Battle Test (1)

Liam read the contents of the golden parchment that appeared before him, frowning as he read the description of the Long Night, a special celestial phenomenon that occurred every 200 years.

In the five minutes he had to complete his reading, he read and reread the scroll three times. The first, he just found it strange. It was written in an ancient language. But on the second reading, he couldn't help but feel that there was more to the text.

On the third reading, he could almost feel a chill running through his body, and he concluded this was not just an ancient record, but some kind of special technique. Unfortunately, he didn't understand it as well as he would have liked and lost the less worried expression of a moment ago.

'Shit. I screwed up!'

He feared as he saw the scroll disappear from his hands, drops of sweat dripping from his forehead, down his cheeks, and onto the floor.

His heart pounded as he felt himself being watched by something strange and formless, just before the stars of this special room gleamed in his surroundings.

Of the over 100 stars that shone at first, half of them instantly died, others signaled they wouldn't last long.

The silence made him shiver as he felt himself in an illusion where his body became as small as a pin, the world around him huge and threatening.

One of his legs wobbled, and he almost fell backwards, his eyes wide as he turned for help.

At that moment, the door he had locked earlier unlocked, and he felt himself coming back to reality.

"43 points... That's strange," First Officer Cyrus said as he registered Liam's score, his eyes narrowing as something unpleasant filled the air. 

Mary and the other candidates stood up, also incredulous, mouths and eyes wide open.

'This... This doesn't make sense.'

Mary was speechless, her heart beating fast, her mind confused.

No one could understand how the strongest of them could have such 'mediocre' talent.

Even the masked Officers stared at Liam, their minds working for answers.

The matrix of the Awakening Stars couldn't have made a mistake... He probably got some unusual opportunity on the island that awakened his powers. What a lucky guy.' Cyrus pondered the matter as he watched Liam leave the room and return to Mary's side.

When he took his spear back from Mary, Liam wasn't bothered by the looks in his direction. The result of his test also surprised him, but at least it wasn't terrible enough to ruin his plans.

'Ancestral-grade talent… I might become a fourth realm cultivator one day. That should be enough for me to escape.' He thought silently, now less nervous than when he was in that strange room.

His heart was still pounding, but now he knew what his reality was, what he had to work with, which was better than being in the dark.

Of course, he wanted to have a better talent. Who wouldn't? But what could he do right now? Complaining or getting angry wouldn't change anything.

He kept his focus and waited for the next test of the Promotion Exam.

"Liam, I think the last test is incorrect. You should ask for a retake," Mary said after watching him in silence for a moment. "There's no way we have the same level of talent."

She wasn't just saying that because of their relationship. Mary had seen Liam in action several times on the Eternal Doom Island. In her heart, she was sure she and he were nothing alike, and Liam was certainly the more promising one.

It wasn't just cultivation, but also training methods, creativity in battle, way of thinking, types of plans, and even opinions on ordinary things.

Even though he was only 18, he didn't think like people his age and showed a maturity that Mary, who was much older than him, didn't have.

Liam smiled at her while shaking his head. "I appreciate your concern, but let's not forget where we are. They have dumped us on an island to fight to the death. I don't find it interesting to question their methods."

Mary opened her eyes as she looked at Liam. The scenes from before the Eternal Doom Island came back to her.

She saw herself again, being kidnapped from her village, screaming in terror, thinking that her captors would do to her everything she feared most.

How many times had she thought she would die in the last five months?

A shiver ran down her spine, making her stop while her whole body felt tense, feeling like she was in a hell where demons were watching her closely, her wrists and heels bound in chains.

The fantasy that this place wasn't as bad as it had seemed before the trip with Amos' group collapsed, and she felt the same level of fear she had before the awakening.

"Let's just follow their orders for now," Liam said close to her ears, bringing her back to reality.

She let out a sigh of relief as she found herself once again out of the invisible hell around them.

"Okay."

First Officer Cyrus stopped in front of door number '2' and got right to the point, "In the second test of the trial, you will face opponents of your level. It has no time limit. It will end when you are exhausted. 

Each opponent you defeat is worth 5 points. These points will be added to the points from the previous test and the next test, and will determine your last rank in the Promotion Exam."

This brown-haired man looked at young Liam, the muscles in his face tightening, a grimace that was hard to ignore. "Liam Porter, this time you go first," he said, his voice sounding like the cut of a dagger.

'Let's see if you at least know how to behave in battle. Your luck is certainly good, but with such mediocre talent...' Cyrus watched the young man approach with the silver spear in one hand.

"Artifacts are not allowed in this fight. Leave your spear with me and I'll return it to you at the end of your test."

Liam didn't hesitate to leave the spear with Cyrus and entered room number '2' while everyone watched him, their eyes full of doubt, unlike the admiration some had earlier.

The moment he entered the room, lamps lit up the surroundings, revealing a completely different place from room number '1'. There, a stone platform of about 40 square meters covered the entire space of the area.

The side walls also seemed to be made of stone, a structure clearly reinforced for combat.

In one corner of the platform, a wooden dummy with a body similar to an ordinary human was on the ground, with no sign of power emanating from it.

However, the moment the door to the room was closed, colored runes glowed on the puppet's body, and a second later, the puppet moved, rising from its position and quickly raising its fists in front of its body.

Liam watched with narrowed eyes, not unaware of the potential of the test after the previous result. Before the enemy's aura had even stabilized to the same level as his, he summoned Thal'Korr while moving his mana through his body in preparation.

While Liam was preparing to fight a single creature of the same level as himself, as the wooden puppet moved its hands as it left the fighting position, several silhouettes formed behind it.

Each one of them had different shapes, resembling beasts, demons, and other beings Liam couldn't describe.

Seven creatures, each with 3-Star Spirit Lord cultivation, moved a second later, two flying, one throwing what looked like stingers at Liam, and the others moving on the ground.