Chapter 681: Preparation
The day after the announcement unfolded like any other on the surface, with students attending training and class sessions as usual. But beneath that routine, nearly every student—both first and second years—was focused on one thing: preparation. It was their final day to get ready before the assessment.
The first years, in particular, spent most of their time getting to know one another. Since their test would rely heavily on group dynamics, they worked to understand each other's strengths, habits, and tendencies, trying to build some level of coordination before being thrown into the unknown.
The second years, on the other hand, took a very different approach.
With their assessment being individual-based, their focus turned inward. Each of them used the limited time they had to carefully consider what they would need—what to carry, what to leave behind, and how best to prepare for a situation where no one else could be relied on.
Once classes ended, the academy market quickly became the center of activity.
Most second years made their way there, intent on securing whatever supplies they deemed necessary for the test ahead.
The usually lively space carried a noticeably different atmosphere that day.
It wasn't loud in the usual carefree sense. Instead, there was a quiet intensity to it—a steady hum of lowered voices, purposeful movement, and deliberate choices. Students moved from stall to stall with clear intent, their eyes scanning items not out of curiosity, but calculation.
Every decision mattered.
Groups gathered around vendors selling preserved rations and compact water containers, carefully weighing how much they could afford to carry against how long it would last. Too much would slow them down. Too little could prove fatal.
Others lingered at stalls displaying utility tools—coils of rope, compact blades, ignition kits—testing their quality and durability before making a choice. Each item was handled with care, as if already imagining the moment it would be needed.
In another section of the market, items infused with Myst drew a steady crowd.