Chapter 7: Entrance Exam

Alec’s head tilted as he looked at the exam question.

’I wasn’t sure what to think when I heard ’common-sense question’ but this…’

It was not what he had expected. It was unlike anything he would have ever expected to see on an entrance exam.

But it made sense in a way.

This was an exam open to everyone of age in the kingdom. There weren’t as many people as Alec had expected, but he knew that in the old days back on Earth, children didn’t have time to study. They were busy helping their families.

He didn’t know how big the Vongrad Kingdom was, either. There were a lot of unknown variables that could have led to the mere several dozen students rather than the hundreds he would have expected, given the Academy’s apparent status.

Regardless of the amount, the exam takers came from all walks of life. There were orphans who had spent their lives on the street, hustling. And there were kids who had grown up on their parents’ farms and knew how to wrangle cows and sheep but not much else.

Expecting children with backgrounds like those to already possess the necessary knowledge to enter the Academy was ridiculous.

And if Alec was right about the kind of book his brother had written in regards to power fantasy, the Academy wouldn’t want to disqualify potential candidates just because they hadn’t had the time or opportunity to learn stuff like the royal lineage or algebra.

The System hadn’t emphasized it. But talent was important.

If the Academy rejected someone with incredible Aether condensation talent just because they didn’t know the difference between two noble houses, it would be too late to regret once they became a full-fledged mage.

The questions on the exam were ones that didn’t need to be studied for. They just needed some experience and common sense.

Fortunately, Alec was confident in his common sense.

’Obviously, it depends.’ The question had left out a lot of details.

’Is the bigger a muscular thug or a small kid just looking to make it through the day? The dagger. Is it big or small? Do I have an escape route? Is it happening in the middle of the street in broad daylight or a back alley in the middle of the night? The latter is unlikely since I wouldn’t be reckless enough to enter such a place, at least not without the means to defend myself and render the mugger a non-threatening presence.

’Based on what I’m wearing at the time, it might also be worth trying to deescalate the situation and explain that I either don’t have any money, or, if I’m wearing something fancy, that the mnugger can’t afford to mess with me. There’s also the option to give him some of the money I have in the hopes that the mugger will take it and leave. If necessary, all the money can’t bring me back from the dead if I get stabbed, so if it comes to it, it’s better to part with it.’

Alec wrote down his answer in almost painful detail after thinking about it for a little. He went over different scenarios and the circumstances the mugging’s result depended on.

Then, he saw the next question.

’If you were to mug someone, what would it take for you to do it, and how would you go about doing it?’

’A question about what I would do under duress, and if I would be willing to hurt someone physically or economically when under duress. A difficult one.’ Alec scratched his neck as he sank into deep thought.

It was a good thing they didn’t have a limit on time or paper and pencil.

’Obviously, this also depends.’

This was a question with even more variables than a simple mugging. There was a lot to take into consideration before he could even get to the second part. Still, he tried to be concise.

The next question was fortunately simpler. It was a yes-or-no question.

’Have you experienced a life-and-death situation?’

Alec was about to instinctively write ’No’ but stopped his hand.

’Technically, I am living through one right now.’ But before now, he had lived on Earth with an advanced, safe society.

With that background, it was easy to gloss over dangers he had faced and almost forgotten since they happened so long ago.

He wrote one word.

’Yes.’

Then came the question of whether he wanted to apply to the Warrior division or the Mage division.

’Mage, please.’

That was the written exam. Alec was satisfied with his effort and handed it in to the overseer, who pointed him out of the classroom, where the rest of the exam takers were waiting for the results.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long. The teachers just needed to read the answers, most of which were short, and decide if the one who had written them was someone they wanted at the Academy or not.

Some gave answers like beating the mugger and throwing him into the gutter. It was a violent attitude, which wasn’t necessarily out of place in an Academy where they taught combat. But was that violence out of hatred and disgust for the less fortunate or was it a strong survival instinct that lashed out under threat?

The second question filtered the thoughts behind the first question and made the exam takers reflect on their answers. If they couldn’t reflect on themselves and their hypothetical actions, they weren’t great material for the Academy.

The third question gave or took weight from their answers. Those who had been through life-and-death situations usually didn’t look for more of them. But being a mage or a warrior meant that those situations would come to them regardless of what they tried to do.

The fourth question was to assess whether the exam taker’s personality aligned with what they wanted to study.

It wasn’t a perfect method. Far from it. But it was good enough. It helped the Academy sift through the rubble and find the diamonds, polished or unpolished with enough success rate to keep the Academy and the Kingdom going.

Occasionally, they even found people who stood out even among diamonds.

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