Limitless Summoner: Rise of the Soul God-Chapter 161: Academy entrance exam
It took the rest of the week and finally Ethan was able to somewhat achieve proficiency with his water bullet. Thanks to merging repeatedly with the slime his water bullet was now faster and cost less mana than before.
The entire execution was a lot cleaner. It was far from perfect like how the slime cast it, but he was slowly getting there. It was just that he felt as if he was missing something crucial. A important link that connects everything.
On the plus side, the academy entrance test was finally here. Ethan had managed to gather more information about the academy system in this world and learned that only the low-tier and the mid-tier academies had students automatically allotted to them.
To enter any high-tier academy one had to take a proper entrance exam or pay an exorbitant amount of gold coins. The latter method was obviously frowned upon and not many high-tier academies resorted to that.
But apparently the one he was headed for was notorious for accepting a lot of students through this back gate. The head master was a corrupt sleezebag and a favorite among the nobles.
Their descendents studying in a high-tier academy was a matter of pride and reputation for them, and the headmaster was more than happy to accommodate, for the right price, of course.
Ethan couldn't care less about the politics of it all. What mattered was that the test was open to everyone, regardless of background or coin. That was all he needed. A door, even if it was cracked and half-broken, was still a door.
He stood at the outskirts of the town where one carriage after another was taking off, all heading in the same direction, toward the academy grounds just beyond the hills.
Most of the students were flanked by servants or guards, their family insignias stamped proudly on travel cases and cloaks. The polished brass emblems, the enchanted leather boots, the casually carried artifacts, everything screamed status. Ethan stood apart from them, arms crossed, watching the spectacle with a flat expression.
No one looked at him twice. He was just another poor hopeful clinging to a fantasy. Exactly the way he liked it.
He scratched behind Shadow's ears as she perched on his shoulder, yawning as if this entire event bored her to death. "Don't get too comfortable," he murmured. "I have a feeling we're going to make some enemies today."
He then went behind some trees and bushes and when he came back he returned with a summoned horse, the newest addition to his summoning roster.
Ethan hadn't really hunted for any beasts or monsters this past week but he did managed to kill a horse sneakily thanks to his spiders and a poisonous garden snake, another new addition.
He hopped onto the back of the horse and started riding slowly toward the long line of carriages, merging seamlessly into the procession. The summoned beast didn't draw much attention—just a plain brown stallion, sturdy and obedient, blending in well with the dozens of other mounts dotting the area.
Shadow clung to his neck, very adamant about not wanting to be dismissed. The cat had repeatedly expressed to him the best she could that she wanted to hang around.
Ethan did not care and allowed her. She was just a cat. Nobody should suspect anything. He had seen other academy students with cats and even wolf pups so he decided to roll with it.
Besides, Shadow was not like other cats. Unlike other cats, she could actually tell him things. She had already proved very resourceful with gathering information and eavesdropping.
Ethan was very tempted to use Arcane Syntheis on her to see if she would get some new abilities that would make her even more useful but he decided to wait a little on that for many reasons. He wouldn't be able to use her so freely if she had some sort of ability after all.
Soon, the ride came to an end. The town wasn't all that far from the academy and in under an hour the silhouette of the academy came into view. It was massive, far larger than Ethan had imagined. Tall towers pierced the sky, their rooftops etched with runic symbols that shimmered faintly in the morning sun.
Ethan slowed his horse and fell back. He dismounted near the edge of the forest and dismissed the horse, walking the rest of the way to the main entrance gates.
As soon as he reached there, he stepped through the academy gates without fanfare. He was wondering if they just let anyone in without any identification scrolls when he felt a pulse of mana enter him. It was scanning him!
For a brief moment, he stiffened but the pulse came and went by without triggering any alarms. Everyone else around him was moving forward so he followed the crowd and kept walking forward, blending in with everyone.
After a couple of minutes he realized he had tensed up for no reason. Based on a few conversations he had heard, the scan was simply meant to make sure they were all human and not beastkin or demons.
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That meant no eyes on him. He glanced down at Shadow, who stuck close to his side. She seemed unfazed, her tail flicking lazily as she took in the scene.
The main entrance was beyond packed. In just a few minutes almost a hundred or so students had popped up. The entrance exam was held every month but apparently they always had huge numbers.
Eventually the crowd funneled into a large stone courtyard just inside the academy grounds. A raised platform stood at the center, and a man in gaudy violet and gold robes stepped onto it. The chatter died down.
The man's voice boomed through the space without him needing to shout. "The entrance exam will include five tests this time," he said. "You must pass at least three to qualify. But only those who pass the third will be considered for the final list."
