Chapter 104: University Screening [1]

Amon sat on the bus while looking at his phone.

Right now, he was on the official website of the Royal Family that was used for betting on the University and College Screening.

The website itself looked ridiculously expensive, with golden borders and animated decorations.

’These things aren’t as good as they’re supposed to be.’

Amon scrolled through the website while looking at the different rankings and betting options.

Everything felt way too bloated, and the entire website seemed designed to show off the wealth of the Royal Family rather than make things convenient for the users.

’They could have made a simple website instead of turning it into a damn palace.’

Ignoring all of that, Amon opened the section showing his own bet.

He had placed a total of one million Federal Notes on himself.

Because Amon was relatively unknown among the students participating in the screening, the odds were heavily in his favor.

If he managed to get into the Royal University, he would receive ten million Federal Notes in return.

There was also a ten percent bonus for anyone who correctly guessed who would rank first in the entire screening.

Amon stared at the numbers for a moment before putting his phone down.

’Ten million will solve most of my problems.’ He leaned back against his seat and looked toward the window. ’Although I really hope I don’t get addicted to gambling.’

An announcement suddenly rang through the bus, informing everyone that they would reach their destination shortly.

Amon drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes, ignoring the students sitting around him who were talking about the upcoming screening.

He focused entirely on himself and went through his plans in his mind.

His main goal for the entire test was simple. ’Aura farm.’

Amon needed to show off as much as possible.

He had no intention of hiding most of his abilities during the screening. ’If I’m going to stand out, I might as well do it properly.’

The bus finally began slowing down.

Amon opened his eyes as the vehicle came to a stop, and the students immediately began getting out through the doors.

He drew in a deep breath before stepping down from the bus. "Maximum effort."

The moment Amon looked around, he cursed inwardly.

’Ah, fuck?’

There were students everywhere.

Buses from different academies had arrived around the same time, and hundreds of students were now gathering in the same area.

Most of them had no idea where they had been brought, so groups quickly formed.

Amon had no one to talk to, so he simply stood there and looked around.

The first thing that caught his attention was the enormous natural wall standing in front of them.

It stretched for at least three hundred metres across the area, rising so high that the top was difficult to see from where he stood.

The surface wasn’t completely smooth either, as countless natural markings covered the stone.

Amon looked upward. ’So this is the first test.’

He glanced around and noticed several cameras positioned throughout the area.

’They’re watching everyone.’

Amon wasn’t surprised.

With so many students participating, the organizers needed to keep an eye on them, especially those who managed to stand out during the tests.

Amon was still looking around when, less than five minutes after his arrival, the University Screening officially began.

One of the large floating screens positioned near the wall suddenly turned on.

A female teacher appeared on the screen.

"Good morning, students."

The conversations immediately died down as everyone turned toward the floating display.

"The first test will be the Physical Test."

The teacher turned slightly, allowing the massive wall behind her to become visible on the screen.

"The rules are simple. All you have to do is climb the wall behind me and reach the top."

Immediately, complaints erupted from the students.

"What?"

"How are we supposed to climb that?"

"This isn’t fair!"

The teacher didn’t even bother reacting to the complaints. "If you specialize in physical combat, you are free to use your physical strength to climb."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"However, if you are more spell-oriented, you are also allowed to use your spells and abilities."

The complaints slowly died down.

"All you need to do is reach the top." The teacher glanced at the clock beside her. "You have three hours."

She smiled slightly. "Your time starts now."

The screen immediately went black.

Amon looked around and noticed several teachers positioned around the testing area.

They were keeping a close eye on the students, and judging from their positions, they were probably there to keep everyone from interfering with one another.

Amon looked toward the ground beneath the wall. ’Will they actually save people if they fall?’

He wasn’t sure, but he also wasn’t interested in finding out.

Amon didn’t immediately begin the test; he waited and watched the other students.

It didn’t take long for someone to take the lead.

A tall boy with short black hair and a scar across his eyebrow stepped toward the wall.

Amon immediately recognized him. ’Darian Voss.’

He was one of the students Miss Helena had warned them about.

Darian placed both hands against the wall before jumping upward.

His fingers caught a small ledge, and he immediately pulled himself higher using nothing but his upper-body strength.

His movements were fast and controlled.

Every time he found a small opening or uneven section of the wall, he used it to push himself upward.

Within a short time, Darian had already climbed several dozen metres.

"He’s fast."

Amon looked at the wall again.

Another student had already started climbing beside Darian.

It was Kael Draven.

The red-haired boy had an arrogant expression on his face as flames covered his hands.

Instead of climbing normally, Kael placed his palm against the wall.

The stone immediately began heating up.

A moment later, the heat softened the surface enough for him to create a groove with his hand.

Kael repeated the process several times, creating handholds and footholds as he climbed.

Amon looked between the two. ’Darian and Kael are going toe-to-toe.’

Several other students attempted to climb after them, but most quickly discovered that the wall wasn’t nearly as easy as it looked.

Some students tried using physical strength but couldn’t find proper footholds.

Others attempted to use magic but wasted too much mana trying to create a path upward.

A few managed to climb several metres before losing their balance and falling back toward the ground.

The teachers immediately moved to stop them from getting seriously injured.

Amon watched everything carefully. ’What method should I use?’

He considered using Frost Manipulation to create blocks of ice embedded into the wall.

It would be easy enough.

He could freeze sections of the wall, create footholds, and simply climb upward.

But Amon quickly dismissed the idea. ’Too boring.’

He wanted people to remember him.

Amon looked around the area for another possibility. His eyes eventually landed on two tall pine trees growing close to one another.

Amon stared at them for a few seconds before an idea appeared in his mind.

He looked from the trees toward the top of the wall. ’If I use them properly, I can reach the top like a boss.’

Amon immediately opened his status screen.

He still had available Attribute Points from his recent level increase.

He selected Strength and used five points.

[Strength: 37 ~ 42]

Amon immediately felt a noticeable change in his body.

His muscles became slightly stronger, and even the weight of his own body seemed easier to handle.

Amon clenched his fist. ’Much better.’

He walked toward the two pine trees while several nearby students watched him with confused expressions.

Amon ignored them as he reached the trees and looked upward.

They were tall enough for what he had in mind.

Amon raised his hand. "Mana Thread."

Several thin strands shot from his fingers and wrapped tightly around the upper sections of both pine trees.

Amon pulled them toward himself, and the trees bent slightly.

He continued pulling. The tension in the trunks increased, and the branches shook as the leaves rustled loudly in the wind.

A few students nearby began looking at him.

"What is he doing?"

"Focus on your test, stupid idiot."

Amon didn’t care as he kept pulling until he felt that he had enough tension.

Then he released the Mana Threads. The two pine trees immediately snapped back into their original positions.

The stored force launched Amon into the air.

"WHAT?!"

Several students shouted as Amon shot upward.

His body rose rapidly, passing the students who were climbing the wall and continuing higher and higher.

The cameras immediately turned toward him.

Even Darian, who was climbing near the top, glanced downward when he noticed the commotion.

Kael also stopped for a moment and looked toward the flying figure.

Amon continued rising.

The top of the wall was getting closer. ’Almost there.’

The momentum began decreasing just as Amon reached the height of the wall.

He adjusted his body in midair as he was thrown higher than necessary.

Amon immediately used Frost Manipulation.

A layer of ice formed against the wall beneath him, creating a smooth slide.

His body landed against the ice and began sliding downward instead of crashing into the ground.

Amon controlled the shape of the ice as he descended, gradually reducing his speed before landing safely near the base.

Amon casually stood up and dusted himself off. The floating screen suddenly came alive again.

The announcer’s voice echoed across the entire testing area.

"Student Amon Arcadia is the first participant to reach the top!"

The entire area became noisy.

Amon looked toward the cameras and couldn’t stop the smile from appearing on his face.

’Now that’s what I call aura farming.’