Morning. I woke up at 7 a.m. and washed my face. While having my breakfast, the doorbell rang. I quickly realized it was Kira coming to pick me up.
I finished eating and grabbed my newly made web armor for myself and for Kira. I opened the door to see Kira standing there with a tiger. I hadn't expected to see his symbiote with him. Anyway, I wanted to greet him, so I said:
"Hi! How's your tiger?"
He looked at me and replied with a smile, "Fine. What about you?"
I answered, "Great! I feel like Darkie and I love each other. We even made some web armor for you and your tiger."
I was truly happy to have a symbiote and even happier to have Darkie by my side. At first, I was skeptical about having a spider as my symbiote, but I changed my mind completely. I felt so good having Darkie with me.
We got into the car, and I was a bit worried since the entrance exam could be tough for Darkie and me. Just as I was having these thoughts, Kira said, "I'm planning to take a dual exam with you. Are you okay with that?"
I felt somewhat relieved since it would be much easier to pass the exam with Kira and his symbiote. The entrance exam was practical, not theoretical, since the younger generation needed combat experience to survive after graduation. While theory was important, the Academies mostly focused on practice rather than studying beasts. Without enough experience, theory wouldn't help much, so the Academies aimed to train their future students.
The dual exam system was for support-type Symbixes, as they lacked attack power and had little or no chance against offense-type Symbixes during the exam. They could team up with offense-type Symbixes to compete with similar winning chances against other teams.
We soon arrived at the Monster Academy, which was huge and had a large field with arenas for testing prospective students. Four judges were seated, observing some promising candidates.
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"These years, Symbixes are promising and have extraordinary potential, especially Luna," said Jerry one of the male judges, looking at a white-haired girl.
"Yes, they all seem promising," agreed Lucy one of the female judges.
There were two females and two males among the judges, all geniuses of the previous generation. They had sharp senses and could identify future stars.
"I was wondering why everyone is talking about Luna," said Jerry.
"Because she contracted a lion. Not just any lion, but a white one with immense growth potential," replied Anna, other female judge.
The previous era's natural laws still applied in this spirit era. White lions were rare and extraordinary in the past, and they remain so now. However, the difference is that they have a better aptitude for growth, making them superior to normal lion symbiotes in this era. This grants a bright future for their contractor.
"I think that guy has a unique symbiote too. Look at him, with dark hair and green eyes," Lucy pointed at Alex. "His spider has a green mark on its belly, and I think it's a Black Widow. They usually have a red mark, indicating that his spider is one of the unique symbiotes. Black Widows are among the best support-type symbiotes and can sometimes be considered offense-type."
"Look at the guy next to him. He's likely the contractor of the tiger beside him. He also has a bright future," said Anna.
"Okay, let's start the exam. It's time," said Max, who remained silent until now, with a serious tone.
All the judges stood up, gathering immediate attention, and announced the start of the exam.
---
"Let's go, the exam has already started," I said to the unhurried Kira.
"I already registered us and know when we'll fight, so don't worry. We have plenty of time," said Kira.
I was concerned we wouldn't have time to register for the exam since we arrived late, but it seemed Kira had already sorted everything out for us.
We slowly walked to our assigned seats and sat down. Soon, the first battle began: it was between candidate Luna and candidate Ephrene. The crowd applauded as they entered the arena. Both had strong offense-type symbiotes—a white lion and a snow owl. While the white lion specialized in face-to-face combat, the snow owl excelled at stealthy, sneaky attacks.
Luna clearly had the advantage, as she and her lion were strong in direct combat, making it difficult for Ephrene to sneak attack. I was fascinated by their presence; both were considered geniuses of the current generation, and I felt excited to study with them at the Academy. Soon their battle began.
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"Ephrene, let's try our best," said Luna with a smile.
"Okay," replied Ephrene, her expression cold. She understood her situation; her chances of winning were slim, but she still had the opportunity to enter the Academy. If she won two battles after this fight, she would be accepted.
The rules for entering were simple: candidates would have three battles, and if they won two out of three, they would automatically be accepted. However, it was challenging to enter the Academy since most candidates were prodigies of this generation, making it extremely difficult to win against them.
Luna sent her lion to attack Ephrene's owl, which was also on the attack. When the white lion lunged at Ephrene, the snow owl swooped in for a quick strike. The lion was startled by the sudden attack and searched for the owl, but it was already gone. As the lion and owl clashed, Ephrene aimed to confront Luna directly. If either the contractor or symbiote were knocked out of the battle, they would lose.
Ephrene rushed at Luna, attempting to push her out of the arena, which would mean losing for Luna. But Luna pushed back, and Ephrene found herself outside the arena.
"It was funny that I tried to push you out, but it was my last option," said Ephrene with a faint smile.
She knew her chances were small, but at least she tried.
"No, it wasn't. It was actually smart since you couldn't fight head-on," said Luna seriously, acknowledging Ephrene's effort.
"Thanks," Ephrene replied, looking much more optimistic after Luna's comment. They both left the arena.
---
Battles continued, and I loved watching them. I was gaining ideas for using my abilities. Soon it was our turn, and I felt pretty anxious...