From the beginning, I had decided to major in Pure Magic. It was the most standard, most flexible major, and the easiest way to hide my true abilities behind boring theories.
However, there was one thing I never took into account in my original plan.
Human enthusiasm.
That morning, the digital bulletin board in the administration building displayed a number that made my head spin.
Total applicants for the Pure Magic major: 478 people.
"Crazy..." I muttered, jostling among hundreds of other prospective students who were just as shocked as I was. "I know I made the gacha rate for entering this academy low in the game, but seeing 478 people scrambling for seats in real life is a terrifying sight."
This was the highest number in the academy's history.
Due to the overwhelming number of participants, the selection committee was forced to divide the exam into two phases over two days. The first day—today—was dedicated to a written exam to screen the prospective wizards' thinking. The second day tomorrow was a practical exam to see who had a talent for magic.
At eight in the morning, the exam room assignments were announced.
I received a document containing my personal data that directed me to Room 304.
At exactly nine o'clock, I stepped into the small amphitheater-shaped classroom. The room contained thirty single tables arranged at a distance from each other.
Since there was not a single familiar face, which was my intention, I walked casually to the back seat in the left corner. It was a strategic "mob character" position that usually escaped the attention of both teachers and protagonists.
Five minutes later, the front door opened.
A female teacher with thick glasses and a formal suit entered. She didn't say much. With a wave of her wand, the stack of exam papers on her desk floated up and landed smoothly on each participant's desk.
"You have three hours," she said coldly. "No talking and no disturbing others."
The room instantly fell silent, only the sound of quill pens scratching on parchment paper could be heard.
I flipped through the exam papers on my desk. There were four thick sheets divided into four basic themes: Basic Magic Theory, Elemental Reactions, Magic Machine Technology, and Continental History.
A slight smile appeared on my lips.
"This is..."
My eyes scanned questions one through ten. They were all familiar. Of course they were familiar, I wrote the questions myself. Questions about the "Law of Conservation of Magic" and the "Formula for Converting Fire to Lightning" were basic things that I often included in the loading screen tips in the game.
However, when I turned to the third page of the History and Magic Machine Technology section, my brow furrowed.
Question No. 25: Explain the impact of the Old Testament on the development of steam engines in the Western Empire.
I fell silent. My pen hung in the air.
"The Old Testament?" I thought, confused. "I don't remember ever writing that name."
I read the next questions.
About a quarter of these questions were different from what I remembered. There were more in-depth historical details, names of figures I didn't know, and theories of magic that seemed to have "developed on their own" beyond my original manuscript.
This was further proof that this world was alive. The blank parts that I had been too lazy to write had now been filled in by the history of this world.
"Damn," I cursed silently. "My 'Answer Key' advantage has been reduced to 75%."
I took a deep breath to calm myself.
My goal here was not to be number one. That would only attract the attention of Lady Seraphina—who was curious about my identity for some reason—or the other protagonists. My goal was to be an ordinary, inconspicuous student.
I began to calculate my score.
In the game, the passing standard for the entrance exam to this academy is quite high. If I wanted to appear as an ordinary student, I had to aim for a safe score.
"As I recall from my script, the average score for students at this academy is usually around 75 to 80," I muttered as I twirled my pen. "I can't possibly get 100, because that would be too conspicuous. If I get 60, I won't pass. So..."
I decided on a target score of 80.
A perfect number. High enough to pass comfortably, but low enough not to attract attention.
With that strategy, I began writing.
My hands moved swiftly.
For the questions I had memorized, I answered them with textbook precision. For the "new" history questions I didn't know, I used deductive logic and a little bit of fabrication. And for some of the difficult questions, I deliberately got the answers wrong so that my score wouldn't be too perfect.
Three hours passed quickly.
"Time's up," the female teacher's voice broke the concentration in the room. "Put down your pens. And you can leave the room immediately."
After she said that, my paper floated away, joining the pile on the teacher's desk.
I leaned back in my chair and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Done," I whispered. "One stage completed. Now all that's left is tomorrow's practical exam."
I glanced out the window. The sky was clear. I was sure my plan to get an average score of 80 would go smoothly. There was nothing to worry about.
***
Day two. Eight in the morning.
Unlike the quiet and boring written exam, today's atmosphere was much heavier. There was tension on everyone's faces.
Due to the overwhelming number of applicants, reaching 478 people, the academy decided to use a radical selection method. A method that had not been used in the last ten years due to the high risk involved.
We were herded to the west wing, specifically to the Magic Engineering Department building. I even saw several prospective new students from the Magic Engineering Department who seemed to be waiting for their entrance exams.
What I never expected was to see Seraphina Vox Winters laughing. The girl was smiling next to her silent servant. Before I knew it, our eyes met for a moment.
As soon as we stepped into the main hall, the prospective students of the Pure Magic department's eyes widened. The room didn't look like a magic school, but rather like a factory of the future.
In the middle of the hall, countless metal capsule tubes were neatly lined up.
Then a man in a white lab coat stained with oil and messy hair arrived. He introduced himself as the Head of the Magical Machinery Department. The man stood on an iron podium. He grinned widely, revealing a row of uneven teeth.
"Welcome, guinea pigs!" he shouted through a loudspeaker. "Since there are too many of you, the academy doesn't have time for one-on-one duels. So, I suggested this project to the academy. We're going to play Battle Royale."
A giant hologram screen appeared behind him, displaying one large word in red:
SURVIVAL.
"We will throw your consciousness into the simulation world. You have only one task: Don't die."
The staff handed out special clothing to us. It was a tight black bodysuit made of elastic synthetic fiber.
I held the clothing. The material was cold and slippery. I quickly examined it. What I didn't expect was that this clothing was directly connected to the wearer's nervous system.
At several vital points such as the chest, solar plexus, back, both arms, and thighs. All of those parts had pure white sensor discs.
"The white circles on your clothes are Health Indicators. If you receive a fatal blow, the sensor will turn red."
A man with glasses in the front row raised his hand tremulously. "Excuse me, Professor. Does... does even one turning red mean we fail?"
"It depends on the position, son!" The man laughed. "The sensor on your chest is your heart. If it turns red, you are immediately disqualified."
He leaned forward, his face turning serious.
"And one more warning. Those clothes aren't just for decoration. If you get bitten by a wolf in the simulation world, the sensor will send a pain signal to your brain as if your flesh were actually torn."
"Huh?!"
A wave of panic erupted among the students.
"W-wait! Isn't that dangerous!"
"Then give up now!" the man cut in firmly. "Being a wizard means being prepared to face pain. If you can't even stand the pain in the simulation world, how will you face a real battle?"
A tense silence enveloped the room. Some of the students looked pale and swallowed hard.
Broadly speaking, I understood his point. This wasn't a test of strength, but a test of mental fortitude. They wanted to weed out those who didn't have the guts to pursue magic.
"The simulated world you're about to enter is randomized by the computer," the man explained again. "There is the Forest of Death, the Old Castle, the Stormy Sea, the Mass Grave, the Abandoned Village, the Underground Tunnel, and the Volcano."
For a moment, I understood the parts he mentioned. Because those worlds in the story I created were more like easter eggs in a game. I didn't expect those worlds to become simulation worlds.
"One day in there is equivalent to ten minutes in the real world."
I nodded slowly. Time efficiency. This way, they could test 478 people in just a few hours of real time.
"Your goal is to survive for 6 hours in the simulation. If you can breathe until the time limit is up, you pass. If you die or press the surrender button before that, then please leave the academy."
Without wasting any time, the first wave was called. My name, Leon, was included in it.
I put on the tight-fitting suit. It felt like a second skin pressing against my muscles. I stepped into one of the giant egg-shaped simulation capsules.
The interior was cramped, filled with dim blue light and connector cables.
"Relax," the operator's voice sounded in my ears. "Initiating neural link in 3... 2... 1..."
My consciousness was forcibly pulled away. It felt like falling from a tall building. Darkness. Dizziness. Nausea.
Then, the sensation stopped abruptly.
Blinding light hit my eyes.
I blinked, trying to adjust my vision. The smell of wet earth and moss stung my nose. The sound of forest insects buzzed in my ears.
Slowly, my vision cleared.
I was no longer inside the metal capsule.
I was standing in the middle of a dense forest with trees as tall as skyscrapers.
However, this forest was not normal. Thick white fog covered as far as the eye could see, limiting my visibility to only about five meters.
The air felt humid and cold, piercing to the bone. The sensations felt so real.
I looked down and saw that the sensor on my chest was still white.
"The Fog Forest," I muttered softly, my hand touching the rough, real tree trunk. "Of all the simulation worlds mentioned earlier, why did I have to get the most difficult one to navigate?"
Crack.
The sound of a branch snapping echoed through the mist ahead of me.
I immediately crouched down, assuming a fighting stance. The survival test had just begun. And my instincts told me I wasn't alone here.
*****
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