Chapter 57: New Home

Noah’s potential made the empire sponsor him till date.

Of course, what the soldiers had seen was only a percent of Noah’s true abilities.

The ones who had come for the recruitment weren’t high-ranked people but ordinary soldiers; hence, they couldn’t fully evaluate the gem before them.

That led to Noah receiving support from the empire, but not something that was meant for the elites.

What Noah received was the bare minimum credits for him to live comfortably till he completed his formal education.

He had indeed been added to the list of youths with enough potential to contribute sufficiently to the empire.

Now, standing before the gates of Namda Academy, Noah felt an inexplicable sense of joy.

Having the chance to learn here was something he had been looking forward to since the day he had heard about this institute.

With a minute left for the entrance tests to begin, the gates of the academy opened for the students to get a glimpse of its majesty.

The area on the other side of the gates felt like heaven for all commoners.

A man in a formal suit stepped out from within, with rows of students flanking him from either side.

“Looks like everyone is here,” the man spoke in a calm tone, slightly adjusting his spectacles.

The students accompanying him silently observed the applicants before them.

“You all will be assessed in theory and practical tests.”

All the candidates present for the test listened carefully. The instruction wasn’t new and was something similar for all the entrance tests since the academy was founded.

“You don’t have to worry about not having a formal education to pass these tests.

They are designed keeping in mind that many of you—or to say, most of you—are still not proficient enough in combat to be judged thoroughly.”

The examiner spoke to relieve the students of their fear.

“Both the theory and practical tests will assess your potential and then rank you according to it.

So be free and try to attempt both with the best of your abilities.”

The examiner then looked at the students who had followed him from within the academy gates.

“These here are your seniors at the academy.”

He pointed towards either side.

“If you have any difficulty understanding the processes further down the lane, you may seek their advice.”

Saying that, he motioned with his hand for the gates to fully open.

“You all may now enter. The academy wishes you the best.”

Hearing the instructions, the applicants—commoners as well as the nobles who had already been admitted to the academy—began to enter through the gates.

For the commoners, this was a battle of their lives, while the nobles had their nerves stretched to rank better than their peers.

Everyone was fighting their own battles.

Noah followed everyone and, with a wide smile on his face, made his way—

Into his new home.

***

“Hey, Auri, will it be alright?”

“Hope so, Mori.”

Two students made their way towards their designated location for the practical test.

As for the theory test, a total of fifty questions were asked, with most of them being related to mana.

There were many real-life situational questions, with the candidates being evaluated on the basis of their thought process.

For the practical test, each student was going to be tested individually on various parameters. The twins were commoners who had arrived here to try their luck.

Yes—luck!

Though both of them had prepared thoroughly for the exams with the meagre resources that they had, passing these tests was a matter of luck for them.

It was too good an opportunity to pass, while at the same time, the twins knew their limits.

Being from a commoner background and getting admitted here without having monstrous talent wasn’t possible for either of them.

They were talented, but that was by the standards of their village.

An instructor there had suggested they attempt the entrance tests at Namda Academy.

Though they had arrived with high hopes, just seeing the number of students attending the entrance test crushed any expectation of being selected.

But now, they couldn’t back off either.

The entirety of the test area was divided into two sections, with nobles attending the test to get ranked, while the commoners had their own separate area.

This was done to reduce the possibility of conflicts among the two groups.

Many nobles thought of commoners as lesser beings who didn’t have the right to stand in their presence.

This led to the commoners being treated like trash. Though that was the reality of the world, here at the academy everyone was a student irrespective of their background.

If the nobles participated in the test along with the commoners, it could lead many students to perform below their actual capabilities due to numerous reasons—

Fear being a prime one.

The fear of not being born with noble blood.

Such things developed an inferiority complex in many, and the academy wanted to retain the best talents among the masses.

So allowing them to be free of any social injustice, at least on academy grounds, was the motive behind separating the areas.

“Candidate Auri and Candidate Mori, you may proceed now.”

The staff present made the announcement for the next batch of applicants.

“Let’s go, bro!”, Auri tried to speak in a cheerful tone.

As the twins made their way towards the test area, they were asked to enter their respective rooms.

Auri stood near room 21, while Mori was allotted room 22.

Taking a deep breath, Auri entered the room.

The instructor inside gave him a brief glance before explaining the rules.

“Choose any of those weapons. You can attack me however you see fit.

There are no extra rules. You will be evaluated on the basis of your situational awareness and battle prowess.”

Auri tensed upon hearing that. The instructor at the gate had informed them that the tests would judge their potential keeping in mind that many of them weren’t versed in combat.

But here, this guy was asking him to fight.

The instructor, not caring for his thoughts, motioned for Auri to begin.

Auri looked at the weapons on display. There were all sorts—from daggers and short swords to heavy swords.

He decided to choose a slim sword—not that he could wield it.

But it felt the easiest.

Taking a deep breath, he charged towards the instructor like a wild beast.

At least, that’s what it looked like to the ones viewing the tests through screens, taking notes of every detail.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep