After a short rest, the third and final trial—the Mana Affinity Test—began.
The candidates who had passed the first two trials were led to an open-air plaza in the heart of the academy. In the center of the plaza stood a colossal crystal obelisk, soaring dozens of meters into the air. Its body was flawless, as if carved from a single piece of immaculate crystal. It refracted the sunlight into a rainbow halo, and the intricate magical runes carved into its surface pulsed with an intimidating energy.
"This is the 'Pillar of Truth,' an artifact from the ancient era," the proctor explained. "It will provide the most direct reflection of your compatibility with the magical elements—your mana affinity."
"The rules are simple. When your name is called, step forward, place your hand on the obelisk, and channel your mana into it. The obelisk will emit a light of a specific color and height based on your affinity. The color represents your elemental attribute, while the height of the light represents your talent level. From lowest to highest, the levels are: No Light (Fail), White (Mundane), Green (Average), Blue (Excellent), Purple (Exceptional), and the fabled Gold (Legendary)."
"A light reaching a height of ten meters is considered a pass. Let the test begin!"
A wave of nervous excitement swept through the candidates as they gazed upon the magnificent obelisk.
One by one, they stepped up to be tested. The majority produced a white light that hovered between ten and twenty meters—the most common "Mundane" rank, a bare pass. The occasional candidate who managed to evoke a green light was met with a small gasp of admiration.
"Next group: Ron, Buck, Aila, and Ethan!"
It was their turn.
"I'll go first!" Buck, the burly warrior, stepped forward. He took a deep breath and pressed his massive hand against the obelisk.
*VMMMM!*
The obelisk hummed, and a pillar of earthy yellow light shot upwards, stopping at a height of thirty meters. "Earth Affinity, Excellent!" the proctor announced.
Ron went next, producing a pillar of cyan light representing the wind element, reaching twenty-eight meters—also an Excellent rank.
Then it was Aila's turn. She looked a bit nervous, glancing back at Ethan, who gave her an encouraging gesture. She took a deep breath and gently placed her slender right hand on the cold crystal surface.
In an instant, a brilliant, azure light erupted from the pillar like a geyser. The column of light was pure and bright, carrying the refreshing essence of the water element as it surged upwards with unstoppable momentum!
Forty meters! Fifty meters! It finally stopped at fifty-two meters!
The entire plaza erupted.
"By the gods! That's Exceptional rank!"
"An Exceptional genius of water affinity!"
"The instructors will be fighting over her for sure! I'm so jealous..."
The proctor, equally thrilled, shot to his feet and declared, "Aila! Water Affinity, Exceptional!"
Aila, flushed with a mixture of shock and joy, ran back to her friends. "I did it! Ethan, I—"
"You were amazing," Ethan said, genuinely happy for her.
Aila's remarkable achievement had created a peak of excitement in the plaza. However, this peak was soon overshadowed by an even more astonishing presence.
A commotion started at the back of the crowd, and the candidates parted ways to form a path. A silver-haired young woman, flanked by a contingent of Royal Guards, walked through. She was no older than sixteen or seventeen, with silver hair that flowed down to her waist like liquid moonlight. Her skin was fairer than snow, and her features were as exquisitely crafted as a deity's masterpiece. Her silver-gray eyes, tilted slightly upwards at the corners, held an innate arrogance. She wore a lavish court gown embroidered with complex silver magical threads, her every step graceful and poised. She looked less like a candidate and more like a monarch inspecting her domain.
"It's the Second Princess, Lady Serena!"
"Heavens, the Princess herself is taking the entrance exam!"
"I heard she's a once-in-a-century magical prodigy. The rumors must be true."
Princess Serena ignored the whispers, walking straight to the obelisk without waiting in line. The proctors showed no objection, bowing respectfully.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Serena arrogantly lifted her right hand and lightly tapped the obelisk with a single, slender finger.
*BOOM—!!!*
An indescribable golden brilliance, like a dormant sun awakening, exploded outwards! It was dazzling, sacred, and utterly dominant! The golden pillar of light surged upwards with devastating force, effortlessly shattering Aila's record and continuing its climb!
Seventy meters! Eighty! Ninety! It finally stopped just shy of the obelisk's peak, at a height of ninety-four meters!
The plaza fell into a dead silence. Everyone was stunned speechless by the miraculous sight.
"Legendary... It's the fabled Legendary rank!" one of the older proctors shouted, his voice trembling. "Light Affinity, Legendary! The kingdom will surely prosper!"
The crowd, after a moment of stunned silence, erupted into a tidal wave of awe and discussion.
"Ninety-four meters... Is she even human?"
"So this is the power of the royal bloodline? It's terrifying!"
Princess Serena retrieved her finger, seemingly unsurprised by the result. A self-satisfied smile graced her lips as she swept her gaze over the dumbfounded "mortals" in the plaza, her eyes filled with contempt. In the wake of her brilliance, every other candidate's performance seemed pitifully dim, like a firefly trying to compete with the moon.
"Next, Ethan."
The proctor's voice broke the silence. Instantly, all eyes, including Princess Serena's disdainful gaze, fell upon him.
"Hey, it's your turn," Ron nudged a dazed Ethan.
Ethan snapped out of it with a wry smile. Following a performance of that magnitude was incredibly stressful. He was keenly aware that his mana was pathetically weak and that his combat prowess relied on brute force and desperation. This trial was likely to expose him completely.
"Just do your best!" Aila whispered encouragingly.
Ethan nodded and walked forward. He stood before the massive obelisk, took a deep breath, and placed his right hand on it. Mimicking the others, he channeled the feeble stream of mana from his body into the crystal.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
The obelisk remained inert.
Suppressed snickers began to ripple through the plaza.
"Look, another one with no talent."
"His mana value was average, and he used brute force in the second trial. Just as I thought, no real substance."
Princess Serena made no attempt to hide her contempt, letting out a soft "Tch," as if merely looking at him was an insult.
Ethan's heart sank. *Is this really it?*
Just as he was about to give up and withdraw his hand—
*VMMMMMMMMMM—!!!*
The entire obelisk began to tremble violently! An terrifying heat erupted from within the pillar, spreading outwards in visible waves! The candidates in the front row cried out and scrambled back, feeling as though their eyebrows were about to be singed off.
Then, a light appeared inside the obelisk. But it wasn't an ordinary light. It was a flame.
A flame so deep a red it was almost black.
Its core was a blinding crimson, like flowing blood, while its edges burned with an abyssal blackness that seemed to swallow the very light around it! This flame was incredibly violent, looking less like a test of affinity and more like an instrument of pure annihilation!
*WHOOSH!*
The flame erupted into a ferocious pillar of fire, rocketing up inside the crystal. Under the intense heat, fine cracks began to appear on the surface of the hardened obelisk!
"Look! The obelisk is cracking!"
"What is that flame? Why is it black and red?"
"I... I feel like the air itself is about to ignite! Is that really a fire element?!"
"That's not magic, that's pure destruction!"
The candidates scrambled back in terror. The proctors were in a panic, having never witnessed such a bizarre phenomenon. "Quickly! Inform the Dean!"
Amidst countless terrified gazes, the pillar of black-red fire continued its ascent, surpassing Aila's blue column. Sixty meters! Seventy! Eighty! It finally stopped at eighty-eight meters!
Higher than Aila, second only to Princess Serena!
The plaza was utterly silent. Everyone stared at Ethan as if he were a monster. Princess Serena's arrogant and dismissive expression had vanished, replaced by sheer shock and disbelief. A commoner, a nobody still bearing injuries, possessed a talent only marginally inferior to her own? Impossible! And what was that bizarre, ominous variant of the fire element?
"This... this is..." The proctors exchanged bewildered glances, completely unsure how to judge this. "Rating... rating is, Fire Affinity (Variant)! Talent level... provisionally ranked as... Above Exceptional, Not Quite Legendary!"
The verdict left everyone stunned once more.
From a rooftop overlooking the plaza, Sword Instructor Reno had been watching. When he saw the pillar of black-red energy erupt, a knowing smile touched his stern face. "I knew it. The kid's an interesting kind of monster."
As everyone was still processing the shock of Ethan's result, his attention was drawn to a figure in a corner of the crowd. Or rather, the lack of one. In that corner, the light itself seemed to blur, and the surrounding sounds were muffled, creating a strange zone of silence. At its center stood a petite girl in a plain grey, hooded robe. But Ethan realized her mystique didn't come from her attire; it came from her very presence, which was so faint she seemed on the verge of melting into the shadows.
The girl quietly approached the cracked obelisk. She didn't press her palm against it as others had. Instead, a single, pale finger emerged from her sleeve and gently touched the pillar.
There was no sound. No vibration. No earth-shattering light.
Before anyone could react, the entire obelisk, starting from where her finger touched, was drained of all its light. The sunlight, the internal runes—all of it was simply... absorbed. In an instant, the massive crystal became a pillar of pure, non-reflective black.
Then, at the very top, at the hundred-meter mark, a single point of light appeared. It was a 'light' darker and more profound than the deepest night sky, a pinpoint of void that felt like it could pull in their very souls.
An old, white-haired man who had been sitting with his eyes closed—the Vice-Dean of the academy—shot to his feet and cried out in a choked voice, "That... that is the 'Void' Affinity! The Null Magic... that consumes all!"
Though no one understood the full meaning of his words, the phrase "consumes all" sent a shiver of primal fear through their souls. A new monster had appeared, one whose talent was beyond all comprehension. The first-place rank was decided.
After leaving a record that would be seared into their memories forever, the mysterious girl in the grey robe turned and melted back into the crowd, as if she had never been there at all.
Ethan stared blankly in the direction she had disappeared, then at the livid face of Princess Serena, and finally, down at his own hands. This magic academy was going to be... interesting.