What Arthur could see now was fantasy—real fantasy.
They were now in an open field where you could only see a vast, flat land.
Truly an amazing place. It was so flat you might think that if you laid a foil on the ground, it wouldn't even get crumpled.
"Papa, this place is so big!" Arthur exclaimed in excitement.
"Yeah, since you're so tiny! Hahaha!" Arthur's father replied.
"Dad!"
"Oh, sorry son—hahaha. Let's go, I can see booths over there."
Arthur nodded and started to follow his father.
He couldn't see what was beyond that since he was indeed a bit small.
As they walked toward the booths, a fat kid ran toward them.
His facial features were cute, but he was so fat he looked like a giant meatball.
It made the father and son duo stop—because it was just too ridiculous to see something that size run so fast.
As the kid stopped in front of them, Arthur nearly burst into laughter.
"Hey kid! My name is Su Shi. I wanna make friends with you."
That did it. Arthur couldn't hold it anymore.
He burst into laughter—the name sounded exactly like a Japanese food he knew. It really suited this guy.
But after processing what Su Shi just said, Arthur suddenly felt insulted.
"Hey! What did you say? Kid? How old are you?!"
"Nine and a half."
"You're a kid! There's no such thing as nine and a half! Nine is nine—no halves! No need to include it!"
"You asked how old I am, and I answered truthfully and completely!"
"So how about you? How old are you?"
Now that the topic of age came up, Arthur remembered...
He was also a kid.
His face turned red. Su Shi was bigger than him, so naturally, he looked older.
"Fa-five and a half..." Arthur answered.
"Hahaha! I thought you were six! Hahaha! So you're more of a kid than me!"
"You!"
I really want to beat this kid. Arghhh! Arthur thought, feeling more and more infuriated.
After laughing for a full minute, Su Shi straightened his posture, lifted his hand toward Arthur, and said:
"You're really interesting. I wanna make friends with you."
"No," Arthur rejected flatly.
"Why not?" Su Shi asked.
"Because you're too... big big," Arthur replied.
"What?! You insulted me?!"
"No! I mean you're too tall!" Arthur tried to recover.
"Ohhh. Then I'll be your older brother!" Su Shi accepted the reason, pleased.
This kid...
"Let's go to the booth to take the qualification exam," Su Shi added.
"Yes, sure," Arthur agreed.
"Haiyaaa—I forgot! Let's wait for my uncle to get here first. Can you guys wait?"
Su Shi looked at Arthur before glancing up at Arthur's companion.
"Oh, sir, who might you be?" Su Shi asked.
"I'm Arthur's father, Amy," the man replied.
"Hmm, that name sounds familiar... Wait, your name was Arthur?
You didn't even introduce yourself! How rude!" Su Shi scolded.
"I forgot. My name is Arthur Kasadin," Arthur said.
"Good name. I praise your name! Now what about me—praise me too!
Make it a bit louder since I'm trying to stay low-key.
I don't want too many people knowing my greatness," Su Shi said, voice full of authority.
Damn, this guy is shameless, Arthur thought, before half-heartedly praising:
"Yes, your name is great... and delicious."
"Yes! Right, my name is great and deli—YOU! What do you mean delicious?! Are you picking a fight with me?!"
"No! My snack pack here is delicious," Arthur said innocently.
"Sure, give me some after the test. You made me talk too much, now I'm hungry," Su Shi said with an innocent smile.
Sht. Shameless!*
"Oh! Uncle is here! Uncle! Over here!" Su Shi shouted with great enthusiasm.
"Hahaha! Kid, you're too fast on your feet!"
A big man approached.
"Who might you be, little friends? My name is Su Man—a warrior in class," he said proudly.
No one would doubt him. His build was exceptional.
His height? Not to be underestimated.
And those bulging muscles... Damn, Arthur wanted to have them too.
Also a food! Arthur thought, almost laughing again—but held it in. That guy looked scary.
"My name is Amy, and this is my son Arthur. I'm a mage. Nice to meet you, Su Man," Arthur's father said politely.
They only mentioned their roles since bragging about levels would be rude.
"Hahaha! It's getting late. Let's go to the booth so we can leave early.
I'm bored with this kind of thing," Su Man said.
"Alright," Arthur's father agreed.
As they walked, they talked about a lot of stuff—
Where they lived, who their mothers were, what food they loved most, etc.
In just a few short minutes, they got to know each other pretty well.
Su Shi and Su Man were very talkative, after all.
Soon they reached their destination.
It was a booth with a young female sitting inside.
As they approached, the female instructor bowed and said:
"Please, those who are taking the exam—go through this door.
As for those who are not, please wait here."
She flicked her fingers, and a door appeared.
She pointed out who should enter.
"Yes!"
Both Arthur and Su Shi straightened their backs and walked toward the door.
As they stepped inside, they felt the same sensation they had before...
And soon, they appeared again in a vast, flat land.
But now, there were many chairs—and people sitting on them.
Each chair had a wooden table in front of it.
Suddenly, a voice echoed.
"Sit anywhere you want—as long as you don't cheat, it's fine.
The test will begin only when all chairs are occupied."
It was a female voice, but they couldn't see who it belonged to.
They quickly complied. They wanted to sit next to each other anyway.
And the seats were almost all taken.
Twenty minutes later, a voice chimed again—
Three pads of paper and a pen appeared in front of them.
When they saw the test's contents...
Su Shi—and especially Arthur—were petrified.
---