Inside the Training Ground
A mechanical voice echoed through the training ground.
Voice: "QUESTION NUMBER ONE." 😑
A question appeared on the machine.
Question:
A man lives on the 10th floor but only takes the elevator to the 7th floor and walks the rest of the way upstairs—unless it's raining. Why?
Everyone: "WHAT THE...?!" 😶
Guard 1: "That's one of the hardest questions!" 😱
The assistant glanced nervously at Noel.
Assistant: "It's okay. You don't have to—"
Noel: "I know the answer." 😤
Assistant: "Really?" 😶
Noel: "Yeah."
She confidently stepped onto the first stone.
Noel: "He's short."
"He can only reach the seventh-floor button."
"But when it's raining, he uses his umbrella to press the tenth-floor button." 😏
Voice: "CORRECT ANSWER." 😑
Suddenly, a second stone appeared.
Noel stepped onto it with a cheerful smile. 😁
Everyone: "WHAT?! SHE GOT IT RIGHT?!" 😱
Guard 2: "SHE SOLVED THE FIRST QUESTION!"
Assistant (thinking): Who... WHO EXACTLY IS THIS WOMAN?! 😱
He stared at Noel as though she'd just revealed that she was secretly the Demon King.
Meanwhile, Noel looked perfectly relaxed.
Noel: "What's next?" 😁
Assistant (thinking): PLEASE DON'T ASK THAT SO HAPPILY! 😭
The machine made another sound.
Voice: "QUESTION NUMBER TWO." 😑
---
Question Number Two: The Fish Problem
A new question appeared.
Question:
A fish's head is 3 centimetres long. Its tail is the same length as its head plus half the body. The body is as long as the head and tail together. How long is the fish?
Everyone: "WAIT... THAT'S MATH?!" 😱
Guard 3: "WHY IS THERE MATH IN A TRAINING TEST?!" 😭
Guard 4: "I CAME HERE TO WATCH SOMEONE LIFT ROCKS!" 😫
The assistant looked at the question and swallowed nervously.
Assistant (thinking): Even I need a moment to solve this...
He turned toward Noel.
She had closed her eyes.
Assistant (thinking): Oh, no. She's given up already...
But after a few seconds, Noel opened her eyes.
Noel: "24 centimetres." 😁
Everyone: "HUH?!" 😶
Noel raised one finger.
Noel: "The head is 3 cm."
"The tail is 3 cm plus half the body."
"And the body is as long as the head and tail combined."
"So the body is 12 cm, and the tail is 9 cm."
"3 + 12 + 9 = 24 centimetres!" 😁
Voice: "CORRECT ANSWER." 😑
Everyone: "😱😱😱"
Guard 1: "SHE GOT IT RIGHT AGAIN?!"
Guard 2: "IS SHE REALLY HUMAN?!"
Guard 3: "I BET SHE'S A ROYAL ALPHA!" 😱
Guard 4: "THEN WHY DOES SHE ACT LIKE A VILLAGE IDIOT?!" 😭
Guard 3: "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?!" 😭
Noel happily stepped onto the third stone.
Noel: "One more!" 😁
The assistant wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Assistant (thinking): Two questions solved.
Two impossible answers.
And now there's only one left...
He stared at the final question slot.
Assistant (thinking): PLEASE LET THIS BE THE END. 😭
---
Question Number Three: The Glass Puzzle
Voice: "QUESTION NUMBER THREE." 😑
The final question appeared.
Question:
Five glasses are placed in a row. The first three contain water, and the last two contain poison. By moving only one glass, arrange them so that no two glasses containing water are next to each other.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Everyone: "..." 😶
Then—
Guard 2: "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" 😱
Guard 5: "HOW CAN YOU SEPARATE THREE GLASSES OF WATER WITH ONLY ONE MOVE?!" 😭
Guard 3: "I'M GLAD I'M NOT THE ONE TAKING THIS TEST!" 😮💨
The assistant looked at Noel sympathetically.
Assistant: "You can take your time. There's no need to rush." 😅
Noel stared at the question.
Then she smiled.
Noel: "Easy." 😏
Everyone: "..." 😶
Assistant (thinking): WHY DOES SHE KEEP SAYING THAT?!
Noel pointed toward the glasses.
Noel: "Pick up the second glass and pour its water into the fourth glass."
"Then put the now-empty second glass back in its original position."
"That way, the water will be in the first, third, and fourth glasses? Wait—no, the fourth already contained poison, so the puzzle's wording needs to mean the contents can be transferred without mixing the poison."
She paused, reconsidered the arrangement, and gave a little shrug.
Noel: "Actually, if the fourth glass contains poison, pouring water into it would mix the contents. So that solution only works if the puzzle allows the poison to be ignored." 😅
Everyone: "..."
Assistant: "..."
Guard 1: "DID SHE JUST CORRECT THE TEST?!"
Guard 2: "SHE FOUND A PROBLEM WITH THE QUESTION!" 😱
The machine remained silent for several seconds.
Everyone waited.
Voice: "CORRECT ANSWER." 😑
Everyone: "WHAT?!" 😱😱😱
Assistant (thinking): THE MACHINE ACCEPTED THAT?!
Before anyone could ask another question, the mechanical voice continued.
Voice: "CONGRATULATIONS."
"YOU HAVE CLEARED THE CHALLENGE."
"AS YOUR REWARD..."
A pause.
Voice: "YOU WILL RECEIVE THE SWORD OF THE ASMODIS KING." 😑
Everyone: "WHAT?!?!" 😱
Suddenly, a hidden compartment opened in the wall.
A magnificent sword slowly rose into the air.
Its polished blade shimmered beneath the sunlight, while intricate designs decorated its hilt.
The entire training ground fell silent.
Noel walked forward and carefully took the sword.
She tilted her head, examining it with curiosity.
Noel: "Oh..." 😶
The blade sparkled brilliantly in her hands.
Everyone: "WOW..." 🤩✨
Guard 1: "IT'S THE SWORD OF THE ASMODIS KING!"
Guard 2: "I THOUGHT THAT SWORD WAS ONLY A LEGEND!" 😱
Guard 3: "SHE SOLVED THREE QUESTIONS AND GOT A LEGENDARY SWORD?!"
Guard 4: "I'VE BEEN TRAINING FOR TEN YEARS AND MY BIGGEST REWARD WAS A NEW PAIR OF BOOTS!" 😭
Guard 5: "AT LEAST YOU GOT BOOTS! I GOT A HEADACHE!" 😭
The assistant stood completely motionless.
He had expected Noel to struggle with the tests.
Instead, she had lifted a boulder, climbed a rope like it was nothing, and challenged the logic of a supposedly legendary puzzle machine.
And now she was holding a sword that most soldiers would never even get to see.
Assistant (thinking): I need to report this to the commander.
No... wait.
WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO TELL HIM?! 😭
Noel raised the sword slightly, admiring its shine.
Noel: "It's so pretty." 😁✨
Everyone: "..."
Guard 2 (whispering): "We really thought she was a Beta."
Guard 3: "Speak for yourself. I never said that." 😎
Guard 2: "YOU WERE THE FIRST ONE TO BET ON IT!"
Guard 3: "I DON'T KNOW THAT MAN!" 😤
While the guards argued, Noel continued examining her new sword.
She had absolutely no idea that she'd just turned an ordinary training assessment into the most unbelievable event of the day.
And somewhere else in the palace...
Aaron was about to discover that sending Noel to training might have been the biggest mistake of his life.
To be continued...