Vol3 Chapter 5 This academy ROCKS!

The Fourth Examination kicked off with Amos plummeting from the sky. His blond hair thrashed in the wind, and his academy applicant coat billowed like a cape. One hand rested casually at his side while the other gave a slight twist to the ring on his finger. His face stayed calm, posture perfectly straight, his fall almost regal—except for one small detail. He was still falling. Fast. Very, very fast.

"..."

Amos glanced down.

Far below stretched an enormous world. Not an arena, not just a forest, but an entire realm. Mountains rose on the horizon, rivers wound through valleys, and ancient ruins lay scattered across endless plains. Vast forests rolled like green oceans beneath him, while cliffs, lakes, crumbling fortresses, shadowed caves, and even a small, ruined city dotted the land.

He blinked, then slowly turned his head. He wasn’t alone. To his left, another applicant plummeted. To his right, three more descended at different angles. Above him, someone was screaming.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!"

Below him, someone else was screaming even louder.

"WHY DIDN'T THEY WARN US ABOUT THIIIIIS?!"

Amos watched them for a moment.

"Right?"

The applicants had been scattered far and wide—deliberately kept apart by significant distances. Some were only hundreds of meters away, while others were so distant they appeared as tiny specks against the sky. There were many of them—hundreds, maybe even over a thousand—all plummeting toward the ground. Some managed the fall with ease, others less so. Aurelia Maria Edward was encircled by glowing magic circles, descending with the poise of someone to whom gravity was merely a suggestion. Estelle Celeste shone in a warm golden light, framed by the image of wings. Chester Reinhart had his weapon drawn midair, shouting something fiercely toward the ground. Far off, the Markult twins had somehow already found each other.

Then, a familiar voice suddenly rang out across the entire sky, not from one place but from everywhere at the same time, Vice Principal.

"Welcome, remaining applicants, to the Fourth and Final Examination."

The screaming continued but Rusell ignored it.

"The Combat Examination."

Amos's eyes sharpened slightly. Rusell's voice continued.

"Every applicant remaining in this examination has been provided with a badge."

Amos looked down, and there it was—a small silver badge with the crest of Arianne Academy pinned to his chest. He brushed his fingers over it, and a faint magical pulse responded.

"The rules are simple."

All across the sky, applicants listened.

"Take the badges of your fellow applicants."

"..."

Amos's hand stopped.

Rusell continued calmly.

"An applicant who loses their badge will be eliminated."

The atmosphere shifted in an instant. Even mid-fall, heads turned as applicants glanced at one another. A boy about two hundred meters from Amos quickly clutched his badge with both hands. Another reached slowly for his sword, while a third drifted through the air toward the closest applicant, wind magic at the ready. Through it all, Rusell’s voice stayed perfectly calm.

"The examination will continue until only three hundred applicants remain."

"THREE HUNDRED?!"

The shout came from somewhere above. Another applicant screamed.

"HOW MANY OF US ARE LEFT?!"

Russell didn’t answer, likely on purpose. Amos glanced around again—hundreds of falling figures. No, more than hundreds. His eyes widened slowly.

Oh.

Oh, this was going to be—

"Anything is permitted."

The entire sky seemed to freeze.

"Magic."

One applicant immediately smiled.

"Martial arts."

Another cracked her knuckles.

"Weapons."

Swords were drawn.

"Artifacts."

Several noble heirs suddenly looked much more confident.

"Ambushes."

The forest below abruptly became far more threatening.

"Deception."

Elodie Markult smiled somewhere in the distance.

"And any other method you are capable of devising."

Amos stared forward.

"..."

His heartbeat accelerated slightly.

"Cooperation is also permitted."

The incident sparked an instant reaction. Applicants glanced around with heightened caution. Some called out to nearby acquaintances, while others began casting communication spells before even touching down.

"Teaming is allowed. Alliances are allowed. Groups are allowed. You may cooperate with as many applicants as you wish."

"However."

The entire atmosphere tightened.

"Only three hundred applicants will pass."

Several forming alliances suddenly became much more awkward.

"..."

"..."

Two boys, their hands freshly clasped, slowly met each other's gaze. One narrowed his eyes, while the other instinctively covered his badge. Russell carried on as if he hadn’t just sown the seeds of betrayal throughout the entire examination.

"Choose your allies wisely."

Amos’s lips twitched. That infuriating old man—he was enjoying this. Absolutely, without a doubt, he was enjoying every second of it.

"Finally, you are currently within an artificial simulation subspace created specifically for this examination."

Amos glanced down once more, and suddenly the world below seemed to click into place. A simulation? This whole place—the mountains, the rivers, the ruins, the forest?

"Fatal injuries are impossible."

Several applicants visibly relaxed.

"If the examination system determines that you have suffered excessive injury, you will be immediately removed from the simulation."

Amos's eyes widened slightly.

"Likewise, attacks that would ordinarily kill you will instead trigger emergency extraction."

The falling applicants became silent.

"Do not misunderstand."

Rusell's voice became colder.

"Pain remains."

Several applicants immediately became pale again.

"Fear remains."

Someone swallowed.

"Exhaustion remains."

A few expressions stiffened.

"And defeat remains."

The old man's voice echoed across the artificial world.

"This examination is safe."

"That does not mean it will be pleasant."

Amos gazed at the far-off horizon. His heart thudded once, then again, stronger this time. A sensation long absent began to stir within him: excitement. Not just a flicker of curiosity, not the detached interest of study, nor the quiet pride of finishing another task. This was something purer, more childlike, more familiar. His blood was beginning to race.

"One final matter."

Massive magical screens suddenly appeared in the sky—hundreds at first, no, thousands. Amos tilted his head back, eyes wide as he stared upward.

"...?"

The screens flickered before bursting to life with images—students, academy students everywhere. Lecture halls packed to the brim, bustling courtyards, cozy dorm lounges, lively club rooms, rigorous training halls, and busy cafeterias. Senior students crowded around floating magical projections, cheering, laughing, debating, and pointing out different applicants. Amos froze, and Rusell’s next words hit him harder than any spell.

"This examination will be observed live by the students of Arianne Academy."

"..."

"Your potential seniors."

"..."

"Your brothers and sisters."

"..."

"And the academy faculty."

"..."

Amos slowly looked at the floating screens.

One scene showed a massive hall filled with students. Another had upperclassmen setting out what looked like snacks on a table. In one, students pointed excitedly toward various applicants. A group had put together a giant board covered in names. Another scene showed an argument already underway. A fifth-year student slammed both hands down on a desk.

"THE SAINT CANDIDATE! I'M TELLING YOU, SHE'S TAKING FIRST!"

Someone beside him shouted back.

"AURELIA HAS EIGHT-CIRCLE PARALLEL CASTING!"

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING IN THIS EXAM!"

"IT MEANS EVERYTHING!"

Elsewhere.

"Twenty points on Chester!"

"You're wasting your points!"

"SHUT UP!"

In another room.

"Where are you... Amos."

Amos stared.

The wind howled past him, his coat flaring dramatically as he plunged toward the ground. His body kept moving, but his mind froze. Applicants were scattered across a vast map, each clutching a single badge. Lose it, and you were done. Anything went—weapons, magic, traps, ambushes, lies, teams, fleeting alliances. Only three hundred would make it. A safe simulation, automatic extraction… and a live audience. Amos’s pupils widened.

"..."

No. Impossible. There was just no way. Absolutely none. His gaze drifted to the massive artificial world below—forest zones, mountain ranges, ruins, sprawling cities, winding rivers, natural choke points, spots for loot, perfect ambush sites. Then to the scattered applicants—solo players, tight-knit teams, dangerous high-level threats, and complete unknowns. Then to his badge—a survival condition. Finally, to the floating screens—a live audience. His lips parted.

"This is..."

His heart pounded.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Amos suddenly realized. This wasn’t just a combat exam, or some dull tournament where applicants sparred one by one. It wasn’t even a standard survival test. No.

This was

“A battle royale,” he muttered, eyes widening.

“A real…” His composure broke. “…battle royale.”

For a few seconds, Amos Eos Kyros kept falling, then his face lit up.

“They made a real-life battle royale?!” Every nearby applicant turned to stare, but Amos didn’t care. “And they’re streaming it?!”

A boy falling nearby stared at him.

"...Streaming?"

Amos ignored him, his mind already blown. This academy was ridiculous, insane, completely irresponsible.

Absolutely magnificent academy—

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

For the first time today, Amos laughed with pure, unrestrained excitement.

His blood pumped faster.

The exhaustion was gone.

The sluggishness that had clung to him after the exams vanished like it had never been there.

Amos spread his arms slightly as the earth rushed closer.

"Damn."

His green eyes gleamed.

"DAMN! THIS ACADEMY ROCKS!"

Far above the artificial world, the observation tower became silent.

"..."

"..."

"..."

One professor slowly pointed toward Amos's screen.

"Wasn't he half asleep during most of the previous examinations?"

Another nodded.

"He was."

"Didn't he literally fall asleep after finishing the written examination?"

"He did."

"Didn't he spend the most of the third examination skipping stones?"

"Yes."

They stared at the screen. Amos was currently plummeting toward a forest with the biggest smile any of them had seen on his face.

Rusell quietly watched the screen.

Then smiled.

"Apparently..."

Below, Amos twisted in midair as mana surged through his body and his posture shifted. The forest canopy rushed up to meet him—five hundred meters, four hundred, three hundred. Nearby, some applicants were already casting flight spells while others hurried to create barriers.

"...we finally found an examination he likes."

At two hundred meters, Amos’s eyes darted quickly, taking in the terrain, wind direction, nearby applicants, landing spots, badge locations, and possible escape routes. At one hundred meters, his mana flowed—perfect, effortless—and a grin spread across his face.

Amos felt like a kid again, free from thoughts of prophecies, ancient ancestors, secret organizations, or bizarre personalities lurking in his mind. Just Amos, caught up in a game. A massive, chaotic, and costly game.

His feet struck the top of a tree.

BOOM

The trunk bent sharply, and Amos seized the momentum, propelling himself forward. A nearby applicant had just touched down when a blond blur streaked past him.

"...What?"

Amos twisted, reaching out with one hand. Two fingers hooked the silver badge on the applicant’s chest—click—it came free. The applicant froze in place. Amos landed lightly on another branch twenty meters away, glancing at the badge in his hand before looking back at the stunned boy.

"Sorry."

A magical circle instantly appeared beneath the applicant. The boy's eyes widened.

"WAIT—"

In a flash, he was gone—eliminated. Amos stared at the empty space, then at the badge. Slowly, ever so slowly, his grin spread wide until it was enormous.

"...Oh."

High above, several academy students watching the live broadcast leaned forward.

Amos looked toward the vast forest.

There were nearly thousands of applicants, which meant thousands of badges. Only three hundred could remain.

His heart thundered. He slipped the captured badge into his pocket.

"This is going to be fun."

And somewhere in Arianne Academy.

"Amos Eos Kyros."