Seth had been worried about Amon for a long time.
Normally, when one formed a bond with their celestial dragon, a deep white core automatically formed.
During the ten years before the academy, it was very easy to evolve one's core to yellow or even orange.
Although rare, having an orange core was still possible, as even Seth could notice a few youths with such a color.
Unfortunately, his son was… different.
Since Amon had formed a bond with his celestial dragon, his core had remained white all these years with no sign of improving.
Unable to shake off his worry, Seth could only watch as the future played out.
No matter what happened, Amon would have his full support.
"Not necessarily," Seth finally replied to Gable with a laugh.
Gable's eyes bulged slightly. "Did you discover anything related to that secret?"
Hearing Gable's words, Seth simply gave a teasing smirk and didn't reply.
Instead, he turned to Amon. "Well then, my boy. This is goodbye for now. Go and join your mates for the entrance examination."
"Okay, Dad," Amon nodded, then bid his mother farewell.
He and Vela remained talking for a few more minutes before he finally, and reluctantly, left for there.
…
Amon's eyes fell on the group of youths who were of similar age to him.
They numbered up to a thousand, each one with a different appearance.
However, more than seven noticeable figures made Amon's body tense instinctively.
'Interesting,' Amon mused, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Under the gazes of a few youths, he quietly joined the line of gifted ones.
To think that the more than one thousand people here possessed all sorts of unique gifts.
Amon was impressed at the thought, internally curious about what kinds of gifts existed.
His eyes shifted from the students to an upper platform where his father and Gable were walking toward.
There, on the platform, he noticed more than thirty people gathered.
They appeared to be around his father's age, and he felt a dreadful pressure leaking from them even as they casually sat and chatted.
Amon knew these people were far stronger than him in strength.
And in their celestial gifts.
Curiosity stirred in his heart. After all, for one to reach such heights, their celestial gift had to be extremely unique.
More than thirty unique celestial gifts?
Amon's eyes continued scanning everything.
Perhaps due to his cold, indifferent expression and scrutinizing eyes, none of the students approached him to start a conversation.
A few hours went by, and along the line, a few more spaceships landed, bringing with them many more youths.
Finally, a middle-aged man with a professional smile stepped onto the platform under the watchful gaze of the crowd.
His imposing presence made the noise die down the moment he ascended.
Silence reigned in the ship as all the students looked on with rapt attention.
The man opened his mouth to address the youths.
"Welcome to the Behemoth Academy.
"To fully enter into the academy, there are three entrance examinations. The first is a test of one's individual strength. To attain full marks, you need to kill one hundred feral beasts, or ten awakened beasts, or one spirit beast. You have to achieve this under a time limit, and after the time limit elapses, your score will be automatically recorded."
Shock rippled through the students, and Amon noticed a few youths turning pale at the harshness of the exam.
"A spirit beast? Is anyone even capable of killing a spirit beast at our level?" a youth exclaimed in shock, believing the academy just wanted them all to despair.
Others nodded and lost hope in the first examination, shifting their attention back to the middle-aged man.
"To enter the Behemoth Academy, a total of one hundred and fifty points is required. The second examination is a test of one's core, while the third is a test of one's strongest attack. The explanation will be given when the time arrives. But for now… have fun."
After he finished speaking, the instructor gave a polite bow toward the youths.
Before they could react, the ground beneath them caved in and they all fell.
As soon as the students dropped, the place closed back up and a leaderboard appeared like a holographic display in the sky.
At the same time, several screens appeared, numbering up to seven and displaying the scenes of what was happening inside the trial to the instructors.
Everyone watched with curiosity and discussions sprung up among them.
"Who do you think will be the topper of this year's entrance test?" an instructor with blue hair asked the others gathered around him.
"It's unknown for now. But there's a high chance it'll be Helena."
At the mention of Helena's name, a few instructors nodded, feeling it was a likely possibility.
"What do you guys know?" another man sneered. "Lukas isn't inferior to Helena in the slightest and will definitely emerge victorious."
The instructors turned to him, and one laughed in disdain.
"How shameless of you to praise your son so much."
"Exactly because he's my son, that's why I know the true extent of his strength," the instructor refuted.
Seth, who was seated with Gable, didn't pay attention to the crowd's discussion.
His eyes remained fixed on the screen in front of him.
The leaderboard displayed only the top twenty names, and for now Amon wasn't among them yet.
Seth tapped his hand rhythmically on the table filled with refreshments as he waited for the outcome, a faint trace of worry clouding his expression.
…
ARRRRRGGGGGGHHHH
A loud scream entered Amon's ears, followed by another.
Not expecting the situation, the youths were filled with fear and panic.
Meanwhile, Amon stayed calm about the whole situation.
His eyes scanned his surroundings and he noticed they were falling toward an ocean.
The ocean was so vast he couldn't see the end of it, but even from midair he could already catch faint hints of beasts moving within it.
Amon stared at the ocean for a moment, forming a plan on how to complete the entrance examination in the shortest time possible.
However, Amon suddenly realized something.
He didn't know how to swim.
Amon was dumbfounded at the realization.
In both his past life and this one, he had never learned how to swim.
Amon's expression changed drastically, and for the first time he began to panic.
He tried to stabilize himself midair, but it was already too late.
At the speed he was plummeting, he would hit the water in no time.
Amon struggled for a bit , but it was all to no avail.
With a plop, he crashed into the ocean with a loud splash.
Amon felt as though he had dropped into a different world entirely as the chill spread throughout his body.
His hands flailed as he tried to stabilize himself.
Unable to swim, he could only let himself be swept by the water's current to wherever it dragged him.
'Damn. Damn. Damn,' Amon cursed repeatedly in his heart.