Preliminary Exam

Arius cleared his throat and began explaining.

"The first preliminary round is simple. Since there are 22,249 candidates currently present, we're going to cut that number down to a quarter."

The crowd didn't erupt this time. In fact, most had already expected something like this to happen.

"Now then, what I want you all to do is find another candidate to fight. The one who wins that fight moves on, but that doesn't mean they're safe. They'll have to win again, this time against another candidate who survived the initial round," Arius added. "You may now search for an opponent. Once you find them, stand next to each other, and I'll explain what happens next."

Simple enough, Raelis thought and moved away from Elandra. Once he was far enough, he removed his disguise ring.

His shoulder-length white hair and golden eyes reappeared, startling the nearby candidates.

But no one questioned him, so after a few moments of walking around, Raelis found his opponent.

It was a boy of similar stature to Raelis, and he even had a pair of daggers.

Raelis approached and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey. We're going to fight, prepare yourself," Raelis said flatly.

The boy glared at him. "Tch. Why not pick someone easy and be done with it?"

Raelis shook his head. What an idiot.

It was just the preliminary exam, but it was still being closely evaluated. Those who picked a weak opponent would be evaluated accordingly, and the same applied when fighting a stronger opponent.

This boy wasn't the strongest present, but he was still better than the noble snobs.

So to make sure he didn't run away, Raelis gripped his wrist tightly.

"Let go of me or I'll cut your arm off," the boy threatened, reaching for his daggers.

But before he could, the two felt a pull, and in the next moment, they appeared on a medium-sized stone platform. There were no people around the two of them, and as he looked outward, his vision was obstructed by a thick fog.

Did I just get teleported...? Huh... that feeling of my guts twisting inwards is not very pleasant.

The boy and Raelis were standing on opposite sides, but no matter how much either of them tried to move, they couldn't.

They remained like that for 10 minutes, until finally, the headmaster's voice echoed.

"Everyone has picked their fighting partner. Since we had one extra person, they get to sit out a round," Arius stated. "Now then, the rules of the battle: No killing. No lasting injuries. First one to lose consciousness or get knocked off the platform loses. This will be the same format for your next battle too, so remember well."

When he finished speaking, Raelis and the boy were able to move.

"You may now begin your fight. Oh, and those who are thinking of trying to find a loophole in the rules, good luck. The punishment is worse than you're expecting," Arius added.

And with that, the fight started.

The boy clicked his tongue. "Just look at what you got us into. We could've both gotten into the academy."

Raelis ignored the boy's rambling as he kicked off the ground, arriving right in front of him.

The boy's eyes widened, but he was quick to raise his daggers and redirect Raelis's attack.

It was clear the boy was trained in dagger combat, but of course, he was nowhere near Raelis's level.

Raelis slashed again, then again. With each attack, he was slowly starting to overwhelm the boy, and he hadn't even used his flame yet.

That was when the boy took a haggard yet deep breath, then spat at Raelis.

But instead of actual spit, it was acid.

Raelis reacted in time as he weaved under the acid spit, then performed a technique that would definitely impress the exam overseers.

He controlled the fight where the boy's body would cast the biggest shadow. So when it was finally time, Raelis performed a feint, then dashed behind the boy.

Before the boy could turn around in time, Raelis was already gone, submerged in the boy's shadow.

It was a strange feeling, akin to being underwater. But this was the only way he could improve his Advanced Stealth Technique beyond its current rank.

There were a few limitations, the biggest being that he couldn't attack while inside a shadow.

Despite that, Raelis watched from below as the boy darted around, trying to find Raelis. It seemed like the boy thought he had turned invisible.

But even so, after a few minutes passed, the boy exhausted himself. The moment he did, Raelis sprang out of the shadow and placed his daggers on the boy's throat.

"Y-You..." the boy muttered. "How did you do that? Wait... were you inside my shadow? How's that even possible?"

Raelis once again ignored his rambling as he sheathed his daggers and nodded at the boy.

"Good fight. I wish you the best when you decide to reapply next year," Raelis said warmly.

But that seemed to only anger the boy more as he tightened his grip on his daggers and kicked off the ground, aiming straight for Raelis's neck.

Raelis didn't move an inch. He waited until the daggers hovered at his throat, and then...

—CLANG

A dull sound rang out, followed by a half-naked muscular man standing beside Raelis, his gauntlets extended, grabbing the boy's daggers.

While Raelis didn't know the man's name, it was clear he was one of the exam overseers.

"You have lost, young man. Take your defeat on the chin if you wish to grow," the exam overseer said, then glanced up to the air and nodded.

Immediately, the boy vanished from sight, leaving only Raelis and the exam overseer in this strange place.

But soon, the overseer broke the silence.

"You did a good job there. We were surprised to see someone use shadows like that. Though like most people involved with shadows, be warned, if you get too comfortable within those shadows, you might never come out."

"Mhm..." Raelis said quietly. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

He knew the risks of using his father's techniques, but they suited him too well to care.

After that brief exchange, neither of them spoke again. They waited for exactly 20 minutes, then finally, the familiar sensation of his guts twisting returned.

A moment later, he found himself back on the giant platform, and there were clearly fewer people present.

Yet the headmaster still hung in the air proudly, then he yawned.

"Find yourselves another partner to fight... I'm going to take a five-minute break."

With that, the headmaster vanished, leaving the flustered candidates behind.

But not Raelis, as he had already set his sights on one person in particular.

Finally... We can have a rematch...