The number of enrollees eliminated during this phase of the Trials would be minimal. Only rare instances of drop-outs and failures on both parts of the tests would warrant elimination. As results were announced on the day of the Trials, each enrollee would return to their place of rest to await the letters that would reveal their status for the final phase of the Trials: the Entrance Tournament.
Enrollees would be tested on their physical abilities such as endurance, strength, and dexterity. This trial also allows the proctors to observe how the new students would handle a variety of situations ranging from hunting monsters to humanoid combat.
It is said that throughout the challenges, scores will be given out to the enrollees, but the system put in place for the scores is kept a secret from the enrollees. This creates a fog of confusion amongst our peers as folks wouldn't know which action is accounted for and which isn't. The thick tension looming over our heads resulted in a string of alliances, various levels of distrust, and bands of lone wolves scattered about the grace period for the tournament. I was one of the latter.
I had a thought of teaming up with Mick, the previous man I met during the magical trials, but I was not able to find him anywhere on campus and within the city. Given without choice, I had to trust my own instincts and use the rest of my downtime to train.
What makes this trial the hardest to complete is the fact that the challenge does not depend on innate talent or studious capability but instead heavily relies on an individual's skill and partially luck. Miss Maryanne warned me that even the proctors would have no clue as to what the challenges were lined up for this batch of enrollees, as the list was treated like a guild board, unpredictable yet always challenging.
So I spent my days without another book in sight and only focused on my physical training with Esshiek. I aimed to improve my stamina, so I carried rocks and other heavy loads as I ran across the city. I looked to improving my strength, so push-ups weren't enough. I took to the forest to train with the heaviest boulder I could find.
My time with Esshiek had essentially doubled with the amount of sparring and training I had asked for. Neither Esshiek nor I chose to stop until we could feel our lungs squeezing what little air was left within our persons.
I had been training from the moment the faintest hint of light appeared over the mountain tops until the night enveloped the forest in complete darkness. Bandages began to wrap my hands, not only to hide the calluses forming in my palms but also to help with the increasing number of cuts and scars on my hands. The pain wasn't an obstacle, but merely a reminder to keep going. I can't stop. Not now. Not that I've reached this far.
Within the third day of the grace period, a familiar sound had come from under my door. I did not need to read nor guess what it was, as this letter could only mean one thing. It was time.
Enrollees were gathered once more. This time, the venue was something more grand and less private. We had been told to gather near the northern gate of the city. At first glance, it would have been confusing as to why we had to gather at a venue that was quite far from the main campus building. However, all the confusion was swiftly swept away upon our arrival.
Pennants stretched across buildings, hovering over the streets in a colorful display. Children and adults gathered around the edges of the road, some gathering within their houses as they peeked over the windows, and I had even seen some who were daring enough to watch the current tournament from atop the battlements, peeking over the gaps in between the stone covers. Street vendors also lined the streets, yelling at the top of their lungs to grab any attention among the loud ambience of the crowd that had shown up to watch the enrollees.
While I had wondered why the citizens of the city came to watch, a familiar hand slapped me on the back while we walked towards the gate.
"You look like you've had a stick shoved up your ass. Lighten up! It's the Entrance Tournament!" Mick laughed as he walked with me.
"That I know, but why the crowd? I thought this was just an academy thing?" I asked, my eyes darting around at the lively ambience that surrounded the group of students.
"It used to be, but people started to treat the Entrance Tournament not only as a way to entertain themselves but also to see some potential heroes! It's like a play come alive for many of the people here," Mick explained.
"How else would you know about some of the names of legendary soon-to-be heroes and icons?" he added, pointing up at the sky towards a familiar sight of Miss Maryanne flying way up in the sky with her arms raised, waving towards the crowd and casting a few spells to create these colorful explosions to further add on to the pile of excitement.
"Oh right since you're finally here. Mind if we team up?" I finally had the chance to ask, considering how stealthy this roguish individual was.
"Oh yeah? I'd be honored to be partied with a unit like you!" Mick responded with a smile and a thumbs up.
Now that Mick pointed out Miss Maryanne, my eyes darted towards the space in front-- or at least what I could see from the thick line of my peers-- and I was audience to the line of observers from the first day of the Trials. Standing alongside Prince Lawrence were the rest of the faces of Solus, minus Miss Maryanne, who was still feeding into the excitement up above. They all had proud smiles across their faces, some even enjoying the festivities more than they should be as Esshiek was seen in the back with Master Oberus snacking away at the various sticks of meat and buckets of sweets they had purchased for themselves.
As the last of the enrollees gathered at the wide space in front of the northern gate, the crowd began to calm to a faint murmur between peers. As the quiet began to settle, Prince Lawrence walked up on the stage they had readied for this event and stood behind a podium. Miss Maryanne would finally settle down beside him and hand him a crystalline device. As it settled within the palm of the prince, he began to speak.
"To all the enrollees that have joined us for today, you have done well to get this far!" he speaks, his voice clearly heard amongst the people as if he were speaking right in front of us. "However, it is time for the true test. Welcome to the Entrance Tournament!" he added, and as soon as he announced the welcome, the crowd exploded in cheers, yet the prince continued to speak.
"This year will be something special. The king has allowed the academy to work alongside the Chromatic Guild to plan the challenges for this year's tournament." As he spoke, a half-lion man dressed in a beautiful green tailcoat walked up next to the prince, who was followed by men and women from various species wearing the same uniform.
In each of their hands were carefully rolled up scrolls with seals resting carefully on top of large wooden trays. There seemed to be a scroll enough for each of the enrollees present. However, one individual seemed to be carrying something different. Instead of having a tray of scrolls, they had a tray of what seemed to be silver coins. Curious.
"Each student will be given a quest. You are expected to complete these quests within a week. You will be given starting supplies, but these are only enough for the whole week and some emergency kits for a couple of days. If you prepared your own supplies, they can be brought with you to these quests. These quests will involve a monster, but rest assured, they are safe enough not to risk the lives of your peers. However," he said as he walked over to the individual carrying a tray of silver coins. He picked one up to showcase it to the crowd. At that moment, Miss Maryanne cast a spell in his direction, conjuring a crystalline mirror in the air to better display the coin for those who were too far away from the front of the stage.
"These are protection badges. In the case of imminent danger, any student with these badges can flow lifeblood into the item, and it would create a protective shield." As he announced it, the coin would then begin to glow and shatter into a small pile of metal within his hand. Within a split second of doing so, the prince was then locked within a sphere of translucent hexagonal patterns. This pattern was more apparent when the light reflected off its surface, showing off a swirl of many colors.
However, the admiration for the spell came to an abrupt end when the prince was suddenly lifted up into the air, and as if a strange force were moving him along, he flew towards the center of the space we were standing in and slowly floated down before the bubble popped and he was free again.
With a quick bow, he would speak once more.
"You will then be brought back here behind the gates, where you will be tended to by our medics and healers. However, if you do decide to use the badge, proctors will first verify if you have or have not completed your quest before your scores will be finalized and written on the nearby leaderboard." He would point towards the large tents with a line of clerics and medical aid on standby, as well as the large wooden board with paper pasted onto its face.
"You can use the badge to return quickly after a quest completion, but we highly suggest returning through the gates on foot, as it would be considered a full completion, and you will be awarded for doing so." he continued as he started to walk back towards the stage. As he did so, he gestured at the lion man and his peers to move towards the group, where the quests and badges would be handed over towards each of the enrollees.
"You are able to form parties, which also extends to being able to help one another on your quests. So always reach a helping hand to those who need it!" he added.
As the prince stood by the podium once more, he looked over at the group of enrollees who were showing off their excitement, but some were also obviously nervous about their quests. With the quest and badge in hand, I quickly pocketed the badge for safekeeping and decided to keep my quest closed for now. I decided to save it until I was beyond those gates.
As the last of the quests were handed out, a loud screeching of metal began to echo. Wood and metal began to scrape against the rocks and brick that lined the walls. As the gates rest with one last groan, the prince would speak once more.
"With the quests and badges distributed and the gates are open, I am proud to announce that the Entrance Tournament has officially begun! Good luck, and may the light of Enes be with you!"
As soon as the prince announced the start, the enrollees began exiting the city in waves. Scattering about within the forests in groups or singles. The crowd behind us began to cheer proudly for each student. Every single individual cheering for a different party or person. However as their cheers began to fade as I had joined the crowd of parties that scattered within the wood.
With Mick leading the charge into the wood, I started to open mine up as well, officially starting the quest for the one true test within this Trial.