Chapter 44: The Academy Selection

Seeing Ethan being all mysterious, Adrian didn’t press him. Instead, he studied Ethan through God’s Perspective. There was no hostility coming from him. If anything, there was a strange sense of goodwill that Adrian couldn’t quite understand.

What bothered him more was that he hadn’t sensed Ethan at all before.

He had fought Lucian while Ethan was standing nearby, yet Ethan had been completely outside his perception. That shouldn’t have been possible.

"There’s something strange about you," Adrian said.

Ethan smiled faintly.

"You noticed?"

"I notice a lot of things."

"I know."

For some reason, Ethan’s words didn’t feel like those of a stranger. But he couldn’t explain why.

"Are you going to attack me?" Adrian asked.

"No."

"Good." Adrian lowered his rifle. "I don’t feel like fighting anymore."

"Neither do I."

Adrian gave a small nod.

"You’re very strong."

Ethan remained silent.

"I couldn’t sense you before. Then you removed whatever was hiding you, and I could see you immediately." Adrian paused. "If you use it again, I won’t be able to find you."

"You noticed that quickly."

"I don’t need to know what it is."

Adrian raised his rifle and turned it toward himself.

"I just know I can’t win."

Ethan finally reacted. "You’re going to give up?"

"It’s not real death."

Adrian pulled the trigger.

Bang!

His body fell to the ground, and the number above the battlefield changed to 1.

Ethan looked at him.

"He really is like this."

Adrian had always been straightforward. If he decided something, he acted without wasting time on a fight he couldn’t win.

A few seconds later, Ethan’s body disappeared as well.

With no one else left on the battlefield, the assessment came to an end.

When Ethan opened his eyes again, he was back in Assessment Area #478.

Aria and the other candidates had already returned.

Marcus stood in front of them.

"Everyone is back. The three assessments are almost finished, so wait here for the rankings to be updated."

A few minutes passed before the rankings finally changed.

[Combat Profession Ranking]

[1. Ethan]

[2. Adrian]

[3. Lucian]

...

Several candidates immediately started talking.

"It’s that Ethan again."

"He came first?"

"Who exactly is he? His name has been at the top since the beginning of the assessment."

Aria listened to them quietly.

The person they were talking about was standing right beside her.

Aria glanced at Ethan again.

Before she could say anything, Marcus stepped forward.

"The three assessments are complete. Now we move on to the academy selection."

The candidates gradually became quiet.

"The candidates who qualified have been added to the selection list. The academies will now choose the people they want."

The large screen above them changed.

Thousands of names began appearing across the display.

"Once an academy selects someone, its name will appear beside the candidate’s name. Some candidates may receive offers from multiple academies, while others may not receive any."

Marcus paused briefly.

"That doesn’t mean you have no future. There are plenty of other paths. Guilds, factions, families, and other organizations are also looking for talented people."

The candidates looked toward the screen.

"The selection will begin now."

The academies began making their choices.

It didn’t take long before Ethan’s name appeared at the top of the selection list.

But there wasn’t just one academy beside his name.

There were four.

[Ethan]

[Order Academy]

[Royal Academy]

[Arcane Academy]

[Military Academy]

Ethan recognized all four names immediately.

They were the most prominent academies in the Empire.

The Order Academy was known for producing some of the best talents in the Empire. It focused on order, justice, law, and the protection of society, and many of its graduates went on to become powerful figures in different fields.

The Royal Academy was controlled by the Imperial Family and mainly focused on cultivating talents for the Empire.

The Arcane Academy was famous for its mages and magical research.

The Military Academy trained combatants and commanders for the Imperial Military.

Ethan didn’t need much time to decide.

The Order Academy accepted almost any profession, which gave him more freedom than the other three. Its resources were also among the best.

More importantly, Ethan still remembered the strange connection between the Order Academy and the system.

He had no reason to ignore that.

He chose the Order Academy.

The selection continued, with one name after another appearing on the screen.

Some candidates received several offers.

Others received only one.

And some received none at all.

The selection continued for another hour before finally coming to an end.

Marcus stepped forward once the screen disappeared.

"The Entrance Trial is officially over."

The candidates became quiet.

"Those who were selected by an academy will receive their enrollment information shortly. You don’t need to leave for the academy immediately. You will have some time to return home and prepare."

"The academies will contact you later with the details of where and when you need to report. They will also arrange transportation where necessary."

Marcus looked across the group.

"Those who weren’t selected by an academy are free to choose another path."

"You can leave through the same portal you used to enter this assessment area."

With that, the Entrance Trial officially came to an end.

The candidates began moving toward the portal.

Ethan was about to leave when a familiar notification appeared in front of him.

[Ding!]

[Academy Entrance Examination has been completed.]

[Additional Objective has been completed.]

[Quest Reward: Secret Realm Token]

[Secret Realm Token]

[Description: A mysterious token that can open the entrance to a hidden Secret Realm.]

[Usage: Crush the token to enter the Secret Realm.]

[Remaining Uses: 1]

Ethan stopped.

"A Secret Realm?"

Secret Realms were special areas hidden throughout the world. They could contain rare resources, powerful monsters, treasures, special items, and even unique opportunities.

There were different types of Secret Realms, and their difficulty and rewards could vary greatly.

Ethan had entered several Secret Realms in his previous life, including some that required an entry token.

But he had no idea which Secret Realm this token belonged to.

[Secret Realm: Unknown]

[Location: Unknown]

[Difficulty: Unknown]

[Rewards: Unknown]

Ethan stared at the information. Even the system didn’t give him any details about the Secret Realm.

He wasn’t going to use it here.

He would return to Blackstone City first and find a suitable place to use the token before heading to the academy.

Ethan closed the information and walked toward the portal with Aria.