The day of the semester examination finally arrived.

More than four hundred first-year students gathered inside the massive Gateway Hall of Novaris Academy.

The atmosphere was far more serious than usual.

Rows upon rows of students stood neatly in formation while enormous teleportation gates hummed with magical energy at the front of the hall. Blue runes glowed across the metal structures, illuminating the area with a faint light.

Every student had been provided with academy-issued battle gear.

The uniform consisted of black, white, and blue combat attire designed for mobility and protection. Most students also carried backpacks containing emergency supplies and rations.

Some looked excited. Some looked nervous. Others appeared eager for battle.

Noah stood among Class A-1 while observing the crowd around him.

Nearby, he could spot familiar faces.

Damien stood calmly with his arms crossed.

Lyria looked slightly nervous.

Leonard appeared excited.

Kaelan looked serious for this exam.

Emma was bored as if she didn’t want to give this exam.

Arisha was as cool as ever.

Then he looked at other class.

B-2, where Ragnar and Draven were present.

Draven looked serious for once. Even Ragnar seemed unusually tense.

At the front stood the instructors.

Victor, he was head instructor of class A-2, Lucia, of Class B-1, Atticus of class B-2 and lastly Morgana.

The four instructors watched over the students as the teleportation gates continued operating. After several minutes, Morgana stepped forward. Her sharp eyes swept across the crowd.

The entire hall became silent immediately.

"Alright, students," she said in a loud and authoritative voice. "Move through the portal in an orderly line."

One by one, students began entering the teleportation gates.

Bright flashes of light appeared every few seconds.

Soon Noah’s turn arrived. Without hesitation, he stepped through the portal. A wave of spatial energy washed over him. His vision blurred briefly.

Then the world around him changed. He could feel some weird tickling. Noah emerged into an open clearing surrounded by an enormous forest.

The first thing he noticed was the size of the trees. They were gigantic. Each trunk was so massive that dozens of people could stand side by side around it. Some trees reached heights comparable to thirty-story buildings.

Their enormous canopies covered the sky like a green ocean.

Noah immediately noticed the difference. Just weeks ago, they had completed monster hunting practice in the forests near Oakhaven City.

But this place felt completely different.

This one looks older and it was wilder. More dangerous. A temporary base had been established in the clearing.

Numerous tents filled the area. Large magical machines operated continuously. Staff members moved around while checking equipment and monitoring magical screens.

Several additional instructors could also be seen maintaining security. Most likely, the academy had spent days preparing this location.

Even a stable portal gate had been installed.

’They’ve definitely been setting this place up since yesterday,’ Noah thought while looking around. ’Transporting hundreds of students isn’t something they could do in a few hours.’

Soon all the students arrived through the portals.

The four instructors followed shortly afterward.

Everyone gathered once again into organized rows.

Murmurs spread through the crowd as students looked around curiously. Where exactly were they? What kind of exam awaited them? Everyone were curious about what would be this race exactly about.

After giving everyone enough time to settle down, Morgana stepped forward.

Her voice echoed throughout the clearing.

"So, you’re all wondering where we are right now."

The students nodded immediately.

Morgana pointed toward the endless forest.

"We are currently on a remote place located far from any major civilization. No intelligent races live here. No humans or any other race live here."

She paused. "Only monsters."

A wave of whispers immediately spread through the crowd. Some students became nervous.

Others looked excited.

Morgana raised a hand. The murmuring instantly stopped.

"Relax all of you."

Her voice remained calm.

"The academy has already surveyed this forest name Gloomspire Thicket extensively. We have removed or captured all threats exceeding D+ Rank."

"The strongest monsters remaining here are D+ Rank creatures. Most of you will never encounter one. Also before this the strongest monsters in area where race will be held was B rank monsters."

The students visibly relaxed after hearing that.

Then Morgana continued.

"Now listen carefully. This semester examination will consist of a live-combat survival race."

Her words immediately regained everyone’s full attention. A large magical screen appeared behind her. Information began appearing across its surface.

"The southern region of this forest will serve as your starting area. You will be teleported individually to random locations throughout the southern perimeter."

She pointed toward a glowing marker displayed on the map.

"Your objective is simple. Travel across the forest and reach the North Beacon located at the opposite side of the forest. You all must go in one direction.."

The screen zoomed outward, revealing the enormous distance between the starting area and the destination.

Many students frowned.

The journey looked much longer than expected.

Morgana continued.

"The examination will run continuously for forty-eight hours. Two full days. You are permitted to carry your academy-issued weapon, potions, and your two-day ration pack.mWhat you do afterward is entirely your responsibility."

She folded her arms.

"Manage your stamina. Find food if necessary. Build shelter if necessary. Sleep if you dare. Survive."

The atmosphere became increasingly serious.

Then the point system appeared on the magical screen.

"The final rankings will be determined by points. Points may be earned through three methods."

A large heading appeared.

[MONSTER ELIMINATION BOUNTIES]

Morgana began explaining.

"Points are automatically awarded when your Academy Bracelet verifies a fatal blow."

"F-Rank Beast — 5 Points."

"F Rank Beast — 10 Points."

"F+ Rank Beast — 15 Points."

"E- Rank Beast — 30 Points."

"E Rank Beast — 50 Points."

"E+ Rank Beast — 75 Points."

"D- Rank Beast — 150 Points."

"D Rank Beast - 200 Points"

A few students looked excited.

Then Morgana added coldly,

"D-Rank population density is extremely low. Do not go searching for them unless you are confident."

The next line appeared.

"D+ Rank Beasts — 300 Points."

"These are sector boss variants. High lethality risk. Fight at your own discretion. Don’t do anything stupid. "

Many students immediately abandoned the idea of hunting them.

Morgana moved on.

The next heading appeared.

[STUDENT ENGAGEMENT PROTOCOL]

A collective murmur spread through the crowd.

PvP.

Everyone immediately understood.

"Combat between students is authorized. To eliminate another participant, you must injured then unless their health is around 70 percent. The gear you have wore is something that will automatically teleport you to our base if your health decrease past 70 percent. The wrist band you are wearing will count your points by each kill and elimination."

A small crystal token hanging from every student’s waist began glowing.

" You locations will be tracked because of the wrist band. So don’t worry about getting lost. Each elimination grants fifty points."

Then Morgana smiled faintly.

"And and all points of the eliminated student’s current points will automatically transfer to the victor."

The crowd exploded into discussion.

Many students immediately began looking at one another differently.

Noah noticed it instantly.

The atmosphere had changed. Everyone had suddenly become a potential source of points.

Morgana waited for the noise to settle before continuing.

The final category appeared.

[ARRIVAL BONUSES]

"First Place Arrival — Five Thousand Points."

A wave of excitement spread through the students.

"Second Place Arrival — Three Thousand Points."

"Third Place Arrival — Two Thousand Points."

"Fourth through Tenth Place — One Thousand Points."

"Eleventh through Twentieth Place — Eight Hundred Points."

"Twenty-First through Fiftieth Place — Five Hundred Points."

Even Noah’s eyes narrowed.

The rewards were enormous.

Especially first place.

Then Morgana revealed the final rule.

"The examination ends the exact moment the fiftieth student reaches the North Beacon."

Everyone became silent.

"The instant the fiftieth arrival is recorded, the tracking system will lock. All remaining students will automatically receive a signal indicating the examination has concluded through their wrist band. In other words..."

Her gaze swept across the crowd.

"Being alive is not enough. You must reach the finish line before the fiftieth student. The exam could end within day if fifty students reach the end or if fifty students didn’t reach the end in two days the exam will be concluded. Also there might be monster stronger than D+ existed, run away as fast as possible. Despite you could get teleported back to base..."

she continued. "If monster attacked too fast like behead you or crush your head within seconds. Then you could not survive."

A heavy silence settled over the clearing.

The pressure suddenly felt much greater.

Morgana nodded slightly. "So if you fought against each other don’t go for killing. So for lethal attacks that won’t kill students."

"While the results of the semester examination will be released within one week after completion. We have taken care of all your safety."

She looked at all four hundred students.

Some appeared nervous.

Some excited.

Some eager to prove themselves.

Then a faint smile appeared on her face.

"Prepare yourselves. In a few minutes, you will be teleported to your starting positions. And once that happens..."

Her voice became cold. "The exam begins."

Suddenly a huge magic circled appeared beneath the students. And one by one the vanished from their positions.

Noah’s vision blurred and soon he landed on unknown place.

He was no longer at the base created by academy.

He sighed. The first thing he need to do was find the north direction.