Evaluations split up the group into sixty smaller groups and sent them off to the classrooms that populated the whole outer ring. The evaluations were split up into three parts. One an extensive test of written questions where one question would be on the paper, and once it was answered, the page would go blank, taking the answer with it, and a new problem would appear. The second involved a puzzle cube that seemed to have no solution. The final one was a combat evaluation to end the day.

Rian answered the questions flippantly instead of thinking about the answer. If she didn't know she wrote that down and let it skip to the next question. Questions seemed random anyway. Asking about history, science, skills, politics, down to odd bits of trivia. Like what is the color of the fur on a Brown Bugbear. She answered, black in the summer and white in the winter. Brown referred to their tusks and eyes. The paper faded to the next question, three ways to get blood out of fabric. She was happy to get an easy one.

After answering the first question, Raff spent the rest of the time evaluating the paper. He tried to rip it, poke a hole in it, re-write the question, eat it, answer the problem in the form of a picture. It accepted that. It allowed the answer given in code when a key was given and then texted the level of complexity, ambiguousness, or hostility of responses that the paper would accept. He was determined to find the test's limits.

Tired as he was, Asper watched all of the words seemed to blur together. He just couldn't help seeing that. He rubbed his eyes and even pinched himself. After a long time, he felt embarrassed when he realized that the words were actually blurring together on the sheet. He rubbed his thumb across the question, and it came back covered in ink while leaving a smear on the page. It was only when he scribbled 'No Answer' as fast as he could before that too started to drift across the page that a new question popped up.

Even then, that new question started to waiver. Asper nervously put his hand on the desk, and the vibrations rippled through the words on the page like they were written on water. At which point, he focused on answering the questions as quickly as he could, hoping that it would be good enough.

The cube continuously changed shape in Raff's hand every time he solved it. He knew it was magic. The limitations put on what should be possible once you answer one puzzle had already been passed after he remade it into the fifth form. Now the cube resembled a horse with movable appendages, intricate in how it could be moved. Words were hidden in the body of the equestrian body. He softly stroked the top of the horse and watched one of the words slide along the torso. With a grin, he got to work.

Rian's own test was not as smooth. She balked at the idea of a toy that had no purpose. The exams never seemed to play a part in student rankings. Those didn't take place for another month. The school knew everyone's status, and that shaped what classes they were assigned more than anything else. With nothing else to occupy her mind, she worked. She knew this had to be some kind of misdirection, or maybe just busywork. The school needed to get everyone's lodgings set up. If she could convince a bunch of people to waste their time like this, she knew she would take advantage of that fact. Even then, she felt like this would be a waste of time and resources.

The puzzle boxes had no value off the school grounds. An industrious thief had stolen one to try to sell off outside of the academy. He had gotten enough information to have a mock cube made up to swap out at the end of the test. The thing dissolved the moment he stepped off the grounds. The biggest puzzle to her was, why have them at all?

Asper's puzzle refused to budge. He twisted and turned at the corners, sides, but it was like the cube was solid. He pressed, banged, brushed everything. He looked around his classroom, and everyone else had gotten off the first form. As time ran out, he was desperate. He picked up the block and licked it. The block sparkled where he left his tongue across it. He felt elation at maybe figuring out the problem and gave it another lick. More sparkles, and then the shape started to change. It curved in at the spots he saliva touched.

Asper wondered what would be inside, but instead of revealing anything, the cube continued to curve inward, distorting in shape and pulling in the rest of the mass quicker and quicker. The puzzle continued to shrink as it folded in on itself. No one else noticed as the rest of the group was focused on their cubes. Soon it disappeared with a small pop, and Asper sat at his desk empty-handed.

When the time elapsed, an older student entered the building, pushing a cart and asked everyone to return their puzzles. Asper wondered if he should speak up, but kept quiet when no one asked him anything.

Combat evaluations were held just outside the classrooms. The Class sizes of roughly thirty each lined up in front of a circular fighting area whose length was the size of three tall men in diameter. Raff eyed the young man standing with a swagger in the middle of the ring. He wore leather armor loosely and a cocky grin tightly plastered to his face. "Welcome to your first taste of real combat, Zeros!"

Raff felt a little insulted. Bargerous had him go through the various fighting clubs in the city, both public and underground. He had tried to get him into some of the level restricted matches, but even the illegal fighting rings were afraid of the guilds' restrictions there. It had been fun until he realized there was no challenge even when there had been significant age differences.

"My name is Zak. I'll be seeing how long you last in here against me. Don't worry, this evaluation never lasts long." Just outside of the ring was a moveable rack filled with dozens of different wood and iron practice weapons. "We'll go one at a time, knock out or ring out to be eliminated. Just pick your weapon and come at me." He pointed to one end of the line. "Starting with you."

Raff quickly calculated he would get to watch eleven fighters before it was his turn. The shoeless young man gained almost nothing from watching the matches. Zak was strong, fast, skilled well beyond what you would expect from looking at him. He had a practice sword stuck into his belt but never pulled it out. The first three fighters who charged at Zak were grappled and thrown out using their own momentum.

Zeros then decide that a better approach would be to play defensive and wait for Zak to come to them. The cocky young man didn't wait long. The moment anyone settled, he moved with a burst of speed and threw them out of the ring. None did any better and time quickly passed. Zak's finger was soon pointing at Raff. "You're next."

Raff walked over to the weapons and selected the staff. Not because it was better than any of the other tools, but because of its reach. Other students had tried the same thing and failed. It was how those other Zero's had failed that interested him.

Raff adjusted his hands, so he was holding the majority of the wood's length out like it was a spear. He stepped into the ring and swung down hard at Zak. Only a stupid man would do the same failed thing as others and expect different results. Yes, he struck with the staff harder and faster than the other students had, so maybe he figured Zak would think that He had overconfidence in his abilities.

Zak burst forward with a surge of momentum. The same way he had rushed the others to shove them out of the ring. Raff's hands had already let go of the staff mid-strike and were ready to meet his opponent. Raff wanted to use Zak's momentum against him the way the more experienced boy had thrown the others out of the ring, but just as quickly as Zak had rushed forward, his momentum halted.

Not ideal, but it was still punching distance, and Raff threw three quick jabs into Zak's side. It was eerily similar to when he had hit a brick wall, and just like, in that case, there was no movement, but he could feel a little crack just past his knuckles. Then the shoeless Zero twitched defensively and couldn't help but grin as the other boys' fist scraped past his cheeks, drawing blood at the barest of glances. This is the power of levels he thought with wonder.