"I didn't think we'd end up in the same exam room… There's no way that's just coincidence," Renuru laughed.
"Or did you seriously not figure out how to open the door yet??"
"..." Ao froze, face twisting awkwardly.
"So I was right." Renuru smirked lightly when he saw the expression.
"Watch this. The sticker they gave us? It actually does a bunch of things."
He simply stood in front of the door and lifted his wrist. The sealed door slowly cracked open on its own.
"So that's how you open it…?"
Ao stared at his wrist and then back at the door in awe.
Inside was a ridiculously huge chamber—
Even though he'd seen it yesterday, the scale still made him gasp.
"Without all the desks it's huge!! It's bigger than a football field!!"
Ao's eyes nearly popped out.
"Well, each room has to hold a hundred people. Of course it's big," Renuru replied calmly.
"Oh yeah—did you know about the fact behind these three towers?"
"What fact?" Ao blinked.
"If you add up every room in all three buildings, the total capacity is a hundred and fifty thousand people. Neat, huh?"
His tone suddenly switched to excited, dragging Ao into excitement as well.
They were talking loudly enough that other students turned to glare at them.
A chill shot down their backs immediately.
Every pair of eyes in the room carried pressure— Some looked dead serious, others looked pale as if they hadn't slept in days.
The cheerful spark in Ao's chest died instantly.
Right… this is an exam.
These people are all here for the same thing. If I don't get serious, I'm done for…
His eyes sharpened completely.
No matter where he looked, everyone was focused, tense, and silent. He didn't dare smile.
Renuru noticed, smirked subtly, then mirrored the serious expression, letting the atmosphere swallow them both.
The pressure in the room grew heavier and heavier. Ao's heartbeat pounded so hard it almost hurt. Even deep breaths couldn't calm his nerves.
"You okay, Ao?" Renuru asked, handing him a small glass bottle.
Ao stared at it, confused. "What's this?"
"Inhalant. It's a popular thing from Elsagol."
Ao took it, inhaled deeply—
"Khaakk!! Koff—! Damn, that's strong!!"
Renuru burst out laughing.
"Pfft—HAHA! You shoved it right up to your nose! Of course it's strong!!"
"Why didn't you say so earlier!?"
Ao clenched the bottle like he might throw it.
"How is it now? Feel less nervous?" Renuru wiped tears from laughing too hard.
Ao pressed a hand to his chest in surprise.
"…It's gone. The anxiety's gone."
"Honestly, the inhalant is just my own trick. It's just some strong-smelling herbs—nothing special." He took the bottle back.
"You tricked me…"
"When I get nervous, smelling something strong helps distract me. Plus my family works with stuff like this."
"Distract yourself…
Come to think of it—are you not stressed about the exam? Or are you just using distraction tricks too?!"
"Of course I'm stressed. Everyone is," he sighed.
"This smiling thing? It's genetic. Got it from my mom."
He looked up, expression drifting somewhere far away.
"My family doesn't really have much. So… I want to do something useful for them."
Ao froze— It was the first time he'd seen Renuru like this.
Before long, the giant clock above the entrance struck the exam start time.
A thunderous slam echoed through the wooden door.
The proctors stepped forward, blocking the entrance as more spread to the corners of the room.
"Anyone arriving after this will not be allowed in. If you need the bathroom, they're at both corners of the room."
Another proctor picked up the mic.
"Looks like we've got all 100 examinees. Quite the variety this year, hahaha!"
He suddenly sounded much more cheerful than before.
"Alright, everyone, before we begin, we'd like you all to get acquainted. You will have 15 minutes to interact.
Today's test will require you to pair up.
I hope you already have someone in mind~"
The mic clicked off— And chaos immediately followed.
Students rushed to look for partners; others paired off instantly. The room became noisy, though its sheer size kept it from feeling cramped.
Since Ao and Renuru were already beside each other, they exchanged a glance.
"Partner up, Ao?" Renuru draped an arm over his shoulder with a grin.
"Hell yeah!" Ao returned the gesture. He had his partner instantly.
After fifteen minutes, the proctor spoke again:
"Seems like everyone found a partner. Not bad—no extras, no leftovers.
If you ended up with someone you don't get along with, well… That's life.
Give it some time, you'll warm up to each other."
He clapped once.
"Now then—let's begin.
You'll each receive a mana-measuring pad and a stat sheet. After you finish the test, make sure everything is filled in."
While he spoke, staff members distributed the pads—
The device looked like a bathroom scale—with sheets that would automatically display results.
"To use it, stand on the pad and perform a 'release' three times to get an average value.
The number will appear on the paper automatically—no need to write anything."
The room was handed equipment, including Ao and Renuru.
"You have twenty minutes for this phase. Subtracting the time I've talked, that's… about eighteen minutes. We'll check in again once time's up."
The proctors left to patrol the area.
The first task began: measuring mana concentration.
Students scattered across the room. Dozens of proctors walked around, observing.
The once-heavy atmosphere was now lively with chatter between partners— But despite the noise, everyone was extremely focused.
"Alright, let's start, Ao!"
Renuru placed the pad on the ground and gestured.
Ao pointed at himself, confused. Then he stepped on the pad awkwardly.
"Okay… now what?"
His eyes darted around, copying others because he clearly had no idea.
"Don't tell me—you don't know how to release?" Renuru looked shocked.
"I saw something about it on the written exam… But what even is that?"
Judging by his face— He truly had no clue.
Renuru nearly collapsed.
"You seriously don't know!?? It's the most basic of basics!!"
Ao flinched at his reaction.
"Get down. I'll show you."
Renuru softened his expression and patted his shoulder.
"O-okay…" Ao stepped aside nervously.
Renuru took a confident stance on the pad.
"Listen, Ao.
A mana release happens when your emotions surge during battle.
It wraps your body in mana, boosting your physical abilities and letting you withstand spells that would normally one-shot you.
That's why assassination of mages is common— If a mage hasn't released mana yet, they die easily."
He continued:
"But it has a drawback.
If you can't control it, you'll waste too much mana and pass out from depletion."
Ao rubbed his chin, thinking hard.
"So that's it…"
Is that the same feeling I got when my body felt light before?
If so… maybe I actually have a shot at this exam…
"How do you actually release it?" he asked.
"I was getting to that. Don't rush," Renuru stretched casually.
"First, relax your body. Reduce all muscle tension. Deep breaths help."
He closed his eyes— His whole presence softened. His breathing slowed, calm and controlled.
"Next, trigger an emotional surge. Or imagine you're about to enter a real fight."
The moment he said that— Renuru's aura changed dramatically.
A heavy, focused pressure radiated from him— Like he'd become an entirely different person.