Extra's Abyss-Chapter 37: Entrance Exam[2]
Chapter 37 - Entrance Exam[2]
Chapter 37 - Entrance Exam [2]
6th August 1648, Ether City
The morning sun bathed Ether City in a golden glow, its rays reflecting off the crystal-like structure of Ethereon University. The university was built at the north of Ether City.
It had a huge campus with various towers, large domes, and multiple buildings along various carefully grown trees. A large blue barrier full of intricate and complex magic circles with various layers covered the entire university.
The air was filled with anticipation, as were the candidates' whispers as they walked down the path towards the examination hall.
Noctis sat by the entrance to the hall, on a nearby bench; he wore a simple white shirt with cream-colored pants. He glanced around, trying to find any characters he could recognize from the game as the other candidates passed by him and entered the hall.
Clara and Rain were seated beside him. They were assigned to the same hall, while the others had to leave to other examination halls.
"Looking for someone, Nox?" Clara asked, sipping on a fruit juice she had bought earlier.
Noctis smiled slightly, shaking his head. "No, just wondering if I will see any notable ones," he replied, observing the stream of candidates entering the hall. He could feel the tension in the air as well as the several nervous faces among the candidates.
Rain was looking through his notes on a screen while he murmured. "I studied all night! Mana theory, resonance elements, construction of interlayered spells—I am quite ready for these, but history, ughh, what should I do?".
Noctis didn't bother calming his friend when he was himself in the same spot; although he didn't show it outwardly, on the inside he was panicking a little.
Soon, they heard a buzzing sound echo throughout the area, signaling the remaining candidates to enter their examination hall and take their seats.
All three of them stood up quickly, as Clara spoke first, smiling at them, "Good luck, boys; you guys will need it."
"Good luck to you both too." Noctis nodded.
"All the best," Rain said quietly, still reading a few more points on his screen.
Noctis walked towards his examination hall, entering through the huge black dome first.
Inside, the exam hall was a majestic circular expanse; its towering ceiling had glowing orbs casting a bright light over the rows of desks, arranged in sweeping arcs that ascended gracefully from the ground floor to the upper areas, curving around a stage overlooking the entire hall.
Each desk featured a holographic interface on the surface of the desk with texts flashing on them.
Noctis walked towards his seat, which was in the 2nd row in the middle section. Taking a seat as his heart thudded.
He scanned the hall, observing the various expressions. Some students whispered, some fidgeted on their seats, some were radiating confidence, and some looked pale, overwhelmed by the pressure. Among them, he spotted Zoe and Ivan further back; they were a few rows apart.
Zoe waved her hand towards him while Ivan gave a curt nod. Noctis returned a quick wave and noticed Clara taking a seat in the left section, with the boys around her blushing at the sight of her.
He couldn't find Rain; giving up, he focused back on his desk. He took out his ID from his pocket and placed it on a blue pad on his desk beside the interface. The pad scanned with a soft beep as his information appeared on the screen on his desk.
The holographic interface flickered to life:
University Entrance Exam: Theory Assessment.
Begins in 10:37 minutes.
Noctis took a deep breath, he thought. 'Focus, remember everything you have learned for the past one and a half years.'
The timer came down to the last minute when a chime echoed as the door at the corner of the stage opened, revealing a figure as he walked towards the center of the stage.
A stern woman in flowing robes, her light blond hair tied back, her light amber eyes scanning the entire space.
"I am Professor Alice, and I will be the overseer of this year's exam," she announced, her voice echoing throughout the entire dome.
"The theory exam tests your understanding of basic knowledge of the Mana system and your grasp over the historical events that shaped our world." She paused for a second, looking at her watch.
When the timer hit zero, Alice spoke out loud. "You have three hours, Begin."
Noctis quickly looked at his screen as he heard the rustling sounds of other candidates shifting their seats as they began their exam.
The holographic screens flashed, displaying the first question:
1. Describe the principles of compatibility of resonance elements and how it works with different resonance elements. Provide an example.
Noctis exhaled, relieved at the first question; Lira had taught him this.
He typed quickly, explaining the interaction between different elements, determining how effectively they can combine or amplify each other in spells or abilities. They are divided into three interactions.
Synergy - where elements enhance or amplify each other's effects.
Neutral - where elements coexist without significant interaction.
Opposition - where elements clash, reducing efficiency or causing instability.
An example of this would be a common fact about how fire and water are incompatible elements that belong to the opposition class. With the help of another resonator, we can introduce a third element as a catalyst, which can turn the opposition class into a neutral class by using earth, wind, and space elements.
He reviewed his answer, and satisfied by the simple and yet clean answer, he moved on..
The next question was on the history of mana and its origin, which he gladly typed out quickly. After finishing, he gave his answers a quick reread to ensure they were right before moving on.
The next question was another history one: Detail the fall of an Abyssal Ranked Fractured Monster- Nor Titan in 1290.
Noctis frowned; he hadn't read about this. He thought for a few seconds before he gave up, leaving it blank and moving on.
A few questions tested him on the memorizing of magic spells; some asked him to draw an entire magic circle structure, while one question gave him a modified magic circle, and he was asked to find its faults and draw the right structure.
Two hours went by as the questions grew tougher at the end of the exam. One question asked about an incomplete theory Third Realm of Mana Circle, for which he obviously didn't know it was even mentioned in the game and it hadn't been solved.
Another demanded an analysis of the fall of a Aurela back in the 1000s, an ancient empire destroyed by a Primal-rank rift monster.
Noctis's fingers flew across the interface, answering every question he knew and leaving the ones he was unsure about. There was negative marking for incorrect responses; therefore, it was best not to answer a question that you weren't very certain about.
His Umbra mastery helped him with its related questions; the same happened with his zephyr-related question.
The way the exam was designed is that they would have data on each student, including their resonance elements, so an Aqua resonator would only get questions on their element.
Noctis looked at the timer, which was down last twenty minutes; he moved to the last question.
The final question tested his creativity, for which he let out a sigh; it was about proposing a new magic spell or a concept.
He knew a few spells that could be created in the future, but he decided not to answer the question. And the question was an optional one.
As the timer came down to the final minute, Noctis quickly reviewed his answers, a little nervous and a little joyful at how well it went.
"Stop," The instant Alice's voice came, their interface auto-submitted as the screen turned black.
The hall had quieted, with occasional groans and a few cries. Noctis glanced at the screen flashing, Submission complete.
Alice's voice cut through loudly as she announced, "The theory exam is concluded. You are dismissed. The practical exam begins in two days, where every student will be assigned a date to appear at the university, where the exam will take place. The details of the practical exam will soon be updated on the official website today. Prepare accordingly; do your best."
As the students rose, a wave of chatter erupted as they filed out, and Professor Alice walked off the stage through the door behind.
Noctis walked out along with the crowd as he waited for Clara and Rain at the entrance. Both of them soon walked out. Nodding to each other, they headed towards the exit to meet up with others.
Fortunately, Noctis saw Ethan and others already waiting for them at the exit. Walking quickly towards them, they met up and decided first to leave and find a place to talk.
The group soon found an open restaurant nearby that looked comfortable, and they all sat down in a corner when they got there.
"How'd it go?" Ethan asked first, stretching his arms backwards.
Noctis shrugged. "Not bad, the magic section was easy except for a few questions and the last question."
Rain joined in, "Same here, although history might drag my score a little."
"It went well for me," Ethan said. "I did mess up a construction-related question."
Trisha groaned. "Don't remind me! I blanked on the same type of question and that fall of an old empire question.
Noctis remembered that question as he said. "The Aurela Empire, luckily I studied about it at the last minute, which helped me."
Lena grumbled, grabbing the table edge, "That question was shit. At least I answered almost all of the other questions."
Noticing that Clara was being silent, Noctis glanced at her with a smile. "What about you, Clara? How did you do?"
Before Clara could answer, Lena cut her off with a smirk on her face, "Do you even need to ask, Nox? I bet she will get a perfect score."
Clara glared at Lean before she crossed her arms. "Yeah, I will get a perfect score, and that's only if I didn't make any mistake on one of the questions."
On the other hand, Lena grumbled again even though she guessed it right.
Noctis and the others had a satisfying meal, and before deciding to leave, some of them stayed at the restaurant and chatted.
