It looked like a walk in the park, even a card game was being played and the most insulting thing was that there were some large animals, such as deer, being roasted on large fires.
Practically everything had been thought out by Kayden, each person had a role and position within the army. These recreational activities had a team behind them that aimed to reduce the stress caused by the test.
Even Locke's group ended up in Kayden's clutches and was sent under Apollo's supervision. Even though they had dozens of geniuses capable of facing dozens, perhaps hundreds of mages of their rank, they were not capable of facing thousands.
Little by little the area closed and more and more people faced the immense fort with thousands of wizards. This time there was no mercy, the first warning was for them to remove the weapons they had from their bodies and lie down on the ground.
If refused, they were simply buried under spells without the right to a second chance. It didn't take long and the number of mages dropped to five thousand, along with the size of the zone to six kilometers.
It didn't matter if they were geniuses, they would all be eliminated.
Finally, it reached the number of 2500 people and... all of them were inside the fort, well, at least the majority. Some were still hidden, but the large yellow bubble marking the zone's position was closing in more and more.
She quickly closed herself into an area that only the fort was safe from. At that point, Kayden had to take some drastic measures. Gathering everyone together, he climbed the wall to make his speech.
"Comrades! We are in the final stages, but some little mice are hiding. Therefore, we will carry out two things: first, a reconnaissance of the airfield, this is already being done by a specialized team." The boy paused as he enjoyed his last moments of leadership.
"Your job now is to dig." Kayden's sentence took everyone by surprise, especially the nobles who had contempt for activities that were not worthy, so to speak. "Don't you want to be the winner of this? I promise I have a plan for everyone here to come out as a winner, so please fulfill my last request." Kayden bowed to the enormous mass of people.
His humble attitude, combined with everything the boy has done so far, has provided a ridiculously high level of respect among everyone. Even the nobles had to step back this time.
Thus, the ground began to receive dozens of spells and be dug with shovels made of spells. Little by little, it became like a minefield full of craters and it didn't take long for the last 16 participants to be found.
Ten of them were hiding together in tunnels inside the earth, it seemed like they had been doing this since the beginning of the test and ended up finding each other and joining together. The rest were hidden in the air.
The 16 were placed ahead of Kayden and the rest of the group leaders. This time there would be no recruitment and they were eliminated without even having a chance to say anything.
Now, all eyes in the crowd and people outside the zone were on Kayden. The boy could almost feel the almost 30 million people eating him with their eyes. Only the respect Kayden gained during this time kept the fort from turning into carnage.
"Gentlemen and ladies, it took a while, but we have reached the end of this test. As you all know, only one winner can remain." His sentence made everyone alert. "However..." A short dramatic pause was placed. "I cannot accept that those who fought alongside me stand behind me."
The boy made his intention clear, but it didn't seem like that would be possible, especially the nobles who wouldn't accept being lower than commoners. Soon, one of them shouted, standing out from the crowd.
"I am from the house of an earl, I want to be ahead of mere commoners."
The girl who spoke said it as if it were the most natural thing, but she didn't think she would receive almost 2,000 withering looks. The commoners were all wearing masks and did not fear reprisals.
"If you want you can stay at the end, but I simply won't betray those who fought on my side." His voice reached its highest level.
"When you got hurt, who held your hand?" His tone seemed charged with emotion and moved most of the people in the crowd without them realizing it.
"When were you going to receive a fatal blow? Who defended you?" His words caught on and made people look at the person who did what the boy said.
"When you were tired, who offered food and drink without charge? When you were injured, did Apollo ask for something in return?" Every sentence he shouted made people who wanted to excel cower in shame.
"I propose that no one does anything. If no one eliminates themselves, what will they do? Disqualify everyone? No, they won't. Victory will probably be given to everyone equally." At the end of his sentence, Kayden sat down on the floor and closed his eyes.
"I will not raise my hand against my companions." Matheus was the first to say this sentence and sit down with his eyes closed.
"I will not dishonor my ancestors." Next was Apollo. Afterward, hundreds of people spoke similar sentences as they sat on the ground and waited. Little by little, all the stragglers were forced to sit down too.
It was difficult to ignore the pressure that a group of this size caused, and consequently, everyone sat down. For a few seconds, only the passing wind could be heard.
The sound of clapping caused everyone to open their eyes to see a blond middle-aged man riding a dragon flying overhead. Everyone quickly recognized Leonardo Sol, the current rector.
"Congratulations to this...great team for winning the first test. Your performance impressed the academy and you were all allowed into the next round." With his sentence, the tense atmosphere ended and everyone began to celebrate like never before in their lives.
90% of the people on this team wouldn't even make it to the end. Most were just ordinary people who tried their luck in this test. Even if they had high ranks, it was still not enough for Sol Academy.
Little by little, everyone was levitated individually. While most people were taken back to their places of origin, Kayden was on a slightly different route.
For the first time since it all started, Kayden became visibly nervous. Maybe he shouldn't have made all this fuss, but... there was no point crying over spilled milk.
It didn't take long and he was taken to a giant tent in the noble area. It had no details and was entirely made in black. The boy found himself next to Leonardo, but he didn't dare to say anything to someone of that caliber. It was better to just wait.
"I'm breaking the rules and risking angering that old monster so the favor I owed you is paid" With that sentence the man disappeared before Kayden's eyes.
It was so fast that he even doubted that Leonardo was there.