The three-month deadline had finally arrived. The Academy notified all new students through their Nameplates to attend the assessment at Bone Plaza the next day.
Those who did not participate in the assessment would be stripped of their apprentice status and forcibly conscripted as "volunteers" for certain research experiments.
As for the consequences... best left unspoken.
As the entrance assessment, the Three Trials of Life and Death tested more than just combat.
The first trial, "Siege of the Corpse," consisted of two rounds: a massive melee and an individual trial.
The massive melee involved placing all apprentices and Living Corpses together. Those who lasted the required amount of time would pass.
This round was extremely dangerous for the apprentices. Anyone separated from the group could easily end up caught in a Zombie Horde, eliminating plenty of apprentices who lacked either strength or luck.
The second round was a solo battle against a Living Corpse. This tested raw strength, though those with enough money could get through it with Wizard Artifacts, potions, equipment, and the like.
The second trial, "Whispers of the Dead," required them to find and bring back a designated "token" from the outermost maze of the Eternal Tomb.
The maze was filled with dense negative energy and countless lingering echoes of obsession. Those without strong enough minds could easily suffer mental breakdowns, become madmen, and lose themselves in the tomb.
The third trial, "Proof of the Blood Pact," tested the apprentices' ability to obtain resources.
All their resources would be confiscated before they were thrown into the Ghost Market. By any means that did not openly violate Academy rules, they had to obtain fifty Contribution Points or five standard Magic Stones of equivalent value.
None of these three trials meant much to Lynn.
His mental strength and soul