Chapter 14: The Selection Exam [1]
The murmurs continued as the Archmage explained everything concerning the exam. Most of the students had grown frowns and shocked looks on their faces-but also, a chunk of them had grins and smirks as if they had been waiting for something like this to happen.
"This year's exam will help us filter out the rotten fruit amongst you. So If you feel like you can't proceed, please withdraw before you are all teleported to the dungeon. You have twenty minutes," he concluded the briefing, giving the students a chance to interact. He stayed at the podium, and watched over the students carefully without saying anything else.
"We better find Liz before we get transported," Bairon suggested. The two then started shoving themselves through the students, while calling out for their party leader's name.
Arthur was following Bairon, but he had his mind somewhere else, he was thinking of how he was going to survive the exam. He needed to stay alive and at the same time acquire enough points to qualify him for the Dark Knight section. And yes, he knew he had two powerful allies, but he needed to get stronger on his own if he were to rank up. As of now, all he had in his arsenal was information, some basic fire magic, and amateur sword skills that could counter a goblin or two if he was lucky.
'This might be bad—'
He was still trapped in deep thought when he collided with a random student standing in front of him.
"Ouch," Arthur winced, after feeling like he had just bumped into a wall instead of a person.
"I'm so sorry—"
"Shut up, peasant." The boy broke his apology and slowly turned to face him, "I don't need your apologies. This school wasn't built for the weak," he snarled as he coldly glared into his eyes with a disgusted look on his face. He was also in a black robe, showing he was also in the dark Knight selection.
"Okay," Arthur didn't want to create rivalry from this. He was weak compared to everyone else, and the smartest thing to do was to avoid making enemies. And so, he simply started to walk away without saying anything else.
But the boy wasn't satisfied with that. He gritted his teeth and bellowed:
"Stop right there!"
Arthur stopped. This was bad.
"Are you seriously planning to become a dark knight? Or is this some kind of joke to you?!"
Everyone kept quiet when they noticed the two boys arguing, thanks to one of them being exceptionally loud. The students around them anchored all their attention to the two, including the headmaster who was watching everything from the podium.
Arthur sighed—there was no turning away from this. Slowly, he turned over and replied, "It's not a joke, I am going to become a dark knight."
The crowd around them burst into laughter after what Arthur had just said. His words were nothing but a mere fantasy to their ears.
"A peasant with little mana wouldn't even qualify for a gatekeeper. You don't even have a divine gift like any of us, you're nothing compared to everyone else."
Arthur squeezed his hands into a fist. He didn't have to remind him of that.
"Then watch me reach your level…I hope you have front seats," he grinned.
Then, in a second, the boy was already in front of him. Arthur gasped from shock as the brown-haired boy showed him a glimpse of his true power by touching his chest. Suddenly, time felt like it had paused for the two of them; and they were transported to an alternate black-and-white version of the real world.
'Huh?'
Arthur grew pale instantly. "What is going on…?"
The boy smirked at his fear-filled eyes. "This is my divine skill: hell's cabinet. I have blocked all your magic and weapons making you powerless against me. I can kill you anytime now, and prove to the world that you are nothing but a daydreamer waiting for reality to punch them in the face."
'Why did I have to run my mouth like that?' he remembered that many students disliked the idea of him being a lowblood. The academy was a place for nobles.
He was trembling.
"Do you even have a reason why you're in this academy?" he asked.
"Luxury…I want a better life for myself."
The boy snorted at his answer, "Pathetic reasons for a pathetic peasant like you. Why did he choose you of all people?"
He bit his lip then snapped his fingers to cancel out his power. And in a single blink of his terrified eyes, Arthur was swooped back to reality, running short of breath after what he had just experienced.
"Tsk. I don't have time for this, I have an exam and I don't wish to waste magical energy on someone so close to being normal. If I were you, I would throw in the towel right now before I die inside the dungeon."
Those were his last words before he walked away with the rest of his party. Also…the crowd that had gathered to see some action dispatched after being disappointed.
Arthur sighed, as he watched the boy disappear. Seeing a skill as terrifying as that only made his heart hammer even faster. What troubled him the most was that he was completely defenseless against something like that. He could have died if the boy wanted him dead.
In the magic realm, skills were considered gifts from the gods, they varied from every magic user and they could become more powerful if cultivated properly.
"There you are!" Elizabeth appeared from the crowd with Bairon standing next to her.
"We are separated for a minute and you're already making enemies," he said, referring to what had just happened between him and the boy.
"Who was that by the way?"
"Ryne Armes, he came in second place during the exams. Rumor has it that he's the strongest first year currently and that he can cast spells high-level water spells at such age," Bairon answered.
"And wait until you hear about his swordsmanship. I trained with him once, and to be honest, he's very good. Don't mess with him at all, Ryne can kill you."
Elizabeth's warning only added to the amount of fear he already had for the boy.
A bell sounded, marking the end of the twenty minutes they had been given to prepare for the selection exam. Instantly, everyone's robe started glowing and the transportation to the dungeon began.
"See you on the other side, and try not to get killed," Bairon warned with a smile on his face and was transported at the same time with Elizabeth.
"Easy for you to say."
He prayed to be transported somewhere with weak monsters. But instead of being transported by his magic robe, it suddenly burst into flames that sent him into a panic. Without getting burnt, he pulled it off and tossed it on the ground until it finally turned to ashes.
"What was that?"
Currently, he was the only one left in the hall. But that wasn't all—the air was tense, and there was an abnormal silence as if he had been put in a vacuum. Outside, the sky had magically transformed from a bright morning to complete darkness.
'Is this one of Armes' tricks?' He thought, then unsheathed his magic sword, holding it with both hands while trembling.
He felt a burning in his left eye after sensing an ominous presence.
And then, a black slimy substance grew from the floor and formed itself into a purple-haired girl with a pair of horns sticking out of her head. For the most part, she looked like a human in her short black dress made from feathers. She also had an ominous presence radiating from her violet eyes.
"Hmm...so it was you who read the demonecai, interesting."
"Demon," Arthur recognized what she was and rushed to cast a fireball in his right hand to at least show that he had some defense against any tricks she had up her sleeve. It was also the strongest magic attack in his arsenal.
"Yes, that's what I am--by the way, your fire will not hurt me in this pocket dimension I have created," she said flatly, pointing at his fireball without a slight sign of fear.
"A Pocket dimension? That's what this place is…?" He examined around.
Thanks to the excessive reading he had been doing for the past days, he knew that pocket dimensions existed outside reality and could only be created by mages who had mastered magecraft.
"What do you want from me?"
She smiled and started by introducing herself before jumping straight to why she was here, "My name is Claudia Mald, the primordial demon of gluttony," she said.
"After reading the ALUVAN DEMONECAI and surviving, you officially qualify as a demon lord candidate for the selection of the next demon lord after the great Asmodeous's passing. I'm simply here to—"
"I am not a demon!" Arthur stopped her halfway, "I don't qualify to be a demon lord candidate." He continued, knowing exactly where this was going; he didn't want any part in it.
"Trust me, I know." She scoffed, "But the rules state: those who are able to obtain the DEMONECAI'S power without dying are worthy of the title demon lord."
"Huh...I don't even know what you're talking about! What is a demonecai, anyway?"
The girl laughed at his question, almost like she couldn't believe what he had just said.
"A demonecai is a fragment of the demon god, and Aluvan is the demon tongue to mean grimoire. They only reveal themselves to those who are powerful enough to become the demon god's right hand."
'Is she talking about the black book?'
"What?"
"Anyway, please state your name and magical attribute so that you can continue with your selection exam."
Arthur frowned at the girl, "I don't wish to participate in this demon lord candidate thing you have going on. I am a human."
She laughed once again.
"Well, here's the thing, when you opened the demonecai you were blessed with a gift from the demon god himself—as you progress in life, you'll unlock it one day and maybe learn how to use it before the other candidates kill you; but here's the fun part, that gift is also a curse and failure to participate will deem you unworthy of the gift-the curse on it will activate and stop your heart instantly."
'Shit! And just when I thought I could live a normal life.' Arthur thought and canceled out the flame he had in his hand. He wanted to believe that she was lying, but she had nothing to lose if he lost his life.
"Arthur, I don't know my attribute yet," he mumbled aggressively since it was against his own will.
"Good," she said, then produced a black wand of about twelve inches, resembling a stick. The appearance was a distraction, and he could feel the power hidden in it.
She waved it, and a magic circle appeared on the surface of his hand and painlessly burned itself on him.
"What is this?" he asked while studying his hand.
"The ceremony is done, that's all you need to know for now. We'll talk later…so good luck with the exam. I'm rooting for you, my lord. And please try using your sword once in a while."
Her voice faded as he was transported to the dungeon by a white light, similar to the one coming from his robe earlier.
Thank you for reading….
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone