Each one of the youths was seated in a different zone, spaced perfectly across the tent. Not in the same row. Not even close to each other. All of them are now pressing "next" as if they have completed the test and got nothing to do with it.

The test was a trap, and a layered one at that.

The questions were unanswerable on purpose. The real test was who among them would notice the setup. Who could extract intel under pressure. Who could scout for answers and determine the safest, cleanest way to cheat under surveillance.

Aston's heart raced from the clarity of this situation.

This test was designed for scouts.

He looked up at the rotating crystal again.

It moved slowly, rhythmically - about ten seconds before each 90 degree sweep. There was a three-second delay when it rotated.

It wouldn't catch someone with timing. With planning.

Aston turned his gaze to Rowan. The poor guy was nearly pulling his scalp off, his stylus poking the tablet in frustration.

Then he checked the crystal. Sweep… then turn… sweep then turn…

As the crystal sweeped, the youths clicked their tablet.

Four questions per rotation.

Aston set his sights on his target - a youth seated two seats from his right, 5D.

He waited for the moment that it revolved from the left to the front.

He then whispered to Mirage, who is still on his shoulder. "Mirage, when I say go, you fly upwards as quickly as possible, then look at the tablet on 5D. After quickly flying up, fly down as quickly to my shoulder. I'll share my senses with you then."

Mirage, feeling the tense atmosphere, tilted its head, as if approving the plan.

A few seconds later, the moment came.

When the crystal moved, Aston closed his eyes and whispered to Mirage. "Go."

His vision melded with Mirage through their spirit link. Since Mirage has no skill regarding this, Aston could barely channel his vision - around five seconds. But to Aston, five seconds is enough.

In a split second, Mirage flew from Aston's shoulder upward. Its eyes locked at 5D's tablet. A second later, it dove down towards its original place. A moment later, the crystal turned around - locking its gaze towards the applicants. It scanned Aston, who was looking down at his tablet as if nothing happened.

Well, you could not be caught cheating if the crystal cannot see…

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Mirage flew silently, as most owls do. But a glass owl flying upward, then diving down inside a testing tent is still conspicuous. A few people who saw this happen let out a collective gasp. Among these was Rowan.

He was dumbstruck, but a moment later, whispered a praise. "Aston, you're a genius!"

A few of the youths let out a smile amidst their lazy expressions.

The second that the crystal sweeped, Mirage flew upward and dived back again. At the same time, Rowan whispered to his spirit beast. "Verdy, upon my signal, climb the tree trunk at the center of the tent, camouflage, then use Lattice Sync."

Verdy just nodded.

Then, the crystal once again sweeped. Aston once again sent a signal to Mirage, answering his third question. Rowan sent a signal to Verdy, to which the lemur used its skill, Canopy Leap, to reach the center of the tent. It climbed to the top, almost reaching the tent's apex. It then hid and, as if a switch had been flicked, a pulse was emitted from the lemur.

In the lemur's senses, a lattice was formed from the tree towards other trees in the square. Within Verdy's spiritual link, Rowan could see everything within the lattice, as if a camera viewing overhead. He looked at the tablet of his target - a youth in B2.

The youths' smiles widened further as soon as they saw the lemur climb the tree.

A few minutes later, Aston sat back in his seat and submitted his test, feeling the tension in his shoulders start to unwind. The test was over for him. Now, he just had to wait. Around him, the rest of the test-takers were still furiously scribbling or staring at their tablets, clearly struggling.

The air inside the tent was thick with anxiety and confusion, punctuated by the occasional frustrated sigh. Aston caught a glimpse of Rowan, who had his eyes closed. He opened his eyes and scribbled something on his tablet. Then he closed them again.

The crystal still swept and hovered. It paused from time to time before sweeping again.

Aston couldn't help but notice that a few of the other candidates were acting more unnaturally. There were subtle shifts in the room: sudden movements of the hands, slight motions that felt almost too coordinated, silent movements of the mouth as if whispering something.

A few feet away, a girl with long, blue hair suddenly paused mid-scribble. Her eyes darted over to a youth across the room, who had just flicked something small in the air. It unfurled into a winged insect and hovered in a perfect arc, descending to float near her desk. The girl frowned, but continued with her test.

Then, something rolled from the third row toward a lazy youth - an irregular ball. When it reached the leg of the desk, something slimy exuded from the ball. Its antennas slithered outside the ball, no, the shell. It was a snail with yellow stripes. It slowly climbed the desk and scanned the immediate surrounding. The youth only continued to smile, pretending not to see the snail beneath the desk.

As the countdown reached the final ten minutes, the atmosphere in the tent shifted. The pressure on the remaining participants intensified. Still, most of the youths had yet to show any signs of submitting their tests. The tension in the room was growing palpable.

A mole crawled from somewhere and went to the roots of the tree at the center. It swiftly dug some dirt and burrowed itself.

An army of regular ants have marched towards the desk of another youth.

Minutes ticked by, and Aston's focus shifted between the timer and the crystal's slow rotation. It had passed another few candidates who were still frantically working through the questions, seemingly oblivious to the subtle game happening under the surface.

Aston stretched in his seat, eyes scanning the room once more. A teenager across from him seemed to be communicating with something - a small glowing sphere in his hand. Aston couldn't quite place what it was.

Finally, with a soft click, the digital clock switched to a minute left. Then, time quickly ran out.

The crystal swept over them again, one last time. Aston let out a slow breath, feeling the weight of the moment lift as the test concluded. The game had been played, and all that was left was to see who won.

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