The southern district of Protos Royal Magic Academy in the morning.
Half an hour had passed since eight.
The entire complex was eerily silent. Only occasionally could faint silhouettes be seen darting past the dim windows.
Today was Monthly Examination Day. It would officially begin at nine in the morning and continue until nine at night.
All the students required to take this crucial examination had arrived at the Examination Zone before eight—the buildings covered by a massive barrier.
The buildings within the Examination Zone served various functions and were connected by a complicated network of suspended corridors and underground levels. The examinees had one hour to prepare. They could familiarize themselves with the terrain, read the announcements for this examination, and choose the examination classroom where they preferred to begin.
During this preparation period, all students were under a state where spells, physical force, and Magic Cards were disabled. They could not leave the barrier's boundaries either.
Only if they were injured and triggered the critical-condition warning line would they be judged to have failed and taken out by a teacher.
In a corridor on the first underground level of the Examination Zone, Lanchi and Zestira walked in silence.
The end of the road was swallowed by endless darkness.
Even the silence seemed to deepen in the shadowy passage.
Only sparse lights flickered and went out on either side. Golden patterns covered the marble floor tiles, and whenever the light swept over them, the patterns surged to life, dazzling and mysterious.
Their footsteps were light as they observed the intricate decorations and location markers around them.
Along the various passageways they passed, rows of Magic Screens could display real-time notifications and the latest announcements, as well as maps, their current location, and more.
The place where they were now