The Aptitude Test consisted of 5 papers. Previously Noah might have been the weakest among Delta class but with respect to studies, he was always quite perceptive and intelligent. Although he was no Eidetiker, a person having a photographic memory, he could grasp the mechanics of things very easily. So the Aptitude Test was not a big deal for Noah unlike a certain roommate, who was clueless about most things.

“Ughh...why is it so hard? How can people pass this thing…” Melv grunted after an hour of the exam. Many of the students were also in the same dire situation. The questions were not as easy as previous years, but it did not trouble Noah the least. He calmly continued answering. All the papers had been the same way. Only a few hours left in the last paper of the Aptitude Test.

“Thank goodness..Finally, it’s done. Now to the Battle Simulation. I will show them what the great Melv who beat Ton last time, can achieve...Hahaha”, cheered Melv.

“If you don’t pass the Aptitude Test, do you think those things would matter?” Noah said with a straight face. Melv felt like a meteor had hit him. “Why do you always have to kill the mood?”

After a break of 2 days, the final exam of the Freshman Year will start.

The Battle Simulation test was performed in a virtual environment using Full Dive Nerve Gear technology. The Freshman year students were not adept in actual combat and looking at the safety precautions this was changed. Earlier during the initial years of the academy, it used to be actual combat but certain accidents led the management to a change in the process.

The test was segmented into 2 parts. Every year the challenges were different. The goal was to measure the students’ strength, combat ability, presence of mind and survival rate. Keeping these in mind the Professors would set up challenges for the students.

Finally, it was the day of the first segment. Everybody gathered in the outdoor arena. The Arena looked totally different. There were smart engineered capsule chairs for 100 students. It was equipped with necessary gadgets to monitor heartbeat, blood pressure and all body activity levels. Doctors and nurses were also monitoring each capsule chair effectively. There were mechanics on standby for any repair scenarios. Overall safety was thoroughly checked before the start of the exam.

As the chatter of the students increased, an announcement was broadcasted on the mic -

“Good Morning all my spirited students. Today is the day you have been waiting for a long time. The day you show your diligence and talent. A year’s worth of hard work will be reflected by your actions. The nerve gear will guide you to the virtual world setting. That will be your Arena today.”

“Considering the health and safety of the students, the capsule chairs have been arranged to measure all your body activities. In case of any concern or you want to pull out of the virtual world, you can do so using the logout option from your system screen. In tough situations, if you are unable yourself, then the examiners will pull you out. So do not worry and give it your all. I wish you All the Best!” The Principal concluded his speech and took his seat in the special gallery of the Outdoor Arena.

He was joined by several notable personalities in RedRock City and Athena Corp. The room was filled with high-tech amenities and screens to monitor the students in the virtual world. But people inside the room were not visible to the ones outside. The room was sound-proof as well. Outside personnel entry was strictly prohibited in the academy without proper invitation. The viewers outside were mostly Professors and students from other classes. They could view each student in the jumbotron screens placed in the Outdoor Arena.

Another voice sounded as the principal took his chair. “Thank you, honorable Principal. Now as the head examiner for this year, I, Professor Amanda Sawyer, would like to announce the format and rules for this year's Battle Simulation exams. There will be 2 segments as usual. The first segment will be a Solo Raid Battle, an individual fight with wild beasts. You will face wild beasts in the virtual environment and have to eliminate them by whatever means necessary. You will be given an option to choose from the inventory of basic weapons. The level of the wild beasts, their number and points have been displayed on the jumbo screen. The exam time is 3 hours. You will be automatically logged out following the end of this time period. Your scores will be calculated and we will move to the next round. Good Luck Everyone!” Professor Sawyer concluded her speech.

All eyes were gazing at the jumbotron screen.

Battle Simulation Test No.1 - Solo Raid Battle

BEAST

HUMAN(~)

MARKS

NUMBER

TOTAL

LEVEL 1

EQ 10

1

20

20

LEVEL 2

EQ 15

2

10

20

LEVEL 3

EQ 20

4

5

20

LEVEL 4

EQ 25

10

2

20

LEVEL 5

EQ 30

20

1

20

TOTAL MARKS

100

“Whoa..there will be a level 5 beast. I don’t think anyone can reach that..” Everyone started speculating. “Even a level 3 beast is tough for us”, said one of the students. “If only we were sent to the NMZ like Noah. He sure got some experience”, said another student. “Nothing is impossible for Ton. He will beat that Trash high and low”, said one of Ton’s admirers. Ton and Kaisha were grinning from the side of the arena. They had known the format earlier and hence prepared accordingly.

The students started to enter their designated capsules. They were set up with proper gear and equipment. Melv was a bit nervous before entering the simulation. His air of calmness and superiority was blown away by the announcement of the term wild beasts. Noah tried to encourage him by saying, “Didn’t you beat Ton? What is a wild beast in front of you? Don’t worry! If you do as I told you, there is nothing to worry about.”

“Tch...these fools think it's easy to beat a wild beast. They will knock you before you even realize. See you later Losers…” Ton smirked at Melv and Noah as he went towards his capsule.

“Don’t mind him. We gotta do what we gotta do…” Noah took a deep breath and put on his gear.

The abilities of both the students and wild beasts were exactly replicated in the virtual environment. The attributes and even behaviors of wild beasts would be the same.

It was around 10 AM in the morning that the test had started. Every student had dived into the virtual setting. The map chosen was the CliffSide. There was a clearing area where the student would spawn. At the back, there was a cliff and on the other 3 sides would be a dense forest. The students cannot leave the clearing area. It was the boundary. The wild beasts would spawn in the forest randomly. There were a total of 5 five waves - the first being 20 wild beasts of Level 1 spawning at random.

On entering the map, the students were given an inventory. They could choose a basic weapon and armor.

TYPE

ASSAULT ARMOR

LIGHT SUIT ARMOR

HEAVY DUTY ARMOR

BIOMECH ARMOR

ABILITY

+20 ATTACK

+10% AGILITY

+50 DEFENSE

+1% HP REGEN 5S

TYPE

HAMMER

SWORD

SPEAR

CROSSBOW

GAUNTLET

SHIELD

DAGGER

WHIP

ABILITY

+3S KNOCK

+2% CRIT

+2% PEN

+3% DEX

+20 ATK

+50 DEF

+5S BLEED

+3S STUN

The armor came with an HP of 200 with additional effects as per type. Similarly, the weapons came with an Attack of 50 with additional benefits per type. This was a bonus for the students whose original stats were based on their actual strengths and attributes in real life.

So while some had a total HP of 500, some had extended it to 1000 or even more. Ton, Kaisha and a few others had already eaten precious herbs and serum to temporarily increase their strength. Ton had an HP of 1800 and an ATK of 80, a huge difference with the majority of students. Kaisha similarly had increased HP/ATK to 1500/65.

Melv and Noah didn’t have any such precious herbs or serums to support them. They started with their basic attributes. All students started choosing their weapon and armor.

The examiners fixed their gaze on the screen. The first wild beast has spawned. The leaves in the forest were moving and something was approaching. It was an evolved beast, the Steel Clawed Black Rat. Though it is a Level 1 beast, its sharp claws can leave a mark and cause bleeding, resulting in quick loss of HP. Also, the number of this beast will be 20. So, though it is equivalent to an EQ10 human, it is quite a tough opponent in a swarm.

The students had already been equipped with their weapons and armor earlier. They were eagerly anticipating the attack of the beasts.

Ton had selected the Assault Armor and a Gauntlet. His increased ATK being 170, each blow was enough to deal with a rat. But still, some of the rats had sneaked in and clawed him. He lost a bit of his increased HP which was brought down from 2000 to 1850 after the first wave.

Kaisha on the other hand selected the BioMech Armor and a Whip. This increased her HP to 1700 and ATK was 115, plus the stun effect from the whip. She had efficiently used the whip to divide the incoming swarm and stun them at times. Her attack was enough to finish them easily. She took no damage whatsoever.

Melv selected the Heavy Duty Armor and a Shield. His total HP was raised to 1050 following the addition of Defense points. His ATK was, however, very low, around 70. He thumped the Shield to the ground and defended against the attack of the swarm. He slowly rotated while defending with the shield. Now his back was not at the side of the cliff. He had turned facing the cliff with the rats in front of him. He charged with the shield towards the cliff like a battering-ram. Most of the rats fell into the cliff and died. Rest of the rats that had crawled over him, he kicked them off the cliff. Melv had completed Wave 1 with no damage.

All other students gradually cleared Wave 1 except for Noah. He was the slowest of the lot. He chose the Light Suit Armor and a Dagger. His HP was 800 but his ATK has risen significantly from the training, these last one month. His ATK was now 100 along with the Bleed stat of 5 seconds. Though it is less than Ton and Kaisha, he was far behind them a few months back and didn’t even have any supporting serum as well. To Noah, this was quite good.

The 10% Agility stat was a bonus to him as it had raised his Agility to 99 which was the highest among all his peers. But due to his low HP, his main constraint was not to take a hit early in the exam. So he used his agility to move around, singling out the rats and taking them down, one at a time. This was time-consuming but it was an effective strategy for someone like Noah who had the speed and agility. Also, he did not take any damage as a result.

As one wave would end, another wave would spawn immediately. There would be no breather.

The second wave beast was the Red-Tailed Hawk, a beast whose evolution had sharpened its talons and formed a hardened skull as a defense. Though it is a level 2 beast, it is very intelligent and attacks its prey from treetops at an enormous speed. As for humans, they will rip, tear and swallow chunks as they go. The danger level had increased significantly.

...