The Strongest Student of the Weakest Academy - Chapter 356

Chapter 356: The Beginning Of The End [XVIII]

As soon as Elijah heard his comment, he slowly stepped away from him.

“Yep. Noted. I’m never cheating, not even by accident.”

Aestrea shook his head at these words.

Some of the defeated students lying near the trees glared weakly at Aestrea, but he didn’t even look their way anymore.

In his mind, once someone was caught, they were already irrelevant.

The professor stepped forward, raising his hand, and the noise slowly died out.

Leaves kept falling from the tall trees above, and the wind finally softened after hours of fighting and running.

Everyone who passed the test stood in rough lines, some breathing heavily, some looking proud, and some trembling as if they barely survived.

“Good. Now that everyone who obeyed the rules is gathered here, we will proceed with the next stage,” the professor said.

His voice became lower, heavier, and much more serious.

“This next exam will be one of the most important evaluations of your future in the Divine Academy.”

Some students perked up, hopeful, thinking it might be something easier than the previous test. Others frowned, guessing it was going to be even worse.

The professor slowly walked back and forth, hands behind his back.

“During the forest exam, many of you showed speed, intelligence, teamwork, and survival skills. Some lacked discipline, some lacked judgment, and some lacked honor. But passing the forest alone does not mean you are prepared for the real world. The Divine Academy does not train simple soldiers or spell casters. We build elites… people who can stand in places where normal gods cannot.”

His gaze grew sharp and cold in a single instant.

“The next exam will be the Psychic Echo Trial.”

Whispers exploded instantly.

Psychic?

Echo?

Mind trial?

What does that even mean?

A girl with short blue hair raised her hand quickly. “Professor, is this related to illusion control, or mental defense?”

Another boy with glasses stepped forward as well.

“Is it true that several students from previous years were mentally damaged after this trial, sir? I heard rumors—”

The professor lifted his hand to silence them.

“This trial is not something that will simply show illusions. It is a test that forces you to face the deepest layers of your identity. Your inner thoughts, your fears, your guilt, your pride, your memories, your hidden desire for power… everything you refuse to confront will be forced out.”

A tense chill ran through the group, and even Elijah’s playful expression vanished.

Another student raised his voice, clearly nervous.

“Sir, if someone has trauma… can they choose to skip?”

“No,” the professor answered without hesitation.

“Anyone who wishes to become a Divine Academy graduate must pass. There are no exceptions. Remember that the Divine Academy chooses successors who will shape the future. Weak hearts bend. Weak hearts break. We cannot accept unstable minds holding power that can destroy nations.”

Someone gulped loudly.

At the professor’s words, Aestrea raised an eyebrow.

A mental trial would be much easier for him than the others.

He wondered how they would react when their hidden side was shown. After all, humans always feared themselves more than any monster.

The professor pointed ahead, where the trees opened into a small clearing with old stone pillars arranged in a circle.

“That location is called the Mind Echo Circle. When you stand inside, your consciousness will be separated from the physical world. You will not know how much time passes. To your real body, you will appear asleep, but inside the trial, your mind will face its own battlefield.”

“What happens if someone fails?”

A boy wearing a large coat nervously asked.

“If you break mentally, the echo will shatter your consciousness and push it out. You will wake up unable to use mana for the next seven months. In other words… your future here will be over.”

The professor spoke calmly, like he had answered it thousands of times.

Loud murmurs broke out once more. Some students held their heads, some clenched their fists.

Elijah leaned close to Aestrea and then whispered.

“This is insane… a trial that fights inside your mind? I’d rather face a giant monster than myself…thank god I’m a Student Council Member!” he sighed in deep relief.

“The mind is the strongest cage. Most people lose to themselves, not others,” Aestrea replied to his previous argument.

“You say that so easily. You really don’t fear anything, huh?” Elijah stared at him for a moment.

Aestrea was a little… taken aback by his question.

After a moment, he looked away.

‘I fear the unknown,’ he said inwardly.

‘Anything that I can’t understand… can scare me.’

Plap!

The professor clapped his hands loudly to get everyone’s attention.

“Form a single line. The trial will begin shortly. Those who wish to quit may walk away now, but remember… quitting equals failure, and failure means you leave the academy today.”

No one moved.

Some swallowed hard, some shook slightly, and others forced a proud expression even though their fingers trembled.

The professor nodded and guided the first student forward.

The Mind Echo Circle glowed with a faint blue light, and white runes shone on the ground. The first student stepped into the circle, and the moment he stood in the center, his body froze.

His eyes rolled back, and he fell into a deep sleep, still standing, completely motionless like a statue.

Fwoom!

Countless floating screens appeared above the circle like thin glass windows hanging in the air.

One screen showed the first student, standing in a different world. A foggy gray field with no sound and no life.

His eyes darted around, confused.

The other students gasped and stared at the screens, fear growing stronger.

“These are Echo Windows. Through them, we will watch their mental struggle.” The professor pointed toward the screens.

He turned to Elijah and Aestrea and motioned for them to come closer.

“You two. Stand beside me,” the professor said in a calm but firm tone.

“Us? Why?” Elijah blinked.

He didn’t think the professor needed their help in a mental exam.

“Because you are Student Council members. You carry authority and responsibility. If something goes wrong and a student cannot break free, I will need your help to pull them out. Do not use brute force. You will touch their forehead and press your mana into their mind to stabilize it. If you do it wrong, their mind could be damaged forever. Understood?”

Elijah nodded lightly.

Aestrea nodded calmly.

“Good,” the professor said, then raised his voice.

“Next student!”

One by one, more students entered the circle and fell into the dreamlike sleep.

More screens appeared above, each showing a different internal world.

The first screen displayed a boy standing inside a huge empty arena.

A loud crowd of shadowy figures screamed at him, throwing insults, laughing at him as he shook in panic.

He covered his ears, but it didn’t help.

The shadows grew taller, and the screaming became louder.

The second screen showed a girl standing in front of a house. A warm voice called out from inside, a voice she had lost long ago.

She ran forward crying, only to grab the door handle and receive a burning shock that sent her flying backward.

When she tried again, the house faded little by little, like smoke. She fell to her knees, screaming for it to come back.

The third screen showed a student holding a sword while facing a giant version of himself with blood-red eyes.

The giant version grinned and rushed toward him, swinging a massive blade, while the real one could barely raise his weapon.

More screens lit up, one after another.

A boy tried to run through a hallway that never ended, no matter how fast he ran.

A girl stood trapped inside a dark room, where whispering voices told her she wasn’t good enough.

Another student found himself on a battlefield full of corpses, all wearing academy uniforms, blaming him for their deaths.

Some students shouted.

Some cried.

Some knelt down, unable to breathe.

“This is… worse than I thought…” Elijah placed a hand over his mouth.

Aestrea kept staring without blinking.

“What exactly are they supposed to do?” Elijah whispered.

“They must break the illusion using their own will,” the professor answered. “The Echo will not harm them unless they give up.”

In the screens, things continued to grow darker.

“This isn’t real! It’s not real!”

One student suddenly screamed, but the shadows grabbed his arms and dragged him deeper into blackness.

Then, another whispered:

“I want to wake up… please…”

…While falling into a pool that slowly froze over her body.

The scenes were grotesque to say the least.

“We’re really going to just watch?” Elijah clenched his fists.

“They must fight alone first. If we interfere too early, they will never grow stronger.” The professor looked at him with cold eyes.

Aestrea nodded at the professor’s words.

This was indeed a problem that they needed to save alone.

But looking at the countless echoes, he wondered…

‘What could appear in mine?’

He was quite curious, but at the same time…

‘…I hope I never find out.’

Aestrea was a little scared.