14 Strange everything

It seemed that at least the current test had no hidden meaning behind it. The initial sorting was indeed just to make sure people could read.

Xiao Xun forgot for a moment how non-existent public education was here.

He answered the questions quickly and looked at the students around him, who were divided into two types; Those like him, who answered the questions mechanically and were currently looking around bored, out of them he could see Iris smiling in his direction and Cecil's enraged eyes fixed on her. The second group was more unfortunate, a bunch whose ages ranged from late teens to late twenties who stared blankly at the test pages, not sure how to proceed.

[It was their fault from the start, who would be such an idiot to take a test they would clearly fail at?]

When the exam time was over, the middle-aged man, whose eyebrows became more frowned every time he was seen, approached three people in the huge classroom one by one and said "Out".

He continued towards the door, obviously expecting to be followed like last time.

[He only kicked out three people? At least 50% could not read.]

'Do you know what that means? The point of the test wasn't to check reading, he didn't even looked at the answers. Now we've passed, but who knows how the next tests will look? Check the world book for me about this test.'

The man didn't give them a break before the next test, when they reached what looked like a large ancient gymnasium he immediately opened: "Run."

Without questioning, everyone started to run.

'Is he mocking us?'

The royal academy had a huge number of majors, from hairdressing and art to politics and warfare, but something as simple as sports is not included in the list. Muscles and stamina in the present period were necessary only for simple laborers and farmers, most of the nobles tried to avoid it like fire.

[According to what is stated in the world book, this year's tests are about history, nature and magic development. Everything we've done so far is just nonsense, it's an abnormal deviation.]

Finally, an abnormality has popped up.

As he ran, Xiao Xun examined the scowling man, who was staying in the room this time, out of the corner of his eye. The man walked around idly, not noticing their pace or number of laps.

'It's like he's not even interested in the result.' Xiao Xun's running pace has changed to walking, he wasn't going to run if he didn't have to.

After some while, the tester failed a few as before and moved to the next room.

'If he doesn't look at the examinees or bother to come up with tests, he has another motive to fail people, money, maybe?'

[It does not make sense that his superiors do not know about this, how much money can ordinary people bribe for the destruction of their reputation to pay off?]

Xiao Xun and the system discussed among themselves as they performed the next test - jumps in place. The fact that none of the other examinees didn't even a little protest seems a bit suspicious.

Just as he was thinking that, the main character approached him. "The test is a little weird this year, isn't it?"

"This year you say, do you know anything about previous years?" Xiao Xun was almost certain that there was a real person, aware of the game world inside Iris Lubali's body.

"No, no... Of course not, it's just not what I've been told... From stories..."

Cecil quickly appeared, trying to block their conversation. "Let's go, Edmund, we have to jump."

He lifted Edmund's body from his waist and carried him to the other side of the room. Xiao Xun thought that the examinees would at least stop to look at him in wonder, but none of them seemed to notice their actions.

[Hey, don't they look a bit...]

'hypnotized?'

The only ones who behaved normally were him, Cecil and the player. What was the common denominator?

[You all are not normal?]

'No', Xiao Xun did not deny the hidden statement of the system as he began to jump into his new position, away from Iris. 'Cecil comes from this world, and Iris is not a vampire. We need something that the three of us have in common.'

[I know! I know!] If the system had a physical body he would probably jump in a place like Xiao Xun, only from excitement.

Xiao Xun was skeptical, 'what?'

[Think about it, neither of you wrote their real name on the board!]

[You and Cecil are listed as Daniel and Danny, and I'm sure the real player's name is not Iris Lubali, The board enrollment must have been a signature on some hypnotic contract!]

'Oh wow, there's a real chance you're onto something here.'

[It would sound more flattering if you were not so surprised, praise me some more!]

Xiao Xun ignored the system's shameless begging and looked towards the man. Only now did he notice that the man was mainly looking at him and Cecil next to him, with fleeting glances at Iris.

'He must have realized that we are not hypnotized by our behavior, we shouldn't investigate now.'

The system's excitement calmed down a bit. [But what if he fails you on purpose? We only have until the end of this year to correct the abnormality and you not being accepted to the academy is undoubtedly another abnormal.]

Small deeds that are not mentioned extensively in the story, such as Edmund's late childhood, are not too problematic. The benefit of shaping Edmund's personality however he pleases outweighs the inconsistency in the book world. But something as serious as the disappearance of a love interest character from the academy is definitely abnormal in every sense of the word.

'He actually has to accept us now.'

[What?]

'Think about it, we're all registered as Baron's children, not the kind of people you can just kill like commoners. When's the highest probability that we will complain about the test, when we passed or when we failed? He knows how to silence us now.'

As Xiao Xun had guessed, after a series of useless tests they were included in the list of the accepted hundred.

They stood like the rest of the hypnotized in an orderly line, waiting to shake the man's hand and receive their acceptance letter.

When it was Xiao Xun's turn, he shook the examiner's hand with unnecessary force and whispered, "Don't worry, we're going to have a great school year."