章 2356: Ranks

The group exam has started, and true to tradition, it took the form of a virtual challenge, designed to test the acolytes' strategic skills and teamwork under pressure. This year's scenario was a siege war, set in a sprawling virtual city that mimicked an existing city on the border to fight the invading orcs and elves forces.

Each hall sends its 20 best acolytes and faces a daunting task: to recruit and prepare civilians, build defenses, and hold the city against overwhelming odds for two weeks.

For Emery's Hall 6 and the allied Hall 9, this exam felt particularly significant. As top-ranking halls, their scenario was anything but easy. Both halls would be thrown into battles against overwhelming odds: tens of thousands of savage orcs and Magus-level elves. But unlike previous exams, this time the halls would be forced to operate separately—each fighting the same scenario but isolated from one another.