My physics masters couldn't possibly be grand mages.

Time flew by and the day of the exam arrived.

Before it was fully light, the central square was already packed with people.

The morning mist flowed along the ground, like a thin veil covering the white marble.

The distant towers were only blurry outlines in the fog, and the halos of gas lamps floated in the fog, illuminating the entire square like a giant stage.

Char stood at the back of the crowd, holding a piece of bread in his hand, which he hadn't finished eating.

Are you nervous?

A voice came from beside me.

Char looked to the side and saw that Eren was standing next to him at some point.

Aside from banquets, Char has had virtually no interaction with Eren in the past two months.

Firstly, I didn't have a good impression of him, and secondly, I basically had no chance of running into him.

After learning about his attributes, he started looking for courses on his own.

"It's just an exam, why are you so nervous?" Xia asked.

"In the past, the preliminary exams were held in the arena of the Tower of Truth, where students competed against each other," Allen said in a low voice. "And the written exam accounted for a higher percentage of the score than the competitive exam. This year, the written exam has been canceled altogether, and the exam venue has even been moved to a place like the Eye of the Abyss. Don't you think something's wrong?"

Xia raised his head slightly. "What do you think?"

"The Tower of Truth is very well-informed. In the past, when the preliminary exam was canceled and became a purely practical test, it was usually a sign of a tense situation and a harbinger of major upheaval." Allen's expression was solemn.

Char frowned slightly.

"you mean....."

Allen's gaze swept across the crowd and landed on Victor, who was standing at the very front, surrounded by five or six members of the Golden Family.

He was talking quietly to the person next to him, occasionally laughing, looking as relaxed as if he were going on a picnic.

"Victor has been trying to win over some powerful golden families and descendants of great mages. He must know something and be making preparations."

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The auditorium bells rang.

The sound of bells echoed through the mist, seemingly possessing some kind of magical power, dispelling the weariness of the people.

The noise in the square gradually subsided, and everyone looked up at the podium above.

The podium was set up above the main tower's portico, about three meters above the ground, with a professor in a black robe standing on each side. One of them was Char's old acquaintance, Bourne.

Tesla and Einstein were there too.

Einstein came as the chief examiner, while Tesla came as an assistant.

Tesla didn't really want to come, but if he were exposed, it would be awkward for him to be the only one left at the Tower of Truth.

Einstein walked out slowly, and the air in the square seemed to freeze for a moment.

A high-level being standing there, without needing to release any magic, is enough to make people hold their breath.

He walked to the edge of the podium, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the square. His eyes met Xia's, but he quickly looked away.

"Gentlemen."

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear it clearly, as if it were right next to their ears.

"Today is your first practical assessment since you enrolled. Location: Abyss Eye."

A low commotion arose in the square.

Many people are actually learning about the location for the first time.

Einstein did not pause.

"Before we set off, I'll explain the rules to you clearly. The total score consists of two parts: kill points and achievement points."

Einstein's voice was completely flat, as if he were reading a manual he had already memorized.

"One point for killing a Tier 1 monster, five points for a Tier 2 monster, and twenty points for a Tier 3 monster. If the same monster is killed by multiple people, the points will be distributed according to the damage contribution."

"Achievement points. This is something you need to pay special attention to."

Einstein twitched his finger slightly, and the text on the screen grew larger.

"Rescuing classmates in distress, discovering unmarked safe routes, or defeating unexpectedly high-level monsters will all earn you extra achievement points. The exact amount depends on the situation; my judgment is the standard."

His tone was so flat, as if he were just saying the weather was nice today.

"Third, each person is equipped with a distress flare. In case of danger, pull the trigger, and the bracelet will activate a short-range teleportation array to send you out of the Abyss. The exam ends after teleportation, and the score is frozen."

He paused for a moment.

"Don't be stingy with money. Life is worth its weight in cash."

"Secondly, attacking other examinees is prohibited. Self-defense is an exception. What constitutes self-defense is not up to you or the other party, but up to the invigilator. The bracelet will record every fluctuation of your magic power, making it immediately clear who strikes first."

"Finally, the inner ring is a no-go zone. Don't go in if you don't want to die."

He took one last look at everyone in the square.

"That's all the rules. Now... let's go!"

There was no applause.

The crowd was silent for a second, then began to move.

The airship docked at the berth is not the Orloran.

It was a larger boat, but its appearance was much simpler.

It has a dark gray metal hull and a row of round portholes on each side of the hull, like a warship.

But at the top, there is a large circular platform.

"The 'Grey Pelican'," Allen said, walking over to him. "It's specifically used to transport students for practical assessments. Everyone's crammed into one large cabin."

"Have you sat here before?" Xia asked.

"No. I heard it from Pete. His cousin rode in it last year." Allen paused for a moment, "He said the seats on that boat were made of wood and so hard they could crush your tailbone."

Boarding the boat was much faster than last time. A metal gangway clattered as you stepped on it, making you feel like you might fall at any moment.

Char followed the crowd into the gondola.

Indeed, as Allen said, the wooden chair was hard as a rock, and there wasn't even a cushion on the back of the chair.

One hundred and twenty freshmen were crammed together, their knees pressed against the backs of the chairs in front of them, and the aisle was so narrow that they could only pass sideways.

Einstein was not with them; the proctoring professors had their own private compartments.

Char sat down by the window.

The young masters from the Golden Family began to complain that the chairs were too hard.

The airship's engines roared to life. The entire vessel trembled slightly and slowly began to float.

Char leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

The hum of the airship gradually turned into white noise, and people around were chatting quietly and flipping through books.

Allen didn't speak. He just stared at the white expanse outside the window, lost in thought.

After an unknown amount of time, the airship shuddered slightly.

"We've arrived," someone said.

Char opened his eyes and looked out the porthole.

A crack appeared in the clouds.

Below was a dense, impenetrable green, seemingly a pristine forest rarely visited by humans.

In the middle of the forest, a huge, exposed mine pit stands out conspicuously on the ground, like a giant eye.

The central mine pit was pitch black and bottomless, impossible to see clearly. It resembled an abyss.

The entire airship fell silent.

No one speaks.

Char stared at the crack.

He felt like an ant standing on the edge of a cliff, looking down at a sleeping behemoth.

The airship began its descent.

The greenery outside the porthole was getting closer.

The mine pit kept getting bigger and bigger...