Cyril walked while looking around the forest.
"Were we transported somewhere?... Or is this somehow fake?" said Rhamn with intrigue and suspicion at this impossible situation.
They walked underground only to end up in the wilds.
While the place looked just like a normal forest, something seemed just ever so slightly wrong for Cyril and Rhamn. It was a gut feeling.
Cyril turned to look back. The entrance upstairs was still there, sticking out from the side of a hill, appearing like a dark cave leading into some dungeon.
At least we can go back... Cyril thought with relief.
He already expected a situation where he would be stuck in some forest against his will.
"That would've been exciting."
"Student Cyril! First time seeing something like this, eh? Hahaha." A loud voice and a booming laughter right behind him interrupted Cyril's thoughts.
He turned around and discovered their combat instructor towering over him.
"Professor, where are we right now?" asked Cyril with curiosity.
"Beneath the academy, of course! This might look like a pleasant forest, but actually all of this was conjured up by magic; it's not real," said Rendel.
"It's the principal's spell, incredible, right?" He added with awe.
The principal's... With intrigue, Cyril walked over to a plant nearby.
"So this is illusion magic at play? Quite powerful."
He tore off a single leaf from a plant, looking it over in detail. It appeared just like a real one.
This was a type of healing herb, a popular ingredient to make a potion.
Its leaves should have medicinal effects, even when taken on their own. Cyril remembered what they learned from Potion Making.
So under Rendel's confused stare, Cyril even put the leaf in his mouth.
The taste was also like a real one.
"The moment you ingested it, it was gone."
"Ahem! It's undoubtedly not real. You didn't actually eat anything; what you are feeling is fake as well." With a cough, Rendel said and continued.
"Let me give you another example. If you were to get hit by a falling tree, you'd feel the pain of being crushed and be stuck under it, but in reality you are not in any danger."
Rendel pointed towards the sky "This is illusion magic. It's tricking you into experiencing things that aren't there."
"Impressive," simply said Cyril, and asked another question.
"Where are the other students, Professor? What about the test?"
Rendel smiled and narrowed his eyes. "Wait a little more; I'll explain when the others will be here."
Cyril found this reasonable and decided to take a walk to familiarize himself with the forest.
"Don't go too far. The forest is rather big," warned Rendel and went away.
"Is the vastness of this space just an illusion, or is it real?" thought Cyril, gazing at the trees around him.
"It must be real. Otherwise—what? If we reach a wall in reality, would we just walk straight into it as if nothing were there?" argued Rhamn.
Then Ailanthus must have quite the underground.
...
Eventually two more students arrived, Cedric and Myra.
They similarly had a surprised reaction to their surroundings, though Myra recovered fast.
While Cedric was continuing to gawk in wonder, Rendel noticed them and approached.
"Alright! It's time to explain the test!" Rendel motioned Cyril to come over.
Cyril confusedly walked over. He thought they would wait for more people than this.
"This test will be two teams fighting against each other. And you three are team number 1," the combat instructor said with a grin.
Huh?
"And who will be on the other team?" Cyril said with a guess forming in his mind.
Rendel's smile grew wider. "The rest of the students, of course!"
"All students from classes I to V will be tasked with finding and defeating you or a special crystal you are protecting, with their scores depending on their performance."
"Your task is to survive for as long as possible and protect that same crystal, with a bonus score for every classmate you take down."
The three students stared blankly at their combat instructor, each thinking something different.
"Is this not a bit too difficult?" cautiously said Cedric.
"Maybe so, but those students need to learn life isn't so easy," Rendel said while shaking his head.
"I don't mean difficult for them!" Cedric defensively exclaimed. "Us three against a small army? The balance is all wrong."
"That's no army; it's a bunch of no-good wannabe mages. Ptui!" replied Rendel with dissatisfaction. "Trust in your strength, Cedric."
"Think of the environment that we are in, Cedric. By properly utilizing it, you won't be overwhelmed," said Myra at this moment.
She looked completely calm, confident even.
"That's correct, Myra," said Rendel with a satisfied nod. "Took the words right out of my mouth."
While Cedric still looked unsure, he no longer complained, shrugging his shoulders in resignation.
"Alright, about the crystal you are supposed to protect. All of you have a personal 'base,' with your crystal stationed inside. It's connected to your bracelets; they will show you the way."
"Go there and wait for the beginning of the test. Eventually the students should find you. You are free to use whatever tactics you can come up with. Now go, we are starting soon," Rendel explained and sent them on their way.
Before leaving, Cyril woke up Tigris, who was sleeping on his shoulder, and carried him to the professor.
"Please look after Tigris for the duration of the test... Be careful of his claws," said Cyril while shooting the kitten a warning look.
"No problem! It will be staying with me in the control room; there is a good view there." Rendel accepted such a request without complaints.
With this solved, the three students started moving in the same direction.
...
After a bit of walking, they no longer saw the entrance; they were going somewhere far.
"It's a bit of an unorthodox test, isn't it?" Awkwardly said Cedric on the way; confusion could be heard in his voice.
"Knights usually work together in small teams like ours, battling enemies many times more numerous than them, while protecting common citizens. This test tries to emulate that," Myra explained.
"For us, sure. But what about the other students?" further asked Cedric.
Myra's face became a bit more complicated. "They are taking the roles of common soldiers, I guess. They are more frequently working in large teams."
This showcased to a degree what their instructor thought of his students. A subtle hint of his dissatisfaction, not that he was trying to hide it.
"I rather like this test. It's the only way for you to have a barely enjoyable fight with your classmates. Unfortunately for them, though, a bunch of weaklings are still just weaklings." Rhamn said with a prideful voice.
Cyril also found the test to be interesting. It felt novel. Though the need to protect an object felt bothersome.
Soon their bracelets began taking them on different paths, forcing the group to split up.
Wishing each other good luck, they all went separate ways.
...
One thing is for sure: without his bracelet, Cyril would've gotten lost many times already.
It was incredibly easy to get lost in the sea of trees. Maybe such a convoluted layout was on purpose.
Eventually Cyril reached a hill with a path opened up through the soil, leading underground.
The bracelet was obviously leading him here, so Cyril entered while looking around.
Passing by roots and random stones, he entered a vast space without any light.
Rhamn, can you turn my eyes...? Actually, better not.
"Yeah."
He was planning to rely on natural night vision, but considering the academy was probably watching him at the moment, that wasn't the best idea.
So Cyril activated a simple magic light spell.
It was an ordinary-looking cave, with a ceiling covered in tree roots; there was not much here to see.
The most special thing was a small, withered tree in the middle of the cave.
Inside of its trunk was embedded a disc-shaped crystal.
So I must protect this thing?
Cyril looked at it with curiosity and attempted to grab it, but it was stuck in the tree, not willing to come out.
Cyril's expression became a bit more awkward.
Am I supposed to sit in place and defend this dark cave?
He really didn't expect an object to be stuck in place.
"Maybe something will change once the test begins?" guessed Rhamn.
Finding that reasonable, Cyril sat on the ground near the tree, paying attention to the crystal.