The entire arena fell into a heavy silence, waiting for the announcer to explain the exam to them. The silence was only shattered once more by the booming voice of the announcer, amplified by the glowing magic cube hovering before his mouth.
"The Demon Slayer Academy entrance exam is divided into two segments," he declared, his tone sharp and precise. "The first is the Magic Energy Assessment Test, and the second is the Combat Test."
As the announcer's voice echoed through the arena, ripples of murmurs moved through the crowd as candidates exchanged looks. Some nodded in understanding, while others whispered nervously.
Jericho furrowed his brow. He was unfamiliar with how the exam worked and was confused.
"Segments?" he asked, confused. "How does that work?" he asked Cody.
Cody gave a short chuckle and proceeded to explain. "The Magic Energy Assessment Test checks how well you can control your mana, while the combat aspect tests your combat abilities."
Jericho nodded in understanding, his expression growing serious. He clenched his fist, narrowing his eyes with focus.
"I have to pass this exam," he muttered under his breath. "Then I'll be one step closer to getting my revenge on the demons."
The announcer's voice echoed once again through the cube, catching the attention of all the candidates.
"Without any further delay, let the first segment begin. Each of you will be provided with a magic broom. Your task is to infuse it with your magic energy and make it fly."
As soon as he finished explaining the test, the announcer raised one hand high into the air. His palm glowed with a soft green light, pulsing with magic energy.
Then a sudden rumble echoed through the arena floor, prompting all the candidates to look at the source of the sound.
Before their eyes, the center of the stone ground cracked open, and from within the fissures, a massive tree erupted upward, growing rapidly before the stunned candidates.
Then from the branches of the tree, dozens of magic brooms began to materialize. The announcer waved his hand, and in an instant, the magic brooms began to break free and fly toward the gathered candidates.
Each broom landed gently into the hands of its assigned participant, guided effortlessly by the announcer's magic. Jericho looked down at the broom now resting in his grip, a fire of determination burning in his eyes.
The announcer waved his hand once more, and before their eyes, the massive tree began to shrink. Its trunk curled in on itself, and the branches folded like petals. In seconds, the large tree vanished into the stone floor as if it had never existed.
"Now that you've all received a magic broom," the announcer declared, "you may begin the test."
Immediately the words left the announcer's mouth, all the candidates across the arena sprang into action. One by one, they all began to rise from the ground, levitating effortlessly through the air.
Dozens of candidates from all five races soared into the air, each riding a broom tailored to their size and nature.
The Giants were given enormous, reinforced brooms that were massive enough to hold their weight, while the other races received standard-sized ones that responded to their magic touch.
Within seconds, the sky above the arena was buzzing with movement. Candidates from every race flew through the air, some gliding smoothly, others wobbling uncertainly. A few soared higher than the rest, already drawing murmurs from the watching crowd.
Jericho turned the broom around, examining it from top to bottom. He was unsure of how to fly it.
"Having trouble?" Cody asked, standing nearby with his broom already in position, ready to launch.
Jericho glanced at Cody. "Yeah," he said, still trying to figure out how to get it off the ground. "I've never flown a magic broom before."
Cody gave a warm smile and proceeded to explain the process to Jericho. "It's actually not that hard. All you have to do is focus and channel your magic energy from your body into the broom. Once you do that, it'll fly on its own."
Cody placed his broom on the ground and stepped on it. He began channeling his magic energy from his body into the broom, and just as he had explained to Jericho, the broom began to levitate off the ground.
"But here's the thing, the brooms work with your magic energy, so how high you go depends on how much magic energy you have," Cody said as he soared through the air effortlessly.
Jericho nodded slowly, understanding what Cody had explained. "So basically, the stronger your magic energy, the higher you fly."
"Exactly," Cody said and flew up even higher.
Jericho placed the broom carefully on the ground, and after taking a deep breath, he stepped onto it.
The moment his foot touched the broom, a familiar shimmer flickered in front of his eyes. His system screen popped up before his eyes again, hovering silently in the air.
"This broom requires magic energy to operate. However, you do not possess magic energy. What you possess is classified as Divine Energy."
[ Would you like to temporarily convert your Divine Energy into Magic Energy?]
Jericho blinked, narrowing his eyes slightly as he read the message.
"Divine energy?" he murmured. Confusion flashed across his face, he had never heard of it before.
"Is that a different type of energy?" he asked himself, but quickly shifted his focus to the other part of the displayed message. "Well… if I can convert it and still fly this thing, then it doesn't matter."
He steadied his breath and nodded, then made a decision. "Yes, I would like to convert my divine energy to magic energy."
After making his decision, the system screen vanished with a soft pulse of light.
A moment later, Jericho felt a warmth build in his chest. A gentle surge of power rushed through him, flowing from his body into the broom beneath his feet.
As Jericho's energy flowed into the broom, it began to vibrate faintly beneath his feet. The broom began to levitate, lifting his body gently from the ground.
"See?" Cody called out from nearby, effortlessly hovering in place. "It's easy once you get the hang of it. Just relax and let your energy flow through you."
"This is amazing," Jericho grinned widely as he hovered in place.
Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of the arena, Jericho spotted a boy with white hair standing alone with his broom still in his hand. He hadn't even attempted to fly yet. The boy had long, pointed ears, which identified him as an elf.
The boy placed his broom on the ground with a casual motion, then calmly tucked his hands into his pockets as he stepped onto it. Without any visible effort, he launched himself into the air.
In a blink, he shot upward with immense speed, leaving a trail of shimmering energy in his wake. His speed and swiftness attracted gasps from the nearby candidates, and within seconds, he flew past everyone and rose to the very peak of the arena's open sky.
Murmurs quickly erupted amongst the candidates. All of them were impressed by how much magic energy the boy had.
"Whoa, his magic energy reserve must be enormous to fly that high," one boy said, clearly impressed by the boy's performance.
"He didn't even try. He just stepped on and took off like it was nothing," another said in total awe.
"That guy's awesome," Jericho admitted. "Look at how high he is, and he's not even breaking a sweat."
"That's not just talent," Cody said, stepping up beside Jericho. His eyes were fixed on the white-haired boy in the sky. "He's an Elf. They're naturally blessed by nature, and all of them have enormous magic energy reserves."
Cody crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly. "But even then… that's not normal. He's got to be a noble. Honestly, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was royalty."
"Why do you say that?" Jericho asked, eyes still fixed on the figure hovering above them.
Cody kept his eyes on the boy. "Because royals don't take the entrance exam." He paused, his voice lowering slightly. "They're admitted directly into the academy. So if he's here, that means he's not a royal."
Before Jericho could ask any more questions, the announcer's voice boomed once again from the glowing cube above.
"All candidates, please safely land your brooms immediately." The voice echoed across the arena, snapping everyone's attention back to the test.
All around the arena, candidates began descending from the sky. Some landed smoothly, touching down with practiced ease, while others wobbled slightly, their brooms dipping and jerking before finally hitting the ground with an awkward thud.
The announcer's voice echoed through the arena once more, drawing the attention of everyone.
"We will now proceed to the second phase of the entrance exam, the combat segment." He paused for a moment and continued. "In this round, each of you will choose an opponent from among the candidates present. You are to engage in one-on-one combat with whoever you choose to demonstrate your fighting ability."
A low murmur swept through the arena again as candidates began glancing around, sizing each other up.
"We have to choose our opponents?" Jericho asked, his eyes scanning the crowd.
"Yeah," Cody replied with a grin. "It's the most important part of the exam." He cracked his knuckles with excitement. "The trick is to pick someone weaker than you if you want to pass easily." Then he added, eyes gleaming with reckless confidence, "But this is my favorite part. I'm going to find the strongest guy here and fight him."
"You talk like you've taken the exam before," Jericho said, raising an eyebrow.
Cody gave a small laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, I have. I've taken the exam twice now." His grin faded just slightly. "I failed both times, but it doesn't matter. I've been training nonstop to come back stronger and finally pass."
"Wow... this guy's really enthusiastic," Jericho thought to himself, glancing at Cody with a mix of surprise and respect. "If I had failed the exam twice, I'm not sure I'd have the guts to come back a third time."
"Alright then, time to go find my opponent!" Cody said with a burst of energy before striding confidently into the crowd.
Jericho watched as Cody ran off to find a powerful opponent, then took a deep breath. "If I want to pass this exam... I'll have to find someone weak enough to beat."
Just as he was scanning the candidates and considering his options, he felt a firm tap on his shoulder. As Jericho turned to see who it was, his heart sank. It was the same Fishman from earlier, the one who had tried to attack him before the test began.
The Fishman stood tall, his arms crossed and gills flaring slightly with each breath. A smug smirk curled across his face as he looked down at Jericho.
"Looks like it's just you and me left, human," he said, his tone thick with mockery. "Guess that means you'll be my opponent."
Jericho quickly scanned the arena, his eyes darting from group to group. Everywhere he looked, he found that everyone had already picked their opponents.
Even Cody, who had just walked off moments ago, was now grinning across from a muscular elf.
The Fishman placed a heavy hand on Jericho's shoulder, with a deadly smile curling across his face.
"Not this guy again," Jericho thought, a flicker of frustration passing through him. "Well... I guess I don't have a choice. Looks like I'll have to fight him."