Another goblin pierced Aiden's chest. Blood spilled from his mouth.
He staggered back, on the verge of losing consciousness. But just then, a familiar magic circle lit up beneath his feet. In the blink of an eye, Aiden was teleported.
When he came to his senses, he found himself lying on the ground of the Illusion Hall. His injuries were completely healed, though a misty fog clouded his vision. Suddenly, a chair appeared in front of him.
"Sit in the chair," a voice instructed.
Aiden looked around, but saw no one. Hesitantly, he sat down.
Ten minutes passed. Then, a massive screen—eight or nine feet wide and nearly four meters tall—materialized before him.
"The practical exam is over," the voice said again.
Words began appearing on the screen. Aiden read them carefully and realized the exam had consisted of five rounds. A list emerged next, revealing that only one student had completed all five rounds: Calista de Wetherstone Clearwater.
Only five students had managed to finish the fourth round, and to Aiden's surprise, both Alaric and Elric were among them. 'I didn't expect them to outlast me in the illusion exam,' he thought, but the corners of his lips curled upward into a faint smile.
Scrolling further down, Aiden noticed the list didn't show the names of those who had passed only the third round.
Then, without a sound, a gate appeared behind him. He walked toward it.
Outside the hall, students began appearing one by one, as if emerging from thin air. Aiden too materialized outside. He noticed everyone's eyes were locked on a single person—some with awe, others with fear or admiration. It was none other than Calista.
When Aiden saw her, he couldn't look away. 'What is this feeling?' he wondered. 'Why can't I stop looking at her?' But he quickly suppressed those unfamiliar emotions and turned to leave.
He began to walk away, though murmurs still echoed around him. He turned once more and saw Calista's hair fluttering gently in the wind. He was momentarily stunned, forgetting where he was or what he was doing. Then, regaining his senses, he walked away—this time without turning back, his figure vanishing into the crowd.
Calista glanced around, as if searching for someone. But by the time she thought she had spotted him, Aiden had already disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Back at his dormitory, Aiden entered and immediately took a shower. He began thinking about his next exam—Physique Training Class. 'I've always thought I was in good shape... but today's results... they shook me,' he reflected. 'Maybe I'm not as prepared as I believed.' He didn't dwell on it for long.
Changing into his training clothes, he ran laps in the garden. Two hours passed before he finally stopped. After another shower, he made dinner and ate heartily. Exhausted, he went to bed early.
He didn't dream. No nightmares either. When he woke up the next morning, he felt refreshed.
After a light jog, he returned to his dorm, showered, made breakfast, and ate. Then he headed toward the exam hall.
All the students had already gathered by the time Aiden arrived. As the exam time approached, a glowing teleportation gate formed in front of them.
A deep voice echoed around the courtyard: "Enter the hall."
The students began walking toward the gate. Aiden noticed Calista beside him. Neither said a word. They stepped into the portal at the same time.
Inside, Aiden saw he had been teleported about ten meters away from her. All the students were now scattered throughout what looked like a forest.
The voice returned. "This is a marathon. You must cross the forest. On the other side lies a river. Cross the river to find the finish line. Once you do, the exam will end. The race begins in two minutes."
A glowing line appeared in front of each student. One by one, they were teleported onto the starting line.
A countdown voice began: "10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Go."
And the race began.