The mountain was a nightmare for both of them.

Fog wrapped around everything, as far as their eyesight could see, they were trapped in a grey colored haze.

Raviel could barely see his own hands, let alone where he was stepping on. The rock felt damp and mushy, due to the dew laden moss covering on it.

The narrow cracks and sharp edges were the only things which were keeping them from falling straight down.

Harry climbed ahead of Raviel, breathing hard due to their prior conversation.

Raviel deliberately didn't use his [ gravity]. If Harry slipped, he wanted to react naturally as his affinity was pretty much concentration demanding. So he climbed, in the slow and painful way. Searching for the tiny gaps.

After fixing his feet firmly at an overgrown ledge.

Raviel spoke calmly, conserving his breath. Like they weren't hanging a few hundred meters above the ground.

"Hey! Harry, do you know who is the weakest student in your class is?".

Harry grunted as he looked down. "Yeah… I think so. Her name's something like… Nancy Drew."

Raviel breathed a foggy breath. "And?"

Harry snorted. "She's weak, no doubt. But she's got looks. Like, enough that a second-year fell for her. People in my class talk about her all the time."

Raviel nodded to himself. 'Someone's jealous I see".

A few seconds passed with only the sound of breathing and scraping stone, as both of them climbed upwards.

Then Harry spoke again, his voice shriller. "But… I've noticed something. Some of the weaker students lately? They've been acting more hostile. Like… angry and desperate."

Raviel's grip tightened on a sharp surfaced stone.

'Has it started?'

In the novel, some of the students who were deemed as the weakest were taken advantage of, and sometimes forced to do the bidding of other students. Things went so bad, that few of the students inflicted self- harm just to receive the academy's attention on the matter. But it was too late as few students lost their lives, before the academy could identify the culprits.

"I see," Raviel said aloud.

They climbed for another long stretch, arms burning and legs shaking due to the exertion.

Then Raviel spoke again, casual. "Harry, we should exchange contacts later."

Harry looked back briefly, surprised. "Huh? Yeah… sure. That'd b —"

Before he could finish, a translucent screen suddenly appeared in front of both of them.

[ Practical Examination Ending In: 10 Seconds ]

Harry froze. "What? We didn't even reach the Flower yet."

Raviel stared at the screen. Six hours. Gone. Just like that. His face betrayed his mind, as he had just gathered twenty points till now.

They'd been climbing for over two hours. The 'Flower of Colorless' was probably just above them, few metres away.

Raviel sighed.

[....8 ]

"Hey, Harry," he said lightly, still clinging to the rock. "What do you think would happen if I made you fall right now?"

[....6 ]

Harry's eyes widened, he barely managed to hold the rock, before stuttering. "W–What the hell are you saying now?!"

Raviel chuckled softly. "Relax. It's not like an extra ten points would do anything or rank me up for now."

[....3 ]

Harry swallowed hard and groaned, tightening his grip. "You rankers are seriously messed up…"

The countdown hit zero.

[....1 ]

The world flashed white.

The mountain vanished.

The foggy haze disappeared.

And in the next instant, Raviel found himself standing alone in an endless black void like space, the ground beneath his feet was smooth and invisible, like he was floating.

No stones.

No mountain.

No Harry.

Raviel exhaled and slowly looked around.

And slowly burst into untamed laughter.

"Pfft!"

"Harry P. Ness. I hope your parents love you. Damn I fell bad for your future girlfriend. She really have to be one hell of an explorer to search the tree in the forest".

Controlling his laughter, Raviel just stared ahead at the endless void.

His information screen flashed again.

[ Points collected: 20... ]

Just as he thought that the practical has finished.

A soft feminine voice flowed through the void.

[ I hope all of you students enjoyed your time in the Vr, but don't worry your ranking will stay hidden, only the top ten ranks are going to be displayed on the board. But don't get too happy as this isn't only your first practical. So be prepared and try to strive for the best ]

"This is demotivating." Just as Raviel finished hearing the sound, his senses warped again.

....

Raviel felt like he was drowning.

His chest jolted, and he sucked in air hard as his eyes snapped open. The Vr pod was already open above him, pale blue lights fading away. A sharp sting hit his arm and he hissed as the instrument attached to him detached itself with a soft click.

"Fuck—!!".

He grabbed the edge of the pod and pulled himself up, legs a little weak. The gel drained away quickly, leaving him cold and slightly shaky.

Around him, the room was noisy.

Several students had already woken up and were standing near their pods while people in lab coats questioned them. Some students looked excited, some pale, some clearly traumatized by the events.

A woman in a lab coat walked up to him, tablet in hand.

"Did you feel any discomfort? Visual overload? Pain beyond expectation?" she asked calmly.

Raviel rubbed his eyes. "Uh… slight eye strain. And adrenaline. Nothing else."

'I think, I also got the feel of being hanged '.

She nodded and tapped her tablet. "That matches your data. You're good. If you feel headaches later, report immediately."

"Got it."

He stepped away from the pod, stretching his shoulders little bit. As he walked toward the exit, a massive display caught his eye.

Rankings.

The Rankings were displayed on a huge screen.

He slowed and looked up.

< First place: Ezio Azathoth, Points: 200 >

■ Elimniated 4 students.

■ Completed 2 group missions.

"Hmmm!".

Tilting his eyes down, he scanned the list.

< Seventh place: Kai Crafton, points: 115 >

■.....

Raviel didn't bother to look anymore.

Looking through the remaining students, he searched for Harry, but didn't find him.

'Well I'll meet him later anyways..'

Turning away from the display, he walked out of the VR section and into the corridor leading toward the dorms. His Arctic buzzed lightly.

[ Notice: A 3-day holding period has been granted following the practical exam. Regular classes will resume afterward.]

Raviel smiled faintly. "Three days".

He slipped his hands into his pockets and started walking toward his dorm, already thinking ahead.

'I should stop by the library first. There are a few things I need to collect'

While,

On the platform above the room.

Aria smiled as she looked at the students.

"So, how's this year's batch."

A man with short stature and wrinkled lips, muttered. "Well not bad... honestly they are talented than previous years batch."

Aria smirked slightly. "So Sam, did you find something to increase your height".

Sam laughed at her question. "Can't change it". He immediately turned serious. "Though you should start a diet, otherwise, no way you are gonna have a partner even in your thirties."

Aria's smirk slightly faltered. "Atleast I can change it, unlike someone I know".

Their banter mixed with the background noise, while all the other students started leaving the room one by one.

....

Raviel got back to his room, peeled off his sweaty clothes, and took a long shower. Hot water ran down his shoulders, washing away the grime, gel smell, and the leftover tension from the VR exam.

After drying off, he walked to his desk and tapped his storage ring.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

A small stack of books appeared and dropped onto the desk.

[Anatomy of the Eyes and Muscles]

[Mana Threading Basics]

[Circulation and Neural Pathways for Awakened]

Raviel stared at the titles for a second and muttered, "Normal bedtime reading."

He flopped into his chair and checked his Arctic.

No new messages.

He scrolled again.

Still nothing.

"…Nothing from her," he said quietly.

This body's sister hadn't contacted him since that one time and their first meet. No calls. No texts. Nothing. She didn't contact him once from that point, he didn't know whether to feel relieved or uneasy about it.

Then another message caught his eye.

Chico.

He opened it.

A simple map popped up, on the interface.

『Come here in two days』

Raviel checked the date and then checked the current date on his Arctic, and frowned slightly. "So… day after tomorrow."

He locked the screen and leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a moment before grabbing the topmost book.

"One hour," he told himself.

He read quietly, flipping pages, tracing diagrams of optic nerves and muscle fibers, comparing them with what he had felt when he pushed lightning into his eyes. Mana flow, strain points, recovery limits — everything slowly started to make more sense that it originally made.

After an hour, his eyes burned.

He closed the book, rubbed his face, and stood up.

"That's enough productive work for today".

Raviel walked over to his bed and dropped onto it flat on his back, arms spread out.

The ceiling lights dimmed automatically.

However Raviel's mind was consumed by one thought.

'Did he find it?'

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