The gathering place for the practical test was the plaza in front of the Dead City of Flowers, located just north of Babel.
The Dead City of Flowers was a breeding ground for undead, divided into Areas 1 through 5 depending on the level of danger. Access to each area within the city was apparently subject to strict restrictions.
Specifically, the shallowest zone, Area 1, was limited to upperclassmen of the City of Babel in their second year or above, or hunters holding at least the lowest rank, E (Novice).
Area 2 was reserved for students of the City of Babel in their fourth year or above, students enrolled in the Tower, and hunters of rank D (Mid-tier) or higher.
Area 3 was open to those in their final year or above in Babel's Tower, alongside hunters of rank C (Veteran) or higher.
Area 4 and beyond were restricted exclusively to those who had obtained explicit permission from both Babel and the Hunter Guild.
Incidentally, Area 5 appeared to still be an unreached Territory. Over these past several tens of thousands of years, I hadn't embarked on any thrilling, life-or-death adventures. If it allowed me to freely explore such forbidden zones, raising my hunter rank might actually hold some value.
"About time, is it?"
I cast a glance across the area; the plaza was already teeming with examinees. With a crowd this massive, I couldn't spot Laila and the others. Still, this was an official test overseen by Babel and the Hunter Guild. Nothing truly hazardous should occur. Laila and her companion would surely be fine. Just in case, though, once the test got underway, it might be wise to have the beings in the Subjugation Compendium shadow them.
While I was mulling this over, the Babel staff in charge of the practical test arrived. Naturally, I didn't expect to know anyone among the proctors. Or so I had thought, but two faces caught my eye.
One was a swordsman wearing a fiery red bandana. He had competed in the Sacred Martial Arts Tournament. Bly Stamp was his name, if memory served. Much like Zack, he showed real promise, which was why he had stuck in my mind. So he was an employee at Babel, then. Well, as a swordsman, he was still green—a fledgling novice, all things considered.
The other wasn't quite an acquaintance. She was the dark-skinned, scantily clad woman I had run into in that back alley the other day. She was supposed to be a hunter operating out of Balse, so what was she doing here in Babel? Come to think of it, she wasn't the only one. Arnold had also traveled to the city on business. I had heard the Hero was around as well. An unpleasant premonition stirred in my chest. My instincts on these matters rarely missed the mark. This exam might very well descend into chaos.
A breathtakingly beautiful woman with long blonde hair, clad in a pure white robe, stepped onto the platform.
"Quiet, please."
She called for order. Her voice was neither harsh nor particularly loud, yet the plaza fell dead silent in an instant.
She was clearly adept at holding sway over a crowd. Judging by the way the Babel staff members all bowed their heads with deep reverence, there was no doubt she was a figure of supreme importance within the academy.
Well, whoever she might be, it truly didn't matter to me in the slightest.
The blonde woman in the white robe swept her gaze across the assembled crowd.
"I am Inea, the headmaster of Babel. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
She offered a slight bow, introducing herself by name and station.
The headmaster—meaning she stood at the very pinnacle of Babel. And judging by those pointed ears, she was an elf. Moreover, her dignified, razor-sharp presence wasn't something a mere slip of a girl who had only lived a few decades could ever project. In reality, much like myself, she was probably far older than she appeared.
"Thank you all for your hard work during this morning's aptitude test. However, the true trial begins now with the practical test. This will determine whether you are admitted as students to the Academy City of Babel, as well as which academy you will be assigned to."
In the eerie quiet, the sound of someone swallowing hard resonated with surreal clarity.
Well, setting aside an extreme outlier like myself, the vast majority had wagered their entire futures on being here, so such tension was only natural.
"Now then, allow me to explain the rules without delay. First, you will form three-person teams."
As a wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd—
"Silence! You dare interrupt while the headmaster is speaking?!"
A brawny, heavily muscled old man standing beside her in an opulent green robe and pointed hat bellowed in fury, cutting off the chatter instantly as if by magic.
Judging by that overbearing arrogance, he too held a considerable rank within Babel.
"Once your teams are formed, you will subjugate the undead released by our Tower. Depending on their strength, the undead will be assigned one of four values: one hundred points, fifty points, ten points, or a dud. You will compete to amass the highest score within the time limit."
Quite an intriguing setup. Simply hunting down the high-value undead wouldn't be enough to secure a top score. The real test lay in how efficiently a team could dispatch targets matching their strength within the allotted time. And then, there was an even greater question to consider.
"May I ask a brief question?"
I raised my right hand, prompting the headmaster's right eyebrow to twitch for a fraction of a second. Then—
"You insolent whelp! Did I not just tell you that the headmaster is in the middle of speaking?!"
The massive old man in the green robe snapped in a menacing growl, a thick vein bulging on his forehead.
A collective gulp rippled through the surrounding examinees.
"It is quite all right. What is your question?"
Inea quelled the hulking old man with nothing more than a glance, then calmly directed her gaze at me.
"During this test, is attacking other teams permitted?"
My inquiry sparked an uproar far louder than before, the noise crackling through the crowd like popping beans.
The moment Inea raised her right hand, the commotion died down just as quickly. She offered a slight nod.
"Should you attack another team and strip all three members of their badges, that team will be disqualified."
She gave the exact answer I had anticipated.
"So there's no issue if up to two members lose theirs?"
"Correct. Disqualification occurs only if all three badges are seized simultaneously. Furthermore, once the test concludes, the score values stored within any captured badges will be added to your total."
Score values stored in the badges, hm? They had likely applied an enchantment that logged points onto the badges each time an undead was slain. Undead carried a curse that turned humans and beasts into their own kind, so having the academy authorize something so perilous for a mere student entrance exam felt strange. Beyond nullifying the curse, they had probably modified the creatures extensively.
"So the bare minimum requirement is simply for at least one member of the team to retain a badge when time expires?"
"Yes. Naturally, any action intended to deliberately take a life is strictly forbidden. Excessive violence will likewise result in point deductions."
A remarkably aggressive format. Rose had mentioned that the usual practical test was a group melee styled after the Sacred Martial Arts Tournament to whittle down the numbers, followed by one-on-one matches. Yet here they were, changing it entirely. Far too many details failed to add up. Just as I suspected, this test had an ulterior motive.
"Understood."
I had no further questions. All that remained was to let things play out.
"The detailed rules and team assignments will now be announced by our staff.
I sincerely wish all of our examinees the best of luck and safe fortune."
With that, the headmaster stepped down from the platform. The Babel staff promptly erected several large signboards, and the swordsman Bly took the stage to go over the finer points of the rules.
And just like that, the practical test was underway.