'Haaa' Alden yawned, his eyes blinking in a daze as he opened his eyes, the sunlight peeking through the windows greeted him softly as he was lying on an unfamiliar bed.
He looked around, still a bit dazed as he felt the room was unfamiliar….
'Uhh, right, I am in academy city,' before the realization hit him.
Yesterday, he had finally left the Draven family estate and arrived in Astria, the island city where the Astralis Academy was situated.
The journey was quite uneventful as he had just entered a teleportation gate from Valloria to Astria.
He quickly dragged his tired and half-awake body into the shower. The cold water jolted him awake out of his sleep, making him feel refreshed. He soon got dressed and checked the time….
'Shit, there's only 15 minutes left...' He cursed in his mind as he bolted out of his temporary residence. He had skipped breakfast as he was running late.
He quickly arrived at the gate of the academy after sprinting for 10 minutes, as his lodging was fairly close to the academy's entrance…
By the time he had arrived at the gate, his breathing was a bit uneven. He quickly showed the card he had gotten yesterday after registration to the guard.
The guard checked the card carefully before letting him enter…
'Phew, I barely made it in time.' He released a sigh of relief as he quickly entered inside the academy gate and followed the signs to get to the orientation hall where the test was supposed to start…
He soon found a large hall on the edge of the academy just near the entrance gate. As he entered it without any hesitation…
Dozens of students were already gathered inside the hall. Their faces flashing with different emotions, some were nervous and some were chatting excitedly.
Alden quietly slipped within the crowd, waiting for the principal to come to finally start the entrance test …
He didn't have to wait long as soon a middle-aged man entered the room. Each and every step of the man was filled with confidence. The man was dressed in a blue suit. His hands casually stuffed in the pockets of his pants.
The man had sharp features; his face had a scar from his eye to his jaw, which gave him an intimidating appearance, but his casual demeanor made him seem a bit approachable.
"Hey, what's up, everyone?" The man greeted all the candidates, waving lazily with a laid-back attitude, "Welcome to the Astralis Academy, kids. I'm Jeremy Voidforge, the principal, and, as some might say, the guy who keeps this place running."
"I'm sure you might've heard about me. After all, I am one of the strongest people in the empire…"
The room fell silent as the students stared at him, most of them confused by his casual tone. After all, Jeremy was one of the two Advanced Overlord Rank individuals of empire….
'Who would believe he is 100 years old?' Alden smirked as he thought about the details about Jeremy.
It was no surprise for him to be that old, as overlord rank individuals have a lifespan of 200 years.
According to many, from the overlord rank onwards, a person becomes a demigod as their mortal body transcends its limits.
Jeremy was one of the oldest Overlord Rank individuals alive in present time.
"So many of you might be wondering what kind of crazy test this guy might have set up for us…" Jeremy continued with a mischievous smirk, "But it's nothing too crazy…probably."
'His personality is the same as mentioned in the novel.' Alden thought as he recalled about… 'In the novel he was always shown as lazy and free-spirited, but hidden deep beneath his facade was his real personality.'
'He was a cruel man who hated demons, and didn't care for any boundaries…when it came to demons.'
'According to the novel, his whole family was brutally killed by demons when he was on an expedition…'
Before Alden could think anymore, Jeremy snapped his fingers as some bracelets materialized in front of every student in the hall…
"You see, the test this year is quite simple…" Jeremy continued his explanation: "There will be beasts ranging from Beginner Novice Rank to Intermediate Initiate Rank, and you will be awarded points according to the rank of beast you defeat."
"Now, now, don't be so scared." Jeremy said, "These bracelets are your lifelines. They'll track your points during the test and, more importantly, teleport you out if things get a little too… spicy.
"Ah, but there is a slight twist, you see," Jeremy's mischievous smirk widened. "You're not just going to compete against the monster, but also with each other. If you manage to eliminate the others, their points will be transferred to you."
After explaining the rules, Jeremy pointed towards a blue-colored portal that was at the far end of the hall.
"The test will begin as soon as you enter through the portal. You'll all be transferred to different locations and will have three hours."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Jeremy asked, shooing everyone toward the portal. "Go on, show me what you've got."
One by one, all the students entered the portal, their expressions filled with nervousness.
'Well, so much for following the plot,' Alden mused, recalling how straightforward the entrance test had been in the novel.
He quickly walked towards the portal.
'Here we go,' he thought as he entered the portal, vanishing from the hall silently without a trace...
Alden's vision shifted as he was transported; his body felt weightless for a moment before he landed on solid ground.
He looked around him quickly, analyzing his surroundings…
'There's no one here.' He saw no other candidate in his immediate surroundings.
The forest was vast and dense, and a faint sound of beasts could be heard occasionally…
His bracelet flashed in front of him, showing three options...
The points and rank were self-explanatory, so he quickly opened the map option as a map soon popped in front of him…
The map had some blinking red dots on it…He clicked on the dots to see if it could show any details… And soon he saw a small text pop up on the dot... it showed [Intermediate Initiate Rank Boss].
'It seems the red dots were the location of the boss, and there seemed to be some extra points for defeating them…' Alden analyzed quickly…
Just as he was going to move, he heard a faint rustling sound from his side as soon as a wolf-like creature with a mane of fire appeared… Alden immediately felt its power level was at the same rank as his.
"Well, aren't you flashy?" he muttered, a hint of a smirk, excited to test his strength.