Chapter 6: Teaming Up, Game On

The candidates began to enter the venue. These individuals had clearly prepared for this exam for a long time. They walked and talked, familiar with several military academies and the upcoming events.

One candidate excitedly said, "The Tournament of The Five is starting soon, I'm so excited, I wonder which military academy will take first place this year."

"That has to be the Koros Military Academy. Everyone who can take the Koros Military Academy exam is a genius."

"I'm betting on the Hecaris Military Academy. You know, this year, the grandson of an admiral is also taking the entrance exam."

"It's fine to bet on anyone, just not The Ceres Military Academy. They're lazier than tardigrades. They've been last every year for decades."

"The Snorri Military Academy isn't bad either. Their candidates are outrageously rich every year. Money is their cheat code. I think they went too far in last year's competition, blatantly cheating right under everyone's noses."

"Damn! I knew it! Last year's exam, that guy fell and then found the exit? That's ridiculous!"

Arix, looking at the school entrance that resembled a concert scene, felt somewhat overwhelmed. She made her way through the crowd more discreetly, checked in successfully, and entered the military school.

As she walked through the gate, she took a deep breath.

She followed the signs to the check-in area and handed her recommendation letter to the teacher. She quietly began to wait.

"Information verified, pay attention to the information received on your opticomputer. Arix, right? Good luck."

Arix's opticomputer received an official message from the Hecaris Military Academy, stating that the school had authorized her opticomputer.

"Thank you, ma'am."

After saying goodbye to the staff, Arix followed the directions on her opticomputer and arrived at the designated examination hall of the military school.

In the spacious examination hall, a soft blue light enveloped everything, with countless dark gold codes faintly glowing with a cold light.

Arix was thoroughly impressed. These massive pods were nothing like anything she'd seen in her run-down hotel. All the equipment was brand new, even fitted with high-end ambient lighting.

These were the giant Connective Pods exclusive to the top five military academies.

Arix spent a long time closely examining a pod next to her, admiring it. After she had taken it all in, she walked towards the entrance marked by a light screen.

A beam of light scanned Arix's body at the entrance.

The screen automatically displayed a message: "Identity confirmed, Arix, please enter."

Once inside, Arix faced a sea of heads. There were so many people, she felt she couldn't count them all. The thought of all these people being her competition made Arix feel a slight bit of worry.

In the center of the examination hall, there was a display showing the number of new students, with the figures constantly changing. Arix counted, and the numbers had already reached six digits.

"Hey, a pretty girl just arrived," a candidate who had been watching the entrance whistled nonchalantly.

The surrounding candidates also turned their gaze towards Arix.

"Want to team up, gorgeous? I can help you," the nonchalant candidate continued.

As soon as he finished his sentence, his companion angrily covered his mouth and dragged him away while scolding, "Is now really the time to be hitting on girls? She'd kill you if she found out about this, you know?"

The nonchalant candidate immediately fell silent. He pressed his lips together, gave Arix a regretful look, and then let his teammate drag him away resignedly.

The candidates looked at Arix's frail appearance and tacitly chose to ignore her. They decided to continue focusing on other newly entered candidates with more potential.

Occasionally, when a strong-looking candidate entered the hall, people would swarm over like wolves spotting meat, eagerly inviting them to join their teams.

'Ouch, this is almost insulting!' Arix thought, speechless at the scene before her.

"Um..." a timid voice sounded.

Turning her head, Arix noticed a boy even shorter than herself hesitantly looking at her.

Arix sized up the boy. He was very thin and seemed like he wouldn't be very strong in a fight.

Judging by the reactions of the others just now, this boy probably couldn't find anyone to team up with.

Arix put on a friendly smile and said, "Are you looking to team up with me? Don't worry, I won't mind if you're not strong."

"Ah, no, no, no, I already have a team!" the boy quickly denied, shaking his head.

Arix's smile gradually faded, replaced by an indifferent expression. "Oh, then what do you want? Make it quick, I'm busy."

"Do you need information for the entrance exams? It's just ten astrocredits," the boy said cautiously, then added, "Interested?"

Arix looked at the boy for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm the annoyance bubbling inside her. Then she transferred ten astrocredits to him.

Taking the information, she found a quiet corner, leaned against the wall, and started reading attentively.

Despite its low price, the information was incredibly useful, even including references to exam content.

The document indicated that students applying to any of the five military academies would participate in the exam together. All students would connect to a specific location in the interstellarnet world via neural interfaces to enter the test simulation.

The simulation environment was harsh, filled with wild beasts and humanity's arch-enemies: the insectoids. If a candidate died in the simulation, they would be eliminated.

After three days, when the exam concluded, the top one thousand scoring students from all the academies would gain admission.

Additionally, anyone ranking in the top ten on the strongest newcomer list endorsed by all five academies would not only receive a full scholarship, but also a generous reward from the Alliance.

Arix was slightly envious of the rewards for the top ten, but she knew it was a long shot for her. So, she could only swallow her envy.

Having read the specifics of the exam, Arix felt she had a good grasp of what to expect. 'It's essentially a survival challenge, right? I've watched plenty of survival videos online. Those should come in handy... right?'

Survival in the wild didn't seem too daunting. The only real issue was her lack of experience with insectoids. She wasn't sure if insecticide would work on them.

'Maybe I should test my latest enhanced insecticide formula on those weird bugs.' The more Arix thought about it, the more eager she became, wishing the exam would start right away.

"It's unexpected that members of the Alliance's top five noble families are all participating in this year's military academy exams. And they're all high-profile, at least heirs to their respective families. They've never all joined the academy exams together in the past. Is there some inside story this year?" a candidate nearby murmured.

Arix glanced at the two boys whispering next to her. She had seen mentions of the Alliance's five noble families on the interstellarnet, but the information was mostly flattery, highly distorted. Therefore, her knowledge about these families was virtually non-existent.

So, she casually moved closer to the two candidates, hoping to eavesdrop on some information. The place was crowded, and the candidates didn't notice Arix's approach. They were comfortably chatting about the gossip surrounding the top five noble families.

"I heard it's because the heiress of the Horcruxes family is also taking the military academy entrance exam this time. The other four families followed suit. If anyone could marry her, their family would never run out of Psychic Ware!"

"Shh, no wonder. I don't know if we're unlucky or lucky. I heard even the richest family's only child is here this time. Us ordinary folks are doomed to be just stepping stones for the five noble families."

"Tsk tsk, you're thinking too small. Just imagine, if by some luck, we manage to get on the good side of one of the top five families, that could be our big break."

"Ah, why didn't I think of that? You're the smart one, dude."

"Hehe, hey, look, it's the president of the Hecaris Military Academy."

Arix also turned her gaze towards the central video in the examination hall. A 15-second countdown appeared on the huge screen until the numbers hit zero.

An elderly man appeared on the screen. Contrary to Arix's expectation of a stern and serious president, the man on the screen always maintained a smile, appearing very approachable.

"Hello, new students. I am Gunder, the president of the Hecaris Military Academy. First of all, I welcome each and every one of you who is participating in the assessment. I am honored by your choice of our academy. I wish you all the best in the assessment and urge you to strive for the top spot. Without further ado, please welcome Mr. Mark Marlone, who will be overseeing this examination and will explain the rules to you."

After Gunder's applause, the screen switched to a man in military uniform, Mark Marlone.

Marlone's deep features were steady, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, making the candidates feel uneasy. Many instantly quieted down.