Void Evolution System

The test ended soon enough.

August's qualifications didn't need to be questioned anymore.

His mental stability in the midst of chaos was astonishing. No genius at his age should've ever been able to show results like those.

That includes those from the Holy Clans.

A mentality like August's could only be developed through years of experience in combat. August had put his age down as 18. His body looked young, but just barely mature enough to be passable.

For him to maintain such stability could only mean that he'd been involved in war for his entire life, from birth to now.

It was incomprehensible, really.

Rakon and his assistants had their jaws wide open as they made sense of the data.

How much more surprised would they be when they realized that August had never actually been in a fight with another sentient being before?

None of the other dragons had to go through what he did.

Ancestral memories were called that because, in a sense, that was what they were. However, they weren't really "memories."

They were comprehensions. They were records of techniques and how to use them, laws and how they worked, and the most prideful moments of a draconic ancestor's life.

Draconic ancestors were worshiped. They were seen as perfect beings by those descended from them. Naturally, they didn't want to ruin that perception by showing them their faults.

Qinglong was different. Because of his unique ideologies and circumstances, August had been raised totally differently than a usual Holy Dragon successor would be.

The version of him that existed within his mind was completely different from the one that existed in the world.

Someone like Melania ended up serving as a control. She was as a genius of her and August's age should've been.

Melania passed the test. She had her reasons to participate in the heir wars, and she refused to give up before she even caught sight of them.

Seeing August's performance motivated her. If someone younger than her could achieve results like those, then what was she doing lazing around?

She put her all into the mental test, but even then, she wasn't expecting her own reaction.

She froze up the second she found herself in danger. Her mind was stuck in stasis, and as her illusive body followed her mental state, she was instantly cut in half by an enemy soldier and killed.

She was revived in the illusion, but her mind didn't stabilize. Death only shocked her further into her frozen state.

Over and over again, she died. It was getting to the point where her health was in concern. Rakon and the rest were preparing to pull her out of the situation and mark her attempt as a failure.

However…

Even she didn't know how she did it, but she regained control over her mind.

Her arms shook, reflecting the instability within her, but she raised the sword in her hand regardless.

She closed her eyes as she swung it down on the approaching enemy, but that only made the feeling of cutting through flesh and bone more palpable.

Melania wanted to vomit. She was nauseous beyond belief. Her every instinct told her to give up so she could leave this place.

She had never been in this kind of situation. She lived with her family in Arulion. Crime didn't even exist here, and since she'd never left her district to see the wildlands where other beasts roamed, she'd never fought outside of sparring

This was her first time seeing so much blood.

And this was the first time she'd ever killed anyone.

The assistants in charge of the illusion advised Rakon to pull her out. It was already too dangerous for her to continue. Her results had already been recorded as well.

But…

"Let her stay."

He didn't agree.

Despite his somewhat nihilistic attitude towards the entire qualification test, Rakon was still an avid supporter of geniuses.

He could see how Melania was trying, and he could see that if she was given time, she'd manage to adjust.

As such, he allowed her to continue, and eventually, she barely passed the standard by the skin of her teeth.

That was the expected result. No, the expected result was for both of them to fail.

If they ended up failing the mental test, they still would have been allowed into the elimination round. Mentality could be improved, unlike talent.

However, both of them passed the test. To differing degrees, of course, but that didn't change the fact that they both passed.

'Among the hundred and fifty that made it to the elimination round, only ten passed the mental test.'

They were the ones Rakon was most excited to see.

Yes, he held prejudice against commoners. That was normal for anyone in his position.

But when it came to geniuses, his standards were different.

Plus, he really couldn't contain his curiosity.

If someone outside the Holy Clans really did win the heir wars…

…what would happen to Arulion?

It was an exciting prospect.

And it was more than enough to make a prejudiced man drop his bias.

***

Not everyone really understood what it meant, but a lot of those near the front of the line realized that something was strange when over an hour passed before they were allowed to enter the facility.

When the line had been moving every ten to thirty minutes before that, it was a pretty obvious change.

But, there was no way for them to actually know. After all, August and Melania didn't exit the facility with the rest of their group, who had been too busy suffering through the wild draconic aura to notice what anyone else was up to.

There was still an indicator. The fact that only eight people left the facility when ten people went in let others understand that two people had either passed or done something insane.

Since the former was more possible…well, tensions heightened immensely.

Many were starting to wonder if it was even possible to make it through the qualification test after seeing so many people fail, but the fact that other commoners had passed gave them hope that they'd be able to do the same.

Whether or not they could was a completely different issue, and it didn't really matter to August.

He and Melania were taken to a room connected to the suspended balcony where Rakon was when they first entered the testing grounds.

They didn't need to be there. Their names had been registered for the elimination round.

There was indeed some information they needed to know before they left, but it definitely didn't take enough time for them to relocate and sit down for the conversation.

Nevertheless, Rakon had brought them here with an offer, and he didn't want them to leave until they'd at least heard it.

"I will be honest with the two of you," he said, looking at the two youths who sat on the sofa across from him.

"I want to sponsor the two of you."

What did that mean?

How would it benefit them?

Rakon had prepared a speech to explain those things long ago, when other facilities started welcoming real geniuses.

However, this was his first time actually being able to give it.

He was quite excited for this moment, as he had been since the two of them arrived.

August, on the other hand…

He didn't have any plans of accepting that sponsorship. He lost interest in this conversation the moment it started.

But, since he was already here…

'Well, I guess I can at least hear him out.'

Forming relationships with others was never a bad thing.

And perhaps Rakon's offer could actually provide something valuable, even if he gave it up.