Arden Vale was the protagonist of this world. He had red eyes with black hair, wearing a black suit lined with golden thread and was infused with the armour made by the most renowned weaponsmith. Since he was a noble, his good looks naturally pulled people's gazes towards him wherever he went, and he had a refined aura that exhibited his potential. He was literally the most common design you could find in any game.
Lucien saw that he was already surrounded by participants, who were both amazed and curious about him. He didn't really remember how the hierarchy worked in this game and how influential Arden's parents were. The girl who sat near him ran towards Arden as if something emanated from him that attracted everyone.
Lucien's gaze slowly landed on a person near him. She had orange hair, length to her cheek, and wore a similar dress to Arden. It was Lyra Blackthorn. She was directly related to the king of Eldaria, which made her the most influential person on this ground. She was also Arden's childhood friend, who met her end in the final battle. It was sad, but she didn't really have any characteristics of her own other than following Arden and swooning over him.
The gates were still closed, and the number increased every minute. You could see elves, beastmen, and even a few dwarves in here since this was the only academy in this game.
The doors slowly opened, making the grand design inside slowly visible to the people. Arden fixed his gaze on the inside and then slowly walked; everyone followed behind him. The way was crowded as participants chatted and entered; since the gate was wide, it was able to allow them all without narrowing them.
Lucien stood there not moving before someone called out to him.
"You're in the way, move," the voice demanded sharply, the sweetness of it soured by impatience.
He moved to the side to let the person go.
White hair flowed past him like silk. It was a girl with piercing emerald eyes and a physique that screamed hard work, with hardened muscles visible even beneath her shirt.
It was Freya. Freya was also one of the most important characters in the game, who played a crucial part during the Crimson Waves chapter. She was a commoner who reached the Overlord stage and became a Shadow Reaver whose strength was in delivering stealth attacks.
She walked past him, her glance slowly landing on his pendant for a few seconds before turning back and walking forward, silent but assessing.
Lucien walked inside; they were gathered in the training hall, where everyone was waiting for the invigilators to address.
A man wearing a black robe, his hair reaching his back with a stick in his hand, took the podium as he stared at the participants. Within a few seconds, everyone stopped mumbling, and their gazes fixed on him.
"I welcome all the candidates on behalf of the Kingdom of Eldaria. I know you all must be nervous about the exam, not knowing what kind of test you are going to take," the man announced, voice ringing with formal authority.
Lucien sneered under his breath. He knew, but he still looked like a curious child and listened carefully.
"The mages of the kingdom will be opening a portal for you all to enter the Demon Realm. Do not be afraid; the places you will be sent to were already cleared and captured by our Awakeners. Only low-level monsters are in the area. You all will now be split into a team of five and enter the portal with your team. Every portal will leave you all far away from each other, and your teammates will be arranged according to the information we received on you," the mage continued, his tone practised and sure.
The students started mumbling among themselves. Those who already formed a team now stood hopeless, praying to get a stronger teammate.
"Remember that none of you have powers now. What you should all rely on is strategy and teamwork. You cannot defeat a demon alone. You have to plan and defeat them together," the mage added, voice dropping to a stern warning.
"Now to the objective. All of you will be spending a day in the Demon Realm. A team has to bring back a total of five cores. You will be automatically pulled back into the portal by the time a day has passed in that world," he concluded firmly.
Time worked differently across continents. A day they spent in the Demon Realm might not mean a day in the Human Continent. That's why they set up the portal according to the examination continent timings.
Everyone was listening very keenly. This was their make-or-break moment. Lucien was equally excited. He knew where to find the demons. There seemed to be at least 300 test takers. The academy would intake only 100 students, that too only if 100 of them passed.
There were other mages and knights, even existing students of the academy, watching this, giving tips to the people.
He went to one of the invigilators to give his name. Everyone was going to get their portal numbers.
Portals would be opened differently for each team so they wouldn't hinder the progress of another team. There would be five portals opened at once, and entering them would land each team at different places in the Demon Continent. They were usually more spread out, bigger than the human ones, so there was less chance of them meeting.
Lucien received portal number 3. He was overjoyed because the main character would also get Portal 3, so it would make it easier for him to pass.
His team number was 25, and he stood in front of the portal waiting for his teammates. After a few minutes, Freya came and stood near him.
He was surprised. He didn't remember MC crossing paths with her till the end, so why would she be here? But he quickly realised a bigger problem when Arden stood in front of portal one.
"Wait a minute… This was not how it was supposed to happen," he murmured, disbelief tightening his chest.
A girl and two guys came and stood near them.
"Let's get along well," a guy wearing a hoodie said, voice light but masking nerves as he adjusted the bow on his back.
Lucien had already taken the dagger and kept it in the hilt at the backside of his pants and hid it inside his shirt.
"Yes, please, I have good senses. I will definitely guide you all," the girl offered quickly, her tone eager and trembling faintly.
Freya nodded once, curtly, like she didn't waste words.
Another guy wearing a red shirt remained silent, giving a dismissive snort as if he didn't care what happened.
They stood in front of the portal.
Lucien did not feel sure anymore. The story did not follow the original narrative.
A wave of force pulled them inside as they walked out, feeling the hot air of the place they stepped into.
[INFERNAL COURTS, DEMON REALM]
The red sky was still, with lightning appearing often. The place was like a desert without the sand, with land having cracks and mountains standing tall in the place.
Lucien stared at the place, and an eerie feeling crept over him.
Freya stared at his horrified expression.
"Let's go," she said flatly, her eyes locking onto him with quiet expectation.
"Yes," he replied, voice low as they slowly walked towards the mountain.