The day of terror had finally arrived in the worst possible way for Cloud. Numerous questions lingered in his mind regarding the risk the Entrance Test posed to him and every other student, regardless of the guardian who would be accompanying them in case of any unexpected turn of events.
Of course, this was also a tremendous opportunity — if utilized properly — for him to grow stronger, as he would be hunting real monsters and reaping genuine rewards.
Unsurprisingly, this was also the Academy's objective. It was not truly about proving their worthiness, but rather about granting them the chance to develop and refine their abilities through real combat experience even before they set foot in the Academy as fully admitted students.
In addition, this was the first exploration based Entrance Test, and likely the most difficult of them all.
To be honest, Cloud had initially assumed it would simply involve sparring sessions among students, or perhaps, at worst, a confrontation with a training doll like the one the Starfall girl had fought, whose name he still did not know.
But this… it surpassed every expectation he had.
A large number of students had gathered within the Academy's Portal Arena, where multiple E rank portals had manifested at the center of the vast structure.
It remained a mystery how the Academy possessed access to so many portals, or how they had managed to contain them so that the monsters within could not escape.
However, his curiosity regarding the latter was quickly answered as he noticed numerous magical enhancements surrounding the area, preventing anything dangerous from emerging.
Cloud grimaced.
'These people are really creative. Huh.'
Within the arena, a raised platform lined with numerous chairs hosted the Academy's staff and several VIP visitors, some of whom were the parents of the students present for the Entrance Test. Surprisingly, Instructor Diane was among them, and she seemed intensely focused on Cloud's team. A few senior students were present as well.
Below the raised platform stood Instructor Chris, Ellen, and Kelly.
All the new students were gathered before the four portals that had opened. The wealthy ones even possessed high tier Soul Weapons, expensive armor, and everything required for the test. In short, the pampered students had it all. Yet among them were a few who were not as well equipped as the others despite possessing the same family affluence or even greater wealth. The three members of Cloud's team were vivid examples. The Starfall girl wore only basic armor and carried no Soul Weapon, while the handsome teenager possessed nothing more than a long blade, a D rank Soul Weapon. Mireille carried nothing at all, and neither did he.
Cloud's reason for having nothing to assist him was justified, but theirs simply appeared reckless. At the very least, they could have equipped themselves far better than this.
If anything, they all seemed far too calm for the situation. For reasons he could not quite explain, that composure irritated Cloud, because he knew his flaw would not grant them an easy experience. Nevertheless, they would have a guardian assigned to the team, so he felt somewhat reassured in that regard.
The young man exhaled slowly.
Soon, the sunny instructor stepped forward. Before speaking, he glanced at the people seated on the raised platform and sighed. Then he addressed the students.
"Hello, everyone. As you can all see, today is the Academy's Entrance Test, and yes, it may have been presented in a manner none of you expected. However, believe it or not, life is filled with unforeseen circumstances, and you must be prepared for the worst possible scenarios. Failing to do so can lead to irreversible consequences. This Entrance Test is also an excellent opportunity for you to hunt monsters, earn rewards, and gain firsthand combat experience before entering the Academy. There are a total of four portals present here, and since the total number of students is two hundred, fifty will enter each portal before splitting into their designated teams."
The students seemed to grow tense as the announcement settled over them. However, Instructor Chris continued as calmly as ever.
"Of course, there will be no deaths, so do not be afraid. Your safety has been prioritized above everything else today, and each of the guardians accompanying your teams is above D rank. Therefore, nothing inside an E rank portal will be fatal as long as you remain close to your guardian. Do not stray. I know many of you may have numerous questions, but we do not have the time to answer them right now, so that will be addressed later. Remember that your participation matters, even individually, so take this test seriously. Many of you are not particularly well equipped, and that may seem like a terrible approach, especially since this is your first portal and you have no idea what might appear. Then again, it does not truly matter.
"Funnily enough, I would even say that most of you are over equipped for this. It really is not that complicated. In addition, you do not need to go beyond the requirement. Once your participation points reach seventy, you may exit the portal. This is an anomaly portal, so it will not benefit you to continue hunting endlessly. One last thing. Good luck."
The teenagers looked at one another in shock. They all understood the meaning of an anomaly portal. It was common knowledge that every portal possessed a specific condition that had to be fulfilled before it could be closed, but an anomaly was different. There was no clear condition, and it simply harbored an endless supply of monsters and possibly beasts as well. However, since it was an E rank portal, all monsters and beasts within it would also be E rank, with the strongest potentially reaching D rank, which would typically be the bosses.
Monsters and beasts possessed classifications of their own apart from rankings. These were the Normal Class, Elite Class, Commander Class, Lord Class, Monarch Class, and Calamity Class. A mid boss could emerge from the Elite Class, while a boss would generally belong to the Commander Class, each possessing a certain degree of authority. They evolved through these classes to reach the highest stage, the Calamity Class, which, of course, could never be encountered in a B rank portal, let alone an E rank one. The SSS Dragons were an example of Calamity Class beasts. Therefore, the highest class that could appear within this portal would be the Commander Class.
With this knowledge, Cloud felt somewhat more at ease. He had fought Ignivar numerous times and had managed to hold his ground in most encounters despite his clumsy movements. More importantly, he had improved, even if only slightly, after observing many of his peers during training, and the most notable example was the Starfall girl. He had learned more from watching her than from anyone else.
So this should not be an especially difficult challenge, right?
Cloud's objective for the day was clear. First, he had to grow stronger during his time inside the portal. Second, he intended to secure as many kills as possible and claim whatever loot he could. Finally, he had to guarantee his admission.
All of a sudden, his thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the handsome teenager extended a hand toward him for a handshake. Cloud glanced between the outstretched hand and the young man's face, which bore an awkward smile.
"Oh, come on, don't be so stiff with me. We met at the lobby, right? You were stuf…"
Cloud hurriedly accepted the handshake before the young man could finish his sentence.
He frowned deeply at him.
Man to man, it was hardly appropriate to casually blurt out his embarrassing moment like that.
'Shut up, dumbass!'
He forced a smile that ended up looking rather creepy while still holding the handsome teenager's hand.
The boy grew even more confused and said in a low tone,
"Okay, you can let go of my hand now so we can make introductions, since we are a team… right?"
Without delay, Cloud obeyed and looked away, feigning that nothing had happened between them.
The boy chuckled, then clapped his hands to draw attention, successfully capturing the focus of the Starfall girl and Mireille.
"Good. Let's begin with a brief team introduction before we venture into the portals. I'll start. I'm Cassian. And you?"
He pointed at Cloud. Unexpectedly, the Starfall girl also looked at him with mild curiosity. His eyes twitched.
'Fuck. She's looking at… me? Oh my gods, I feel like a king… I mean, shit, what am I even thinking about?'
"I'm Cloud," he responded curtly in the most prideful tone he had never imagined himself capable of producing.
Suddenly, the Starfall girl smiled and replied:
"Nice to meet you, Cloud. I'm Claudia."
Hearing her soft voice, as pleasant as the gentle tones of the fall season, Cloud's soul nearly leapt out of his body.
He looked at her swiftly in shock, unable to believe she had just spoken his name.
"Uh… nice to meet you too, Claudia."
Ordinarily, he might have felt resentment in a situation like this, but this time he felt none of it. He was not genuinely attracted to her, nor did he experience any intense positive emotion. Instead, what he felt was a sense of neutrality mixed with quiet amazement. Over the past five days, she had indirectly become a sort of combat mentor to him, so he found himself gradually turning into something resembling a partial admirer, the closest description he could apply to himself for now.
Claudia's smile brightened even further before she turned her attention to Mireille beside him, who had maintained a neutral expression the entire time while remaining close to Cloud like a trusted companion. Meanwhile, Cassian appeared somewhat hesitant to approach her and ask for her name due to the frigid aura of death he sensed emanating from her. To him, she almost seemed like a potential danger even to Cloud.
Truthfully, her blindness was not the issue. The aura was the true source of unease. He took a step back from her and glanced toward Claudia, who simply walked past him and stopped directly in front of Mireille with the same warm smile she had shown Cloud, even though Mireille could not see it.
Cassian felt the urge to pull Claudia away from her, but he halted halfway and merely stared, attempting to calm the pounding of his heart.
Cloud watched the entire scene unfold with a sense of fascination. For a moment, he even considered the possibility of keeping Mireille close to him simply to repel troublesome people, but Claudia was clearly different.
There was not the slightest hint of fear in her eyes as she approached the blind girl. If anything, she appeared remarkably composed.
Even now, after spending several days around Mireille and speaking with her until they had grown somewhat close, he still could not match her calmness.
Claudia spoke in a gentle, breezy tone that startled the blind girl slightly.
"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Claudia, and you are?"
Mireille was momentarily unsettled. She could not sense Claudia's presence at all, almost as though some invisible barrier prevented her from doing so. Yet she could still feel the presence of those around her, with the most familiar being Cloud, which remained a mystery to her. She hesitated briefly before steadying her voice.
"Hi… I'm Mireille."
Claudia brushed a strand of hair away from Mireille's face, then looked directly into her pale, sightless eyes.
"Welcome, Mireille. I truly hope we can become friends."
Cloud and Cassian were both so stunned that they nearly felt as though blood might spill from their noses and mouths. Their eyes widened and their complexions turned pale, each for entirely different reasons. Cloud was astonished because, despite Claudia's high status, he had expected at least some distance in her behavior. Instead, she displayed a level of warmth and kindness he knew he could never replicate and honestly had no desire to. It was incredibly humble.
Cassian, on the other hand, was simply shocked by Claudia's composure in the face of such a terrifying aura. Perhaps she could not sense it, because the level of calmness she exhibited seemed worthy of being studied as an entirely separate course at the Academy.
After a moment, the two gradually recovered from their overwhelming shock.
Just then, Instructor Kelly announced:
"Please proceed into the portals. Your guardians will join you shortly. Do not leave your arrival area until you have met your guardian."
Cloud's gaze wandered toward the raised platform, and unexpectedly his eyes met Instructor Diane's, as though a lost connection had suddenly been restored.
She immediately grinned and gave him a small wave, silently cheering him on.
'…Hi to you, too?'
Awkward!
Well, he was not entirely certain whether Instructor Diane was truly an instructor at the Great Awakened Academy or merely present as one of the VIP guests. Either way, it did not really matter now.
He straightened himself and clenched his fists while staring at the green glowing portal before him.
'Let's do this, Cloud.'
The students began stepping into the portals, each group of fifty arriving in a different area.
The most astonishing part was that the interior of the portal was an entirely separate miniature world of its own.
[You have ventured into an E rank Portal. Welcome to your first challenge!]
[Due to your flaw, Predator's Mark, multiple high level monsters and beasts have been alerted to your presence.]
Cloud's eyes shrank.
'Shit. I expected this, but damn, not again.'