The instructor entered the field, carrying a notebook. They were tasked with assessing the students' magical abilities.
Hastora, without hesitation, immediately chose the leftmost pillar.
"Instructor, please assess," he said.
"Alright," the instructor replied.
Hastora gathered dark energy in his palm. Then, he extended his right hand forward—pointing towards the pillar in front of him.
The dark energy solidified, creating a medium-sized dark sphere.
"Fire," the instructor said, holding a pen, ready to assess the result.
Hastora fired the dark sphere towards the large pillar in front of him. The dark sphere shot forward with a low whistling sound—fwoom—and struck the stone pillar.
A silent explosion echoed, then—BRAKK!—the pillar cracked and debris fell.
"What!" It made the instructor standing beside him incredibly surprised.
The large pillar was created by Luna by solidifying her magical energy through a flick of her finger.
Luna was from Elvarien, which meant she was a very powerful person. She was also the strongest person in this academy.
However, the pillar created using Luna's magical energy could be easily destroyed with just one shot from a medium-sized dark sphere.
The instructor was lost in thought for a moment, trying to accept the fact that the pillar was completely destroyed.
However, he immediately snapped out of his daze and assessed the results.
-------------------------------
Speed: 100
Strength: 100
Accuracy: 100
------------------------------
Perfect score.
Hastora was satisfied with the results.
"Thank you, instructor. I'll be going then."
He walked away, leaving the instructor there.
He saw Valeska about to fire magic at the pillars created by Luna earlier.
Hastora stopped in his tracks, slightly curious about Valeska's strength.
"Fire," the instructor said.
Valeska gathered mana in her palm. Creating a medium-sized giant ice spear.
She fired the ice spear towards the pillar. And...
CRAKK!
The ice spear pierced the middle of the pillar—and stuck firmly in it.
The instructor assessed, he didn't seem surprised at all as if it was just a normal thing.
------------------------------
Speed: 80
Strength: 100
Accuracy: 100
-----------------------------
"Good... As expected from the princess," the instructor praised.
"Thank you for your compliments. I'll be going then."
Valeska walked away with a very happy face, satisfied with the results.
She glanced at Hastora for a moment with a face that seemed as if she had won decisively—then walked towards Gisella who was waiting for the instructor's assessment.
"How is it, instructor?" Gisella asked.
------------------------------
Speed: 60
Strength: 80
Accuracy: 98
------------------------------
"Good. This isn't bad," the instructor praised.
Gisella jumped for joy after seeing the results.
"I succeeded."
Gisella saw Valeska walking towards her, she ran towards Valeska.
"How were your results?" Valeska asked.
"The instructor said it wasn't bad," Gisella answered.
All the students were ready for the second test. It was time to move on to the third test... which was inside the gate.
"All students have finished the second test, Madam Luna. It's time to move on to the third test," said one of the instructors, informing her.
Luna nodded, "Alright. Time to move on to the third test."
Luna gathered magical energy on her index finger. Blue energy swirled for a moment, before a pale blue gate appeared in front of her.
"That's the gate," whispered Gisella.
"Right... We'll be doing the second test inside that gate," Valeska replied.
Luna raised her megaphone, "Get ready. If you're scared, you can go back home like a coward. If you're brave then get ready.
"This third exam will be done in groups. I will randomly select group members.
"You can't choose group members at will. This third test takes three scores at once.
"First, team cohesion. Second, the number of monsters you defeat. And third, I will give extra points to the three fastest teams to complete this exam.
Gisella raised her right hand high, "What are the types of monsters inside that gate? And, what if the gate fluctuates?"
"First. This gate is a gate I created, not a gate that appears randomly. This gate will not fluctuate.
"Second. There are five types of monsters that will appear inside this gate. First, Cinderfang Jackal. A red-eyed desert dog with fiery bites and a pack instinct.
"Second. Duststalker Mantis. A human-tall praying mantis that can blend in with sandstorms.
"Third. Glasswing Vulture. A bird of prey with transparent wings and sharp claws that can cut like glass.
"Fourth. Sandfang Lizard – A large, carnivorous lizard, camouflaged with sand and has sharp claws.
"And fifth, Giant Ant. This is the strongest type of monster you'll encounter inside the gate. This monster weighs about 120 kilograms and is five meters tall," Luna explained.
All the students swallowed hard after hearing that. One of them raised his hand.
"Excuse me, headmaster. I feel like those monsters are very strong. With our current strength, I don't think we'll be able to defeat any of the monsters inside that gate."
"That's right, you won't be able to defeat any of the monsters inside that gate if you do it alone. That's why I said this third test exam will be done in groups," Luna replied, responding to the student's statement.
Luna continued, "Alright. Enough with the questions. I will mention the names of the group members randomly.
"Group one. Elira al Thorne, Myna de Vales, Darian de Velk, Torven al Krail, Marek al Sundel.
"Group two. Kira al Estel, Yvenna de Moore, Tasha al Belwen, Rufas de Dern, Kael al Drimor.
The names of the group members continued to be called randomly until finally....
"Group twenty-four. Gisella von Elarion, Valeska von Asterea, Geriya von Halford, Renia von withmere, and Hastora Vallois" the group division was complete. Group twenty-four was the last.
Everyone was surprised to hear Hastora's name in the same group as Valeska and her friends.
"Ha? Did I hear wrong?"
"How can that person be in the same group as them?"
"Right. Especially since he's not from the upper nobility."
All the students were in an uproar, their negative impressions were shown to Hastora.
How could it be? "von" is an exclusive title used only by upper-class noble families, symbolizing pure blood, ancient heritage, and power officially recognized by the highest institutions.
Its presence in a name immediately signifies status, honor, and great influence, making its owner part of the elite who stand at the top of the social structure.
Then followed by "de". "de" is a marker of the middle class nobility, used by families with hereditary titles and regional influence.
Although not as grand as the owners of "von", they are still respected in society and often hold important positions in government, military, or academia.
And lastly there is "al". Lower-class nobles use the middle name prefix "al" to mark their lower nobility status.
Although still considered blue blood, they do not have significant power and usually act as managers of small areas, honorary soldiers, or administrative servants for middle and upper class nobles.
At a time when everyone had a middle name, only Hastora himself did not have a middle name.
Hastora's identity as a commoner was quickly known to everyone.
They looked at Hastora with disgust and condescension.
Velmora Grand Academy itself is an Academy that is widely attended by nobles, only a few commoners enter here.
Those born as commoners are often harassed and bullied by the nobility.
However, Hastora didn't care much about it. He wouldn't hesitate to make them permanently disabled.
Luna clapped her hands loudly, "Alright. All teams have been divided, please enter the gate one by one according to your team number. Starting from group one—enter."
Group one entered the gate together. Then followed by group two.
One by one the groups entered the gate until finally only group twenty-four remained.
"Last. Group twenty-four, enter the gate," Luna said, her voice firm and loud.
Hastora glanced slightly at the girls. He entered the gate first by himself, without waiting for them.
Hastora was the only male in the group. Especially since his group members were children of famous upper-class nobles.
He felt awkward, but the expression on his face didn't show it.
"What's wrong with him?" Geriya asked, annoyed by Hastora's cold attitude.
"Come on... Let's go in too," Renia invited, she had a mature attitude and didn't get angry easily—unlike Geriya and Gisella.
The four of them stepped into the gate together.
...
Inside the gate.
"Ughh... It's so hot," Gisella covered her face with her hand.
The gate they entered connected them to another dimension. A vast desert stretched out before them.
The air there was very hot, the sun was very scorching. The heat there reached 43 degrees Celsius.
"Where is that guy?" Renia asked curiously.
"I don't know, let's just continue our journey," Geriya replied.
They walked further into the hot desert expanse.
On the way, they saw Hastora standing staring at the desert. He didn't seem affected by the heat at all.
"Where can I find the Giant Ant?" Hastora asked in his mind.
He wanted to find the Giant Ant quickly, with the aim of taking its heart.
All of that was to complete the mission given by Viktor.
"Hey, you damn guy!" Geriya shouted, calling him from behind.
Hearing someone's voice, Hastora turned around.
"What?"
The three of them walked towards Hastora. Their steps were very slow, they were exhausted from the scorching sun.
"Why did you go alone?" Geriya asked angrily.
"You'll just slow me down. So just go on your own," Hastora replied, his expression flat—not caring about the test exam and their condition.
Geriya was furious, but Gisella stopped her immediately.
"This is an exam done in groups. You can't go alone," Renia said.
Hastora turned around, "I don't care much about that. Just finish it yourself."
To be continued in the next chapter…