As soon as I walked through the main entrance, I was immediately engulfed by a crowd of students. There were dozens of them, maybe more. Boys, girls, different nationalities, different Quirky. Some seemed confident, others nervously shuffled in place and spent the last few minutes repeating their notes.
At first glance, it was clear that they had not come here by chance. They were all the best in their countries, or at least they thought so. I just followed the stream of people to the huge hall where registration was taking place. After checking my documents, I was given a candidate number and a map of the campus. Finally, one of the organizers directed me to the classroom.
When I walked in, I immediately noticed several dozen students sitting at desks. A huge screen hung above the blackboard.
It was counting down to ten minutes. I sat down in the back row and looked around. The nervousness was almost palpable. Some were reviewing math formulas. Others were reading notes on the history of heroes. One of the boys next to me looked like he was going to throw up at any moment.
"So this is the scary part of the admissions process."
"Written tests are a surprisingly effective selection method." Agrona spoke up.
"Says a creature several thousand years old."
"That's exactly why."
"Fair."
The countdown has swung to zero.
The door opened, and several teachers entered the classroom. There was an immediate silence. The tests were handed out within a few minutes. Then the signal was given to begin.
And I turned the first page.
...
I just stared in silence for a while.
Then I turned the other page.
And third.
And the fourth.
"Is that it?"
"Yes."
"These are the admissions forms for the best hero school in the world?"
"Yes."
"I could do this at twelve."
"Yes."
I had to fight myself not to laugh. Over the next half hour, I completed the entire test. Then I checked my answers again. And then spent another sixty minutes pretending to do some more math. I didn't want to be the weird person who turned in their work in twenty minutes. That would draw unnecessary attention.
When it was finally over, most of the students looked like they had just left the war.
I just stretched my back.
"If the practical part is as easy as that, I'll start to get offended."
"I doubt it." I nodded.
Me too.
A few dozen minutes later we stood in front of the gigantic gate leading to the practical part. This time the atmosphere was completely different.
Nervousness.
Voltage.
Expectation.
Everyone knew that this was where the decision would be made.
Not in the classroom, but in combat. Just as I expected. A familiar man appeared on the giant screen. Blonde hair, sunglasses, smile.
Present Mic.
"YEAH! WELCOME FUTURE HEROES!" His voice literally shook the entire room. Several students even flinched.
"I can hear that person even through the protective barriers," Agron remarked.
"Now I understand why he's a hero."
Present Mic began explaining the rules.
Points for destroying robots, time limit, no attacking other students. Basically exactly what I expected. Then the massive gates opened. And dozens of students rushed forward.
I remained standing.
"Aren't you going?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because everyone else is running."
Agrona was silent for a few seconds. "Ah."
Five seconds later, a huge crowd formed in front of the gate. A few people even fell. Exactly as I expected. Only then did I step forward. With a calm step, without haste, without stress