Morning – Academy Plaza

The morning air was sharp and cool, carrying the faint scent of flowers from the academy gardens.
Dew clung to the cobblestones, shimmering as the first rays of sunlight crept over marble towers.

One by one, students streamed out of the dormitories, crisp uniforms brushing in rhythm with nervous chatter and forced bravado.

Tom moved among them at his usual unhurried pace.
The crowd’s restless energy seemed not to touch him—he was a stone in the middle of a rushing stream.

Inside, the seal slept quietly.
Unlike yesterday’s trial, today posed no risk of stirring it. The test was of knowledge, and knowledge was something the universe could not forbid him from wielding.

Ahead, beneath the archway, Jenny Cross waited. She clasped her hands, rocking lightly on her feet as her eyes darted through the crowd.
When she spotted him, her face brightened.

“Tom! Over here!”

Tom adjusted his collar and walked toward her. A faint smile tugged at his lips at her enthusiasm.

“I thought we could walk together,” Jenny said as he joined her side. “The lecture hall’s all the way across the plaza. Feels less nerve-wracking with company.”

Tom inclined his head. “Fine by me.”

They slipped into step, letting the current of students carry them forward.
Above them, the banners of Semesta Academy snapped in the wind—silver stars entwined with swords gleaming against the morning light.

“Do you think it’ll be hard?” Jenny asked. “The instructors only said ‘IQ and strategy.’”

“They’ll want more than memorization,” Tom replied, tone calm and sure. “Expect history, ability theory, beast taxonomy… maybe tactical scenarios.”

Jenny blinked. “That’s… specific.”

“For example,” he continued, “they might ask: ‘If a Class-B beast breaches a city wall, which historical strategy contains it most effectively, and why?’
Or, ‘You command ten soldiers against thirty stronger enemies—what formation maximizes survival?’”

Jenny stared, wide-eyed. “You talk like you already know the exam questions.”

Tom only smiled faintly.
Because I do know—or at least, I’ve seen every pattern they could possibly choose.

The Examination Hall

The examination hall loomed ahead like a temple of learning.
Great arches towered overhead; footsteps echoed across polished marble.
Inside, five hundred cubicles stood in perfect rows, each equipped with a sleek black tablet glowing faintly blue.

Students filled the space quickly—the hum of whispers rising into a storm of nerves.

At the podium, a tall man in a pressed black suit stepped forward. His hair was slicked back neatly; his expression, sharp as carved stone.

“Good morning,” he announced. “I am Instructor Chang. Today you face your second trial: the IQ and Strategy Assessment.”

The hall fell silent.

“You will answer one thousand questions in three hours,” Chang continued. “That is six questions per minute, on average.
Subjects include history, awakened-ability classifications, beast taxonomy, scientific theory, military tactics, and global affairs.

Cheating will not be tolerated. The surveillance systems are absolute. A first attempt earns a warning. A second attempt means expulsion.
Remember—Semesta Academy nurtures only the worthy.”

His gaze swept across the crowd like a blade. Then, with a single gesture:
“Begin.”

The Battle of Minds

Tablets flickered awake. The first questions appeared in crisp lettering.

Tom – The Restrained Genius

Q1. In what year did humanity first awaken supernatural abilities worldwide?
→ Year 112 of the New Calendar, the Dawn Year.

Q2. The speed of sound is 343 m/s. Name one Hero who matched this speed.
→ Hero Gale, the Sonic Blade.

Q3. A squad of 50 is trapped by a Class-A winged beast in canyon terrain. Ensure 40 % survival.

He almost chuckled. Forty percent?
If he unleashed himself, he could guarantee one hundred.
But they wanted human tactics, not divine ones.

He wrote a balanced plan—diversion units, terrain traps—correct, efficient, but not dazzling.
Each time his stylus moved too fast, he forced himself to pause, tapping as if in thought.
A flawless, lightning-quick score would draw attention—and attention was the last thing he needed.

Aru – The Confident Heir

Q. List three major strategies from the Eastern Beast Wars and name the decisive one.

Aru wrote easily. Encirclement, Divide-and-Strike, Fire Lure.
Grandfather had drilled them into him long before he held a sword.

His chin lifted slightly—House Aryan’s pride incarnate.
This wasn’t a test. It was his stage.

Kaito – The Fighter in a Scholar’s Seat

Q. Calculate the maximum lift of a squad using Wind-affinity augmentation spells (10 users, Level C, 5 minutes).

Kaito scowled. Numbers again? I don’t care about equations—just tell me what to punch.
He scribbled, erased, cursed under his breath.
Each wasted second stoked his frustration.

Fine. He gritted his teeth. I’ll scrape by—and when the combat trials begin, I’ll show them real strength.

Aira – The Photographic Prodigy

Q. Name the twelve beast subspecies from the Mount Hold expedition and describe one.

Aira’s stylus glided effortlessly. Page 214, Section Three, Professor Liang’s lecture… Frostfang, Ironclaw, Thornbeak, Shadow Lynx…

But when the follow-up appeared—
Q. Which subspecies threatens long-term supply chains most, and why?—
she hesitated.

Data she had in abundance. Judgment, less so.
Her hand resumed writing after a pause; the hesitation lingered like a flaw on glass.

Jenny – The Steady Climber

Q. What formation principle allowed Hero Althea’s unit to repel an army three times their size at the River of Glass?

Jenny’s eyes lit up. Triangular rotation—rotating the front line to conserve stamina.

Her hand trembled once before steadying.
She wasn’t flawless. She wasn’t fast.
But she refused to leave blanks.
Each answer came from grit as much as knowledge.

The Weight of Silence

The hall filled with the sound of scratching styluses and muffled breaths.
Sweat beaded on foreheads. Some students shook; others clenched fists beneath their desks.

Five hundred prodigies fought not with fists but with minds.
For some, it was effortless. For others, agony. For all, it was war.

Tom remained steady, stylus gliding at a measured pace.
Knowledge flowed like a river, yet each time he felt the urge to unleash it fully, the seal pulsed—soft warning.

Not here. Not now.

Even knowledge can be dangerous, he mused. Sometimes restraint matters more than brilliance.

By the end of the first hour, patterns had formed.
Aru blazed with confidence.
Aira with flawless recall.
Kaito with frustration.
Jenny with persistence.
And Tom—Tom flowed, calm and constant, holding back a flood that could drown them all.

The clock ticked mercilessly on.
And still, the battle of minds raged.

☕ Author’s Note:
Thank you for reading Chapter 5 of The Sealed Player of the Eight Worlds!
Who will rise when intellect replaces strength?
Tap the ❤️, leave a comment, and follow for the next chapter—The Mind Labyrinth. 🌙