"Attention! Attention!" Screeched a woman at the hall's center, "I will have everyone's attention!"   

From where I stood, I couldn't make out much detail of the voice's owner apart from being a sharply dressed female in a white blouse, navy blazer, navy pencil skirt, and gleaming red shoes. She lifted her hand to adjust what I think was her glasses and continued.   

"The test will commence momentarily," she said, her voice magically becoming amplified throughout the hall. "Now, here are your instructions: each of you has been given a scroll. Go ahead and check your pockets; your objective is to get to the top of the mountain. If you have a scroll in your possession, you are still in the running as an applicant. However, be prepared to run. Only the first 150 students to arrive with a single scroll within the time limit of 72 hours will be accepted as students. That said, if you dare come without a scroll, your application will be immediately rejected." 

Oh, the pressure, I was sweating under it. I’m sweating now, recalling all the murmurs filling the hall. Some were not exactly friendly, and many sounded excited to start. Ah, how nice would it be to have that confidence in yourself.  

“Those applicants with three scrolls immediately pass and receive a rank of three stars. Applicants with four scrolls receive an immediate pass and a rank of four stars. Now for those applicants who pass with five or more scrolls, your rank will be the coveted five stars. This means you will begin at the top as the envy of all your peers and have the first pick at the classes you want to take with the best professors. Sounds nice, yes?” 

As expected of the academy! Rile up the candidates, so the competitors fight for the best spot! To be the crème de la crème! If I wasn’t intimidated before, this did me in.  

But all you need to technically pass is one scroll, Alice. I told myself then, and you already have that in your hands! As long as I didn’t let go of it, of course. You have it, you have it in your hands, Alice! I cheered for myself quietly in my head.  

“Apart from the scrolls each applicant holds, a thousand scrolls are scattered throughout the mountain. However, don’t waste too much time searching for these or do. It’ll all be up to you to make it to the top on time.” Panic mode activated and cranked up to the max! Please add some rules to this test! “As for the rules, we don’t want any casualties, we don’t tolerate forbidden arts, and most of all, we will step in if there’s any discrimination. Watch yourselves applicants and may luck be on your side.”  

Panic intensified at hearing those rules or lack of rules! It was basically a free-for-all, and there were no set rules for partnering up, and then dividing up the scrolls within the group!! I knew no one there and I could already feel glances being cast my way! Ugh, I feel indigestion just remembering being back there surrounded by all types of capable and strong races.  

No one made a move to attack inside the hall as we listened patiently to the woman walk back to the front of the hall toward the entrance. I heard when she stopped walking though, I didn’t see her anymore when she spoke.  

“Good faring, everyone.” I heard a snap following her words. She had snapped her fingers and cast a spell that flipped the whole hall upside down. My mind registered that my feet had been firmly on the marble floor, then they weren’t, and I, along with everyone else, was falling into the ceiling.  

The enchanted ceiling that reflected the sky was a portal all along. A gigantic portal hurled us to the bottom of the mountain; that was a three-day journey by carriage. The closest mountain I knew of close to the capital was Nthrildandeth. A mountain with many wild animals and gigantic versions of them still lived. Surely, they wouldn’t drop us there, right? They did. I found that out as I dodged enemies, fought some too, and somehow made my way up the mountain.