Exam 6

Ceylan quickly stood up, dragging her tired team with her,they moved towards the last obstacle— a narrow stone path suspended over a pit of raging flames, fueled by enchanted fire that roared higher with every gust of wind.

The heat was intense, waves of scorching air distorting the space above the pit. The only way across was to walk. No running, no jumping—only controlled steps forward.

Talis wiped sweat from his brow. "Of course, there's fire."

One of the villagers called out, "If you fall, you won't die, but you'll wish you had!"

This was the moment most teams failed—their fear making them stumble, hesitation costing them balance.

Ceylan scanned the narrow stone path. The elves controlling the platforms stood at the edges, their fingers moving subtly, manipulating the air to make the walk unpredictable.

She exhaled sharply. "We move together. Same pace. If one falls, we all fall."

The rope tying them together felt heavier now. One mistake, and they'd all be dragged into the flames.

Talis stepped forward first. The moment his foot landed, the platform dipped slightly.

Ceylan followed, her steps precise and measured, mimicking his pace. The others mirrored their movements.

A sudden gust of wind pushed against them.

Maris wobbled—her foot slipping dangerously close to the edge.

Ceylan snapped her arm back, gripping the rope hard, keeping Maris steady.

"Focus!" she barked.

Step by step, they advanced. The flames surged higher, licking at their legs. The heat seared their skin, their uniforms drenched in sweat.

The last few meters felt endless.

Talis clenched his jaw. "Almost there."

The elves smirked—and sent a final, brutal gust of wind straight at them.

Maris lost her footing completely.

The rope jerked violently—the weight pulling them back—

Ceylan lunged forward, throwing her balance the other way. The team shifted their weight instinctively, straining against the force.

Talis grabbed Maris by the back of her uniform, hauling her up just as her foot hovered over the edge.

The audience gasped.

With one final, desperate lunge forward, they crossed the firewalk, tumbling onto solid ground.

The horn blared.

They had done it.

The crowd exploded into cheers and shouts. Some groaned, having bet on their failure. The instructors murmured among themselves, impressed despite their expressions.

Ceylan lay flat on the ground, chest rising and falling rapidly.

Talis let out a dry laugh. "I am never doing that again."

Ceylan smirked, eyes closed. "Liar. You loved it."

The fire pit roared behind them, another team stepping up to face their fate.

###

The test continued for hours,more teams losing than passing.

Kael's team unfortunately failed at the 4th course,so did Thalos and many others.

As time passed on,more teams began to progress,very few lost at the first three obstacles.

Vaelen, Thalos,Nyx and many others passed. Some were fortunate to be paired up with better recruits,some were not.

Finally all the recruits were tested and scored,but Draco was yet to announce the result. Eira had been gone for the whole day,he just hoped she would magically reappear just as she disappeared by the next day.

The recruits move back to the field where they began to set up camp,Exhaustion weighed heavily on the recruits, their bodies sore from the brutal trials of the day. Yet, despite the fatigue, their stomachs growled, demanding attention.

Small groups of recruits huddled together, setting up campfires and laying around. Some were already brainstorming ideas for dinner, hoping for a different setup than their usual rations.

Talis sat cross-legged by a forming firepit, stretching out his aching limbs. "I swear, if I have to eat dry bread again, I might just eat my boot instead."

Maris chuckled, shaking her head. "You say that, but last time, you practically fought for the last piece."

Across the field, another recruit, Garen grumbled, "We should ask if we're getting rations tonight. There's no way they expect us to just go hungry after all that."

Ceylan was leaning against a log, arms crossed. "You're underestimating Draco. He's not the type to go easy just because we're tired."

As if summoned by her words, Draco's booming voice cut through the murmurs.

"If you're hungry or thirsty, find your own food."

A collective silence fell over the recruits. Then, the field erupted into murmurs, groans, and whispers.

Talis let out a strangled noise. "You've got to be kidding me."

A recruit named Ren groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "This has to be a test. There's no way they're just letting us starve."

Maris narrowed her eyes. "Then what do we do? Sit here and hope food magically appears?"

Some recruits, already convinced this was another challenge, immediately sprang into action, scattering into the nearby forest in search of food. Excited chatter and hurried footsteps echoed as they rushed off.

Others hesitated, debating their next move.

Garen rubbed his chin. "Hunting could take too long, and none of us have weapons. Our best bet is foraging."

Ceylan tapped a finger against her arm, watching as recruits rushed into the darkness. "They're too eager. Some of them are going to run into trouble."

Talis raised an eyebrow. "You think they'll get lost?"

Ceylan shook her head. "No. I think they'll find something... but it won't be edible."

Talis stood up, stretching. "Then let's go find something edible before the overeager ones bring back something that bites."

As teams began to form naturally, the campsite became a hub of discussion and movement, each group strategizing their own approach to the unexpected task.

Meanwhile, Draco watched from afar, smirking. The night was just beginning, and already, the recruits were learning a valuable lesson—hunger could drive even the strongest warriors to desperation.

For the next hour, the recruits scattered into the forest, each trying their best to find food. However, with nightfall limiting their vision and the unfamiliar terrain working against them, not all were successful. Some managed to gather edible plants and berries, while others struggled, either finding nothing or mistakenly picking inedible food. A few clever recruits set makeshift traps, though only a handful caught anything worthwhile. Some groups attempted to catch small animals by hand but failed miserably.

Back at the camp, a portion of the recruits gave up entirely, choosing to endure hunger rather than waste energy searching. Meanwhile, others persisted despite their growing frustration, determined to at least find something to sustain themselves. Draco observed silently, noting who adapted quickly and who fell behind.

As the night deepened, exhaustion settled over the recruits. Some huddled close to their small fires, chewing on whatever food they had managed to scavenge, while others simply lay down, stomachs empty but too tired to care. Conversations dwindled into murmurs before fading altogether, the weight of the day's trials pressing down on them.

A few recruits took turns keeping watch, wary of potential dangers in the open field. The flickering campfires cast long shadows, making the unfamiliar wilderness seem even more daunting. Despite the exhaustion, some still found it hard to sleep, their minds replaying the events of the day—victories, failures, and lessons learned.

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Eira leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms over her head as she let out a deep sigh of relief. Stacks of freshly written books surrounded her, some still warm from the duplication process. She had lost count of how many hours—days, technically—she had spent inside this strange, timeless office space, but at last, she was done.

Not only had she completed her detailed books on gun production, chemistry, mining, and farming, but she had also taken the time to create something even more crucial: knowledge for the future.

An Introduction to the Elven Language sat at the top of the pile, written entirely from memory. She had painstakingly reconstructed the words and grammar she recalled, ensuring that it would be accessible even to absolute beginners.

Beside it lay an Introduction to Mathematics, structured in a way that would be easy to understand, even for those with little formal education.

These two books, she knew, would form the foundation of the school she planned to establish.

But she hadn't stopped there. With the computer's help and the fragments of knowledge she carried from her past, she had also written books on Economy, Agriculture, and Biology, covering the basics of trade, resource management. She was yet to understand the differences—if there was any—between the body of a human and that of an elf and the other races,so the biology textbook would need to be revised but it would have to do for now.

She exhaled slowly, rolling her shoulders as she checked the system's interface.

4:00 AM.

The exact same time she had entered.

She still found it eerie how time worked in this space, but at least she wasn't as exhausted as she should've been. The mystery tea and coffee she had been served had done wonders for her stamina, leaving her only mildly fatigued instead of utterly drained.

Eira stood, brushing the creases out of her clothes, before gathering the books into neat stacks. She would distribute them later—first, she needed to get back to reality.

With a thought, she stepped out of the office space and into her room.

The shift was instant. The cool stillness of the space office gave way to the familiar scent of morning air, mixed with the lingering traces of parchment and ink. It was quiet, save for the distant sounds of the village stirring awake.

Her first thought was Kael.

She moved quickly, stepping out of her room and heading straight for his. But when she pushed open the door, she was met with an empty bed.

Her brow furrowed before realization dawned.

"Right… the mock exam. It should be over by now."

Shaking off her lingering drowsiness, she turned on her heel and headed for the training field.

Whatever she had missed, she was about to find out.