As silver stepped through the door, he was met with a blinding light and had to use his arm to cover his face. It was only after a while that he could adjust his eyes to the light and look at where he was.
What he found was nothing but emptiness. Other than the marble floor, there was nothing else he could make out in this vast place. Even the door he had walked through was now gone, and there was no sign of whatever light source that illuminated the place.
[ Hmm, I wonder if I have already entered the simulation. ]
Silver thought as he started looking at his person for any clues that would support his hypothesis. Oddly enough, nothing was out of place as he still had everything he had been carrying.
Silver became shocked as he began to realize the implications of this matter if he really was in a simulation. What kind of powerful magic would it take to make one unable to distinguish reality from illusion? If this was all fake, then where was his real body? How easy would it be for someone to kill him right now?
Silver mused through these questions as sweat started forming on his brow. It was only now that he realized how weak he really was. In these trials, he had started harboring a hint of ego as he breezed through them with ease. But he realized now that he was merely a toad at the bottom of a well.
[ How could I have been so naïve? So blind? To think that I almost lost sight of my goal due to my arrogance. ]
Silver started laughing at himself quietly. Any observers who may have chanced upon him at this point would think he had gone crazy. Luckily for him, this was a simulation, and there were no bystanders. Even the Academy teacher judging this particular trial could not see into each individual simulation the participants were in.
This was because the magic apparatus used to make the simulation was limited in its abilities. It was only able to signal when one of the participants passed a wave and could not show how each individual had completed the challenges.
Some say that the mage who designed the apparatus made it like this so the participants could keep their secret methods and hidden abilities to themselves. Others criticized the mage's lack of ability and stated that this design was the full extent of his capabilities.
[ I need to get stronger quickly. Without strength, I will never find my parents. But first, let me show these people what I can really do. ]
Silver set off for the direction ahead of him as he made a secret promise to himself. It wasn't a promise he hadn't already made, but he was beginning to lose focus and needed to remember what he was here for.
The thing is, any individual could set a seemingly unachievable goal for themselves. But only few have the will and determination required to not stray from their path and forge ahead until they achieve that goal.
A rather peculiar scene was unfolding in a vast room made of marble that seemed fit for a giant. Currently, there was a crowd of people watching five youngsters. This on its own wouldn't have been anything to be concerned about.
However, when one looked closely at the five youngsters, they would wonder what was wrong with them. This was because they were all standing by an open door that seemed to lead nowhere, with their eyes closed.
This phenomenon didn't seem to concern the rest of the room's inhabitants, as they watched on silently, waiting for something.
Ding!
At this point, a light lit up on top of one of the doors.
"Incredible! It didn't even take him 5 minutes; I knew I was right about this kid," said Victor as a bright smile emerged on his face
"Hmph, we'll see how far he can go. There's nothing impressive about beating a mere E-class beast. Many before him have done the same, as I'm sure many after will do so" Lucas seemed unimpressed as he crossed his arms and stated his opinion as though it were fact.
"Oh, Lucas, with your level of ignorance, one would think you would be a happier person. And yet here you are, miserable as always," Anna chimed in from the sidelines
"You..." Lucas held out a fist as he looked agitated by her words.
"Hahaha, that was a good one, Anna. You really know how to push his buttons. Anyways, look over there. It seems another has passed the first wave" Victor pointed towards a door where a veiled beauty stood as he heard a sound.
"Oh, she was rather quick too. It seems we have another genius on our hands," Anna said with a look of excitement on her face. But before she could even finish, a third sound rang from the door opposite a handsome, noble-looking youth.
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"It seems Eustass' kid isn't losing out to his friends either," Victor smiled.
"But his son seems to be getting outshined by that scarlet-haired youth. I wonder how he would feel if he found out his son wasn't the most outstanding candidate from Blue-city?" asked Anna
"I doubt he'd care to be honest. A man of his status knows that the more geniuses we have in the younger generation, the better. Besides, the two seemed to be good friends, so in a way, this is still a win for the Reid household," Victor replied
"Oh? Is being friends with a genius considered a good thing these days?"
"Hahaha, it depends on the genius. If he does not forget favors and remembers his benefactors, this is an opportunity for their house. They can begin investing in him now while his wings haven't spread yet so he can carry them to the skies when he's ready to fly" Victor gestured a flying motion with his hands to illustrate his point.
"Isn't that our thing, though?" Anna asked
"Well, we shouldn't be afraid of a little competition. Besides, he is coming to our playground for now. So we should be accommodating so long as he continues to impress us" Victor gave a stern look to Lucas as if to tell him he was talking to him specifically.
"Again, you're getting ahead of yourselves for no reason. We don't even know if the kid can pass this trial"
Ding!
Another sound came, which felt more like a slap to Lucas, just as he had finished saying the last word.
"Hahaha, will you look at that? He's already beat the second wave in such a short time" Victor was grinning from ear to ear, seemingly enjoying the look on Lucas' face.
"Hmph, you're acting like no one's ever reached this far before. I'll admit the kid has some talent, but that's about it. When will you see that he's just a useless brat who thinks he's on top of the world just because of his small amount of strength?" Lucas stated as he gave a cold snort.
"Oh please, how many of them did it in such a short amount of time? Why must you continue to belittle each and every one of this youth's achievements? Is your ego so high that you can't open your eyes for just one second and look at him without bias? Or do you have previous enmities with the kid we do not know of? Get your head out of our ass and behave like the esteemed teacher you are," Victor shouted as though he were reprimanding one of his students.
The students, who couldn't help but hear him, became shocked; some even had gaping mouths. This was because they had never seen him getting riled up and raising his voice in such a manner.
He was always a happy teacher who gave one the feeling that he would even laugh when in front of his enemies. If he even had any. Yet here he was, shouting at his colleague and friend over a matter which shouldn't have mattered that much.
Some of the students began questioning whether or not Victor was related to that scarlet-haired youth somehow. Not only had he been praising him throughout the trials, but he was even doing things that were out of character for his sake.
"I..." Lucas began but couldn't get the words out.
Shock. Disbelief.
Not only had Victor shouted for the first time in front of them, but now the domineering Lucas, who always had a self-righteous attitude, stayed quiet after being scolded in front of so many.
Why wasn't he arguing back? Was the world ending? The students didn't know what to make of the events unfolding in front of them. The matter was more bizarre the more they thought about it because Lucas hadn't actually done anything deserving of a lecture.
The room became eerily quiet, with an awkward silence for a few minutes. All the students were waiting with their hearts in their mouths to see what would happen next.
"Sigh, I'm sorry, Lucas. I shouldn't have raised my voice. I just got a little excited. My bad" Victor held Lucas' shoulder as he offered an apology.
"It's ok old friend. There is truth in what you said. I just wasn't ready to hear it. The kid may be disrespectful, but he is somewhat talented after all. I shouldn't have said those things about him" Lucas smiled at Victor to let him know no harm was done.