Galgados: "Once you cross this threshold, there's no turning back."
"Your origins, your names, your villages will no longer matter."
"Only your worth will count."
Tap tap tap tap
The staff member stepped aside, clearing the way.
FFFFFFFFffffffffffff
A gasp rippled through the crowd.
Some students moved forward hesitantly, others remained frozen, taking in the weight of these words.
Minerva stared at the entrance to the Academy.
Minerva: "This is where it all begins..."
Roy: "Don't worry, we'll succeed."
Roy: "...".
Roy stood beside her, silent, his gaze direct.
The doors in front of them were open.
Galgados: "Good."
"Now, we will begin the selection trial."
"Look in that direction."
Minerva: "..."
Roy: "..."
All eyes turned toward the spot he was pointing at.
At the far end of the Academy stretched a vast, open plain.
The ground was perfectly flat, as if it had been specially prepared for a trial.
Planted in the earth, lined up without any apparent order, were two hundred iron swords, each one embedded in the ground.
None seemed different from the others.
They were simple, raw, unadorned. Ordinary weapons, but arranged with unsettling precision, as if each one awaited its future owner.
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Minerva and Roy exchanged a glance.
They didn't need to speak to understand each other.
None of them yet grasped the meaning of this test.
Minerva: "Why swords?"
"Why so many?"
Minerva frowned slightly.
Minerva: "What do they expect from us…?"
Roy shrugged, equally perplexed.
Roy: "I have no idea… but it doesn't seem as simple as picking up a weapon."
Before them, the silent plain seemed to observe the candidates, ready to reveal what the Academy was truly trying to measure.
Galgados: "........".
Galgados paused briefly, observing the tense faces before him, before continuing.
Galgados: "Even though you see two hundred swords, there are actually only one hundred and fifty."
A murmur of concern immediately rippled through the crowd.
Minerva: "Illusions."
Galgados: "The remaining fifty are illusions."
"They don't exist."
Minerva: ".....".
Some students exchanged confused glances, others instinctively clenched their fists.
Galgados: "Your objective is simple."
"You must retrieve a real sword to be able to pass the test."
Roy: "That's all."
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFfffffffffffffffffffffffff
The wind blew lightly across the plain, making the blades planted in the ground vibrate.
At first glance, it was impossible to distinguish the real ones from the fakes.
Minerva felt her stomach clench.
There were 243 candidates.
That meant that, even without making a mistake, 93 of them would fail.
Not for lack of will.
Not for lack of courage.
Simply because there weren't enough swords.
Roy gritted his teeth.
Roy: "They already know that almost a third will be eliminated..."
Minerva surveyed the plain once more.
The swords all seemed identical, lined up without any apparent logic, indifferent to the hopes of those who would rush towards them.
Minerva: "This "It's not just a test of strength..."
She was beginning to understand.
This test wasn't meant to reward everyone.
It was designed to create competition, haste, and failure.
To see who would act quickly, who would think, and who would panic.
Galgados continued, his voice still calm.
Galgados: "Those without a sword will be eliminated."
Silence fell again, heavy and oppressive.
Before them, the plain awaited.
And with it, the certainty that not everyone would make it past this first stage.
Galgados: "......."
Galgados looked at all the candidates one last time, his gaze sweeping the crowd without the slightest apparent emotion.
Galgados: "Know that the test has already begun the moment I stand before you."
A shiver ran through the ranks.
Galgados: "I tell you "I'll wait on the other side of the plain."
"That's where I'll see who succeeded... and who failed."
Without another word, he turned, ready to walk away, carried by the wind that was already gathering beneath his feet.
But he stopped.
Minerva: "He still has something to tell us."
Slowly, he turned his head back toward the candidates.
That simple gesture was enough to create an icy tension. No one dared speak. No one truly breathed.
Galgados: "Oh, by the way... I forgot to tell you something."
The silence became unbearable.
Galgados: "All those who fail will be permanently excluded."
Minerva: "...."
Roy: "...."
These words fell like a death sentence.
Minerva felt the blood run cold in her veins.
Around her, some candidates paled, others clenched their fists, and a few took a step back, as if they had only just grasped the reality of the Academy.
There would be no second chances.
No second chances.
No mercy.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffffffff
Galgados then rose into the air, walking away without a backward glance, leaving behind a frozen crowd, confronted with a brutal truth.
The ordeal had already begun.
And now, every second counted.
Roy: "But that means the test has already started."
Roy was one of the first to understand.
This wasn't a test of prolonged reflection, nor of meticulous observation.
Galgados had said it without saying it:
The test had begun even before they moved.
The more they hesitated, the less likely their chances became.
It was a question of speed.
Without waiting any longer, Roy took a deep breath and propelled himself forward.
He burst through the ranks of candidates, ruthlessly pushing aside those who remained frozen, still reeling from Galgados' words.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap
His footsteps echoed on the cobblestones as he ran through the streets of the Academy, straight toward the other side of the plain.
The apparent calm shattered instantly.
Shouts erupted.
Candidate #1: "..."
Candidate #2: "....."
Candidate #3: "...... "
Candidate #4: "... "
Candidate #5: "... "
Dozens of students began to run in turn, some panicked, others determined.
The crowd dispersed in sudden chaos, each person searching for the quickest route.
Roy turned for a split second.
Minerva was still motionless.
Roy: "HURRY, MINERVA!"
His voice cut through the din.
Minerva felt her heart race.
She hadn't realized how much every second counted.
Around her, the candidates sprang into action, leaving her almost alone at the starting point.
She gritted her teeth.
There was no more time to hesitate.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap
Minerva started running in turn, dashing through the streets of the Academy, aware that this single delay could already cost her her place.
Minerva: "I have to hurry."
The challenge waited for no one.
Minerva: "Huuh huuh huuh huuh huuh."
Minerva started running while doing breathing exercises to improve her endurance.
When a person runs, their body consumes more oxygen.
During intense physical exertion, breathing accelerates to allow the lungs to take in more oxygen to better fuel the muscles.
Minerva therefore decided to take a deep breath to send as much air as possible to her muscles, but this also meant that when she stopped running, it would take her several minutes to catch her breath.
One minute later:
After one minute, they had already covered at least 300 meters.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap
The distance to cover was considerable.
There were 2 kilometers to cross to reach the other side of the plain.
Two kilometers to run without preparation, amidst the chaos, on paved roads, dirt paths, and narrow passages.
It wasn't just a question of raw speed, but of endurance and composure under pressure.
Minerva: "Huuh huuh huuh huuh huuh."
Minerva quickly felt her breathing become heavier.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap
Her steps struck the ground regularly, but the crowd made every movement unpredictable.
Bam
Boom
Some stumbled, others collided violently, and a few runners were already dropping out, crushed by panic or exhaustion.
Ahead of her, Roy ran without looking back, focused on a single goal.
Not to stop.
Minerva: "There's no way I'm giving up now."
Minerva gritted her teeth, ignoring the burning sensation rising in her legs.
2 kilometers.
It wasn't insurmountable.
Not if she stayed focused.
Not if she refused to slow down.
Around them, the Academy seemed to silently observe this chaotic rush, indifferent to those who fell or strayed from the path.
The ordeal wasn't just physical.
It was a brutal first selection.
And Minerva understood that here, hesitating for even a second could be enough to disappear.
After a kilometer, the group had naturally thinned out.
Minerva and Roy were among those still keeping pace.
They were now among the leaders, fluctuating between first and twentieth place depending on the detours, slowdowns, and sudden overtakes.
Ahead of them, behind them, faces were constantly changing, but everyone shared the same expression:
Determination mixed with exhaustion.
Minerva: "Huuh huuh huuh huuh huuh huuh."
Minerva's breathing was rapid and controlled, but the burning in her lungs was palpable.
Each step required a conscious effort.
She was only thinking about moving forward.
Chapter 4: 2 kilometers on foot
The The