(XXVIII) Entrance Exam (Part One)

Leon entered the Grand Hall of the Exvius Academy behind Alec. An older woman stood at a podium with a dozen instructors behind her, including Earl Dromund. 

She was mid-speech to a couple hundred prospective student candidates standing before her in neat rows with the current students on both sides wearing their uniforms.

The boys wore full suits with a coat and tie, vest, slacks, and boots, while the girls wore the same except a skirt instead of pants. 

Each uniform was identical, with only the color of the trim of the coat and the color of the ties differentiating the different dormitories. 

The headmistress ignored the late arrivals' interruption and continued with her entrance speech as Alec led Leon around the assembly to the group of nobles before departing. 

A few of the nobles turned their heads, glaring in disgust at Leon's tardiness, and a few rolled their eyes before they returned their attention to the headmistress. 

"Now that everyone understands the entrance requirements, we shall now begin the first exam!" She concluded her speech as the students and prospects began clapping. 

Leon stood as he turned his head, noticing none of the nobles applauded. This caused him to roll his own eyes and begin clapping, shocking his neighbors as they whispered to each other.

The headmistress waved her arms as the two massive doors to the left and right of her opened, and the commoner applicants began to depart the assembly hall. 

The nobles, their positions secured by their parents' wealth, stood aloof. They were exempt from the entrance exams, their only requirement being the Tower Assortment Assembly, where they were likely to be the first picks. Leon, too, had planned to bypass the exams, but fate had other plans. 

Leon also planned to bypass the entrance examination when, suddenly, a window appeared before him, forcing him to participate.

[Quick Quest]

[Exvius Academy Entrance Exam!]

[Task: Rank first place in all three tests.]

[Reward: Random A-Rank Skillcard]

[Penalty: Bad Dormitory Placement]

[Quest Chain (1/3)]

[Written Examination]

[Task: Place first]

[Reward: One Bonus Attribute Point]

[Penalty: Attribute Point Reduction]

The young man sighed, shaking his head, as he stepped forward and followed the departing commoners. This caused the nobles to audibly gasp and break into a silent uproar.

Even the professors were astonished, as a few pointed him out and whispered to their neighbors about the noble who would dare risk his placement by participating in the entrance exam.

The two massive doors led to an equally impressive hallway with windows adorning the exterior walls, allowing bright sunlight to flood the passageway. The candidates followed the linear winding path to another giant assembly hall.

Two identical men stood on a stage at the far end of the massive room in front of tables lined up with chairs on both sides. In front of each chair sat a small stack of papers with an inkwell and quill beside them.

The participants silently flooded the assembly hall and began taking their seats while one instructor explained the test's parameters.

"Good morning, children!" He exclaimed with a large grin, stepping forward and extending his arms, "Welcome to the first exam, the written proficiency test!""

"The rules are simple!" The second man added, stepping forward as he mimicked his twin's movements as he passed him, "Before you sits a basic competency test to determine if you are capable of the simple understanding required to join Exvius!"

"However, do not think it as just a basic test!" The first said, pushing past his twin and stepping in front of him, "Hidden throughout the quiz are very important questions that you should do everything to answer correctly."

"Do not listen to my silly younger brother, there are no wrong answers here, only a benchmark to determine your understand." The second countered as he pushed his brother out of his way and stepped in front of him again.

"My older brother lies! Do not fall for his tricks!" The first said as the two began to struggle against one another, "Everyone... has... one... hour..."

"Starting... NOW!" The second brother shouted as he wrestled with his twin.

All of the students quickly picked up the quills and dipped them into the inkwell, signing their names on the exam cover before flipping the page and starting to work through the questions.

Leon followed suit and smirked as he read the first question, easily answering it. He began flying through the questions with ease, quickly making his way to the next page.

Initially, he was worried as this differed from the method that players were required to partake in order to join Exvius, but recalling the tedious quest chain, he sighed in relief over the NPCs method.

Many of the questions concerned basic knowledge he acquired through his time as a player, elemental efficiencies against one another, combat stances, skillbooks, and even the growth rate of different classes.

Thankfully, he had access to the Information Cafe, and none of the NPCs could see him accessing it, allowing him to answer some of the more challenging questions regarding the history of Gran Terra, the Vandine Empire, and the Free Alliance of Man.

He quickly went through the workbook when he finally stumbled across a roadblock, with a question that required no knowledge of the game and read more as a question of morality.

"Kingdom A and Kingdom B are engaged in a territorial dispute and have been at war with one another for years, reaching a stalemate. A spy from Kingdom A infiltrated the camps of Kingdom B, spreading a deadly poison amongst the provisions of Kingdom B without receiving the order from his King to do so, resulting in Kingdom A winning the dispute and claiming the territory.

The King B went before the Emperor and accused King A of malicious interference. Should King A be held morally responsible for the actions influenced by the spy? Explain your reasoning."

'What kinda abstract question is this?' Leon thought as he stared at the question, taken aback. He tapped the tip of his quill pen against the large blank space for his answer, thinking long and hard over the correct answer...