Walking through the corridors of the institution, Arthur stopped when he was certain he walked far enough. Then, he looked behind him. He was trying to make sure that nobody was looking at him before he slowly rested his back against the wall.
‘Sigh, this is so annoying!’ He thought to himself. ‘That bastard figured me out too easily. I was almost tempted to listen to him.’
The fact Lamenter tried to drag him into a conversation so easily was terrifying. He had given Arthur a reason to talk and stay. Something as important as the reason for Isla’s clear hatred toward this person.
‘Who the hell is he? He is seriously dangerous and I can’t figure him out at all.’
So far, Lamenter was the only person Arthur truly could not understand at all. He was almost akin to something he couldn’t grasp, something that kept wiggling out of his grasp whenever he tried to capture him. He could see why Isla saw him as a huge threat.
‘Another person added to the long list of things I should keep an eye on. Tsk, this is such a headache. I can’t have a break from all the annoying pests that keep bothering me… I just want to play the game and kill monsters, for god’s sake.’ Exhaling a small breath, Arthur finally pushed himself off the wall and started walking again.
It seemed as long as Arthur stood out, the trouble was bound to follow him. The world of DO and the world of the powerful people was simply not a peaceful place. He was bound to face all kinds of evil that wanted to take him down or rob him of everything he cherishes and Arthur knew that very well.
That was why, even when he felt really annoyed, he still didn’t question why people sought him this much. He was indeed important… Very important and time will only make him even more important.
‘I can only deal with this situation or I’m not worthy of standing up to Isla and the others. If they want to bother me, I will show them what it’s like to play with me.’
Feeling even more determined than ever, Arthur walked into the classroom where he took his seat and waited for the lesson to start.
Eventually, students started walking in, including Isla who simply gave him a nod of acknowledgment and took her seat.
A few minutes later, Theodore walked in, turning the boiling classroom quiet in an instant. Everyone visibly tensed up as they realized that it was time for the test. They had spent the entire night studying and some looked visibly exhausted but nobody was ready to fail.
Their class rankings were very important and any loss of points could very much kick them out of the class. Especially Arthur who was at the very bottom of the class currently and needed to secure a higher position, away from the red zone.
“Good morning everyone.” The professor said. “I believe everyone is ready for today’s test. The very first one you will go through this year.”
“…”
Some nodded their heads while others remained silent, completely focused on trying to remember everything they revised.
“Before we start, I’d like to explain a few things. First of all, this test won’t be about any specific subject but instead about everything you have learned so far. A general test where we will assess your capabilities and your ability to focus during lessons.”
‘A general test? So, they will ask us about everything… That’s a little tricky.’ Arthur thought to himself. ‘But, I feel fresh and ready.’
However, the same can’t be said for everyone else. The students looked even more tense, with some visibly shaking as they realized they might be in huge trouble.
But, as if he didn’t even care about their feelings, the professor walked behind the table and rested his arms on it.
“Second thing is, any use of your device or any other form of cheating will get you immediately kicked out of the academy and that is effective upon proving that you did indeed cheat. So, please do not try that as it is never worth the risk.”
The cold tone made the students flinch. Naturally, they knew that cheating was punishable and that was mentioned in the guidebook they received. However, the fact that cheating instantly expelled them from the academy was in and out of itself a terrifying punishment.
‘Now even those who are stupid enough to try won’t even try. It’s simply not worth the risk at all.’ Arthur scoffed slightly. Although he was a true believer in ‘It’s not cheating until you get caught’, he also didn’t like to take the easy way when he could accomplish something with his effort.
“Now, shall we begin?”
For a second there, many gulped down a mouthful of saliva. Then, as if fate was mocking them, their holographic screens opened on their own without their devices being hooked to the table.
The screen had a single title on it ‘General Test #1’ in bold lines.
“In exactly 1 minute, the page will turn and you can access the questions. There are 100 ‘Multiple-choice’ questions that you have two hours to answer. Each question is one point so the test is out of 100. To pass the test you must have at least 50 points.”
After listing all the information necessary for the students, Theodore looked at the clock before he looked back at his class.
“Start.”
***
“… Hnng! My neck hurts…”
Arthur groaned as he stretched his arms. Looking up, he exhaled a small breath of relief, and then a small smile formed on his face.
‘That was actually not that bad. I was able to answer so many questions.’ He thought to himself.
Unlike what he expected, the test was surprisingly easy in his eyes. Although the test asked about all the subjects, even the ones related to Divinity Online, it wasn’t anything he didn’t know already. All the information Arthur memorized was useful and he didn’t forget many things.
In fact, by the time Arthur reached the last question, he still had 15 minutes left. This was something completely new to him as he had never actually been good enough during tests. Yet, here he was, doing great on his very first one.
Arthur could’ve not felt any more satisfied with his effort. On the other hand, the rest of the students had mixed reactions to the end of the test. Some were happy, some were sad and some were simply emotionless.
One of those people was Isla. Arthur had seen the girl go through the test so quickly that she finished almost in 30 minutes and simply sat there for the rest of the lesson, just staring out of the window.
‘… She’s just on a whole different level.’ Arthur thought to himself as he stared at her silently. Even though he was proud of his achievement, he knew that he was still far from great. If he wanted to reach that level, he had to continue working hard.
‘… Reach that level? Pfft, I might be good at the game, but I’m definitely never going to be that good in academics.’
“Arthur.”
At that moment, he heard Isla calling for him.
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3