A few hours later…
“There are only a few minutes left before the exam,” Maximus reminded, seeing that they were still playing happily.
“Oh~” They nodded sadly.
“Just do your best, no need to force yourself,” he reminded.
“We will pass this test like the previous 9,” Max said arrogantly.
“Hmmm, I believe in you…”
After saying their last goodbyes, they entered the virtual pod one after another.
This was an advanced pod that could allow them to stay in it for as long as possible.
Furthermore, there was also a soul array, a safety mechanism that prevented the collapse of the soul.
“Take care in the virtual world; we will see each other again after the exam…”
As soon as the countdown finished.
Their souls began to vibrate at a unique frequency, sending them into the virtual world.
…
Famine World:
“Huh~”
“W-water~”
“T-thirsty~”
On the ground was a group of malnourished and dehydrated children.
Around them, people lay on the ground, seeking shade from the sun and resting.
“Where is this?” Liam resisted his thirst as he contemplated their situation.
As he pondered this, a virtual panel appeared in front of him.
[Final Exam:
Mission: Survive 100 years
World Introduction…]
Tapping on the world introduction, his mind suddenly flooded with information.
A while later, Liam smiled wryly as he acknowledged their precarious situation.
This world is a wasteland without any extraordinary powers.
There is no blood, mana, and soul power here.
An ancient world without extraordinary abilities is not much of a problem.
However, this world is currently facing a once-in-a-millennium catastrophe.
The sun flares and the water begins to dry up.
This world is approaching its end, becoming a desolate place devoid of life for thousands of years to come.
What’s worse is that their bodies are those of normal children.
With malnutrition and dehydration, they can barely stand.
Assessing the situation, Liam calms down as he looks around.𝒩𝓞𝔳𝐥xt.𝗇t
Seeing his brothers and sisters, and the three girls, Liam sighs in relief.
“Fortunately, we’re still together…”
This is one of the mechanisms that Maximus suggested.
If these students were alone in this world, the chance of passing would be nearly impossible.
In this exam, students were grouped based on their relationships with each other and randomly spawned in this world.
While he was assessing their situation the others also figured out their situation and began conserving their energy.
“W-what should we do, brother?” Max asked, his voice cracking.
“Get water first, otherwise we’ll die of thirst,” Liam said.
Based on his estimate, their bodies can only last one or two days without water.
“Where do we get that?” Max asked.
Looking around, all he saw was barren land, without even a hint of vegetation.
“Condensation,” Liam answered.
“Condensation? Without magic, how can we do that?” Sam licked his parched lips as he asked.
“Perhaps we can help with that,” Lily said, looking at Lydia and Amara.
The three of them studied Natural Alchemy.
A branch of the alchemy of study the in and out of nature.
Although this is a different world, there should be similarities that they can find to solve their problem.
“Are you?” Max asked excitedly.
“We will see.”
“What do you need, sister? Leave it to me!” Max was already energized.
“Let us plan for a while; condensing water in this weather is quite difficult.”
Lily, Lydia, and Amara began to discuss how to condense water vapor for drinking.
Assessing the world, they notice that its principle is almost the same as the etherium realm.
To condense water vapor, they need to remove heat from the water, thereby turning it into liquid.
To do that they dug deep into their knowledge to create a condensation device.
It should be something that they can create and work under the principle of this world.
Fortunately, they often experiment using unlimited materials, so their hands-on ability is not bad.
…
A few hours later,
On the smoothed ground lay a complex blueprint with dense lines and grooves.
For a normal person to make it, they would need precise machinery.
“How is it, Luke? Can you do it?” Lily asked.
They had no machinery at the moment and could only use their bare hands and primitive tools.
Among them, Luke, who was a mechanic, had the most dexterous hands.
“It should be doable,” Luke furrowed his brow as he examined the blueprint.
“Sam, can you help me a little?” Luke requested.
Sam was also a part-time mechanic, so he should be able to assist him.
“Alright.”
“Brother Max, Brother Nathan, I also need all kinds of stones,”
“Preferably round and lightweight stones,”
“There is also wood, any quality is fine, it just needed to be big.” Luke began specifying his requirements.
The girls, on the other hand, were either preserving their energy or gathering information.
By now, they already knew that the original group was initially preparing to head South.
They were informed that the famine began in the East, spreading to the South.
By now, the East was already a desolate land without any living people.
From the lowest social class to the wealthiest merchants and nobles.
All of them were marching south.
Status was irrelevant at this point; only water that could sustain life mattered.
As for their original identity, they were children from an orphanage that had been abandoned due to the famine.
That’s why, except for them, there were also a bunch of children with them, ranging from one year old to over ten years old.
The oldest among them were Liam and Lily, who were 16 years old.
Their dean and other adults had already left them in order to escape and survive.
As for how a bunch of children could survive to this point.
It’s because the famine had only reached their location a few days ago.
However, if they didn’t take action, they would die in just a day or two.
…
At night, Luke and Sam managed to finish three condensation devices the size of a fist.
“Sister, this is the only thing we can do,” Luke apologized.
“This is more than enough. Thanks for your hard work,” Lily smiled and cheered them a little.
Using crude materials and their limited strength.
It was already a miracle that the two managed to create the condensation device.
“This is our duty, sister.”
“Now it’s time for you brothers, to work,” Lily said, looking at Liam, Max, and Nathan.
“What do you need?” Liam asked.
“You need to throw this in the sky,” Lily said, handing them the fist-sized condensation devices.
“How fast?” Liam quickly understood and asked.
“About 100 km per hour and 1000 revolutions per minute.”
“Would it be better if it’s faster?” Max couldn’t help but ask.
“You don’t need to overexert yourself; this speed should be enough to fill the device with water.”
“Oh~” Max was a little disappointed, thinking he could show off.
Soon the group reached an open clearing without people.
Their town was almost empty, so there was a lot of open space.
“Throw it quickly; we’re too thirsty,” Sam and Luke, who had just done the physical labor, urged.
“Alright.”
The three took their positions, gripping the condensation devices in their hands.
They focused the strength of their whole body at one point, clenching every muscle, and then threw the condensation devices.
Before the devices left their hands, two of their fingers acted like precision machines, giving the condensation device a faster spin.
Swish*
Swish*
Swish*
The group watched the condensation device as it flew through the air, hoping that it would work.
Their prayers seemed to be answered, as the ball flew and acted like a magnet, vacuuming all the water vapor it passed
The tiny holes and grooves of the condensation device seemed to defy physics as it stayed in the atmosphere for a few minutes using its rotation.
Inside the condensation device, there was also complicated machinery, filtering and pressurizing the water vapor turning it into liquid.
At last, the reserve container began to be filled with clear liquid water making it heavier.
Thud*
Thud*
Thud*
The condensation device fell accurately into place.
With curious and excited expressions, they took the condensation device and opened it.
Inside was charcoaled wood with carvings and grooves.
Before opening it again, they took out a container.
With a prop, a fist-sized amount of water came out, bringing smiles to their faces.
“We have water!”
“Brother, we did it!” Sam said excitedly.
“It’s thanks to our three sisters who thought of this,” Luke didn’t take the credit.
The others beamed with smiles as they finally had water.
Although it took almost all their strength just to throw the condensation device.
It was enough to ensure they would not die of thirst.
With the good news, The three began to throw the condensation devices again into the sky.
However, due to their weak body, Max and Nathan only managed to throw another one before collapsing.
While Liam, with a bit more strength, threw two more.
As for Sam, and Luke, after creating the condensation device their energy was already depleted.
As for Neo, he was sleeping, at the orphanage.
The Girls also didn’t have much strength.
If they pushed their malnourished body to throw the condensation device, maybe they would not die of thirst but physical exertion.