Knight's Examination

"So we have brave and courageous ladies wanting to become knights in this last examination." The bearded knight commented as he observed the expressions of the examinees.

He was standing on a semi-circular stage with two squires on each of his sides. In front of the stage was a crowd of young 'uns from ages 14 to 17. Only the newly arrived examinees looked older.

"Good luck." Grand Knight Wauker cheered Frinces up and passed by her. His face looked stern as he approached Janu on the stage.

His aura was undeniably noticeable as he was able to gain the attention of everyone from the Knight's Quarters. His royal blue armor reflected the sunlight and shone brightly. The eyes of the spectators squinted before realizing that they were being disrespectful.

Janu and the squires around him, other than those who were beside him, saluted. They stoned their fists and heavily blasted their chests. Their mouths puffed because of the shock from the impact of blasting themselves but still cried in unison, "Greetings to the Grand Knight!"

Grand Knight Wauker nodded his head and initiated a conversation with them, mostly about the statistics of the examinees, the newly recruited squires, and squires in training.

Meanwhile, Frinces was left alone. She was in the middle of the crowd, yet none approached her. Although it was like that, she could feel the heated gazes of the people around her.

She faintly smiled and joined the crowd in front of the stage. The female players followed suit.

「You receive a message」

The banner appeared once again.

Frinces glanced at the knights in front before opening the message.

Nexus: hi… ///>`

"A spam?" She murmured. She turned at the ladies to see if there was someone whose name was Nexus.

The names of the players stack over each other. She got confused and dizzy. No name could be recognized from this compacted crowd of people.

"Sigh." She was about to turn around when her eyes met a pair of intense gazes. Could she be… Frinces shook her head and opened the chat.

Prince: Are you looking at me?

In a little while…

"Ahh! He replied! He replied!"

The girl who was gazing at her intensely yelled sharply, breaking the serene ambiance looming on their heads.

Everyone looked at her, but her eyes remained fixated on Prince. Her chubby cheeks trembled with redness before her eyes turned white.

"..."

She collapsed on the ground. The examination has not yet even started. The instructions were not yet even deliberated to them. Then, an examinee suddenly collapsed?

A cloud of white smoke wafted out from Nexus' body. Her physical body in the world in this game was still on the floor. She was forced to log out of the game.

The first one to veer her eyes away from was Frinces. She faltered, confused as to why they would react that way. Unfortunately, probing someone she didn't know wasn't part of her personality.

When they all snapped back from their shock, the squires nearby sensibly carried the unconscious body out of the examination ground.

"Do you all wish to become a knight?" Knight Janu asked them. They finished discussing what needed to be discussed. He was left alone on the stage, surveying all the 300-400 participants on the wide examination ground.

The ground was so wide that even the examinees couldn't cover an eighth of it. Big space, yet they disorderly gathered together in one space. A tenth of the total number was even more chaotic as they eagerly tiptoed and glanced over on top of the head of the other to see a certain person's answer.

Seeing her still a reaction, the hope that ignited inside the heart of the mass dimmed.

Their Prince was hopeless! He could be the cultivator that everyone wishes to be. As long as he can unleash at least a middle-grade core, he will thrive!

But if he wishes to become a knight, they would accompany him. The life of a person stuck in quarters practicing swordsmanship and lancing daily must be exhausting.

They just needed to pass!

"Great! I adore your courage, potential knights! Once you refused to answer my question, you would be required to partake in all parts of the examination. If you die in the process, then it will be a thank you. You have served our benevolent kingdom and would immediately be honored as a Standard Knight."

"Your blood and soul full of dedication will be appreciated by the empire until your last breath."

The hopeless commoners reacted to nothing. Meanwhile, the players gasped in shock.

"We should leave right away! This place is full of lunatics!"

"First, a fanatic. Second, psychotics!"

"Let us leave right away, come on."

They were willing to die only if they successfully attained a route. The route also served as a lifeline that would keep someone alive even after being hunted with hostile NPCs.

"I'm not done." Knight Janu raised his hand to silence the examinees. " After the series of examinations, you can rest. Come back tomorrow morning and we shall all witness who were the potential knights to be awarded the rank of a Knight Squire.

"Rank!" The players brightened up.

The first thing the players were very worried about was how to gain their rankings. They had been working their asses off since the launch of the game, increasing their affinities to each of their workmates and bosses to gain a rank.

Yet they could get it just by following Prince!

"Who could he be?" A question surfaced in their little brains.

"The examination is divided into three levels. The first one is simply swinging your wooden swords. The second is inflicting damage on the practice dummy as much as one wanted to. Third and last is shadow fighting."

"Remember, you should pass at least two levels to achieve the bonus and pass the test."

Frinces shrugged off the gazes she received. She was wondering if she should pass the test or intentionally fail it.

She only had three months in this game and she wasn't willing to last in the same place. She still needs to wander around to satisfy the terms in the contract.

Frinces darted her eyes back at the stage. However, what met her eyes was the eyes of someone specifically looking at her. He mouthed, "I'll be rooting for you," from his seat.

She flinched. Then, she would fail all of this at once!

Together with the foundation of her firm resolution, the declaration for the examination to commence spread.