It was only 10 days later that the amount of players required for the [Entrance Examination] to start was reached.
[Golden Star Academy Entrance Examination #1]
[Participants: 100,000+/100,000]
Once the first few people entered, and posts were made on the forum, the players began forming parties and grinded harder than ever before to reach the city.
When the amount of players goes from 100 million to around 8 billion, then there isn’t any way it wouldn’t end in chaos.
Though, of course, this was only at the beginning.
After all, even though everyone was playing right now, the difficulty of this game, paired with the vicious NPCs and players, would make around 90% of people quit within the first six months.
Of course, they would wish they hadn’t done that before the descent of the gods and the game started to slowly merge with reality, but Alex couldn’t do anything about it.
If he managed to single-handedly kill all gods and enemies, then humanity wouldn’t have to worry.
Oh, and of course, during those 10 days, Alex made sure to get his attributes up.
[+4390 Strength, +4390 Agility, +4390 Spirit, +4390 Vitality]
He gave some of it to Alice too, and this was all he could get with his extractions.
In addition to that, he gained several levels.
Going from level 304 all the way to level 342.
[Level: 342 (58,901,853/200,000,000)]
At this point, even the [Double Experience Zone] didn’t help him much, as it took just too much EXP to level up.
Or at least, the [Angel Forest] and [Light Plains] didn’t help much.
If he wanted to get stronger he would possibly need to reach the [Dark Lands], which is the third area of the [Double Experience Zone].
But doing so would mean being in the area most populated by angels who fought to gain experience, a big no.
He also made sure to use his [Skill Evolution], managing to evolve one more of his skills to the max-tier: Divine Arc, a legendary skill he extracted from an angel.
Ding!
[You have evolved “Divine Arc” (Advanced) to “Divinity Arc” (High-Tier)]
And 5 days later, since Alex took a little break from the game to actually visit the outside world…
Ding!
[You have evolved “Divinity Arc” (High-Tier) to “Arc of Divinity” (Max-Tier)]
“The names aren’t that different to be honest… but oh well.”
The description on the other hand, was completely different.
Ding!
[Arc of Divinity: Unleashes a larger wave of divine energy from long-range. Deals 7,500,000 base damage + 300% Spirit. Mana Cost: 500,000. Cooldown: 2 minutes]
The damage was insane, and though the mana cost was extremely expensive, it was still worth it in the long run.
It did less damage than [Demonic Spear], but you have to remember [Arc of Divinity] went in a straight line, phasing through enemies, thus able to deal damage to hundreds of monsters.
Alex already imagined what it would do if he was in another war, this time destroying all opponents at once.
With that done though, the announcement Alex had been waiting for appeared.
[All players that wish to participate in the “Golden Star Academy Entrance Examination” have exactly twelve hours to be inside the city.]
[When the timer reaches 0, a panel will be sent to you, select whether or not you wish to participate at that time.]
A giant timer appeared above the city, visible to every player, meaning that you couldn’t miss it.
[Golden Star Academy is the most powerful academy in Universal Descent, joining it will grant you immense power and fame.]
Explanations scrolled across panels in front of every player.
While it was useful for newcomers, Alex already knew this information. It brought back memories, filling him with a sense of nostalgia.
Though, right now, he needed to be extra careful.
He was wearing the [Mask of Concealment], but it didn’t mean he couldn’t be found, or maybe he was just paranoid.
In fact, he was so paranoid that he took out the [Vial of Undead Blood] and placed it on top of one of Arceus’ desks.
He wasn’t stupid, and though he made the mistake once, he wasn’t gonna let them recognize him from the demonic aura of the vial.
The teachers would be watching, and though only Dominic was a commander, it didn’t mean he could underestimate other members of the [Hatred Sect].
“I’m excited, human,” Alphox chuckled, his voice dripping with anticipation, though he refrained from materializing to avoid drawing attention, “If there are no dragons you better be ready for what’s coming, though.”
Alphox’s favorability with Alex was pretty high by now, but even then, he couldn’t forget that the “pet” he had was Primordial Dragon.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure that the [Tower] has everything we need,” Alex grinned, “Now we wait.”
…
As the limit from the game was removed, and the flow of time was synchronized, there was no reason to leave the game, so instead, Alice just asked to explore this city.
Star City was known for the academy, but it was still a city nonetheless, meaning that it held attractions, restaurants and even a [World Association Guild] of its own.
And so by the time the countdown reached 0…
[Players inside Star City: 237,904]
Yes, even though the 100,000 players limit was met only ten hours ago, there were a ton of players at a high enough level to reach Star City, yet didn’t because they had things to do.
And don’t forget those that grinded their way through the [Crossroad Plains] simply to reach the city early.
Ding!
A new message appeared to all players inside Star City.
[Would you like to participate in the “Golden Star Academy Entrance Examination”]
[Yes] [No]
Obviously, Alex and Alice selected yes, and most other players did too.
After two minutes, the results came in.
[Golden Star Academy Entrance Examination: 232,831 participant.]
“Shit! I miss clicked!”
“I-I didn’t have time I was talking to someone-!”
There were a few unfortunate ones, but it is what it is.
This [Entrance Examination] could be considered as the third [World Event] of Universal Descent, as it shared similar properties to the others.
Ding!
[You have received a “Tower of Destiny Token”, use it to start your examination.]
[The chairman and teachers will be watching all of you, do not disappoint and you may have a chance to access the Golden Star Academy!]
[More rules and information will be given once all players enter the Tower of Destiny.]
Alex examined the token, a small but ornate object glowing with faint golden energy. He could feel the weight of the event ahead.
The [Golden Star Academy Entrance Examination] wasn’t just a test of skill or strength; it was a trial designed to push players to their limits.
For Alex, it was another step toward his ultimate goal of growing strong enough to take on gods.
The countdown had ended, and the time to act was now.
“So does it work just like all the others?” Alice tilted her head, the token appearing in her hand too.
In fact, it appeared in every single player’s hand that was inside Star City.
It didn’t take long for them to realize that they needed to crush them while pouring their aura in their hands.
Alex was one of the first to do that, and Alice quickly followed his example.
As the power of the token surged, their surroundings changed as a golden light blinded them.
And after a few seconds… they landed somewhere else, in a far away place.
“I remember now…” Alex mumbled, that name finally ringing a bell as he looked around: they were currently in a massive enclosed space, large enough to fit millions of people at once.
There was nothing around, no door, nor window, yet he wasn’t in pure darkness: some sort of holy light was lighting up the place.
Soon after his appearance in that space, thousands of other people arrived too, appearing one after the other, looking around, confused.
Among these people, Alex recognized many big shots, leaders from powerful guilds and future traitors/helpers of humanity.
The beginning stages of the game were coming to an end.
“What the hell is this place?!”
“That’s for the examination?”
“Holy shit, watch out!”
Players were taken aback by the sheer grandeur of the place.
It was only ten minutes later that another announcement echoed though.
[Welcome to the Tower of Destiny!]