CHAPTER 279: EXAM (1)

Sophia stepped forward, holding up the crystal tablet, runes glowing along its edges. "You will be divided into groups of six. Each group will be sent to a designated sector within the controlled examination field. Your objective is simple: complete your sector’s mission parameters within the time limit. Failure to adapt, cooperate, or survive will be reflected in your grades."

Adrian leaned toward Merlin. "Did she just say survive?"

"Yep," Merlin replied, voice calm.

Nathan whistled under his breath. "They’re really upping it this year."

Reinhardt’s voice cut through the noise. Deep. Commanding. "This is not play-acting. You are not here to show off your affinities, you are here to demonstrate control. Any display of reckless power will result in disqualification."

That sentence, Merlin noticed, was directed squarely at him.

’Yeah, yeah... no lightning storms this time,’ he thought dryly.

Vivienne clapped her hands once. "Teams will be announced now. Step forward when your name is called."

One by one, names echoed through the courtyard. Students shuffled and regrouped, murmuring as familiar friends were separated and new combinations formed.

When Merlin’s name came up, a few heads turned automatically.

Vivienne read clearly:

"Team Twelve, Merlin Everhart, Elara Vaelith, Nathaniel Varen, Liliana Astralis, Ethan Crowell, and Dorian Graves."

Merlin blinked. "...that’s basically our whole group."

Elara smiled faintly. "Coincidence?"

Nathan snorted. "Not a chance. They’re testing something."

The team assembled quickly, standing in a loose semicircle before the instructors.

Reinhardt approached them directly. "You six are being assigned to the Western Sector."

Sophia swiped across her tablet and projected a faint image of a map. It displayed a mountainous terrain, jagged ridges, rivers, and thick forests.

"Your mission," she continued, "is to locate and secure a relic core hidden somewhere within that sector. You will be given a basic supply kit. No external communication devices. You have six hours."

Liliana frowned. "What kind of relic?"

Sophia’s eyes glimmered faintly. "You’ll know when you see it."

Vivienne folded her arms. "And remember, this is not about power. It’s about judgment." Her gaze met Merlin’s again. "That means no overkill, Mr. Everhart."

Merlin gave a faint shrug. "No promises."

The faintest twitch at the corner of Vivienne’s lips betrayed her effort not to smile. "I’ll be watching."

The teleportation gates shimmered to life a few minutes later, six luminous rings hovering above the courtyard.

Each team stepped forward one at a time, disappearing into arcs of light. When Team Twelve’s turn came, Merlin felt the pull of energy ripple through him, his surroundings warping into color.

He exhaled, and the next breath he took filled his lungs with cold mountain air.

They stood on a rocky ledge overlooking a vast expanse of pine forest. Snow capped the distant peaks. Mist rolled through the valley below, quiet and unreal.

"Sector assignment confirmed," said a neutral mechanical voice, the exam system’s administrator. "Mission timer begins now."

Six hours.

Nathan unsheathed his daggers, scanning the ridgeline. "Alright... any guesses where to start?"

"Downhill," Elara said immediately, crouching to study the terrain. "Relic cores tend to be buried near natural mana veins. The valley’s full of them."

Dorian, silent until now, adjusted his gloves. "And what if other teams cross into our area?"

Ethan cracked his knuckles. "Then we deal with them."

Merlin’s eyes glimmered faintly, sensing the faint thrum of mana through the mountain. His multiple affinities stirred, lightning flickering in his veins, wind whispering at his ears, space rippling faintly in his perception.

"...Let’s move," he said quietly.

The team descended the path, boots crunching over stone, their breath fogging in the cold air.

And as they moved, Merlin couldn’t shake the faint sense that something in the forest below was watching.

Not the exam system.

Not an instructor.

Something older.

The cold air thickened as they entered the forest.

Pine needles whispered underfoot. Shafts of pale light cut through the canopy, glinting on damp moss and stone. Every sound, from the crack of a twig to the brush of leaves, felt amplified, like the woods themselves were holding their breath.

"Anyone else feel like this place is too quiet?" Nathan muttered, turning a slow circle.

Ethan shrugged, his sword resting against his shoulder. "Maybe all the monsters are sleeping."

"Funny," Dorian said flatly, his crimson eyes sweeping the shadows. "Because something out there is awake."

Merlin’s senses pulsed, faint, but sharp. The hum of mana here was strange. It wasn’t uniform like a conjured exam field. It was layered, dense with threads that felt ancient, as if the land remembered more than it should.

He glanced up at the treeline. "Stay sharp. We’re being observed."

Liliana frowned, brushing a lock of brown hair behind her ear. "By what? The instructors?"

"No," Elara said quietly, her spear tip lowering as her violet eyes scanned ahead. "This isn’t academy magic. It’s older. Wilder."

The group exchanged uncertain glances.

Still, they pressed on.

The forest deepened. The path split twice, once toward a glade filled with mist, another leading down toward a stream cutting through the valley floor.

Elara knelt near the second fork, brushing her fingers along the dirt. "Mana flow’s stronger this way," she murmured. "Toward the stream."

Nathan nodded. "Then that’s our best bet for finding a relic core. Natural veins collect in water channels."

Ethan yawned. "So we’re going swimming?"

"Only if you fall," Dorian replied, deadpan.

Merlin smirked faintly. Even with the tension, their rhythm was returning, the unspoken coordination built through countless battles together.

They followed the slope downward, the faint roar of running water growing clearer with each step. When they reached the stream, sunlight broke through the clouds above, scattering across the surface like a web of liquid glass.

"Alright," Liliana said, scanning the banks. "If I were an ancient relic, where would I hide?"

"Under the dirt," Ethan offered.

"Helpful," she deadpanned.

Elara tapped her spear against the ground. "Spread out. Keep within sight."

The team moved, each taking a section of the stream. Merlin knelt near the water’s edge, running his hand through the current. The chill bit his skin, but beneath it, he felt it.

A pulse.

Faint, rhythmic. Like a heartbeat beneath the stone.

He focused, letting his wind affinity sharpen his senses and space affinity stretch his perception beneath the surface.

And there it was, a glimmer. Deep below, buried in silt.

"Got something," he said.

The others gathered quickly. Nathan crouched beside him, eyes narrowing. "That’s mana signature for sure. Could be the relic."

Merlin nodded. "It’s deep. I’ll extract it."

He extended his hand. Water twisted, swirling upward as his affinity took hold. The stream bent under his command, a tight spiral of motion that churned the mud below. Stones lifted, earth cracked, and—

A burst of light flared beneath the surface.

"Contact," Elara said immediately, spear braced.

From the depths of the water, something surged upward, a shape made of crystal and root, humanoid but warped. Its body glowed faint blue, hollow eyes burning with mana.

"Guardian construct," Dorian said coldly. "Figures."

The construct lunged, arm sweeping like a blade.

Merlin moved first. A snap of his wrist, a flash of lightning, the creature’s arm shattered mid-swing. But even as shards fell, the limb began to reform, tendrils of glowing root knitting together.

"It regenerates," Nathan called out, dark energy flaring around his daggers. "Focus the core!"