The massive gate was slowly opening, and various runes began engraving themselves upon it.
"It seems our dear Chairman isn't too busy after all," Neyman said, laughing as he looked to his right.
At the moment, Neyman was concealed by illusion runes, with nothing but empty space on his right-hand side.
"Stop joking, Neyman. You're too old for all this," a man with big muscles and an aged face appeared, wearing complex armor, while his eyes were fixed on what was present in front of him.
"Hoho, to have the Great Runemaster Dexter Wright standing beside me, who wouldn't be pleased on such an occasion?" Neyman stroked his beard, a smile breaking across his face.
Dexter Wright, an SSS Rank Hunter and the Chairman of the Artisan Association, stood here in the World Academy, unbeknownst to all students and most professors, except a few.
"I am merely an observer here to witness this miracle and find my inspiration," Dexter stated.
Neyman said nothing, as he too was observing the runes engraving on the massive gates and the multiple runic formations covering the entire space around the Temple-like building.
For a Runemaster, witnessing this moment would always filled them with curiosity as they looked at the placed that was regarded as the finest creation that was made from runes.
These formations were so vast that even students in the Inner Sector could see them in the sky.
"Such a strange thing, despite witnessing this moment so many times, I can't comprehend a single rune here," Dexter muttered.
Neyman remained silent while Dexter masked his presence from all people with the help of runes, but a few strong SS Rank Hunters and Farnus were aware of his presence.
There was one more, apart from them, and it was Rifir, who sensed a strong presence but soon shifted his curiosity towards Farnus, the strongest here.
'Stay hidden,' Asher told himself.
Soon enough, Farnus turned to face the crowd of students as the lightning around him calmed and became invisible.
"This gateway will lead you into a special place, something that we call the Realm of Illusions," Farnus announced.
The attention of every student was now on Farnus and the opening gates, revealing blue-colored energy similar to a Dungeon Gate.
Farnus looked over the crowd of students and spoke again.
"The trials may appear threatening, and you may face something incredibly dangerous, but rest assured, the trials will never harm you in reality."
"That's why this place is named the Realm of Illusions, or what people commonly call it, the 'Trials Ground'."
As fascinating as it sounded, even Farnus nor anyone could predict what would happen inside, but one thing was certain.
Nobody was ever harmed by the trials they faced inside this place.
Hearing this boosted the confidence of many students, knowing they would face no threat inside that could harm them.
Farnus and other permitted professors could see the relaxed expressions on many students' faces.
But none of them said anything about it. It was pointless to explain what was inside, as it was different for everyone.
They ignored these expressions, as what lied inside the Trials Ground was something that one could understand only after experiencing it once.
What they would face or find inside, was something that only they themselves could experience.
"So my advice for all of you is to face the trials with everything you've got,"
"Learn, and discover what the Trials intend to teach you,"
"That place is vast, and all your trials will be different; no two people have ever had the same trial inside this place,"
"The time you feel inside might vary from a week to a month, and it's all an illusion, but there are places where you will encounter other students as well,"
"I hope everyone understands that competing with others inside is pointless unless it's part of your trial,"
"That's why we made each of you take the oath."
The words of Farnus implied that if your trial required defeating other students, or if two or more students' trials merged, it was permissible to compete against each other.
This wasn't a place controlled by anyone; nobody knew how the Trials Ground worked.
"I wish every single one of you luck, and hope when you come back, you will have gained something remarkable."
***
"It looks as magnificent as people described it," Eva said as she rubbed her shoulders while looking at the sky.
"It does," Elena replied, also gazing skyward.
But soon, she turned to her side and observed Kevin, who was standing still, absorbed in the moment along with them.
"Don't feel burdened by it. You know this isn't the right time for you to enter the Trials Ground," Elena said as she touched Kevin's arm.
"Don't worry, I'm not concerned about that," Kevin smiled, looking back at Elena.
"Learning from the Principal, I've realized I am still far from reaching that level," Kevin said, a confident look in his eyes.
Elena smiled, seeing the old, confident Kevin resurface. The reason behind Kevin's subtle change was known to both her and Eva.
"But still, now that you're the Successor Candidate, you don't get much time to hang out with us," Eva pointed out.
Kevin scratched his head, unable to deny Eva's words.
"It's fine, we understand this is a big opportunity for you; you should focus on it," Eva chuckled, finding Kevin's reactions amusing.
"It's your day off today, right?" Elena asked.
"Yeah, and training is on hold until the Trials Ground is closed," Kevin replied.
"That's great, I wanted to show you some of the things I've done since becoming the Student Council President," Elena said cheerfully.
All three of them turned around, having witnessed the opening of the Trials Ground.
'I will catch up soon enough,' Kevin thought as he glanced at the Runic formation.
He didn't show it, but he was concerned that the gap between him and Asher would grow. However, now that he was learning Spear Art from Farnus himself, Kevin knew it was pointless to worry about such things.
After all, in a year, he would be ready to enter that place himself.
***
"I wish all of you good luck," Farnus said.
The eyes of every student standing there sharpened as they prepared to enter the place they had always heard about.
And one of them was Asher himself.
"Form lines; you will enter according to the number on your token," Arman instructed as everyone looked at the small blue stones given to them after their oaths.
And a number appeared on it.
"Eleven," Asher muttered as he looked at the number.
It was the priority given to him, just after the Third Year Rankers, with Alyssa receiving number twelve, and Alan number thirteen.
"Remember, the place you will arrive at will be different for each of you," Arman warned the students once again.
Blake Cranston stepped forward with the token that bore the number '1' and walked towards the massive gate.
He took a deep breath as he observed the scenery in front of him.
Taking a step forward, Blake disappeared, and soon enough, the other Rankers began to enter.
After the tenth-place Ranker, it was Asher's turn.
Asher stepped forward, under the watchful eyes of many. Most bore a look of caution. Even the professors were curious about what results the infamous Heir of the Greville Family would achieve inside this place.
But nobody knew, not even Asher himself could imagine what he would find.
What the Trials Ground held for him was unknown, but that was about to change.
As he was about to enter the place.
Asher stepped into the blue energy and disappeared, and soon enough, the scenery in front of his eyes changed to an unknown place.
For everyone, the starting point of the Trials Ground was different. Despite years of shared experiences, the trials remained unique to each individual.
And what lay before Asher was a single wall adorned with strange runes.
[Quest has been formed]
[Find the remnants of the Creator of the Trials Ground]
It wasn't a grandiose place or one teeming with monsters; it was a simple wall with strange runes.
But when Asher turned to look behind him, he saw strange black shadows standing, blocking another gate that resembled the ones Farnus had opened.
[The effect of Fate has been nullified in this place]
[Host is advised to exercise caution]
[Host is advised to exercise caution]
Multiple warnings began to appear in front of Asher as he found himself in an unknown place, not knowing what lay ahead for him.
