Before the exams could begin, all the examinees needed to get into groups of six. Much to Caution’s reluctance, Astel and two other aspiring adventurers were now part of what the twins called “Team Victors” He actually liked the name but the only problem was that he saw no teammates around him.
Between the ages of one to three, Caution entertained the thought of teaming up with another contestant for the Half-Dead game. It was a ludicrous idea because there could only be one winner. Loyalty within the group would remain strong if the players benefited enough but betrayal was inevitable.
The group followed one of the many exam testers up a spiral staircase and down a wide hallway with many doors on either side. All exam testers wore cliche wizardry clothing— robes, gowns, hats, the whole works. Caution had been told many times in another life that his fashion sense was atrocious so he assumed it was a bad sign that he thought they looked cool.
They entered a classroom and in the centre was a row of six desks.
“No,” Caution muttered.
“Did you say something?” Lilly asked who stood next to him.
“No,” Caution repeated. He didn’t mind tests but not the written kind. He preferred to display his abilities through application, ideally through punching someone in the face.
The exam tester stared at the examinees, readjusting her hat and then her glasses. “The first section of the exam is a written test on magic theory and adventurer mindset. The test will last one hour and fifteen minutes. Does anyone have any questions?”
Astel raised his arm in the air. “Yes. Can I go to the nearest restroom?”
“Of course. Does anyone else need to go?”
“Yeah,” Caution said. He glanced at his rival, a neutral expression on his face. “I think I need to go to.”
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Astel and Caution walked down the hallway in silence. The trip was normal at first but when they got to the toilets Caution broke the sacred rule every boy and man knew— he choose to use the urinal right next to the one Astel was using. Of course, this was blasphemy, a breach of etiquette, and it was done on purpose.
They washed their hands. All the while, Caution stared at him with a blank facial expression.
On their way back to the classroom, Astel knelt to tie his shoelaces. Caution stopped walking.
Astel looked up, a confused expression planted on his face. “Do you need something?”
“Not at all.”
An awkward silence lingered until Astel stood up. “I highly doubt others will play the game and be willing to kill another human being. It’s ridiculous. No one has scored any points and it’s been sixteen years. No one will participate.”
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Caution’s bottom lip stuck out. “Oh boy.” He nodded curtly and took off.
Astel briskly walked after him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Initially, I thought you were an idiot but perhaps that’s not the case. Over time, you’ve convinced yourself of a false reality.”
“That’s-"
“Let me finish,” Caution interrupted. His tone resembled an authority figure despite the high-pitched voice. “Here’s the truth. A lot of players want to go back home and are desperate to get back. They will participate and kill whoever stands in their way. Listen well, Astel. I am one of those people. It’s nothing personal and you seem like a cool dude, so I’m letting you know my intentions now. I’m playing the game and I’m here to win.”
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Surprisingly, the written test was not too mundane. The first quarter asked rudimentary questions that any basic magic user would know such as the concept of mana.
They were easy questions for Caution. He had voraciously read all fundamental books about magic before the age of seven. His early childhood years were particularly depressing because he knew a lot of information but could not apply it.
Mana was an abundant energy source present in the atmosphere. Humans with the ability to use magic were able to absorb the substance to a certain degree and utilise it. Mana in the raw form could be manipulated in two different ways—structurally and spiritually.
The structural aspect was obvious. Mana could be converted into molecular structures which could make a whole host of substances, thus explaining elemental magic. Mana could be manipulated spiritually by the magic user fusing their soul with it. Consequently, the behaviour of the mana could change despite remaining in its raw form. This manipulation explained holy magic, curse magic, and personalised, unique types of magic.
The remaining three-quarters of the written test consisted of multiple choice questions where the examinees were presented with situational scenarios and given the task to figure out the solution to problems adventurers could encounter. There also seemed to be an ethical element to the test because wild answers were provided that had clearly been made to filter out the future super villains. Caution found 17B, the last question, particularly amusing….
Your adventurer squad has found a rare new gem in an unexplored, dangerous dungeon. On your way back out of the dungeon, you encounter a swarm of monsters considerably stronger than you using high-level earth magic. In your group of seven, three are killed and the healer is gravely injured. What do you do?
A. Use your remaining potions to help the healer and retreat with your team to a different location in the dungeon.
B. Attempt to defeat the remaining enemies yourself with your team.
C. Covertly steal the rare gem from one of your friends and flee the dungeon using your team as a distraction.
D. Other? Please write below.
Caution responded with option D and scribbled the following:
Win at all costs against the monsters and leave the dungeon.
“The written test is now over,” the exam tester said loudly. “Please put your pens down."
Caution did as he was told and turned his head to look at Astel. The snow-haired boy looked worried. His posture was horrible, his body was hunched over and he twiddled his thumbs. Astel looked up, then jolted when he noticed Caution staring at him. He hung his head low, suddenly finding great interest in the scratch marks on his desk. He looked a lot more vulnerable than before. Was the test hard for him or was he intimidated by their previous conversation?
Caution wondered how old Astel was before falling into a coma. There had been no clues so far. He made a mental note to investigate him further. The more he knew about his rival the better.
After quickly collecting the papers, the exam tester said, “We will now move on to the physical exam. Please follow me.”
Yolga and Lilly stared at their older brother, both smiling. Lilly gave a thumbs up.
Caution knew how they were feeling because he felt it too.
In another life, he had felt it hundreds of times before entering the boxing ring. The champion boxer would spend countless hours in the gym and in special training camps for one highly anticipated moment that would last approximately twenty minutes.
For many years, the three had trained and now it was time to demonstrate what they had learned and refined.
Caution nodded once at his siblings as excitement ignited.
It’s show time.