Bending the rules
The reason for this test lay in the current situation at the frontier.
At the edge of human territory, where the lands of demons began, the battlefield had never truly known peace.
Every single day, hundreds of soldiers lost their lives.
Blood soaked the soil.
Corpses piled faster than they could be buried.
And lately, the situation had been growing even worse.
The demons were becoming stronger.
Their tactics became sharper and their coordination more refined.
With every passing day, the number of fallen soldiers increased.
Rumors spread quietly, yet persistently.
The demon king was preparing to renew the war.
Faced with this grim reality, the principal began to feel that the academy's current methods were no longer enough.
Because of the long truce, the Royal Academy had grown too peaceful and comfortable.
It had begun to forget that humanity was still at war.
That was why, for the first time in many years, he decided to revive the old ways.
The methods used during the academy's peak era.
The era when heroes were born.
The only era that had ever managed to push the demons back and shift the tide of war.
The principal proposed the idea, but persuading the others was not easy.
Many opposed it and others hesitated.
Long debates followed, arguments clashing day and night.
In the end, through persistence and authority, the principal managed to have it approved.
Still, there were limits.
They could not simply subject students to a high-tier illusion spell, even if it was technically harmless.
That was where the idea of combining dream magic came in.
First, the student's consciousness would be drawn into a dream world.
Then, illusion magic would be layered on top of it.
And to prevent any lasting trauma from simulated death, the moment a student was about to die, the dream magic would be severed and replaced with illusion magic, making it appear as though they had truly died, without forcing them to experience that sensation fully.
The principal even instructed the department heads to deliberately include flaws in the spell.
Flaws that the students could exploit and would allow them to fight back.
While one of the department heads was giving a speech earlier, the principal had already begun the test in secret.
He ordered the heads of the Department of Dream Magic and Illusion Magic to begin casting.
They complied immediately.
The spells spread silently.
They flowed toward the students.
Once activated, it would take three to four seconds for the effects to manifest.
In that brief moment, when none of the students had a chance to react, the principal noticed something strange.
His gaze fixed on a particular student.
The same student who had dominated the physical admission test.
"Did he notice it?"
That student was far too calm.
Unnaturally calm.
Even as the dream magic enveloped him and began pulling his consciousness away, his expression did not change.
Then—
He looked directly at them.
"How...?"
The principal's eyes narrowed.
It was nearly impossible to detect them.
The department heads were concealed by illusion magic, invisible to ordinary sight.
They were hovering in midair.
To look at their exact position, one would have to tilt their head upward at an awkward angle.
Yet that student did exactly that.
There was no hesitation.
It could not be coincidence.
Moments later, the student's consciousness fell into the dream world.
The principal frowned, unease stirring inside him, but for now, he dismissed it as chance.
Soon, when all the students fell under the effects of the dream magic, they gently descended from the air, settling into their seats.
The head of the Dream Magic Department then cast another spell, creating three large projected images in midair.
They displayed the dream world.
Three separate visions, corresponding to the three divided groups.
The professors and several department heads gathered to observe.
It would take two to three minutes for the students to awaken within the dream world.
That was natural.
As everyone waited in silence, Professor Aurelius spoke.
"Miss Elenaria, what do you think they will do in a situation like that?"
"I am not sure, Professor Aurelius. I did not observe their physical tests, so I cannot say."
"Ah, that is true. You really do have a sharp mind to notice that."
His tone carried a certain eagerness.
It was obvious what he was doing.
He was flirting.
Elenaria smiled politely.
But anyone could tell.
That smile was nothing more than courtesy, a clear line drawn between them.
Professor Aurelius, however, continued speaking without restraint.
Nearby, Professor Varron stood silently.
He did not say a word.
Deep down, he already knew who would stand out.
Just then, the students awakened inside the dream world.
The room fell silent.
Everyone watched closely as the students reacted.
Some attempted to suppress the attackers.
Some defended others.
Some coordinated, forming small groups.
As the scene unfolded, the professors began voicing their assessments.
"That student is exceptional with the sword. He is calm, calculating the minimum actions needed to take down his enemies."
"Look at him. He is conserving mana, yet the firepower remains intense."
"She has incredible precision. Her mana control is more efficient than anyone here."
Gradually, their attention narrowed.
Pinpointed on a single group.
"Look at them. They are forming a circle in the middle, and each of them has taken a clear position and role. Even if one falls, another immediately covers the gap."
"The one taking the lead is good at giving commands even in this situation."
"He seems more suited for tactics and battlefield formation. Like a leader."
"But he is not ruthless enough. He is prioritizing defense, while some of the students in his group want to go on the offensive. Their actions are slightly contradictory."
"Well, they are not maniacs who want to kill everyone they see."
"You know nothing. In real battl—"
While most of the professors were arguing among themselves about which student was better, and most of the department heads were watching without much interest, the focus of a few people was somewhere else entirely.
The principal.
The head of the Department of Illusion Magic.
The head of the Department of Dream Magic.
And Professor Varron.
Their eyes were fixed on a single student.
"What the hell...?"
Professor Varron finally spoke.
The confusion in his voice was obvious.
"Why are they not attacking him?"
That student was none other than the one who had horrified Varron during the physical admission test.
Inside the dream world, he was simply sitting on a chair.
He was Calm and relaxed.
When everyone else was fighting desperately for their lives, he looked completely unbothered by what was happening around him.
The principal had already guessed the reason.
He turned his gaze toward the head of the Department of Illusion Magic.
"Did he create a barrier using illusion magic?"
Hearing the question, the department head replied immediately.
"It appears so."
"But sir, to counter your spell, he would need to be at leas—. Do not tell me he is using high-tier illusion magic as well?"
Varron jumped into the conversation.
"No."
The department head shook his head.
"It is not high-tier. It is a mid-tier illusion magic barrier."
"So he basicall—?"
"He used the flaw."
The principal cut Varron off before he could finish.
Varron clenched his jaw.
"But he could have just us—"
This time, when Varron tried to speak again, the principal turned his gaze toward him.
A sharp stare.
Varron immediately shut his mouth.
The principal knew exactly what Varron was about to say.
Why did that student not use spatial magic?
If he had, he could have easily killed or repelled the attackers.
But that was precisely the point.
'It is as if he is telling us that he will use the rules themselves to bend the rules.'
'And to think he can already use mid-tier magic, when he wa—'
The thought stopped halfway.
The principal's eyes narrowed.
'He did not show us everything.'
That realization sent a ripple of unease through him.
While the principal and Varron were focused on that student, the others did not even notice his existence.
They were too focused on the visible conflicts.
And because of the illusion barrier he had created, his presence was effectively erased from the perception of everyone else.
Situation and spell combined had made him invisible.
Only two people noticed him clearly.
The heads of the Departments of Illusion Magic and Dream Magic.
Because they were the ones who had cast the spells.
The head of the Department of Dream Magic did not seem particularly interested.
She simply assumed that the student's specialty lay in illusion magic.
The head of the Department of Illusion Magic, however, thought differently.
To him, that student was not just talented.
He could become extremely useful.
Especially for his recent research.
After some time passed, the first group of students managed to break free from the dream world.
Then, after a while longer, the test finally ended.
The principal gave his speech.
The top student, Leo, was awarded the medal.
Applause echoed through the auditorium.
But the principal's thoughts were elsewhere.
'I need to confirm it.'
'If that is truly the case, then—'
His gaze hardened.
Turning to Professor Varron, he spoke quietly.
"Bring that student to my office."
"Immediately."
