Jobless Transmigration: I'm the only one who loves monsters.-Chapter 112: What’s the catch?

Chapter 112: What’s the catch?

Before anyone could react or panic nor even fully process what was happening, stone pillars began to thrust upward from the ground throughout the hall, rising with deliberate slowness until they stood at waist height, each one identical to all the others in shape and size and placement.

The vast number of these pillars now transformed the appearance of the hall entirely, what had been an open space now dotted with what looked for all the world like pedestals arranged in some pattern that none of them could quite discern.

With another casual wave of the examiner’s hand, wooden boxes materialized beside each pedestal, appearing from nowhere with that same effortless magic he’d shown moments ago, as if such things were common for him. The more he showed, the more trepidation Lucuis felt towards this man, which left him to wonder just how many fearsome individuals he’d soon meet at the academy.

"This first test shall take the form of a puzzle solving exercise." The examiner’s announcement landed among the assembled examinees like a stone dropped into still water, sending ripples of confusion and disbelief spreading outward in every direction.

"Puzzle solving?"

The words were repeated in whispered tones across the hall, examinees turning to one another with expressions ranging from genuine bewilderment to barely concealed suspicion.

Was this some kind of joke? Had they traveled all this way, endured all the preparation and anxiety and expense, only to be asked to solve puzzles like children in a nursery? They all wondered.

Amongst the examinees were obviously people of various ages and positions in the outside world, so it wasn’t strange they’d reacted in such a way, after all, they’d all expected the academy to be some torturous place where life and death were but inches apart.

"Is this some kind of joke?" The question escaped anothers lips before they could stop themselves, and judging by the murmurs of agreement that followed, they were far from alone in that sentiment.

There were some among the examinees, however, who did not share this reaction. A handful of faces scattered throughout the crowd wore expressions of deep thought rather than dismissive contempt, brows furrowed and eyes narrowed as they considered the possibility that there might be far more to this test than initially met the eye.

The academy was not known for simplicity, nor was it known for mercy and it definitely wasn’t known for giving anyone an easy path forward. If this appeared to be a simple puzzle test, that very simplicity was almost certainly deceptive.

"During the test, you must not harm another contestant under any circumstances." The examiner’s voice continued, laying down the rules with the same casual authority he had shown throughout. "Doing so will result in immediate and permanent disqualification from the exams as a whole, with no appeals and no second chances. Is that understood?"

No one dared to voice any disagreement with that statement, though several examinees exchanged glances that suggested they were filing that information away for future reference.

"As for how to pass this test, what you must do is quite simple." The examiner paused for effect, letting the anticipation build just slightly before delivering the crucial information. "All you have to do is make sure that you complete a puzzle. That is all. Complete a puzzle, and you pass this first stage. Fail to complete one, and you do not."

He then vanished into thin air the next moment, simply disappearing from the hall as if he had never been there at all, and yet his voice continued to echo through the space as if he stood among them still. "As of now, the first test shall officially commence. You have as much time as you need, provided you actually use it wisely. Begin whenever you are ready."

The examinees did not waste even a single moment beyond that announcement. Within seconds, the hall erupted into motion as nearly everyone rushed toward the nearest available pedestal, eager to begin the exam and secure their passage to the next stage. Hands plunged into wooden boxes, emerging with puzzle pieces that were immediately set upon the stone surfaces, and soon the hall was filled with the soft clicking and scraping of pieces being fitted together by desperate and determined fingers.

"I can’t believe the first test turned out to be this easy!" Someone exclaimed from across the hall, their voice carrying a relieved excitement that suggested they had been dreading something far worse.

"Perhaps the academy is finally having a change of heart about how they treat prospective students!" Another voice added, a middle-aged man, his voice tinged with barely contained hope.

"I don’t know about you lot, but I for one have absolutely no intention of wasting too much time on this test." A third examinee declared, a woman who looked to be in her early thirties yet with a sharp countenance, was already fitting pieces together with impressive speed. "The sooner we’re done here, the sooner we can move on to whatever comes next."

All around the hall, examinees were making rapid progress on their individual puzzles. Some were already ten percent done, then fifteen, then twenty, their confidence growing with every piece that clicked satisfyingly into place. It all seemed so straightforward, so simple and utterly unlike the terrifying trials they had braced themselves to face.

Snow, Emma, Grey, Adrian, Gunter, Leo, and Amy had all gravitated toward pedestals positioned close to one another, an unspoken agreement passing between them that sticking together in some vague sense might prove beneficial should anything unexpected occur.

They then began working on their own puzzles, though with varying degrees of enthusiasm and skill.

Lucuis, however, did not join them. He did not rush toward any pedestal, nor did he plunge his hands into any wooden box to begin fitting any pieces together.

Instead, he positioned himself off to the side, near one of the massive stone pillars that supported the hall’s ancient ceiling, and simply watched the examinees instead.

His eyes moved slowly across the scene before him, taking in the frantic activity, growing confidence and the scattered few who like him had not yet begun.