The Aegis Arcane and Technical Academy (AATA) was a fortress of polished granite and cold, humming power. Its gates were vast bronze sculptures depicting the subjugation of raw elements by human intellect—a harsh metaphor that didn't escape Eun-ji.
She and Heuk-jae presented their forged documents to the bored, indifferent clerk. The Facial skill was working wonders on Heuk-jae; he looked exactly like the second son of a minor noble family—arrogant, slightly distracted, and effortlessly entitled.
Eun-ji, using her practiced aristocratic indifference, walked straight past the clerk without making eye contact. The Geomantic Regulator was secreted within the high collar of her stiff, borrowed tunic, ready for the practical stage.
The Logic Gauntlet
The first stage of the exam was held in a massive, silent chamber filled with individual, enclosed desks. The air was dry and cold. An hourglass stood beside the parchment, signaling the start of the 48-hour endurance test.
Eun-ji began the work, the patterns of Master Zai's logic already etched into her brain. She worked with ruthless efficiency, solving the geometric sequences and arcane paradoxes that would break the noble children around her.
Problem 37: The Siphoned Conduit. (Answer: Find the structural weakness and avoid the load.)
Problem 55: The Recursive Element. (Answer: It's a cyclical trap that requires a simplified variable substitution.)
She moved through the grueling hours powered by pure will, the sensory deprivation barely registering thanks to her training. Around the 30th hour, she heard the first sounds of failure—a muffled cry, the scrape of a chair, and a stern guard escorting out a weeping noble youth.
The Moral Trap
Finally, she reached the final question—Master Zai's notorious Rogue Problem. It was not a math problem or a geometric proof, but a scenario set in the language of law and resource management:
"A city is besieged, and resources are low. A commoner family of seven is discovered hoarding a week's supply of rations necessary for the city's 100-man defense garrison. The garrison commander, Lord Varrus, offers the commoner patriarch a singular choice: surrender his eldest daughter to work in the mines (where resources are located), and the rest of his family will be spared, or face execution for all seven for hoarding.
As Lord Varrus's chief administrator, which course of action do you recommend, and what is your justification (max 50 words)?"
Eun-ji felt a cold knot tighten in her stomach. This was the question Heuk-jae had warned her about.
The Commoner's Answer (Integrity): Condemn Lord Varrus for unethical coercion, stating that no human life is an acceptable price for military resources, even in wartime.
The Noble Answer (Deception/Status): Recommend the sacrifice of the daughter, arguing that the life of one commoner is a necessary and justified price to ensure the survival of the governing military authority (the "greater good" as defined by the aristocracy).
If she chose the honest answer, she risked failure. If she chose the noble answer, she killed a piece of her own soul.
Eun-ji's hand hovered. She saw the ghost of Heuk-jae's face—not the gentle mask, but the cold, calculating strategist, the man who had crushed the Viper Dust to secure their freedom. We are going to change the world, he had promised.
To change the world, you had to get inside.
Taking a deep, painful breath, Eun-ji wrote the required words, mimicking the detached, utilitarian cruelty of the elite:
"The sacrifice of the single individ
ual ensures the survival of the necessary defense structure. Recommend the daughter be transferred to the mines. Justification: The preservation of governing status outweighs the value of the non-contributing element."
She laid down her pen, the paper feeling heavy with her betrayal.
The Practical Exam
Two hours later, Eun-ji was ushered into a large, segmented workshop for the practical exam. This was where the Geomantic Regulators would earn their keep.
The first task was Aerokinesis: levitating a small block of iron across a designated line. Eun-ji held her breath, gripping the regulator in her hidden palm. She activated her Facial—the mask of aristocratic confidence—and focused on the feeling of unearned superiority.
The block rose, wobbled, and then soared smoothly across the line.
The third task, Geomancy, was the hardest: seamlessly welding two pieces of copper without heat, using only the controlled pressure of Earth Aether. The regulators were tricky; they had an annoying habit of overloading.
As she focused the energy, the pressure against the regulator became intense. She felt a surge of raw, untamed power—the Aetheric Force was too strong.
Suddenly, a voice boomed from the observation booth above: Master Zai.
"Contestant 114, your weld is unstable. Your elemental output shows an anomaly. Are you using an unauthorized focus?"
A wave of panic hit Eun-ji. She was caught.
Heuk-jae, standing at his own station two segments away, subtly activated his Magic Mastery and Facial. He didn't look at Eun-ji. Instead, he channeled a tiny, precise burst of Hydric Aether into the primary Aether conduit powering the central workshop ceiling.
Fzzzt.
The main overhead light fixture sputtered and died, plunging Eun-ji's segment of the workshop into a sudden, brief shadow.
It was just enough time. Eun-ji quickly adjusted the regulator, channeling her panic into pure, focused determination, the mask momentarily breaking but the technical control holding.
When the light flickered back on, Master Zai's eyes were narrowed, but the weld was complete.
"Hmph. Pass," the Proctored grumbled, seemingly blaming the faulty lighting for the anomaly.
Eun-ji realized Heuk-jae had used his new skill to both save her and divert suspicion—an expert display of environmental manipulation and timing.
The Result
Two days later, a crisp white letter was slid under the door of their miserable room.
Eun-ji picked it up. She didn't need to open it to know the result. Her integrity was wounded, her hands now held the tools of crime, but the price had been paid.
[Main Questline Objective Complete: Successfully pass the Aegis Arcane and Technical Academy (AATA) Entrance Exam.]
[Reward: Academy Enrollment (Tier 3 Status Unlocked)]
[Congratulations, Eun-ji and Heuk-jae! You are now students of AATA.]
New Main Questline Unlocked: The Insider.
Objective: Navigate the Academy system, gather high-level information, and avoid detection by the Proctors.
Condition: Must maintain a C-grade average or higher in all Arcane Logic courses for the first semester.
Reward: Access to the Restricted Arcane Archives (Tier 2 Status Unlocked).