Section Four: Core Integration and Build Theory

Question 10: Explain the principles of core compatibility. Why do some abilities integrate smoothly while others create conflicts?

Question 11: Describe the risks of absorbing cores beyond your rank capacity. Include discussion of system overload, essence corruption, and consciousness fragmentation.

Question 12: Analyze the relationship between soul talent and core selection. How should natural abilities influence build progression?

A tad difficult, Bright assessed. *Some of this is theoretical knowledge I lack. Some is practical understanding I've developed through direct experience.*

He answered what he could, left strategic blanks where admitting ignorance seemed preferable to wrong information, he tried to demonstrate understanding even when specific knowledge was incomplete.

The four hours passed with brutal efficiency—time that felt simultaneously too long and too short, that left candidates exhausted from sustained mental effort despite lack of physical exertion.

When the lead proctor finally announced "Time complete. Submit your materials," Bright felt relief mixed with uncertainty.

I did what I could, he thought. Answered honestly.

But was it enough? Was survival-based education sufficient for Academy standards? Or will they filter out outpost recruits as insufficiently educated regardless of combat capability?

-----

The examination grading happened with shocking speed.

One of the proctors—an Adept whose core combination apparently included some kind of enhanced processing ability—collected the examination packets and began reviewing them with supernatural efficiency.

His eyes moved across answers faster than normal reading should allow, his hands sorting packets into preliminary categories, his expression remaining neutral as he processed hundreds of candidates' work in minutes rather than hours.

That's the difference, Bright recognized. That's what higher-level capabilities mean. Tasks that would take ordinary staff days get completed in minutes through specialized core applications.

The candidates waited in tense silence, understanding that the preliminary sorting was happening immediately, that their Academy futures were being determined through rapid assessment that would identify clear failures, obvious successes, and uncertain middle-ground requiring additional evaluation.

Results appeared on display boards along the hall's walls—they were not detailed scores, just preliminary classifications.

PASSED WRITTEN EXAMINATION - PROCEED TO COMBAT ASSESSMENT

CONDITIONAL PASSAGE - ADDITIONAL EVALUATION REQUIRED

FAILED TO MEET MINIMUM STANDARDS - DISMISSED FROM CANDIDACY

The lists populated rapidly, names appearing in their respective categories with brutal efficiency.

Bright scanned for familiar names, his heart hammering.

PASSED WRITTEN EXAMINATION:

Adam keer - 87/100 -

Ellarine Crownhold - 84/100 -

Silas drey - 73/100 -

Bessia Erden - 71/100

Bright Morgan - 65/100

Mara Thane - 63/100

Duncan Varn - 60/100

Relief, Bright felt, the emotion flooding through him with physical intensity. We all passed. Everyone from Vester made it through the written examination.

Duncan's 60 was exactly the minimum passing score—meaning he'd barely scraped through, had demonstrated just enough knowledge to avoid dismissal. But barely passing was still passing. Was still advancement to next evaluation phase.

"We made it," Duncan said quietly, his voice carrying disbelief. "Thought for sure I'd failed. Thought they'd dismiss me before the combat assessment even started."

"Minimum standard," Mara observed. "You demonstrated enough understanding to prove you're educatable. That with proper instruction, you can develop theoretical knowledge to support your combat capability."

"That's all that matters," Bright agreed. "We passed. We advance. We get a chance to demonstrate what we're actually good at."

Adam's 87 stood out prominently—second highest score in the entire examination cohort, exceeded only by a noble scion who'd scored 96.

He destroyed it, Bright thought with genuine pride.

Ellarine's 84 was similarly impressive—demonstrating that her noble education had prepared her thoroughly for the comprehensive assessment.

Silas's 73 surprised Bright slightly. The obnoxious bastard had seemed more focused on combat capability than theoretical study, but apparently his intelligence extended beyond tactical applications.

Around the hall, reactions varied dramatically.

Noble scions showed satisfaction or mild disappointment depending on scores—most had passed comfortably, their educational advantages producing expected results.

Outpost recruits showed relief or devastation—approximately thirty percent had failed to meet the minimum standards, their survival-focused education proving insufficient for the Academy's theoretical requirements.

Military transfers fell somewhere between—generally adequate performance with few exceptional scores, demonstrating that preliminary training facilities provided solid foundation without producing academic excellence.

The FAILED TO MEET MINIMUM STANDARDS list was heartbreaking.

Names of candidates who'd survived the convoy journey, who'd demonstrated enough combat capability to warrant the initial selection, but whose educational gaps proved insurmountable. They'd be dismissed from candidacy—sent back to their outposts or transferred to standard military service, their Academy dreams ending before the formal training even began.

That could have been us, Duncan said quietly, looking at the failure list. "If I'd scored one point lower. If any of us had missed that minimum threshold. We'd be dismissed. Dreams over. Just like that."

"But we didn't," Bright said firmly. "We passed. We advance."

"Spoken like someone who's good at fighting," a nearby candidate muttered—one of the outpost recruits whose name appeared on the conditional passage list, whose scores had landed in an uncertain middle ground requiring additional evaluation.

Bright didn't respond. Because what could he say? That survival required being good at fighting? That combat capability mattered more than academic excellence in a world where Crawlers killed without caring about theoretical understanding?

True but unhelpful. True but insensitive to those whose strengths lay elsewhere.

The lead proctor's voice cut through the hall's murmuring reactions.

"Candidates who passed the written examination—report to combat assessment facilities in one hour. Use the intervening time to prepare equipment, review your tactical considerations, and mentally prepare for the practical evaluation. Dismissed."

The hall emptied in organized chaos—successful candidates heading toward preparation, failed candidates escorted toward dismissal processing, conditional cases directed toward additional evaluation rooms.

Bright and his squad moved together, maintaining a formation even without tactical necessity.

"One test down," Mara said. "One more to go before we're officially Academy students."

"The one that actually matters," Duncan added. "The one where our real capabilities show. Where outpost training becomes an advantage rather than a liability."

"Don't underestimate the combat assessment," Silas warned from nearby shadows, "The Academy won't just test raw fighting ability. They'll evaluate tactical thinking, adaptability, decision-making under pressure. All the things that theoretical knowledge supports."

"Then we show them we have those things," Bright said. "We demonstrate that survival-based education produces a different kind of excellence. That practical experience teaches lessons textbooks can't replicate."

They headed toward equipment preparation areas, toward one hour of breathing space before the real sorting began.

The written examination had been a hurdle to clear—necessary but not defining.

The combat assessment would reveal what they actually were.

Whether their outpost origins represented strength or weakness.

Whether survival experience translated to Academy success.

Whether they belonged in Sparkshire or should return to frontier territories

One hour, Bright thought. One hour to prepare for test that determines everything.

Better make it count.

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