The academy never slept.
Not really.
Even now—
It was alive.
Students rushing past us.
Doors sliding open and shut.
Voices overlapping into a constant hum.
Pressure… everywhere.
It didn't feel like a place of learning.
It felt like preparation for war.
We stopped at a three-way intersection.
Library.
Training grounds.
Labs.
"This is where we divide," I said.
Zoya frowned.
"So soon?"
"We don't have time to move as a group," Angle replied calmly.
"Efficiency matters."
Sam stretched, rolling his shoulders.
"Alright… who's going where?"
I pointed.
"Library. Training. Labs."
Zoya raised her hand slightly.
"Library. Magic and healing."
"Same," Sam added quickly.
"Commerce."
We all looked at him.
"…What?"
"No, it's not hard," I said flatly.
He clicked his tongue.
Angle spoke next.
"I'll go to the magic assessment wing."
Zoya's expression tightened.
"That's risky."
"I need to understand the awakening process," Angle said.
"Observation is more reliable than theory."
That left me.
"Labs," I said.
Sam smirked.
"Of course. The hardest route."
I shrugged.
"Someone has to take it."
No more words.
We split.
The moment I entered the engineering and blacksmith wing—
The noise disappeared.
Not silence.
But control.
Heavy. Focused.
Rows of workstations stretched endlessly.
Each one occupied.
Each student locked in concentration.
Holograms floated in the air.
Blueprints rotating slowly.
Weapons forming. Breaking. Reforming.
Mistakes erased instantly.
No hesitation.
No wasted motion.
I exhaled slowly.
"…So this is the level."
A panel appeared in front of me.
Welcome, Candidate
Select Practice Module:
Basic Blueprint Design Advanced Structural Analysis Combat Simulation (Locked) Material Familiarization
I didn't understand most of it.
So I chose the simplest.
Basic Blueprint Design.
A holographic sheet unfolded in front of me.
Clean. Empty. Waiting.
"Design a reinforced weapon using limited materials."
Time limit: 2 hours.
My fingers hovered in the air.
Then—
I started.
Lines formed.
Angles connected.
Balance points mapped out.
At first—
It felt smooth.
Controlled.
Almost… easy.
Then—
I stopped.
"…No."
Something felt off.
The structure worked.
But it wasn't efficient.
Too much weight on one side.
Stress points poorly distributed.
I erased half of it.
Started again.
Faster.
Sharper.
Better.
Still flawed.
I looked around.
Other students.
No one rushing.
One stared at his blueprint for minutes—
Without drawing a single line.
Another deleted everything.
Started over.
Without hesitation.
One more adjusted a single angle—
Again.
And again.
And again.
Until it was perfect.
I understood.
This wasn't about building something usable.
It was about building something flawless.
And I wasn't there yet.
Sam was in the library.
A book open in front of him.
"Commerce Fundamentals."
He stared at it.
Then leaned back.
"…I hate this."
He closed the book.
Opened it again.
Sighed.
"Zoya chose this… so it must be useful."
He leaned forward.
Started reading properly.
Slow at first.
Then faster.
His eyes paused at diagrams.
Flow of value.
Market interactions.
Decision chains.
"…Wait…"
He flipped back.
Read again.
This time—understanding.
He grabbed another book.
Then another.
For once—
He didn't give up.
Zoya was deep in the library.
Surrounded by books.
Magic theory stacked beside her.
Healing basics open in front.
"Magic Circulation for Beginners."
She frowned.
"…Beginner?"
She started reading.
Mana pathways.
Internal flow.
Resonance patterns.
Simple concepts—
Until they weren't.
The diagrams layered.
Complicated.
Overlapping flows.
She clenched her fists slightly.
"How am I supposed to master this…"
Silence.
Then—
"I will."
She straightened.
Focused.
Turned the page.
Again.
And again.
No distractions.
Angle stood in the magic assessment wing.
Still.
Observing.
Students inside isolated chambers.
Each holding a glowing pill.
Staff watching closely.
One student activated it.
A faint glow spread across his body.
Stable.
Another trembled violently.
Energy unstable.
One collapsed.
Silence followed.
Angle's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…So that's the failure case."
A staff member approached her.
"You're not assigned here."
"I'm observing."
A pause.
"…Do not interfere."
"I won't."
Her gaze never moved.
Every detail stored.
Analyzed.
Filed away.
Back to me.
Time passed.
Too fast.
Too slow.
My blueprint hovered in front of me.
Cleaner.
Sharper.
More balanced.
But still—
"…Not enough."
A notification appeared.
Evaluation: Above Average
I stared at it.
Then let out a quiet breath.
"Above average…"
That wasn't a compliment here.
That was a warning.
I closed the panel.
Turned away.
"I need to push harder."
Evening settled over the academy.
The rush slowed.
Students began leaving.
Not relaxed.
Just… done for the day.
We regrouped near the main hall.
For a moment—
No one spoke.
Then Sam broke it.
"…This is way harder than I thought."
Zoya nodded.
"I barely understand half of it."
Angle spoke calmly.
"You're not expected to. Yet."
I exhaled slowly.
"This place doesn't reward effort."
"It rewards results."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Then—
Sam suddenly straightened.
"…Bar?"
Zoya blinked.
"Right now?"
"You promised," he grinned.
Angle glanced at us.
"…A controlled break would improve efficiency."
I smirked slightly.
"Let's go."
The bar was quieter than expected.
Dim lights.
Soft music.
Students scattered across tables.
Some laughing.
Some silent.
Same pressure.
Different reactions.
We took a corner table.
Ordered drinks.
Zoya kept it light.
Angle something mild.
Sam didn't hesitate.
"Strongest one."
I just took something simple.
For a while—
Silence.
Just breathing.
Relaxing.
Then Sam leaned back.
"…Yeah. I needed this."
Zoya laughed softly.
"You looked like you were dying earlier."
"I was not."
"You were."
Angle shook her head faintly.
"…Your focus lasted longer than expected."
Sam blinked.
"…That's a compliment?"
"…Yes."
I chuckled.
We started talking.
About mistakes.
About confusion.
About what we didn't understand.
Sam explained something he finally grasped.
Zoya talked about mana flow.
Angle pointed out risks.
I talked about efficiency.
Where I failed.
Where I improved.
The tension eased.
Slowly.
Naturally.
For a moment—
We weren't under pressure.
We were just… us.
We left later that night.
Cool air.
Quiet paths.
No rush.
No words.
Just presence.
We reached our dorms.
Sam dropped onto his bed immediately.
"I'm done."
Zoya still flipped through notes.
Muttering softly.
Angle sat still.
Thinking ahead.
Always ahead.
I lay down.
Staring at the ceiling.
Day one—
Was just the beginning.
Two days left.
And already—
We weren't ready.
I closed my eyes.
Tomorrow—
We go further.
Credit-
Writer: UrWeeklyWriter
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