I will find out what is considered lethal damage soon."
He flexed his shoulders and then unhooked the giant golden bow on his back. Then he took an arrow from the quiver attached to his shoulder and put it into the bow.
After his preparation, he stepped closer to the golem. As soon as he passed the position of the plaque on his right, the golem in front of him, exactly 50 meters away, began to move.
The golem was humanoid. It was sleek, smooth, and naked. It didn't look bulky at all.
The golem was also black. This made it stand out against the white walls and ground of the hallway.
The golem had two daggers in its hands. When it began moving, its speed was fast right from the start, but it still got faster.
What's more is that the golden didn't run in a straight path to him. It weaved its way to him. Its body moved from right to left, making it difficult for him to target it.
He raised an eyebrow in interest and said, "No visible eyes, but its coordination, vision, and judgment seemed to be advanced. Is this its natural ability, or is it being controlled by someone?"
He was surprised when he saw how the golem was moving. It looked like an intelligent warrior.
If the golem was being controlled, he would sigh in relief. But if the displayed intelligence of the golem was its innate talent, then it would be a marvel of technology. Both aren't things he expected to see in a world he previously thought had backward technology.
He muttered, "Then again, there are flying ships. What's an additional intelligent robot system to it?"
He was interested in the technology of the golem, but he didn't let that distract him. He didn't want to wait for the golem to reach him. So he let loose his arrow and grabbed another as he watched the previous one strike the golem in its eyeless face.
The arrow penetrated the head of the golden from front to back. This caused its body to flash red runes. Then it seized up and became immobile.
It fell to the ground defeated. The identification card he kept in a pocket of his robe vibrated. It made him stop to look at it.
He saw that he had earned one point. It was displayed on the card along with his name.
He shook his head in awe, "A vibrating card without any visible moving parts. I keep getting impressed by this thing."
This regional sect examination has broadened his horizon about the world of Ethera. He always thought that the level of technology in this world was low because people were riding carriages. But he began to realize that he might be wrong about his judgment from the moment his mother gave him Ruff and the collar that can help Ruff understand him.