Outside the training hall, Laex was greeted by an Invoker. These are Adventurers who specialize in Invocation, summoning Characters from the Other Side.
This time, the Invoker summoned a Grand Falcon whose body was the side of a bus with wings twice its length. It carried the two to the center of the city, where an Obsidian gate can be seen situated at the heart of it.
Awaiting them were five Elves who were definitely far stronger than Laex's current self.
They called upon their Keys and altogether Chanted.
{Gate of Space: Relink}
As they did, the Green Source in their Key Bows rapidly drained to half despite there being five of them activating it at the same time.
One had to note that Laex, when he was writing the letters, only had a Red Source. After a combination of training and understanding, the Key would start to produce Orange Source, then Yellow, before finally producing a Green Source.
The leap from Red to Orange is not just double in capacity, it is magnitudes more, as a single drop of Orange Source is equivalent to a whole Bow of Red Source. From here, one could conceptualize the amount of Source required to use the Incantation: {Gate of Space: Relink}.
This is even with the help of an Obsidian gate. This is why such action is very costly; however, such is no problem for Laex's family. This expense would not even make his father blink.
Laex remained unimpressed, though. He had seen far better iterations of this Incantation during his past life. He, himself, reached great heights in the field of {Gate of Space}, allowing him to travel even without the help of an Obsidian Gate.
Nevertheless, he knew how far he was from that goal.
After crossing the gate, Laex was greeted by a sea of individuals and Characters. Some Characters were animals, beasts, and spirits, while some were fully sentient beings from the Other Side.
Laex could not help but deeply inhale. This is the first time in this body that he had witnessed once more the endlessness of the Other Side. It made him toughen his heart even more, staying true to his goal.
Outside, the sea of individuals from various races of the Hextian Zone joyfully cheered upon the mysterious academia.
It was shrouded in clouds, and walls covered all of its grounds. The guards were very strict in only letting those planning on taking the trial enter the academia. No one dared to make any move against them since not only are they backed up by the academia, they, themselves, are powerful individuals.
When Laex finally managed to get it, he saw the contrast between the inside and the outside. It was serene and majestic within the academia, while outside was bustling and chaotic with the number of people.
In here, one could see the prestige and exclusivity of the famed school. Its vast expanse was filled with trees and pavements made from bricks of gold. Even the lights that guide the pavement screamed luxury. It is evident that it was created to awe all who will enter the academia.
As Laex was walking down the pavement, his senses triggered all of a sudden. This was not some magic or Incantation. It was an instinct of his soul built from countless years of traversing danger; a skill every Adventurer must have.
He immediately called upon his white Key. This time, the Source in the Bow was colored orange.
Balls of fire rained down from nowhere in his direction. Every time one would hit him, he would point his key toward it, and without saying a word, a field of protection would be summoned in his defense.
'I should show this much to impress them,' he thought.
True enough, the people in a dark room, watching over all that was happening, looked impressed after seeing Laex protect himself without a Chant.
"Interesting, despite only having an Orange Source, he could use Chantless Incantation," a lady with long red hair and fiery eyes said with a curious smile.
"Indeed. His senses are not bad either, but why does he only have an Orange Source? Most examinees would have Yellow Sources, and those monstrous Dynasty heirs would have Green Sources. The disparity is massive," a man said. He was a Harsel, a race blessed by the Source. He had long, ethereal-like, golden-white hair and a blue diamond embedded on his forehead, but aside from this, he looked like a human.
"I don't think this is enough to pass him," he continued.
"Well, why don't we test him a bit? Maybe we'll get to see something interesting. If not, this is not the first time a trial taker died," the red-haired lady said with a maniacal smile.
Back on the pavement, Laex continued to protect himself against the unceasing attack when the balls of fire suddenly turned into walls of fire.
The walls seemingly walked the ground, leaving burnt grass in their wakes as they approached Laex.
'Wanting to see more, huh? Fine.'
{Gate of Arcadia: Flame-eating Lizard - Head}
As he finished his Chant, a Gate opened in front of his Key. It was only for an instant, but one could feel the presence of nature itself when the Gate appeared.
The Gate lingered as the head of a red Flame-eating Lizard peeked out of it. Its scales were akin to a Dragon, even its eyes were the same. The only difference was that its head was only as large as Laex's height.
Still, with a single opening of its mouth, all the flames around were consumed in the blink of an eye. The Flame-eating Lizard, then, looked at Laex with delighted eyes before returning to the Other Side.
"Such control! A Codexless Partial Invocation!" the red-haired lady exclaimed in amazement.
Even the Harsel beside her was speechless after Laex's showcase.
"To Invoke a Character from the Other Side, one must have the necessary depth of knowledge about not just the Gate from which it comes, but also the Character itself that needs to be summoned. This is why it is imperative for an Invoker to have his Codex out to aid in the process. To Invoke without it demonstrates such familiarity with the Gate and the Character. This is talent comparable to those heirs! Not to mention, having the control to only do a Partial Invocation, he might even be better," the golden-white-haired man analyzed.
"You Pass!" was the only part Laex had heard.