A sliver of scorching red sunlight hit Ryan's eyes, waking him up. The bed beside his was empty.
Miron's gone?
He rubbed his eyes and sat up.
Today was the day. The long-awaited day of college admission.
He didn't know a single magic spell. He had already assumed he wouldn't pass.
But still—he was going.
Just to see what others were capable of.
As Ryan, Miron, and Mizuha climbed the mountain path, they spotted a tall flag waving in the distance.
"There!" Miron said. "That's our college."
The trio stood in front of a tall gate. On it, in bold letters, was written:
"Alloria Arcanum College"
> "This is the biggest college in Alloria City," said Miron. "Students even come here from other cities. Getting in is really tough."
"But don't worry," he added. "Even if you don't pass, you'll learn a lot. You can try again next year."
Ryan tried to smile in response.
The three of them entered through the gates together. A guard pointed them toward a designated hall room.
When they arrived, their jaws dropped.
There were at least a few thousand students in the room—all there to take the test.
The trio found an empty table and sat down.
Just then, a boy sitting behind Mizuha spoke up.
"Hi! What's your name?"
Mizuha turned sharply, staring straight into the boy's eyes. He flinched and quickly looked at Ryan.
"I—I was talking to you."
"Oh! I'm Ryan."
"Just Ryan?"
"Yeah."
The boy stared at him strangely.
"I'm Zenith Rekbath. From Replican City."
"I'm Miron Sisori. I'm local. But... why'd you come all the way here?"
"I've moved here recently. I'll be living here now."
"Oh, I see."
As Miron and Zenith chatted, a man wearing a black and blue uniform entered the room.
He raised his voice to address everyone:
"Hello, students. I'm Jimilon Kennin, one of the teachers here. You're all here today for admission into this college. But let me make one thing clear—getting in isn't easy. We only choose those we deem worthy. So give it your all, and prove your capabilities. Your first test starts—now."
Jimilon raised his hand, gathering energy. Blue light swirled around his fingers.
He walked over to a wall, rotated his hand in circular motions, and muttered,
"Portal Creation."
A circular gateway appeared on the wall, showing an open field on the other side.
"Everyone, step through the portal one by one," he instructed.
One by one, the students walked into the field. They found themselves surrounded on three sides by towering walls, with a path stretching out in front of them.
They started moving forward and soon reached a dense forest.
> "Ryan!"
"Hmm?"
"Do you see those green fumes? What are they?" Miron asked.
"Not sure... maybe something toxic," Ryan guessed.
"Those are hallucinating smokes," said Zenith. "They show us things that don't even exist in reality."
"How do you know that?" Miron asked, surprised.
"It once spread in our city. Eight people nearly lost their minds because of it. It was years ago," Zenith replied.
"Then we absolutely have to avoid it. Otherwise, we'll never get out of this forest," said Ryan.
"But how? It's spread everywhere. Wherever we go, the smoke will sense our mana and follow us," Zenith warned.
"What?! Are you serious?" Miron panicked.
"We can't afford to panic. I have an idea. We need to cover our faces with cloth as much as possible and breathe carefully. But it needs to be thick cloth. Where can we get that in a forest?" Ryan asked.
"I've got a thin vest under my shirt. We can rip and share it," Zenith offered.
"No—better idea. Take off your vest and wrap it around your face. We'll use our shirts to cover ours too," Ryan suggested.
"Good idea!" said Miron.
The three of them began pushing through the forest underbrush.
Elsewhere, Mizuha walked alone.
She preferred solitude—never liked talking or mixing with others. So she moved forward without hesitation.
Suddenly, she saw someone in front of her—her mother.
Standing there, looking away.
Mizuha froze in shock and stepped forward.
"Mom?"
She reached out and touched her mother's shoulder.
Her mother instantly flung her hand away and shouted in fury—
"Don't call me Mom! I'm not your mother. You killed me. You're my murderer!"
"No! I didn't! I tried so hard to save you... Please forgive me. I couldn't save you... I'm sorry..."
Mizuha collapsed on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You'll never be happy. You'll rot alone... just like I burned alone. Stay here forever—rot in this place."
Mizuha lay on the ground, broken.
Meanwhile, Ryan, Miron, and Zenith reached deep into the forest. Suddenly, vines wrapped around their feet and dragged them in three different directions.
Ryan was pulled up and hung upside down from a tall branch.
The more he struggled, the tighter the vines gripped him.
He stared at the sky, thinking.
Never thought I'd face something like this in real life.
He remained still for a minute, holding his breath.
Gradually, the vines loosened and let him down.
Miron, on the other hand, had struggled too much.
The vines had him wrapped like glue. He couldn't even breathe.
He was suffocating.
His desperation triggered an instinct. Mana surged into his hands—
and BOOM!
He incinerated the entire area.
The vines burned away, but he fell from a height and hit his head—hard.
He passed out.
Zenith gathered energy in his palms.
His arms turned rock-hard, muscles bulging and veins throbbing.
He tore through all the vines in a single motion, flipped, and landed on his feet.
Ryan began searching for Miron and Zenith, but couldn't figure out which direction they'd gone.
The smoke had thickened.
He realized—his shirt was gone. He had no idea when it slipped off.
If Zenith was right, why hasn't the smoke affected me?
He wandered deeper until he heard someone crying.
Mizuha?
"Why's she crying?
So she's not mute after all...
Strange girl. Haven't heard a word from her since we met."
Must be hallucinating.
But why's it not affecting me? I'm breathing freely here.
Ryan gently wrapped Mizuha's scarf tighter around her face and laid her down.
"You'll be okay in a while. The smoke's density is lower near the ground. Resting will help."
Then, forgetting everything else, he continued walking forward.
---
At the edge of the forest, high up on a branch, lay Jimilon Sir.
Notebook and pencil in hand, sketching the natural beauty in front of him.
Then he noticed Ryan walking toward him.
He sat up sharply.
"How did that boy get through the smoke zone so fast? No one's ever completed the test this quickly!"
He jumped down from the tree and approached Ryan.
"Congratulations. You've successfully completed the first stage. Your next destination is here."
He summoned energy again, spun it in circles—
"Portal Creation"
—another portal appeared.
"Step inside."
Ryan walked toward it. But before he entered, Jimilon called out:
"Hey, kid."
"My name's Ryan."
"Listen, Ryan. Did you see anything strange in the forest?"
"Yes, I saw some weird vines that wrapped around me."
"Anything else?"
"Nothing much. Just... some green smoke."
"You walked through the smoke?"
"Yeah, I came through it."
Jimilon's face tensed.
He thought for a moment and said, "Alright, you may go."
Ryan stepped into the portal—and vanished.
Jimilon looked up at the sky and whistled twice.
From the distance, a falcon soared down and perched on his arm.
"Show me everything that boy experienced."
An image of Ryan appeared in the teacher's pupils.
Then the falcon's eyes lit up, replaying every moment Ryan went through in the forest.
Jimilon watched closely.
His face went pale.
"The hallucinating smoke... didn't affect him. Not even a little.
How... is that possible?"