I dressed rather quickly, mentally running through my final preparations of study.

As I made my way to the main arena, the sounds of the bustling academy echoed around me. Students were gathered in large groups, discussing strategies and speculating on their chances.

I felt a familiar tension building within me. I remembered my training and the countless hours dedicated to preparing for this moment.

The arena was a massive collusioum structure, the same arena used to perform the Magic Tournament that was a huge failure due to Dazzai Thornhills plans.

As I entered, I could feel the pulse of Arcane energy in the air.

At the center stage, Professor Fiona amongst several other random instructors of the school stood exhuming authoritative presence and commanding silence as she stepped forward to speak.

"Welcome, students, to the First Semester Exams… you will face a series of challenges that will test your skills in combat, strategy and teamwork…"

"...I would employ you to remember, only those who demonstrate not only power but also wisdom and restraint will succeed today…"

I spotted my friends at different sections of the arena, couped up with students from their respective classrooms. Valeria looked nervous, but she shouldn't be because Healers hardly ever get rusticated even if they failed, because Healers are such high in demand in the Dungeon gates.

Zed was screaming with excitement, with that excellent technique of his I was sure he was able to over come anything thrown at him. But Jet, I don't know how much he has improve since the attack of Shadow creatures in the campus grounds but If he continued on that form, kept his competitive spirit high there nothing that could way him down.

The first challenge was an individual combat test against a specific type of Shadow creature, a formidable beast specie known as RavenClaw.

To my surprise, the test seemed to be difficult for most of the students who had been tipped to yield great results. The arena was huge, and so was the stage… so a minimum of twenty to twenty five students were facing off their own RavenClaw Shadow bastard with their respective teachers taking notes and scores.

When it was my turn, I walked onto the arena knowing that I had the power to defeat this creature and every other RavenClaw in the arena if I wanted to, but that would be extremely redundant.

As soon as my enemy was released…

"Come Forth…"

"Egar…"

About time people saw the newest addition to my league of Arcane pets, Egar the tank of a monster that could run through any and everything.

I immediately instructed the Bear to not use its core skill Aggro in other to not provoke other RavenClaw that other students were fighting.

The clash was short and fierce and I didn't move an inch from the very spot I stood— this was way too easy.

The students and instructors watching around erupted in applause, and I felt a surge of overconfidence. Egar easily wiped out the creature without even wasting anytime and I was sure that alone would give me a huge head start to passing this exam.

The second challenge involved a group scenario where students had to work together to capture a flag guarded by a fierce Shadow Creature.

I was placed in a team with several classmates of mine, and tension were already high as they debated tactics.

As we approached the flag, stealthily navigating through the under bush, we reached the clearing where the shadow creature called an IronFang stood watch.

One of my teammates, an ambitious and brash student named Kareeck, stepped forward and proclaimed that he would be able to handle this on his own and that the rest of us should stay back.

I exchanged glances with the rest of my teammates unsure of the plan or what this brash boy had in mind.

"We need to work together," a teammate proclaimed. "We cant just rush in…"

"We need to coordinate our attack… not rush in blindly."

But Kareeck ignored us, charging towards the IronFang with reckless abandon. The beast sensed the challenge and roared, lunging forward as the best form of defense is attack.

Chaos erupted as Kareeck barely managed to evade its attack using his Teramancer abilities.

"Distract it! I'll grab the flag!!" he yelled, forcing me to act quickly.

This creature wasn't even worth pulling out any Arcane pet of mine, therefore I channeled my magic outward, creating a small spacial mass of Repelling force using my Spacial Manipulation skill, the attack confused the IronFang momentarily.

I could see Kareeck making a run for the flag, but in the process, he drew the creature's eerie stare once again.

The IronFang Shadow Creature roared, turning its attention back to the brash boy. I knew I had to act fast or else someone could end up dead— not on my watch though.

With a flick of my wrist, I sent a blast of Repelling spacial mass to push Kareeck out of harms's way.

"Get the flag now!" I shouted, knowing fully well this was a good opportunity to let the rest of my teammates shine and show off their abilities to impress the examiners.

The distraction worked, allowing Kareeck to grab the flag, but his impulsiveness cost us. The IronFang was enraged and charged at me with full speed.

I stood firm, knowing fully well that this creature was small fry compared to me.

Didn't take much, with my hands in my pockets, I unleashed a torrent of repelling spacial mass with so much speed that it blast through the creature and knocked out its negative magic stone within.

My team was victorious, with Kareeck taking most of the victory and the rest of the team members praising him for his impulsive approach.

"Did you see that? We did it!" Kareeck boasted, his voice ringing with triumph.

I, however, was unimpressed with Kareeck's performance, I couldn't ignore the recklessness that had nearly cost us the round… even worse— his life.

"What you did was almost got yourself killed," I said, my voice low but cutting through the jubilation "We were supposed to work as a team, not as lone wolves."

Kareeck simply rolled his eyes, brushing off my concerns. "Whatever… Prince, we won didn't we?"

But I knew that our luck might not hold in the next challenges, if it weren't for me this dimwit wouldn't be even considered to be a candidate to continue his education at this academy.

With the first two challenges completed, I and my classmates prepared for the next phase of the semester exam.

The atmosphere was thick with tension and excitement, each student keenly aware that the stakes were high as hell, with little margin for error or mistakes.

This would involve not only our individual skills but also our ability to navigate complex situations under pressure. All these aiming to prepare us for the time when we would be Reapers and venture into the dangerous world of Dungeon gates.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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