The white spire of the administrative center wasn't the tallest building in the entire apprentice district, but its straight, upward-thrusting lines and the silent shadows it cast in the sunlight evoked an oppressive aura unique to centers of power.
Allen crossed the plaza, which was planted with frost-resistant ironleaf trees, and walked toward the first-floor entrance of the administrative center.
Several Advanced Apprentices hurried past him, their robes embroidered with the insignias of different schools of magic. They were engrossed in discussing a complex Magic model and didn't spare Allen a single glance. His plain, junior Apprentice Robe made him completely unnoticeable here.
The Academic Affairs Office was located on the third floor of the spire. He pushed open a heavy oak door, its hinges letting out a soft CREAK. Behind the only desk sat a middle-aged Female Wizard. She was buried in her work, her fingers swiping rapidly across a translucent crystal tablet in front of her.
"Can I help you?" she asked without looking up, her voice laced with impatience.
"I'm here to apply for the public course examinations," Allen said, walking up to the desk.
The Female Wizard paused her work and finally lifted her eyelids to size Allen up. "Name and enrollment number."
"Allen Wesren, 322345."
The Female Wizard tapped her crystal tablet a few times, bringing up Allen's personal file. She glanced at his enrollment date and frowned.
"A freshman from this year? Which one are you applying for? 'History of Magic' or 'Introduction to Plane Science'? Let me give you some advice: don't bite off more than you can chew. A failed record on your first exam will look very ugly."
"I am applying for the final examinations of all the public courses," Allen stated.
The office instantly fell silent. The Female Wizard's hand froze in midair, and it took her a full three seconds to comprehend the meaning behind his words.
"What did you say?" Her voice rose a few pitches, and her eyes behind her lenses filled with disbelief. "All of them? Do you know how many 'all' is? Fourteen courses! Are you crazy?"
"I know." Allen's expression remained completely unchanged. "According to Chapter Seventeen, Article Three of the apprentice handbook, an apprentice may apply for the examination of any open course at any time during their studies."
The Female Wizard choked on her words, taken aback by his calm citation of the rules.
"Listen here, boy. I don't care which Wizard Clan sent you here to pad your resume like some gilded idiot, but this is the Seven Towers Alliance, not your family's backyard." The Female Wizard's tone grew sharp. "Do you know what happened to the last person who tried this? They were directly expelled from the academy!"
"I will take responsibility for my own decisions," Allen said.
The Female Wizard stared into his deep blue eyes. There was no nervousness in them—only a bottomless, profound stillness. This sparked a nameless anger in her heart; she absolutely despised this kind of self-righteous young person.
"Fine. Very well." She laughed out of sheer anger. "Since you insist, I'll grant your request. However, your application exceeds my authorization limits and requires the approval of a faculty representative. Wait right here."
With that, she picked up a brass speaking tube from her desk and muttered a few syllables. The tube flashed, and she brought it to her mouth, quickly reporting the situation in a voice that suppressed her anger.
While they waited, another apprentice walked in. He looked nervous, his hand tightly clutching a piece of parchment covered in notes. Seeing Allen standing at the desk and noticing the Female Wizard's ugly expression, he tactfully waited at a distance, not daring to approach.
Less than five minutes later, the office door was pushed open by an invisible force. A bone-chilling cold flooded in before a figure even appeared, dropping the temperature in the room by several degrees. Lecia Ellis appeared in the doorway, still wearing her meticulous black mentor's robe. Her face was stern, and her gaze was so sharp it felt as if it could pierce a person's soul. Her eyes immediately locked onto Allen.
"Is it you?" Lecia's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an oppressive Magic Power that struck straight at the heart.
The apprentice who had just come in went weak in the knees and nearly lost his footing, his face instantly turning pale.
Allen bowed slightly, performing a standard apprentice's greeting. "Professor Lecia."
"Allen Wesren." Lecia walked up to the desk, and the Female Wizard clerk immediately and respectfully stepped aside. Lecia didn't look at the crystal tablet, choosing to stare straight at Allen. "Enrolled for ten months and seven days. Applying for the examinations of all fourteen public courses. Give me a reason."
"I have completed self-studying all the courses, and I believe I possess the requisite knowledge to pass the examinations," Allen replied, neither haughty nor humble.
"Self-studying?" A cold arc tugged at the corners of Lecia's mouth. "Do you mean reading a few books in the library and drawing a few Runes in the practice room? Your arrogance toward knowledge astounds me."
She extended a finger and tapped lightly in the air.
A complex Rune structure instantly took shape in front of Allen. Composed of dozens of basic Runes, it emitted a pale blue glow, and the flow paths of Magic Power within it were clearly visible.
"This is a model from Chapter Seven of 'Basic Runes and Linguistics,' titled 'Stable Structures of Composite Runes.' Name its three stabilizing nodes and the energy path that would collapse first in the event of a Magic Power overload."
This was a difficult question bordering on the level of a final exam. The apprentice standing nearby stared wide-eyed; he hadn't even recognized what this Rune structure was used for.
Allen's gaze rested on the Rune model for less than two seconds before he answered immediately.
"The primary stabilizing node is the 'Link' Rune, and the two secondary stabilizing nodes are the Energy Circuits formed by the 'Solidification' and 'Balance' Runes. If the Magic Power overload exceeds one hundred and thirty percent, the energy path of the 'Transmission' Rune located at the bottom of the structure will collapse first due to its inability to withstand the reverse flow of energy."
His pace was steady, his enunciation clear, as if he were reciting a text he had memorized perfectly long ago.
The chill in Lecia's eyes froze. She silently waved her hand, dispelling the Rune, and turned to operate the crystal tablet on the desk. Streams of data flashed before her eyes as she pulled up Allen's talent assessment report from when he enrolled, as well as his library borrowing records.
"The last person at your age to complete all studies of the junior stage in less than a year was one hundred and seventeen years ago." Lecia finally spoke again, her voice carrying a trace of inquiry. "His father was a member of the One Heart Association, an Advanced Wizard. He custom-made an Alchemy Tool called the 'Crown of Wisdom' for his heir, which could increase learning and memory efficiency by ten times and resist the vast majority of Spiritual Power backlash."
Her gaze scrutinized Allen up and down, as if trying to see right through him.
"Wesren... from the royal family of some Mortal Kingdom. You don't have a Wizard Clan behind you, nor massive resource support, let alone the possibility of possessing an Alchemy Creation on the level of the 'Crown of Wisdom.'" Lecia articulated every word clearly. "Tell me, how did you do it?"
Allen had already rehearsed this question in his mind countless times.
"Professor, you have overlooked another possibility." Allen met her gaze. "Efficiency. I merely spent all my time and resources on the most efficient learning paths. I do not engage in useless socializing, I do not take time-consuming low-level tasks, and I do not waste energy on matters unrelated to my studies. I have fully actualized my talents in focus and memory to maximize the efficiency of knowledge acquisition."
This explanation was half true and half false. The core function of DSeek was precisely the perfect embodiment of "maximized efficiency." He simply took credit for DSeek's contributions, attributing them to his own "extraordinary learning ability."
Lecia stared at him for a long time—so long that the air in the office felt as though it were about to solidify. She couldn't detect any trace of a lie on Allen's face, only a profound stillness beyond his years. This trait was quite common in certain Wizards, but seeing it in a fifteen-year-old boy seemed somewhat... incongruous.
"Very well. 'Efficiency.'" Lecia finally withdrew her gaze, her tone returning to its initial iciness. "Since you are so confident, the academy has no reason to stop an apprentice who abides by the rules. I approve your application."
She ordered the Female Wizard beside her, "Arrange a separate set of exam papers for him. Starting tomorrow, five exams for the first two days, and four on the third day. The examination room will be set in Isolation Interrogation Room 3, and I will proctor it personally."
The Female Wizard's face paled, and she hurriedly nodded in compliance. Isolation Interrogation Room 3 was a place used to interrogate spies and rule-breaking apprentices. The anti-Magic and Spiritual Detection Arrays there were enough to leave any lie with nowhere to hide.
"Allen Wesren." Before turning to leave, Lecia gave him one last look. "The rules protect geniuses and filter out idiots. I hope you belong to the former. If you attempt to cheat during the examination using any means outside the rules, the Disciplinary Inspection Committee will be more than happy to introduce you to their latest research findings."
As her voice faded, her figure disappeared out the door, and the chilling aura receded with her.
The look the Female Wizard in the office gave Allen had completely changed, shifting from disdain to a complex expression mixed with awe and sympathy. She briskly processed the paperwork for him.
Allen bowed slightly and turned to leave. From beginning to end, his heartbeat hadn't fluctuated in the slightest.
After he left, the apprentice who had been huddled in the corner, Leo, finally walked trembling up to the desk.
"Um... I, I want to apply for the 'Biology of Magical Creatures' exam," he whispered.
The Female Wizard shot him a glance, irritably finished his paperwork, and said, "Wait. The exam will start once we gather ten people."
Clutching his examination voucher, Leo bolted out of the Academic Affairs Office as if fleeing for his life. He sprinted the whole way, his heart still POUNDING wildly. When Professor Lecia had been present just moments ago, he hadn't even dared to breathe heavily.
Returning to his cramped dorm room, the very first thing Leo did was throw himself at his desk and activate his personal crystal terminal. He took a few deep breaths, his trembling fingers tapping rapidly on the virtual light screen as he logged onto the academy's public communication forum. He practically screamed in his mind as he typed out a thread title on the freshman district board:
[Crazy! Absolutely crazy! I just witnessed a freshman from this year go to the Academic Affairs Office and apply for the joint examination of all fourteen public courses!]
The content of the post was even more incoherent, filled with various exclamations:
[You guys will absolutely never believe this! It was that Allen, that Allen Wesren! He applied right in front of Professor Lecia! Professor Lecia interrogated him personally for ages, and she actually approved it in the end! She even arranged the highest level interrogation room for him! Oh my god! How long has he even been enrolled? Ten months! Is this something a human can do? I spent five months preparing for just 'Biology of Magical Creatures' alone, and I still can't guarantee I'll pass! Is this still the junior apprentice district we know?!]
Shortly after the post went live, the freshman district forum blew up.