Jay was not the only one who entered the hall.
At first, there had been one hundred students.
Then another door opened.
Footsteps echoed through the corridor.
One by one, then in groups, students began pouring into the hall. Some looked pale. Others wore expressions of exhaustion, while a few carried themselves with the confidence of people certain they had passed.
Familiar faces appeared among them.
Aric.
Neva.
Mira.
The prodigy siblings.
Even students whose acceptance had seemed almost guaranteed were now standing in the same hall.
Jay's eyes narrowed slightly.
There are too many.
The hall gradually filled.
One hundred and twenty.
One hundred and fifty.
One hundred and eighty.
Then
The final doors closed.
Nearly two hundred students now stood beneath the massive ceiling.
The realization spread slowly.
Then all at once.
If only one hundred were supposed to pass…
Why are there nearly two hundred of us?
The atmosphere changed.
The hall suddenly felt smaller.
Heavier.
Whispers erupted throughout the crowd.
"This can't be right…"
"They said only one hundred would pass."
"If even they're here, then who actually failed?"
"Did they make a mistake?"
Doubt spread through the students like a stain.
Aric scoffed, breaking the tension.
"If I failed," he said loudly, "then it's their loss not mine."
Neva remained silent.
Her eyes narrowed as she replayed every question she had been asked, searching for something she might have overlooked.
Mira's thoughts raced.
No… this doesn't make sense.
Her fingers curled slightly.
This isn't an elimination.
It's a setup.
Rey and Moriko stood side by side, unusually quiet.
Neither of them joked.
They were thinking.
Jay observed everything.
The nervous glances.
The confused expressions.
The students beginning to doubt themselves.
So this is the second layer.
Pressure before revelation.
Then
A sharp voice cut through the hall.
"You all passed."
Silence.
The words seemed to hang in the air.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then several students released the breaths they had been holding.
Relief spread across the room.
But confusion remained.
Professor Vega stepped forward.
"You have all completed the first part of the final examination."
The relief vanished.
Her eyes hardened.
"Now…"
She paused.
"The second part begins."
Every student straightened.
"There are two hundred of you."
A large screen behind her flickered to life.
"You will be divided into pairs."
A murmur passed through the hall.
"Each pair will receive a different challenge."
Vega continued.
"Your challenge may involve physical ability, written examinations, strategy, tactical simulations, competitions, or something entirely different."
Several students exchanged uneasy glances.
"To enter Aurelian High's top one hundred…"
Vega's gaze swept across the room.
"…you must defeat your assigned opponent."
The hall erupted.
"That's unfair!"
"What if I get something I'm bad at?"
"What if I'm paired against one of the top-ranked students?"
"I don't agree with this!"
"Silence."
Vega's voice cracked through the hall like a whip.
Every conversation died instantly.
"Do you think the world is fair?"
No one answered.
"Do you think every challenge you face will be designed around your strengths?"
Her eyes moved from student to student.
"If that's what you expect from the world, then leave."
Her voice grew colder.
"Aurelian has no place for cowards."
The students clenched their fists.
Vega continued.
"You may be exceptional at a hundred things."
She paused.
"But the person standing against you only needs to find one thing you're weak at."
Her gaze sharpened.
"And if they can exploit it…"
She allowed the silence to settle.
"…you fall."
The words struck harder than any shout.
"Aurelian does not seek students who are perfect at one thing."
She folded her hands behind her back.
"We seek students who can adapt."
"Weakness is a liability."
"Lack of adaptability is a death sentence."
No one spoke.
From a distant balcony overlooking the hall, Marcus watched with a faint smile.
"Hah…"
He shook his head.
"Still as strict as ever."
Vega ignored him.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small device.
"This…"
She raised it slightly.
"…will determine your fate."
Click.
The massive screen changed.
Names began scrolling rapidly.
The atmosphere immediately tightened.
Some students clasped their hands together.
Others whispered prayers beneath their breath.
A few stood confidently, apparently unconcerned about who they would face.
The names continued moving.
Pair 1.
Two names appeared.
Murmurs.
Pair 2.
Another two.
A gasp.
Pair 3.
A student cursed under his breath.
The screen continued.
One pair after another.
Some students looked relieved.
Others looked horrified.
A few stared at their assigned opponents as if they had just been handed a death sentence.
Jay remained completely still.
His eyes followed the screen.
Random pairing.
Different challenges.
One hundred winners.
His mind immediately began calculating.
The strongest opponent isn't necessarily the most dangerous.
It depends on the challenge.
The names continued scrolling.
They stopped.
Jay's eyes narrowed.
And then
Jay found his own name.
His gaze sharpened.
So that's how it is.
The screen stopped.
His name glowed beside another.
Jay — Ar…