Published at 24th of February 2019 06:33:25 PM Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - The Returners Entrance Exam (1)

The heart . . ? Zod mumbled to himself .

Confused by his ramblings, someone asked, What do you mean by the heart?

I read about it in a book many many years ago, Zod said . A dragons heart

acts like an engine for magicjust like our mana circles . Its an enormous

magic engine that sucks in the surrounding mana .

Mana circles . Mana was absorbed into mana circles so that it could be

controlled and used . This was elementary knowledge for a mage .

Zod continued, The dragons dead, which means theres nothing controlling

the mana accumulated inside its heart now . Since mana is very fluid, its

continued to flow around, which has resulted in this engine overheating . If

this continues

I dont understand what youre saying! Priscilla interrupted . Say it in

simpler terms!

Desir spoke up, reaching the conclusion quickly . The overheating engine is

about to explode .

WHAAAT?!?!? Priscilla shrieked in a shrill voice .

A terrible rumbling arose from the body, punctuating Desirs words . The

uncontrollable mana overflowed, overwhelming everyone present, and causing

their faces to turn deathly pale .

Why didnt we know about this before we killed it?

Zods usual empty eyes gleamed with despair . He spoke in a dead and

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monotonous voice, . . . Because . . . this is the first time humanity has ever defeated

a dragon .

An explosion caused by the pressure of the mana contained within the mana

circle . . . This kind of phenomenon would be equivalent to 7th circle magic . . .

No, even thats too low of an estimate . This amount of mana is beyond the

reckoning of mortals . Also, if its pure mana rather than magic, its not

something we can hijack .

. . . I think its time we prepared . . .

The looming inevitability cast a pall over the survivors, like a bitter, black

cloud . It was as Zod said . A mana explosion of this scale was impossible to

dodge, impossible to block .

I . . . I cant believe it . The world is really . . . right now . . . Raphaello turned to face

the gathering manstorm with a thousand-yard stare .

Our Father who art in heaven . . . Priscillas quiet prayer was drowned out by

the coming storm .

Desir stood at the center of the group, his face strained with pain and despair .

The disaster unfolded before him, and a hundred thoughts raced through his

mind . The magic surged outward, but only one thought stood out .

Is this the end?

He closed his eyes, as he felt the wicked wind slash across his face .

That was his final memory .

Desir Arman opened his eyes, staring at his outstretched hand .

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Wait .

Something was amiss .

Where am I?

Voices, chattering in excitement, filled the air . He lowered his hand and

surveyed his surroundings . A massive chandelier, gilded with tens of sapphires,

lit the room . Hundreds of students dressed in black uniforms sat at dozens of

oak tables surrounding an antique stone shrine .

As Desir glanced around in confusion, he realized, . . . this looks familiar . . .

Looking down, there was a glass cup in front of him . A young boy, eerily

familiar, stared back in confusion . He had deep black eyes and bright red lips .

His face wasnt quite handsome, but he had a bit of a childish charm to him .

Wait, this is . . . Gone were the scar-covered cheeks and rugged skin . A fair,

somewhat effeminate school-aged child greeted him . He was his adolescent self

again .

Whats going on . . . ? I definitely died back there . . .

He sat, confusion and doubt racing through his mind, until a sudden ringing

disrupted his thoughts .

The ringing of a bell attracted everyones attention back to the front . A

beautiful young woman dressed in a professors black uniform smiled as she

ascended the stage . As the music ceased and chatter died down, the woman

began speaking .

Pleased to meet you, applicants of Hebrion Academy . I am Professor Brigitte .

Desir stared at the woman intensely . It should have been the first time Desir

was seeing her face, but instead, she seemed strangely familiar .

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I know that many of you have come to Hebrion Academy from many different

countries . I sincerely thank every one of you for having made this long journey

to attend our school .

She paused and drew a deep breath before continuing .

However, I regretfully inform you all that not everyone who has come here

will be admitted to our academy . As is tradition, everyone will be required to

take our entrance examination, the results of which will determine who is

admitted . Only 600 of you will be admitted to Hebrion . We will be testing you,

of course

By asking you to clear a Shadow World, Desir muttered under his breath as

Professor Brigitte spoke .

--by asking you to clear a Shadow World, she said . Do not be nervous; while

this examination is similar to a real Shadow World, this one is not real . This

Shadow World has been specially constructed for the purposes of this exam .

For more details, I ask that you ask your mentors when you meet them .

Brigitte looked at the students with a serious expression .

Year 3613, the 172nd entrance examination will begin in 2 hours in the main

hall of the Academy . In the meantime, please enjoy the banquet we have

prepared for you . I will see everyone again soon . Brigitte walked down from

the platform as she finished her speech .

The students collectively broke out in applauseall except for Desir who

looked down in disbelief .

Hebrion Academy entrance examination?

Hebrion Academy was the top magic academy in the entire continent . Desir

was an alumnus . He had graduated from Hebrion 10 years ago .

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Yet, now, somehow, he was again at the precipice of entering Hebrion

Academy . His mind swirled with confusion . If its 3613 . . .

Then he had been flung 13 years into the past . The Shadow Labyrinth had

appeared in the year Lowellius 3616, and he had lived in the hellish nightmare

for 10 years, from 3616 to 3626 .

Desir closed his eyes as felt the enormity of it all . Conflicting emotions raced

through his heart: pangs of guilt pierced through the happiness he felt for

coming back to this point .

An eternity of suffering and torture . The blood of his friends who died and the

tears he shed . All of it was for nothing . They failed to save the world .

10 years of suffering and 150 million dead all for nothing . It was unavoidable,

undeniably a disaster .

And yet, somehow . . .

Desir Arman had returned 13 years into the past from that doomed future . It

was like a jokea cruel, twisted joke .

At first, Desir had simply thought that, perhaps, it had all been a dream; a

particularly horrid nightmare that he had just awoken from . But the vivid

memories were all too real . He couldnt have called it a dream, with all the

desperate fights and the vast array of magic knowledge he had gained buried in

his mind . All these memories flowing through his head were far too realistic for

a dream .

"You're Desir Arman, aren't you?"

A young girl appeared in front of Desir, snapping him from his contemplation .

She wore her red hair in a short bob, and, despite her short stature, her steely

eyes gave off an aura of great confidence and will .

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Nice to meet you! she said cheerfully . Im Radoria Von Dorich, but you can

call me Radoria . Im a second-year student of Hebrion Academy, and Ill be

your mentor for the entrance examination today . I look forward to working

with you!

Ah, please look after me . Even though his voice came out naturally, Desir felt

an unnatural discomfort as he stared at Radoria .

This was the same Radoria Von Dorich he had met in his past life . Radoria Von

Dorich was a genius, a fire mage capable of 6th circle magic . She held the

number 1 rank of her year for her entire time at Hebrion .

What are you thinking so much about? she asked .

Oh, Im feeling pretty nervous, he answered .

Radoria giggled . Theres no need to get scared over the entrance exam . The

Shadow World they use is specially made; its incomparable to a real Shadow

World in difficulty .

Is that so?

Its still an exam, though . Like, can you really go fight against the Shadow

Worlds? kinda thing .

Introductions more or less complete, Radoria started her preparations for the

entrance exam . She flicked through her documents on Desir, and then paused

and looked up . Huh? Youre a commoner?

Desir replied in a lackadaisical manner as if the question was irrelevant . Is

there a problem?

Well, if youre a commoner, youre probably going to experience some

hardship, I guess? Even if you pass, theyll put you into the Beta class . They

dont really care for commoner half of Hebrion; they wont give you a proper

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education there .

This unexpected return to the past made a crucial fact slip his mind . Despite

being the foremost magic academy on the continent, Hebrion was harshly

segregated into two halves: the nobles of Alpha class, and the commoners of

Beta class .

Well, itll only matter if you pass your exam . Radoria then lead Desir down a

long corridor .

After 10 minutes, as if the long silence had bothered her, Radoria spoke again .

Oh, I forgot to ask before . Do you know what a Shadow World is?

More or less

Radoria furrowed her brows in suspicion . Do you really know though? To join

the effort against the Shadow Worlds, you need to have perfect knowledge of

what they are . Even if this is just an examination-specific Shadow World,

Shadow Worlds are still inherently dangerous you know .

Desir simply nodded at Radorias explanation .

She let out a small huff . Alright, if youre so confident then, why dont I test

you with a few questions?

Okay .

First question, Radorias voice held a clear note of mockery . What is a

Shadow World?

Desir cleared his throat and began speaking:

Shadow Worlds .

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They occur each year, and they are the most dangerous phenomenon mankind

has ever seen . Like an infinitely long corridor with countless rooms on each

side; there are countless worlds, each with their own bizarre set of rules .

These worlds are a glimpse into the past, and each world has its own risks .

While some Shadow Worlds are weak, others can be extremely dangerous . The

Magic Society determines the power (and implicitly, the danger) of a Shadow

World, and assigns it one of 10 classes . Its usually possible to estimate the

number of deaths likely to occur by knowing the class of a Shadow World .

Without a doubt, however, the most dangerous characteristic of a Shadow

World is its potential for an Encroachment event to occur . Encroached land is

smothered in a thick, black fog, and it becomes impossible to know whats

happening inside . Only one thing is certain: no living being has ever entered

encroached land and returned alive . It is simply a place where life cannot exist .

This is why humanity must fight against the Shadow Worlds .