EndGame: The Successor's Legacy-Chapter 38: The Entrance Exam-2

The Academy’s entrance exam was, on the surface, simple. It was divided into two seperate parts.

One was a written exam, meant to test basic knowledge about mana theory, survival principles, history, and common sense that every candidate was expected to possess.

And then their was the combat exam. That was all the information given.

Everyone knew there would be a fight that much was obvious. After all, this was the Academy. Strength mattered here more than words ever could.

But how the combat exam would take place, that was always a mystery.

Sometimes, the exam was duels between candidates, sometimes they had to fight other monsters, while sometimes there was also some strange team battles.

After filling in the required details, Calix stepped away from the registration podium. The noise around him shifted.

A low commotion rose from his side as whispers, sharp intakes of breath, excited murmurs layered over one another. Curious, Calix turned his head.

And then he saw them.

"Oh... they’re all here," he murmured.

Recognition settled over his features as his gaze swept across the group. A riveting expression crept onto his face, one filled with quiet disbelief.

Seeing them written on a page was one thing but seeing them alive, breathing, standing right there...

It felt surreal.

One by one, he identified them.

The main cast stood together in all their glory powerful, confident, surrounded by attention. Only one or two were missing, but even so, the presence they gave off was overwhelming.

Calix observed them carefully, step by step, finding it almost unbelievable that these were the same people whose lives and deaths he had once only read about.

Then...

His gaze stopped.

Golden hair, like molten honey flowing freely. Eyes that shimmered with a mix of red and gold, sharp yet burning with resolve.

His posture was relaxed, but there was no mistaking the weight he carried.

The protagonist.

Calix stared at him for a moment longer than the rest.

"...Ah," he muttered quietly. "This is gonna be fun."

Saying, he was just about to turn away When the noise abruptly died down. For a brief moment, the crowd fell into near silence.

Into the academy grounds a carriage rolled in. It was impossible to miss.

The entire vehicle gleamed with gold and silver, its surface etched with gemstones and intricate designs that caught the sunlight beautifully. The mana around it was refined, controlled, unmistakably noble.

Calix didn’t need to think. The insignia alone told him everything.

GoldShade

The carriage came to a halt, and the door opened.

Anaerah stepped down.

Her golden wheat-colored hair shimmered under the sunlight, flowing gently as she moved. Each step carried grace natural, effortless yet there was power beneath it, restrained but undeniable.

She was beautiful so was strong. Perfect, in the eyes of the world.

"Haha..."

A quiet, pitiful smile slipped from Calix’s lips without him realizing it. He wasn’t mocking. No, rather to everyone else, Elizabeth Von GoldShade looked untouchable. A noble princess in full control of her fate.

But to Calix...Anaerah looked small even meek.

Like someone standing alone under an unbearable weight, trying her best not to let it crush her. A faint sadness tugged at his chest as he watched her.

A soft, sad smile formed on his face.

’Yeah...must have been pretty hard, huh.’ Thinking, he turned away walking away from the crowd. He had a bit of time to pass before the Entrance Exam starts.

*****

Walking down from the carriage, Anaerah moved toward the main cast.

Her steps were calm, measured, carrying the quiet confidence expected of a GoldShade. To the watching crowd, this was nothing more than a noble princess joining her peers a familiar sight.

After all, Elizabeth Von GoldShade already knew them.

In the past, she had spoken with them, trained alongside some of them, even laughed with them on rare occasions.

Bonds had already been formed alliances, friendships, subtle rivalries woven naturally over time.

So when Anaerah approached, no one looked surprised.

A few smiles appeared while a few nods of acknowledgment followed.

"Elizabeth," Estheria, greeted her cheerfully. Waving her hand, her eyes liting up.

"You’re late." Damian said with his ever indifferent tone.

Anaerah returned their greetings smoothly, her expression composed, her voice steady. To them, she was the same person she had always been capable, rich and strong.

But inside...she felt like an outsider.

Their conversations flowed easily, filled with shared memories that weren’t hers. Training sessions she hadn’t truly experienced.

Jokes she didn’t fully remember making. Every word reminded her that she was wearing a life that wasn’t originally her own. It felt uneasy.

She smiled anyway, a habit that had been stuck with her.

’Ugh, this is so uncomfortable. Can’t we just start already.’ She thought in her mind.

****

"Damn... I think I’m gonna fail."

The words slipped out of Calix’s mouth quietly, as bitterness coated his tongue while he stared down at the parchment in front of him.

The questions were absurd twisted combinations of theory, application, and trick logic that felt deliberately designed to trip people up rather than test raw knowledge over magic.

’Who even comes up with this stuff...?’

He leaned back slightly and glanced around. He wasn’t alone.

Candidates all around him wore the same expressions furrowed brows, clenched jaws, hands tugging at hair in frustration.

Some stared blankly at their papers, others scribbled furiously as if writing anything was better than writing nothing. It seems that the agony was universal.

That, more than anything, reassured him. Eventually, the chime rang.

The written exam ended.

A collective sigh rippled through the hall as papers were collected and candidates were ushered out. The tension didn’t ease, though—if anything, it sharpened.

Because everyone knew the main exam was about to begin.

The combat exam.

As the candidates were led toward the next area, Calix adjusted his hood and rolled his shoulders once, letting out a slow breath

’Alright.’ he thought, eyes narrowing slightly.

He was ready for what’s coming.