Chapter 15: The Golden Cage and the Paper Bird (Part 2)
Location: The Grand Lecture Hall, Royal Academy.
Time: 8:00 AM.
Event: Phase 1 - The Written Theory Exam.
The Grand Lecture Hall was a cavernous amphitheater designed to intimidate. The ceiling was a dome of enchanted glass that displayed the current alignment of the stars. Thousands of desks floated in the air on small discs of levitation magic, arranged in concentric circles around the central proctor's podium.
Ren sat at a desk in the "Retainer's Section"—the lowest tier, hovering just a few feet off the ground.
Beside him sat a massive boy who looked like he had Orc blood, sweating profusely.
"I can't read," the boy whispered to Ren in panic. "My Lord just told me to hit things."
Ren ignored him. He looked at the exam paper materializing on his desk.
[ Royal Academy Entrance Exam: Support & Strategy ]
[ Time Limit: 2 Hours ]
[ Question 1: A Level 10 Earth Bear attacks your Lord. The Lord is casting a Fireball. How do you assist? ]
Ren picked up his quill.
Standard Answer: Block the bear with a shield.
Ren's Answer: The Earth Bear has a 0.5-second delay before swiping. Throw sand in its eyes to trigger its cleaning reflex, then strike the unprotected underbelly. Do not block; the kinetic force will shatter a standard shield.
He wrote furiously.
[ Question 15: Describe the symptoms of Mana Poisoning. ]
Ren's Answer: Detailed breakdown of the three stages of necrosis, citing the "Journal of Alchemist Vane" (which he remembered not to cite, deleting the reference).
Ren didn't need to think. He had the Bibliotheca.
"Grim," Ren commanded mentally. "Auto-fill."
In the Archive, Grim was flying between shelves, pulling books on Monster Biology, First Aid, and Logistics. The information flowed into Ren's brain. His quill moved like a blur, the ink barely drying before he moved to the next page.
He finished the two-hour exam in twenty minutes.
He flipped the paper over and laid his quill down.
Up in the high box, the Chief Proctor—an elderly wizard with a beard that touched his knees—frowned. He tapped a crystal monitor.
"Desk 404," the Proctor muttered. "The Null? He's finished? He must have given up."
The Proctor zoomed in on Ren's paper. He read the answer to Question 1. Then Question 15.
The Proctor's eyes widened.
"This detail... this is Master-level theory. Who taught a stable boy about the kinetic density of an Earth Bear's swipe?"
The Proctor marked the paper with a magical rune. Flag for Review.
Location: The Training Grounds.
Time: 11:00 AM.
Event: Phase 2 - The Service Trial (Physical Aptitude).
"Move it, maggots!"
The Drill Instructor, a scarred Knight Captain, cracked a whip.
The Service Trial was brutal. Retainers were strapped with a Gravity Pack—a backpack enchanted to weigh 50 kilograms (110 lbs). They had to run a 1-mile obstacle course involving mud pits, climbing walls, and balance beams.
"If you drop the bag, your Lord loses 10 points!" the Instructor shouted. "If you vomit, your Lord loses 5 points!"
Ren stood at the starting line. The pack was heavy, digging into his shoulders.
To his left was the Orc-blooded boy, panting. To his right was a wiry assassin-type retainer serving Draven Thorne.
"Ready... GO!"
The retainers surged forward.
Most stumbled immediately under the weight. The mud pit claimed ten victims in the first minute.
Ren didn't run. He jogged.
His Strength was permanently buffed by the Gauntlets. His Agility was 8 (High Human). To him, 50kg was a warm-up.
He hit the mud pit. Instead of wading through it, he leaped onto the wooden posts sticking out of the mud.
Hop. Hop. Hop.
He cleared the pit without getting a speck of mud on his boots.
He reached the climbing wall. It was sheer wood, twenty feet high.
Ren grabbed the handholds. He didn't scramble; he pulled himself up with rhythmic power. Left hand. Right hand. He vaulted over the top.
The crowd of Nobles watching from the stands cheered for their servants.
"Look at that Null go!"
"He moves like a cat!"
Caelum, watching from the VIP stand, smirked. "That's my baggage carrier."
Draven Thorne, standing next to Caelum, narrowed his eyes. "He's not breathing hard. No Null has that kind of stamina. He's using enhancement magic."
"The sensors would detect it," Caelum countered. "The ring scanners are active. He's just... farm strong."
"We'll see," Draven muttered.
Ren crossed the finish line.
[ Time: 4 Minutes, 12 Seconds. ]
[ Rank: 1st. ]
Ren dropped the bag. He didn't bend over to catch his breath. He stood straight, adjusted his collar, and looked at the Instructor.
"Next?" Ren asked.
The Instructor blinked. "Uh... lunch break."
Location: The Arena of Illusions.
Time: 2:00 PM.
Event: Phase 3 - The Combat Trial.
The Arena was a massive coliseum. But the floor wasn't sand. It was a magical projection of a dense forest, complete with trees, rocks, and artificial weather.
The Proctor's voice boomed over the arena.
"Welcome to the Final Phase! This is a Survival Simulation. You will be dropped into the forest in teams (Lord + Retainer). Your goal is to retrieve the Flags hidden in the center."
"Warning: The forest is populated by Mana Constructs. They are illusions, but they can deal real impact damage. If your HP drops to critical, your badge will activate a shield, and you are eliminated."
Ren and Caelum stood on the deployment platform.
"We need a strategy," Caelum whispered. "Draven is going to hunt us. He doesn't care about the flags."
"I know," Ren said. "I saw him slip a pouch of coins to the technician running the monster spawners."
"What? He rigged it?"
"Likely. Expect the monsters near us to be stronger than average."
Ren checked his gear. He had his Shiv (hidden in his boot), his Alchemy Pouch, and a wooden practice sword provided by the Academy.
"Deployment in 3... 2... 1..."
The floor dropped out.
They slid down a chute and landed on the mossy floor of the Illusion Forest.
It felt real. The air was humid. The birds sang.
"North," Ren pointed. "The flags are in the center. We move."
They moved through the trees. Caelum kept his sword drawn, tense. Ren walked casually, scanning with [Analytical Eye].
[ Object: Illusion Tree ]
[ Object: Illusion Rock ]
[ Threat Detected: 50 Meters East. ]
"Contact," Ren whispered. "Right."
A bush rustled. A wolf jumped out.
It was made of translucent blue mana. [Illusion Wolf - Level 5].
"I got it!" Caelum shouted.
He lunged. Wind Thrust.
His blade pierced the wolf. The construct shattered into sparks.
"Easy," Caelum laughed.
Rumble.
The ground shook.
"Too easy," Ren said.
From the trees ahead, three more wolves appeared. Then five. Then ten.
And behind them... a Forest Troll.
[ Monster: Illusion Troll (Modified) ]
[ Level: 15 ]
[ Note: Aggression settings maxed. ]
"That's not a standard spawn," Caelum backed up. "That's a mini-boss."
"Draven," Ren said.
The wolves circled them. The Troll roared and charged, swinging a tree trunk.
"Caelum, take the wolves. Use your Area Slash," Ren ordered. "I'll handle the big guy."
"You have a wooden sword!"
"It's a stick," Ren corrected. "I'm good with sticks."
Ren ran at the Troll.
The Troll swung the tree trunk.
Ren slid underneath the swing (Agility 8). He popped up behind the Troll.
He couldn't cut it with wood. He had to break its poise.
He activated [The Index].
[ Source: 'Anatomy of Giants' ]
[ Borrowed Skill: Joint Strike (Rank E) ]
Ren swung the wooden sword. He didn't hit the Troll's thick skin. He hit the back of its knee.
CRACK.
The wooden sword shattered.
But the Troll's knee buckled. The massive construct fell to one knee.
Ren didn't stop. He jumped onto the Troll's back. He grabbed its tusks with his Gauntlets (Life Steal inactive, but Strength active).
He pulled.
"Go to sleep!" Ren grunted.
He wrenched the Troll's head back, exposing the mana crystal on its neck.
He punched the crystal.
SMASH.
The Troll dissolved into blue dust.
Caelum finished off the last wolf with a wind blade.
They stood back-to-back, breathing hard.
"That was rigged," Caelum said. "A Troll in the first zone?"
"It gets worse," Ren pointed to the sky.
A red flare shot up from the forest to their East.
"That's Draven's signal," Ren said. "He's calling us out."
Ren picked up a dropped sword from a "dead" student (who had teleported out).
"Let's go say hello."
Location: The Center Clearing.
Time: 3:00 PM.
The clearing was dominated by a stone altar holding three Golden Flags.
Draven Thorne stood by the altar. He wasn't alone. He had three other Noble students with him, serving as lackeys.
"You made it," Draven smiled, twirling a fireball in his hand. "I thought the Troll would flatten you."
"Your uncle sends his regards," Ren said, stepping into the clearing.
Draven's smile vanished. "You have a big mouth for a servant."
Draven snapped his fingers.
"Burn them."
The three lackeys raised their wands. Fireball. Ice Bolt. Wind Cutter.
"Caelum, shield!" Ren shouted.
Caelum activated a Wind Barrier artifact. The spells crashed against the invisible wall.
"Ren, I can't hold this forever!" Caelum gritted his teeth.
"Drop the shield in 3... 2... 1... Now!"
Caelum dropped the shield.
Ren threw a handful of [Void-Chew] pellets. Not to eat.
He threw them into the air.
"Kaelith taught me something," Ren whispered.
He grabbed a flask of water from his belt and threw it into the air, splashing the gum pellets.
Then he threw a Moon-Shade Mushroom.
It was a chaotic chemical mix.
Ren activated [Mana Weaving]. He cast a tiny spark of fire mana at the mixture in the air.
BOOM.
It wasn't a lethal explosion. It was a Flash Bang. The magnesium in the gum reacted with the water and mana.
A blinding white light engulfed the clearing.
"MY EYES!" Draven screamed.
"Go!" Ren pushed Caelum.
Caelum sprinted for the flags. He grabbed one.
"I got it!"
"Retreat!" Ren ordered.
But as they turned to run, a wall of fire erupted in front of them.
Draven was standing there, blinking tears from his eyes, his hands wreathed in roaring flames.
"Nobody leaves," Draven snarled. "Firestorm!"
He unleashed a tornado of fire. It was too big to dodge.
Ren looked at the fire. He looked at Caelum.
If the fire hit Caelum, he would be eliminated (or burned).
Ren made a choice.
He stepped in front of Caelum.
He raised his left hand—the Gauntlet.
He couldn't hide it anymore.
"Mana Drain."
Ren caught the firestorm with his hand.
The fire didn't burn him. It swirled into his palm, sucked into the void of the Gauntlet.
The flames vanished.
Silence filled the arena.
Draven stared. The Proctors watching the screens stared.
Ren stood there, smoke rising from his hand.
"You..." Draven whispered. "You ate my magic."
Ren looked up. His grey eyes were glowing a faint, terrifying violet.
"I told you," Ren said. "I was thirsty."
Ren didn't attack. He grabbed Caelum's collar.
[ Flash Step. ]
They vanished into the treeline, leaving a stunned Draven behind.
[ System Alert ]
[ Combat Trial Passed. ]
[ Ranking: S ]
[ Secret Revealed: "The Magic Eater". Threat Level Increased. ]
Ren ran. He knew he had messed up. He had revealed a power.
But he had saved the Lord. And he had passed the test.
Now, he just had to survive the questions.
End of Chapter 15 - Part 2
Summary:
Written Exam: Ren aces the theory test using the Archive, flagging the attention of the Chief Proctor.
Service Trial: Ren dominates the physical obstacle course, raising suspicions about his "Null" status.
Combat Trial: Ren and Caelum are targeted by Draven Thorne via rigged monster spawns (Troll).
The Climax: Draven traps them with a Firestorm. Ren is forced to use [Mana Drain] openly to absorb the spell and save Caelum.
The Escape: They secure the flag and escape, but Ren has revealed he can nullify magic.