[MAIN QUEST UNLOCKED: Rise From Nothing]
[Description:]
You are the family embarrassment. The poisoned weakling. The disappointment who should have died quietly.
But you survived. You recovered. You made it here despite everything.
Now prove you belong.
[Objectives:]
•Pass the Physical Combat Trial (0/1)
•Pass the Magical Aptitude Trial (0/1)
•Pass the Strategic Thinking Trial (0/1)
•Achieve Ranking: Top 500 of all candidates (Current: Unranked)
•Hidden Objective: ??? (Locked - Conditions not met)
[Rewards:]
•Academy Admission (Required for continued progression)
•EXP: 1000
•Skill Evolution: ???
•Title: Academy Student
•Hidden Reward: ??? (Dependent on final ranking)
[Failure Conditions:]
•Fail any single trial Ranking below 500th place Death (reminder: don't)
[Note: This is your chance. Don't waste it.]
I stared at the quest window, my mind racing.
Three trials. Physical, magical, strategic.
And a ranking system that required me to place in the top 500 out of... how many thousands of candidates were here?
Plus a hidden objective I couldn't even see yet.
And if I failed any single trial, everything was over.
No pressure. Just my entire future riding on not fucking up.
"Jin? You coming?" Kyle was a few steps ahead, looking back with concern.
I dismissed the notification and followed.
The main hall was enormous, a massive chamber with vaulted ceilings and rows of stone benches arranged in a semicircle facing a central platform. Candidates flooded in, filling the space with nervous energy and the sound of hundreds of conversations.
I found a spot near Kyle, my ribs protesting as I sat on the hard stone bench.
Around us, candidates continued to pour in. The silver-haired girl I'd noticed earlier sat alone several rows away. The massive guy in plate armor took up an entire bench by himself. Marcus and Adrian positioned themselves in a group of nobles, all of them shooting occasional glares in my direction.
Make that enemies before the exam even starts. Smart, Jin. Really smart.
The doors slammed shut with an echoing boom.
Instructor Aldwin stepped onto the central platform, his voice magically amplified to fill every corner of the hall.
"Welcome, candidates, to the Royal Academy Entrance Examination."
Silence. Complete silence. Three thousand people holding their breath.
"Over the next two days, you will face trials designed to test your combat ability, magical aptitude, strategic thinking, and mental fortitude. These trials will push you to your limits. Many of you will fail."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"The Academy accepts only the best. Only those who demonstrate not just skill, but potential. Character. The will to improve."
His gaze swept across the assembled candidates.
"The first trial begins in one hour. Physical Combat. You will face opponents of varying difficulty in single elimination matches. Win, and you advance. Lose, and you're done."
Single elimination. One loss and I'm out.
"Following Combat will be Magical Aptitude, testing your capacity for magic and ability to learn and apply techniques under pressure."
Kyle leaned over and whispered, "See? I told you there'd be magic stuff."
"Finally," Aldwin continued, "the Strategic Thinking Trial will test your ability to analyze, plan, and execute under impossible conditions."
He raised his hand, and a massive board appeared behind him, hovering in the air—names and numbers filling it in glowing text.
"Your performance will be ranked. The top 500 candidates will be admitted to the Academy. Places 501 through 1000 will be placed on a waiting list. Everyone below 1000..."
He didn't finish the sentence. Didn't need to.
"You have one hour to prepare. Use the time wisely. Eat. Stretch. Pray to whatever gods you believe in." A cold smile crossed his face. "You'll need all the help you can get."
"Dismissed."
The hall erupted into chaos, candidates surging to their feet, some heading for the doors, others clustering in groups to strategize.
Kyle turned to me, his expression serious for the first time since I'd met him. "You ready for this?"
I checked my status one more time.
[Status]
Name: Jin Raith
Age: 17
Class: Debugger
Level: 4
EXP: 0/550
Rank: F
MC (Mana Capacity): 11/50
HP: 158/200
MP: 65/65
STR: 11
VIT: 9
INT: 45
WIS: 38
AGI: 9
LUK: 15
Allocation Points: 0
Active Skill: Debug Vision
Passive Skills: Poison Resistance (Intermediate - 67%), Social Engineering, Alchemy (Basic)
Combat Style: Adaptive Blade Style (Basic) [Proficiency: 6.4%]
Ready?
No. Not even close.
But I didn't have a choice.
"Let's go," I said.
Kyle grinned, his optimism returning full force. "That's the spirit! Come on, let's find somewhere to warm up!"
We pushed through the crowd toward the exit.
One hour until the Physical Combat Trial.
One hour until I found out if eighteen months of desperate training and a system-generated sword style were enough.
One hour until everything either worked or fell apart completely.
The quest notification blinked one more time before fading.
[Rise From Nothing - Active]
[Trial One: Physical Combat]
[Time Until Start: 59:47]
Here we go.
No turning back now.