"Your rank is— Mage Apprentice."
Hearing the Magic Guild's president announce the result, Olos, kneeling on one knee, felt as if the ten-level spell Thunder Dragon Rain had blasted him tens of thousands of times.
Feeling the chilly, icy gazes all around, Olos's once-cold heart grew even colder.
"But you're just an ordinary person who doesn't even have mana, and you dream of becoming a Mage…."
"Isn't it so that even if you crack the arcana of Saint-level magic, without mana it's still nothing, hardly worth a first-level mage."
Sitting at the top were the Magic Guild's upper echelons; the gazes they cast at Olos were like those toward a hopping clown, their masked faces beneath cloaks curling into scornful smiles.
I'm being used!
In their eyes, Olos deeply felt this truth.
They had promised that if he could crack the Saint-level magic's arcana, they would award the title of Five-Level Senior Mage, but it turned out to be all a scam after all!
These people were taking advantage of Olos's intellect!
"But still, he's only a fifteen-year-old boy—how could he crack the legendary Saint-level magic arcana."
Yeah, if even a fifteen-year-old child could crack it, what are we?
Ultimately it's all to protect their own reputations, so the poor Olos could only become the sacrificial lamb.
"I've heard that last year this kid kept boasting that he had completely cracked the ten-level spell Vacuum Fire Sea, but during an experiment an elder died horribly at the test site due to a mistake."
"Hmph, so he's a fraud after all, trying to loot the Five-Level Senior Mage title? That's wishful thinking."
Listening to the talks of several vice-presidents and elders nearby, a beautiful female archmage looked at Olos with a sly smile and said: "But the president was kind enough to grant him a Mage Apprentice title; if it were anyone else, they'd probably kill this little fraud on the spot."
That's not it!
Olos clenched his fists; his legs were shaking.
That Vacuum Fire Sea was clearly caused by the elder's misstep, resulting in mana exhaustion leading to self-immolation!
But, no matter how many mouths he had, no amount of reasoning could make it clear.
Before the powerful, he was a tiny presence with no voice at all.
"Congratulations, from today you're a Mage too, although only a Mage Apprentice, you'll surely become an excellent Mage in the future."
The Magic Guild's president spoke gravely.
Excellent Mage? Mage Apprentice?
Olos lowered his head and muttered to himself in self-derision: was years of effort really just worth a Mage Apprentice title?
Mage Apprentice is indeed one rank among Mages, but it's the lowest; by rank, that's a Level 0 Mage, completely out of the mainstream.
Yet in this world, few take the Mage Apprentice title as an honor; it's a disgrace, because in others' eyes you're a worthless waste of air.
Years of effort only earned a bad reputation—how could Olos be willing to accept this? He knelt on one knee in the center of the magic hall, his body trembling; he longed to unleash a ten-level spell to blast these people to dust.
But what could he do? He only had a brain; inside, there wasn't a hint of mana, not even a simple Fireball.
"Thank you… Goddess of Light for your favor."
In the end, Olos could only grit his teeth and bow his head; if he didn't, he probably wouldn't be able to step out of this magic hall again.
"Then go, take your Mage Cloak and mage's badge, and go back from where you came."
The Magic Guild's president's eyes were filled with complicated feelings; he waved a hand, and Olos left. Olos saluted, slowly exiting the magic hall, keeping his head lowered the entire way.
Boom!
The great doors of the magic hall closed with a thud; to Olos it sounded as if Goddess of Light himself were sealing the doors to his life.
"Hehe, so that Olos, the idiot who boasted about cracking Saint-level magic, is really just a mana-less waste," someone muttered.
"Yeah, did you see? His cloak is grey."
Grey cloak represents a Mage Apprentice; Junior Mage wear green cloaks, Intermediate Mage yellow… By cloak color you can deduce a Mage's level, so when Olos appeared in the Magic Guild wearing a grey cloak, the surrounding people whispered quietly.
Olos swept a quick glance around; the crowd consisted of the young people who had come today to be assessed, since today the president of the Magic Guild would personally appraise the ranks, many had come hoping for the most accurate evaluation.
After Olos left the magic hall, some others came out as well, and seeing those vividly colored Mage Cloaks, Olos's eyes reddened with envy.
Why… why do I put in so much effort and still get no recognition, while these guys…
They just rely on natural talent, luck inherited from their parents; that's all.
Yet this world only values that; a waste like Olos who has no mana is simply ignored.
Even the fairest guild president refused to admit him at the door.
Damn it! Bastards! Everyone go to hell!
Under the scornful gazes of those around him, Olos walked out unwillingly.
But then, behind him, a group of men and women cried out in surprise.
Olos turned around and saw a beautiful girl step into the crowd's line of sight.
Brilliant gold hair; fair skin that makes white jade look dull by comparison; a delicate face as stunning as the Goddess of Light, and those red lips… just one glance and you want to snatch it away.
Fareena, that was the name of this beautiful girl; but not only was her beauty dazzling the onlookers, what mattered more was the Blue Cloak on her!
Blue Cloak, Senior Mage (Five-level Mage)!
Oh my goodness, how young is she? Fifteen or sixteen at most, and she's already a Senior Mage?!
Everyone's eyes widened, including Olos's, in astonishment.
If this had happened before, people might doubt it, but Fareena had just come out of the magic hall, and the rank was personally graded by the president!
There's no falseness, it's absolutely the real deal!
"Miss Fareena, are you already a Senior Mage?"
"Incredible, this is what a true prodigy looks like."
"That's right, compared to the previous one, it's like night and day."
As they spoke, everyone couldn't help but glance toward the distant corner where Olos stood.
"Olos?"
Fareena's cerulean eyes noticed Olos's existence; just as she was about to step forward to ask, Olos turned his head and hurried out of the Magic Guild.
Fraud, fraud! It's all fraud!
Olos quickened his steps, like a hunted dog fleeing from pursuers. Along the way, he could see tears on the ground.
Olos swore that he would never trust anyone again.