"Hey, did you hear? Two of the seve-"

  "Dude I'm so excited! I bet I'll-"

  "I wonder what the test is going to be like?"

  Chatter chatter!

  In a large, open plaza, hundreds, possibly thousands of demons gathered to take the Demon Academy's entrance exams. They packed together, chatting their mouths away with friends they made at a moment's notice.

  "Wow, seems crowded."

  In the very back, a blue magic circle appeared, glowing before my silhouette appeared in the middle. A slight nauseous feeling settled in my stomach as I stepped out of the circle.

  It's my first time teleporting. I'll probably need some time to get used to it. I looked around, my hand shielding my face from the sunlight.

  Demons I couldn't recognize surrounded me, with varying demonic appendages. Some had horns, others had wings, some none at all. A mix of commoners wearing average clothing and nobles with tacky appearances littered the place. While a minority wearing overly dirty clothing were being bullied, I blended in perfectly.

  I stayed at the back whilst I waited for the person carrying out the exam to arrive.

  I planned to just wait peacefully here, until a certain someone tapped my shoulder.

  "Cael? Is that you? Hey, I didn't expect to find you so easily!", a voice rang out from behind me.

  "Who..?", turning around, a pink-haired demon greeted me happily. It was Lully.

  "Ah, Lully, how have you been doing?", I smiled in a friendly way, "Do you need anything?"

  Damn, I look so shady. I winced. No one says 'how have you been doing?'! Who says that? I should have said something like 'Hello!' instead.

  "Well!", Lully brought out a piece of parchment paper from his pocket, "I've been doing good. I just wanted you to sign a magic contract with me. Since you agreed before, it won't be so hard, right?"

  "Magic contract?", the corners of my mouth twitched. So he didn't forget after all. I mean, he did indeed help bring me to Yura. Helping him pass the entrance exams when I'm not sure I'll pass myself would be slightly difficult, but I can think of this as paying off a debt... Yeah right. What's stopping him from blowing me to pieces if I refuse? The Demon Academy is so brutal that I'm not even sure if they'll protect me here.

  Still, it's unfortunate that he happened to be right beside me before the exam started.

  "Right?", Lully looked at me.

  Pausing, I held out my hand, "Of course, where should I sign?"

  Lully was overjoyed, and opened up the paper containing the contract. He wrote a few letters there using magic briefly, and showed it to me. However, what was written down was a ridiculously small amount. It just said that I'll help him pass the entrance exam wherever I can.

  After I negotiated with Lully to add to the singular condition 'within my capabilities', I signed the contract with mana, and the paper burned up in completion, without ashes remaining.

  Death penalty if I go against the contract... How twisted. I sighed internally.

  Oh right, I need to ask Lully his full name. I'll be able to figure out who he was in my novel then.

  "By the way,", I asked, tapping his shoulder back, "What's your full na-"

  "SILENCE!!"

  Boom!

  At that moment, a soundwave echoed across the whole area, originating from a single person standing on an elevated platform in front. Simultaneously, a magic spell blanketed all of the demons here, silencing all sounds that came from them including mine.

  I opened and closed my mouth, confirming that I couldn't speak, and turned my gaze to the demon looking down at all the aspiring cadets from the platform.

  There, a female demon stood coldly. Her long dark hair was tied into a pony tail, and her body stood tall, her chest well-endowed. She wore glasses and a suit that slightly resembled a military outfit, except black and with a fantasy-esque look.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "Welcome, young talents of the empire.", her voice boomed without shouting, "I will be the supervisor conducting the entrance examination for the Demon Academy this year."

  "After the entrance examination begins, withdrawing will be prohibited and considered as disqualification. Those who believe they have made a mistake and wish to leave, you may step into the portal next to you. If you choose to do so, the funds you have deposited will be refunded."

  "!", on cue with her sentence ending, a black portal appeared on the ground next to me. Not moving an inch, I looked away from the portal. A moment later, the portal disintegrated.

  Likewise, not one demon here chose to leave.

  Pushing up her glasses, the female demon bellowed to the aspiring cadets, "Very well. I hope none of you regret your choice. With that, the entrance exam commences!"

  With just a flick of her finger, everyone in the plaza was teleported to the examination site.

  "Urrgh...", groaning, I opened my eyes after the dizzying migraine that was teleportation. Actually, I don't think I can get used to this.

  When I regained my wits, I found myself in a large stadium, still standing, with the rest of the demons still surrounding me. Lully was similarly disoriented a few meters away.

  On an elevated stage, the female demon who called herself the supervisor held a crystal ball in her hands.

  She spoke, "Most of you are likely experiencing some degree of disorientation right now. However, do not worry, as neither your mind nor the teleportation was faulty. We have only collected your souls and separated them from your physical body to ensure your safety during this exam."

  "!"

  "!!!!"

  Some demons immediately looked distraught and confused, though still unable to speak. Their mouths opened and closed like lost goldfish.

  Haha, I remember this. I smiled. They'll understand why when they hear what the entrance exam actually is.

  However, not safety in the traditional sense though. Safety as in preventing passing students from becoming crippled and injured needlessly. Those who fail? Eh, let them die--was the academy's motto.

  I inspected myself. There wasn't actually much difference compared to before. Mundane was still here, and I looked completely fine. Pain receptors still there too.

  "If you have regained your composure, then pay attention. I will explain what the examination consists of. I will not repeat myself.", the supervisor looked down on all of us, the crystal ball disappearing from her hands.

  "The examination will be divided into 3 sections-"

  I gulped. Things are starting to get real.

  I wonder if I'll make it?

  "These 3 sections will test various aspects of your potential. From personality to your loyalty to the demon race. The first section of the test is simple."

  Everyone's ears perked up to listen closely.

  She waved her hands, a complex hologram constructed from mana appearing in seconds, "Essentially, a sparring match. You will enter a separate subspace where an instructor who has similarly stowed their physical body away will arrive."

  She pointed at diagrams in the hologram, "The instructor will match the fighting capabilities shown by you, with the chosen instructor aligning with your combat aptitude. Meaning, mages will fight mages, healers will fight healers, brawlers and brawlers, and so on. As for the passing criteria, it's simple."

  "Kill the instructor.", she ended the hologram, "Stagnant fights will result in disqualification. That is all."

  Immediately, the air in the entire stadium grew thick, the atmosphere weighing down with the passing conditions revealed.

  I breathed steadily. To sum it up, it was a fight to the death.

  Finally, the supervisor bellowed, "You all will be given one minute of preparation."

  Snap! Right after, she snapped her fingers, and the silencing spell encompassing the area was lifted.

  But still, despite everyone being able to talk again, there was no longer any laughter or banter that was as lighthearted as before, all discussions replaced by quiet murmurs and uncertain thoughts.

  "Killing an instructor? Isn't that too early for an entrance exam? We're not even fighting someone weaker."

  "Right? She said the instructor would match us--how are we supposed to win against ourselves?"

  "Isn't this just a death wish?"

  Although, there were a good few demons who were straight out panicking knowing they would be placed in a life or death situation.

  Many claimed this to be overkill, but this is just how the Demon Academy would normalize death from here on out.

  I didn't pay any mind to them, and instead went through various plans of action in my head. This will be my first time actually killing someone, I hope I won't have to deal with guilt in the middle of the battle.

  Then, I heard Lully's voice from beside me.

  "Cael! What am I going to do? I'm too young to die!", he clutched his wooden staff tightly, his desperate cries drawing attention from the surrounding demons.

  I looked at him and thought on what advice I should give him. All of the applicants' conversations were likely being eavesdropped by the administrators and supervisor as part of the exam... So I have to be careful with my words.

  I attempted to reassure him, "Relax, panicking won't get you anywhere."

  I placed a finger on my chin, pretending to contemplate, "Honestly, though, I'm not very sure of how to pass this section either..."

  "However, brute force would likely not be a very good idea."

  "What does that mean???", he tilted his head.

  Sorry, Lully, but it'll be difficult for me to give you more information... I smiled awkwardly. If I get attention while I'm still so weak, it won't be good for me.

  "It's best not to overthink i-"

  Suddenly, I found myself unable to speak.

  "?", I looked at the supervisor on the stage.

  She waved her hand, "Everyone! Your preparation time is over. I wish you all goodluck on your first trial."

  It's starting. With such a short preparation time, they might as well not have one at all.. I looked at everyone around me as startled demons began rapidly disappearing from the stadium. And the next second I blinked, the scenery unexpectedly changed to that of a grassy plain.

  Wooosh.. The spring breeze blew slowly.

  Behind me, a mellow voice arose in its direction.

  "Nice to meet you, Aspirant Cael."

  I turned around, meeting eyes with a poised green-haired lady, fixing her witch hat as she bowed slightly.

  "You may refer to me as Professor They.", she smiled, now standing up rigidly straight.

  "I am the instructor you will be facing for your first trial."