Dream Magic
After the vision came back, most of the students began to panic.
"What happened? Where are the teachers?"
"Why does this place suddenly feel like this?"
"Is this some kind of magic?"
Voices overlapped, fear spreading rapidly.
But not everyone reacted that way.
"Everyone, calm down."
"Yeah, we need to assess the situation first."
"They are right. We need to understand what happened."
Most of the people saying those things were the top students.
This was the Royal Academy, the most prestigious one on the continent.
Even though they had just been admitted, many of them possessed exceptional, god-gifted talent.
Leo and Lythiel were among them.
But before the students could organize themselves properly, without giving us any chance to think further, terror erupted throughout the auditorium.
"Aaaaaah..."
"S... someone help..."
"No... no... no..."
Screams echoed from all directions.
The reason was simple.
Students were killing each other.
Some were slashing others apart with swords, spears, or other weapons.
Some were crushing bodies into pulp.
Others were casting spells, burning, freezing, or tearing apart their classmates without hesitation.
Several students tried to flee the auditorium, rushing toward the exits.
But the doors did not move even an inch.
The calm top students began fighting back, trying to subdue the attackers.
Some defended others.
Some killed without mercy.
And while all of that was happening, I remained seated in my chair, thinking.
'Interesting.'
When our vision had disappeared for that brief moment, more than half of the students had vanished, only to reappear seconds later.
Because of the panic, no one noticed it.
'It seems only one third of the students are actually here.'
The reason no one attacked me, and the reason I remained this calm while people were dying around me, was simple.
"It really is a great illusion."
This was a high-level illusion magic.
Everything happening right now was nothing more than a test prepared by the principal.
The illusion itself had been created by the head of the Department of Illusion Magic.
It was a high-tier spell.
Of course, it had flaws.
Those flaws were deliberate.
They were placed so the students could eventually break through it.
This was the true main event of the Ceremonial Day.
'Maybe this was the foreshadowing for the future genre shift in The Last Moment.'
Once again, I silently thanked the knowledge I gained from reading the novel.
The reason the attacking students were not targeting me was because—
'I placed an illusion barrier around myself.'
As the saying goes, poison kills poison.
I simply used illusion against illusion.
One of the ways to stay safe inside illusion magic was either to cast a stronger illusion or to protect oneself with an illusion barrier of the same tier.
Normally, I would never be able to create a high-tier illusion barrier.
But this time was different.
Because of the flaw in the spell, an intermediate-tier illusion barrier was enough to defend against it.
That was why I used the artifact to create it.
Surprisingly, it worked.
I was only half confident when I tried it.
Using the artifact like that felt like a waste.
But I could not help testing it.
Now that I knew it worked, it would become a valuable asset in the future.
The reason I used the artifact in the first place was also simple.
I did not want to join that chaotic fight.
It was not because I liked hiding my strength.
If that were the case, I would never have shown my face to Rin.
The real reason was that before the main twist happened, I did not want to attract the attention of the villains.
Showing off might feel satisfying for a moment.
But it would only mark me as a threat.
And being marked meant constant attacks.
That would be troublesome.
So for now, I would stay in the shadows, grow stronger, collect artifacts, and gather resources.
Speaking of rewards, this test also had evaluations.
The academy would judge how students reacted, how they formed teams in crisis, and how their teamwork functioned under pressure.
That was the core purpose of this test.
Leo would receive the highest evaluation.
Because I was sitting quietly and not helping others, I would not score well.
Maybe I would get a few points for countering the spell.
But as a teamwork test, I would barely pass.
While I was lost in those thoughts, I noticed something.
Someone had already realized that this was illusion magic.
They were coordinating.
Working together to break it.
Another way to destroy illusion magic was to continuously interfere with or destabilize the magic structure itself.
They were using that method.
They found a spot that felt hollow.
Then they coordinated their movements and unleashed their strongest attacks at the same time.
Leo stood at the front.
He had naturally taken the role of captain.
Soon, under their continuous barrage of attacks, the illusion magic finally shattered, and the surroundings began to distort.
The chaotic scenery dissolved like mist.
And then—
We found ourselves back in the same auditorium.
Sitting in the same chairs.
Exactly as before.
At first glance, it did not make sense.
Even if it was illusion magic, the physical space around us should not have changed.
People should have moved. Bodies should have collapsed. Positions should have shifted.
Yet everything was intact.
This was where dream magic came into play.
The head of the Department of Dream Magic had also cast a high-tier spell.
The two magics worked in perfect synchronization.
First, our consciousness was taken.
Then, we were dragged into the dream world.
Inside a dream, common sense did not apply.
That was why multiple people could witness the same dream simultaneously.
However, even dream magic had its limits.
That was why the students were divided into three groups.
Three separate dream layers.
Each group shared the same dream, but not all students experienced the same one.
After that, illusion magic was layered on top of the dream world.
As I mentioned before, common sense did not exist in dreams.
Because of that, illusion magic could be created and maintained far more easily.
In other words—
We were never truly fighting in reality.
We were fighting inside a dream.
Looking around, I saw most of the students still sitting in their chairs, asleep.
'It seems most of them did not even realize they were trapped inside both dream and illusion magic.'
Occasionally, screams echoed as students began waking up.
"Aaaah... Do not kill me... Huh?"
"D.. Did not I just d.. die...?"
"Ah! So this is heaven. Dad, I can finally see you."
"I think this is hell. If not, why do we still need to study?"
"Is there an opinion box? I want to be reborn as a prince with a handsome face and wit—"
"Hmph. In your dreams."
Most of them were terrified, confused, or babbling nonsense.
Some students, not understanding that everything had been a test, began shouting in anger.
"Where the hell were you professors? We almost died."
"Do you even know who I am?"
"This place is called the safest in the world? Bullshit. I wil— Mmph..."
Their voices were abruptly cut off.
A silence spell had been cast by one of the professors.
After some time passed, the test officially ended.
All students were fully awakened.
We were once again sitting exactly as we were at the beginning.
The professors briefly explained what had happened.
Then—
The principal stepped forward.
"Hello, everyone. I am Alaric Valenor, the current principal of the Royal Academy of Valenor."
His voice was heavy.
Just his presence alone was intense enough to make several students feel dizzy.
"As you are all likely questioning what just occurred, let me ask you something first."
"Did any of you manage to react before the dream magic was activated?"
Silence filled the auditorium.
No one answered.
Because none of us had managed to do so.
"Hmm... Nobody."
"There was not a single student who reacted in time."
"And do not think of excuses like it being a high-tier spell."
The principal paused briefly before continuing.
"If you believe that, then you will not survive real battle."
"In real combat, you will not be spared simply because you were unlucky enough to encounter a monster or demon beyond your level."
"You must have some method of survival."
"And it cannot rely on artifacts or external tools alone."
"It is your own skill that will save you."
"To gain that skill, talent, knowledge, and training are not enough."
"What you need most is experience."
"I have seen countless geniuses crumble on the battlefield."
He swept his gaze across the students.
"So tell me."
"Yes or no."
"Was this test necessary?"
"Yes."
The answer erupted instantly.
Every student shouted in unison.
Even those who had complained moments ago followed suit.
They were students of the Royal Academy.
They had pride.
"Good."
"At least you understood that much."
The principal then announced that rewards would be given to the top performers of this test the following day.
Excitement spread among the students.
Curiosity as well.
Then, the principal announced the top students of the admission tests.
For a brief moment, I felt nervous.
What if my name was called?
Thankfully, it was not.
I let out a quiet breath of relief.
After that, the student who had excelled in both the written and physical examinations was invited forward.
Leo.
He gave a short speech.
Then, he was awarded the Badge of Honor, a symbol reserved only for the top student.
After that, we were dismissed.
And just like that, the Ceremonial Day came to an end.
Or so I thought.
Because the next moment—
I found myself inside the principal's office.
Sitting directly across from him.
