Ch 19
MHPro
************************
Chapter 19
After a few busy days of physical training and running requests…
Finally, it was D-Day. The day of the Aldeon Magic Tower’s disciple selection exam.
After making thorough preparations, I headed to the Aldeon Magic Tower and was met with a sight that left me speechless.
Just how many people are there…?
Wizards here, wizards there.
I hadn’t even arrived yet, but everywhere I looked, there was nothing but wizards.
I had expected a large number of applicants, seeing as the tower was opening for the first time in 100 years and this was an exam held by Aldeon, one of the five great schools of magic, but… even so, I never imagined there would be this many.
“Hah.”
It was even more of a spectacle once I fully entered the tower.
The first-floor lobby of the tower had been expanded to a vast size with spatial expansion magic, and it was now bustling with all sorts of wizards.
There had to be at least a thousand of them.
Although I had arrived full of confidence, seeing this crowd made me start to worry.
…I might actually fail this.
With this many people, there were bound to be some truly outstanding talents mixed in.
There might even be wizards of the 3rd Circle or higher, which was my current level.
Of course, unless they were a genius, reaching the 4th Circle usually required the help of a Magic Tower, so there likely wouldn’t be many such cases.
Most of them would already be affiliated with another tower.
But there were always exceptions to the rule, and I couldn’t deny the possibility.
If I fail, what’s the first thing I… No, what am I even thinking right now?
I questioned the fear that was suddenly creeping in and quickly snapped out of it.
…Calm down.
It was truly laughable.
To think that I, who possessed a character created for the sole purpose of defeating Baal, was even entertaining the possibility of failing a mere selection exam.
I took a calm, objective look at the situation.
I currently had a Mythic-grade Trait that I had suffered immensely to obtain even with my zombie swordsman character, as well as a top-tier Soul Imprint gained by sacrificing that very character.
And I had diligently trained my magic and my body, overcoming several near-death situations.
Me, fail this selection exam?
…Don’t make me laugh.
The people gathered here had likely learned magic comfortably by reading books or attending classes.
The chances of me losing to people like that were practically zero.
No matter what kind of genius wizard showed up.
“Phew, I’m finally starting to calm down.”
After calming my nerves with some mind control, I looked up at the figures on the second floor.
It was the examination panel, watching us as if they were observing children.
My gaze fell on the old man sitting in the center.
Is that the Master of the Magic Tower?
Just by sitting there, he was emitting an incredible aura, so it seemed likely.
According to the information I got from Rena, his name was… Dercion?
Just then, Dercion stood up and strode confidently towards the railing.
“Welcome, all who have come to become disciples of Aldeon. I am Dercion Pigma, the Master of the Aldeon Magic Tower.”
His voice seemed to pierce directly into my mind rather than being heard by my ears.
At his words, the boisterous noise died down in an instant, and the wide-open main gates of the tower began to close slowly with an unpleasant metallic screech.
It looked like the exam was about to begin.
Dercion calmly met the focused gazes of the crowd and slowly opened his mouth.
“From this moment, we will begin the selection of talented individuals who will have the honor of becoming disciples of the Aldeon Magic Tower, opened for the first time in 100 years. Is everyone prepared?”
Everyone, including myself, nodded with eyes full of resolve.
Dercion looked upon the scene with satisfaction before continuing.
“But before that…”
The satisfied smile vanished without a trace.
“First, we must weed out the false ones.”
“…False ones?”
“What does he mean by that?”
At Dercion’s cryptic words, the people around me began to whisper.
Uninterested in resolving the crowd’s confusion, Dercion held out his hand with a resolute expression.
And then.
Fwoooosh!
In an instant, he gathered mana and formed a sphere.
[Mana Compression].
It was the first skill I had attempted after entering this world.
“This is [Mana Compression], a skill that any 1st Circle wizard can perform. And…”
Fwoosh!
Flames suddenly erupted on the sphere Dercion had created.
“This is a [Flame Orb], a sphere imbued with fire. It is a magic that only one who has awakened the fire element can use.”
With a look that said, ‘This should be enough of a demonstration,’ Dercion extinguished the Flame Orb and spoke in a commanding tone.
“Fire, water, earth, lightning, wind, and so on. It doesn’t matter which. Right now, create an orb imbued with an element above your palm.”
Telling us to create an elemental orb out of nowhere.
The applicants tilted their heads at the out-of-context demand, but a few quick-witted ones began to create their orbs as Dercion had instructed.
Some created an orb of fire.
Some created an orb of water.
Some created an orb of wind.
I, too, joined in, creating an orb with the most familiar element to me: electricity.
Crackle!
“Why elemental magic all of a sudden…!”
Not every applicant was able to create an elemental orb.
Poof!
There were countless cases of mana scattering as people with insufficient skill tried to imbue it with an element.
Seeing that their appearances were all shabby, they likely couldn’t afford to read elemental magic spellbooks or pay the tuition for the magic academies run by the Society.
“It seems we’ve weeded out a fair number.”
Aldeon must have seemed like a single ray of hope to them.
Unlike other Magic Towers, Aldeon didn’t require a hefty participation fee or a recommendation letter from the Society to take the selection exam.
Of course, it wasn’t that Dercion was showing them magnanimity out of some charitable spirit.
“Those of you who have still failed to create anything… get out. Now.”
With a stern face, Dercion pointed to the tower’s exit, crushing their hopes.
It was an incredibly heartless act.
“G-Get out? What kind of rule is that…! We haven’t even taken the actual exam yet!” someone shouted in protest, but it couldn’t change Dercion’s resolute stance.
“Hmph, you look quite wronged. The announcement clearly stated that we only wanted talented individuals confident in their skills to apply, did it not?”
“That’s…!”
“Surely you’re not saying you were confident with that pathetic level of skill?”
“……”
The man who had cried out in protest, as if he hadn’t read the announcement, couldn’t answer. Dercion clicked his tongue a few times with a frown before speaking.
“Begone, false one. Aldeon has no need for the talentless.”
“Dammit!”
Starting with that man, the applicants who had failed to create an elemental orb began to turn and leave, one by one.
And their number was by no means small.
A full half of them. Half of the applicants stormed out of the Magic Tower.
Every single one of them had a bitter expression on their face.
Thud!
The great doors of the tower slammed shut. Dercion looked over the remaining crowd and spoke.
“Five hundred still remain…”
It didn’t seem to matter that a thousand wizards had truly gathered here.
What mattered was that the old man was still frowning, as if unsatisfied.
As if to say, ‘There are still this many impurities?’
…Damn, this old geezer has a nasty temper.
A question suddenly arose in my mind.
What if I had possessed a Rare or Heroic-grade Trait instead of a Mythic one?
Or before that, what if the red-haired man had never thrown me that spellbook?
…Would I still be standing in this place right now?
The answer was unknown, but one thing was certain.
“Now then, let us begin the selection exam in earnest.”
The fact that the path to entering the Aldeon Magic Tower was not going to be an easy one.
The exam proceeded quickly.
There were evaluations to check how finely one could sense mana, mana capacity, mana control, efficient mana flow, and so on…
Scores and ranks were assigned for each category, and in the process, many more applicants were eliminated in droves.
Then came the allotted break time.
“Phew… I’m seriously dying. I know it’s an exam to pick talented people, but isn’t this pushing it too far?”
“Forget the exam, my mana is going to be completely drained at this rate!”
“…I don’t know if Aldeon is connected to demons, but I can say for sure that the Tower Master is a devil of a man.”
The one hundred surviving wizards were exhausted and busy trying to rest.
Of course, I was one of them.
…This is tough.
Had it been about ten hours since the exam started?
Even I had never consumed mana for such an extended period.
Thanks to my [Magical Genius] Trait, my mana recovered faster than anyone else’s, so mana capacity itself wasn’t an issue. This was a matter of mental fortitude.
The act of handling mana required a great deal of mental energy and concentration, and my head was throbbing.
Well, this was probably the best I could hope for.
The others were surely feeling it even more than me, not less.
It was then that I heard a voice.
“…Hey, Mr. First Place. You doing okay over there?”
Hearing the voice, I turned my head to see a huge, middle-aged man looking at me.
His build didn’t seem to suit a wizard at all…
Could he be training under a Dwarf like me?
Whatever the case, he didn’t seem to have any ill intentions.
“…I’m holding up for now.”
“Well, aren’t you a monster? What in the world are your mana circuits made of?”
“It’s thanks to diligent training, I suppose.”
“Training, my foot… If training could solve everything, I’d have become an archmage long ago.”
Muttering his complaints, the man walked over to me and casually held out his right hand.
“The name’s Thomson. I may not look like it, but I’m a 3rd Circle wizard.”
“Yuhannes.”
“Oh, so you’re a commoner too, eh?”
As I shook his hand, Thomson naturally sat down next to me.
It was break time, so it seemed he was looking for a chat.
I was bored myself, so I didn’t refuse.
“Your talent is so exceptional, I thought you were a noble for sure.”
“You say that, but you approached me quite casually, didn’t you?”
“Haha, you caught me? Don’t take it the wrong way. It’s just that your appearance doesn’t exactly scream ‘noble’.”
“Well… that’s true. If I had a golden spoon, I’d be decked out in high-grade Artifacts.”
“Golden spoon? What’s that?”
“…Never mind.”
“Hmm, you’re a strange one.”
Thomson looked puzzled for a moment, then scooted closer as if it didn’t matter.
“Hey, have you heard the rumor?”
“…What rumor?”
“The rumor that if you pass this exam, you don’t just get to enter Aldeon.”
“What else is there?”
Thomson glanced around cautiously before continuing in a low voice.
“They say… they’ll give the one who passes the ‘Essence of Light’.”
“Excuse me?”
I wondered if I had misheard.
That was because the [Essence of Light] was a one-of-a-kind consumable Artifact belonging to Aldeon.
Its effect was simple.
It granted the character a growth-type ‘Trait’ of the Light element.
In other words, it was an Artifact that granted a brand new Trait.
“…Is that true? Aldeon is giving away the Essence?”
“I don’t know if it’s true. It’s just a rumor. But…”
Just as Thomson was about to add more, I heard footsteps.
Thump, thump.
An applicant wearing the hood of their robe up was slowly approaching.
As Thomson and I watched him warily, the figure reached us and pulled back his hood.
An unforgettable golden color was revealed.
“You’re…”
Roan Biljeff.
The rich heir who had made my equipment look shabby back at the library.
“Ahem, I’ll be on my way…”
Recognizing the man as a noble, Thomson cautiously excused himself. I was left facing Roan, whose eyes were, for some reason, filled with hostility.
“…Did you come to talk about magic again?” I asked.
Roan replied in a low voice.
“The Essence of Light… is mine.”
His voice contained none of the slick smoothness I’d felt during our first meeting.
Ch 19
MHPro
************************
Chapter 19
After a few busy days of physical training and running requests…
Finally, it was D-Day. The day of the Aldeon Magic Tower’s disciple selection exam.
After making thorough preparations, I headed to the Aldeon Magic Tower and was met with a sight that left me speechless.
Just how many people are there…?
Wizards here, wizards there.
I hadn’t even arrived yet, but everywhere I looked, there was nothing but wizards.
I had expected a large number of applicants, seeing as the tower was opening for the first time in 100 years and this was an exam held by Aldeon, one of the five great schools of magic, but… even so, I never imagined there would be this many.
“Hah.”
It was even more of a spectacle once I fully entered the tower.
The first-floor lobby of the tower had been expanded to a vast size with spatial expansion magic, and it was now bustling with all sorts of wizards.
There had to be at least a thousand of them.
Although I had arrived full of confidence, seeing this crowd made me start to worry.
…I might actually fail this.
With this many people, there were bound to be some truly outstanding talents mixed in.
There might even be wizards of the 3rd Circle or higher, which was my current level.
Of course, unless they were a genius, reaching the 4th Circle usually required the help of a Magic Tower, so there likely wouldn’t be many such cases.
Most of them would already be affiliated with another tower.
But there were always exceptions to the rule, and I couldn’t deny the possibility.
If I fail, what’s the first thing I… No, what am I even thinking right now?
I questioned the fear that was suddenly creeping in and quickly snapped out of it.
…Calm down.
It was truly laughable.
To think that I, who possessed a character created for the sole purpose of defeating Baal, was even entertaining the possibility of failing a mere selection exam.
I took a calm, objective look at the situation.
I currently had a Mythic-grade Trait that I had suffered immensely to obtain even with my zombie swordsman character, as well as a top-tier Soul Imprint gained by sacrificing that very character.
And I had diligently trained my magic and my body, overcoming several near-death situations.
Me, fail this selection exam?
…Don’t make me laugh.
The people gathered here had likely learned magic comfortably by reading books or attending classes.
The chances of me losing to people like that were practically zero.
No matter what kind of genius wizard showed up.
“Phew, I’m finally starting to calm down.”
After calming my nerves with some mind control, I looked up at the figures on the second floor.
It was the examination panel, watching us as if they were observing children.
My gaze fell on the old man sitting in the center.
Is that the Master of the Magic Tower?
Just by sitting there, he was emitting an incredible aura, so it seemed likely.
According to the information I got from Rena, his name was… Dercion?
Just then, Dercion stood up and strode confidently towards the railing.
“Welcome, all who have come to become disciples of Aldeon. I am Dercion Pigma, the Master of the Aldeon Magic Tower.”
His voice seemed to pierce directly into my mind rather than being heard by my ears.
At his words, the boisterous noise died down in an instant, and the wide-open main gates of the tower began to close slowly with an unpleasant metallic screech.
It looked like the exam was about to begin.
Dercion calmly met the focused gazes of the crowd and slowly opened his mouth.
“From this moment, we will begin the selection of talented individuals who will have the honor of becoming disciples of the Aldeon Magic Tower, opened for the first time in 100 years. Is everyone prepared?”
Everyone, including myself, nodded with eyes full of resolve.
Dercion looked upon the scene with satisfaction before continuing.
“But before that…”
The satisfied smile vanished without a trace.
“First, we must weed out the false ones.”
“…False ones?”
“What does he mean by that?”
At Dercion’s cryptic words, the people around me began to whisper.
Uninterested in resolving the crowd’s confusion, Dercion held out his hand with a resolute expression.
And then.
Fwoooosh!
In an instant, he gathered mana and formed a sphere.
[Mana Compression].
It was the first skill I had attempted after entering this world.
“This is [Mana Compression], a skill that any 1st Circle wizard can perform. And…”
Fwoosh!
Flames suddenly erupted on the sphere Dercion had created.
“This is a [Flame Orb], a sphere imbued with fire. It is a magic that only one who has awakened the fire element can use.”
With a look that said, ‘This should be enough of a demonstration,’ Dercion extinguished the Flame Orb and spoke in a commanding tone.
“Fire, water, earth, lightning, wind, and so on. It doesn’t matter which. Right now, create an orb imbued with an element above your palm.”
Telling us to create an elemental orb out of nowhere.
The applicants tilted their heads at the out-of-context demand, but a few quick-witted ones began to create their orbs as Dercion had instructed.
Some created an orb of fire.
Some created an orb of water.
Some created an orb of wind.
I, too, joined in, creating an orb with the most familiar element to me: electricity.
Crackle!
“Why elemental magic all of a sudden…!”
Not every applicant was able to create an elemental orb.
Poof!
There were countless cases of mana scattering as people with insufficient skill tried to imbue it with an element.
Seeing that their appearances were all shabby, they likely couldn’t afford to read elemental magic spellbooks or pay the tuition for the magic academies run by the Society.
“It seems we’ve weeded out a fair number.”
Aldeon must have seemed like a single ray of hope to them.
Unlike other Magic Towers, Aldeon didn’t require a hefty participation fee or a recommendation letter from the Society to take the selection exam.
Of course, it wasn’t that Dercion was showing them magnanimity out of some charitable spirit.
“Those of you who have still failed to create anything… get out. Now.”
With a stern face, Dercion pointed to the tower’s exit, crushing their hopes.
It was an incredibly heartless act.
“G-Get out? What kind of rule is that…! We haven’t even taken the actual exam yet!” someone shouted in protest, but it couldn’t change Dercion’s resolute stance.
“Hmph, you look quite wronged. The announcement clearly stated that we only wanted talented individuals confident in their skills to apply, did it not?”
“That’s…!”
“Surely you’re not saying you were confident with that pathetic level of skill?”
“……”
The man who had cried out in protest, as if he hadn’t read the announcement, couldn’t answer. Dercion clicked his tongue a few times with a frown before speaking.
“Begone, false one. Aldeon has no need for the talentless.”
“Dammit!”
Starting with that man, the applicants who had failed to create an elemental orb began to turn and leave, one by one.
And their number was by no means small.
A full half of them. Half of the applicants stormed out of the Magic Tower.
Every single one of them had a bitter expression on their face.
Thud!
The great doors of the tower slammed shut. Dercion looked over the remaining crowd and spoke.
“Five hundred still remain…”
It didn’t seem to matter that a thousand wizards had truly gathered here.
What mattered was that the old man was still frowning, as if unsatisfied.
As if to say, ‘There are still this many impurities?’
…Damn, this old geezer has a nasty temper.
A question suddenly arose in my mind.
What if I had possessed a Rare or Heroic-grade Trait instead of a Mythic one?
Or before that, what if the red-haired man had never thrown me that spellbook?
…Would I still be standing in this place right now?
The answer was unknown, but one thing was certain.
“Now then, let us begin the selection exam in earnest.”
The fact that the path to entering the Aldeon Magic Tower was not going to be an easy one.
The exam proceeded quickly.
There were evaluations to check how finely one could sense mana, mana capacity, mana control, efficient mana flow, and so on…
Scores and ranks were assigned for each category, and in the process, many more applicants were eliminated in droves.
Then came the allotted break time.
“Phew… I’m seriously dying. I know it’s an exam to pick talented people, but isn’t this pushing it too far?”
“Forget the exam, my mana is going to be completely drained at this rate!”
“…I don’t know if Aldeon is connected to demons, but I can say for sure that the Tower Master is a devil of a man.”
The one hundred surviving wizards were exhausted and busy trying to rest.
Of course, I was one of them.
…This is tough.
Had it been about ten hours since the exam started?
Even I had never consumed mana for such an extended period.
Thanks to my [Magical Genius] Trait, my mana recovered faster than anyone else’s, so mana capacity itself wasn’t an issue. This was a matter of mental fortitude.
The act of handling mana required a great deal of mental energy and concentration, and my head was throbbing.
Well, this was probably the best I could hope for.
The others were surely feeling it even more than me, not less.
It was then that I heard a voice.
“…Hey, Mr. First Place. You doing okay over there?”
Hearing the voice, I turned my head to see a huge, middle-aged man looking at me.
His build didn’t seem to suit a wizard at all…
Could he be training under a Dwarf like me?
Whatever the case, he didn’t seem to have any ill intentions.
“…I’m holding up for now.”
“Well, aren’t you a monster? What in the world are your mana circuits made of?”
“It’s thanks to diligent training, I suppose.”
“Training, my foot… If training could solve everything, I’d have become an archmage long ago.”
Muttering his complaints, the man walked over to me and casually held out his right hand.
“The name’s Thomson. I may not look like it, but I’m a 3rd Circle wizard.”
“Yuhannes.”
“Oh, so you’re a commoner too, eh?”
As I shook his hand, Thomson naturally sat down next to me.
It was break time, so it seemed he was looking for a chat.
I was bored myself, so I didn’t refuse.
“Your talent is so exceptional, I thought you were a noble for sure.”
“You say that, but you approached me quite casually, didn’t you?”
“Haha, you caught me? Don’t take it the wrong way. It’s just that your appearance doesn’t exactly scream ‘noble’.”
“Well… that’s true. If I had a golden spoon, I’d be decked out in high-grade Artifacts.”
“Golden spoon? What’s that?”
“…Never mind.”
“Hmm, you’re a strange one.”
Thomson looked puzzled for a moment, then scooted closer as if it didn’t matter.
“Hey, have you heard the rumor?”
“…What rumor?”
“The rumor that if you pass this exam, you don’t just get to enter Aldeon.”
“What else is there?”
Thomson glanced around cautiously before continuing in a low voice.
“They say… they’ll give the one who passes the ‘Essence of Light’.”
“Excuse me?”
I wondered if I had misheard.
That was because the [Essence of Light] was a one-of-a-kind consumable Artifact belonging to Aldeon.
Its effect was simple.
It granted the character a growth-type ‘Trait’ of the Light element.
In other words, it was an Artifact that granted a brand new Trait.
“…Is that true? Aldeon is giving away the Essence?”
“I don’t know if it’s true. It’s just a rumor. But…”
Just as Thomson was about to add more, I heard footsteps.
Thump, thump.
An applicant wearing the hood of their robe up was slowly approaching.
As Thomson and I watched him warily, the figure reached us and pulled back his hood.
An unforgettable golden color was revealed.
“You’re…”
Roan Biljeff.
The rich heir who had made my equipment look shabby back at the library.
“Ahem, I’ll be on my way…”
Recognizing the man as a noble, Thomson cautiously excused himself. I was left facing Roan, whose eyes were, for some reason, filled with hostility.
“…Did you come to talk about magic again?” I asked.
Roan replied in a low voice.
“The Essence of Light… is mine.”
His voice contained none of the slick smoothness I’d felt during our first meeting.
Ch 19
MHPro
************************
Chapter 19
After a few busy days of physical training and running requests…
Finally, it was D-Day. The day of the Aldeon Magic Tower’s disciple selection exam.
After making thorough preparations, I headed to the Aldeon Magic Tower and was met with a sight that left me speechless.
Just how many people are there…?
Wizards here, wizards there.
I hadn’t even arrived yet, but everywhere I looked, there was nothing but wizards.
I had expected a large number of applicants, seeing as the tower was opening for the first time in 100 years and this was an exam held by Aldeon, one of the five great schools of magic, but… even so, I never imagined there would be this many.
“Hah.”
It was even more of a spectacle once I fully entered the tower.
The first-floor lobby of the tower had been expanded to a vast size with spatial expansion magic, and it was now bustling with all sorts of wizards.
There had to be at least a thousand of them.
Although I had arrived full of confidence, seeing this crowd made me start to worry.
…I might actually fail this.
With this many people, there were bound to be some truly outstanding talents mixed in.
There might even be wizards of the 3rd Circle or higher, which was my current level.
Of course, unless they were a genius, reaching the 4th Circle usually required the help of a Magic Tower, so there likely wouldn’t be many such cases.
Most of them would already be affiliated with another tower.
But there were always exceptions to the rule, and I couldn’t deny the possibility.
If I fail, what’s the first thing I… No, what am I even thinking right now?
I questioned the fear that was suddenly creeping in and quickly snapped out of it.
…Calm down.
It was truly laughable.
To think that I, who possessed a character created for the sole purpose of defeating Baal, was even entertaining the possibility of failing a mere selection exam.
I took a calm, objective look at the situation.
I currently had a Mythic-grade Trait that I had suffered immensely to obtain even with my zombie swordsman character, as well as a top-tier Soul Imprint gained by sacrificing that very character.
And I had diligently trained my magic and my body, overcoming several near-death situations.
Me, fail this selection exam?
…Don’t make me laugh.
The people gathered here had likely learned magic comfortably by reading books or attending classes.
The chances of me losing to people like that were practically zero.
No matter what kind of genius wizard showed up.
“Phew, I’m finally starting to calm down.”
After calming my nerves with some mind control, I looked up at the figures on the second floor.
It was the examination panel, watching us as if they were observing children.
My gaze fell on the old man sitting in the center.
Is that the Master of the Magic Tower?
Just by sitting there, he was emitting an incredible aura, so it seemed likely.
According to the information I got from Rena, his name was… Dercion?
Just then, Dercion stood up and strode confidently towards the railing.
“Welcome, all who have come to become disciples of Aldeon. I am Dercion Pigma, the Master of the Aldeon Magic Tower.”
His voice seemed to pierce directly into my mind rather than being heard by my ears.
At his words, the boisterous noise died down in an instant, and the wide-open main gates of the tower began to close slowly with an unpleasant metallic screech.
It looked like the exam was about to begin.
Dercion calmly met the focused gazes of the crowd and slowly opened his mouth.
“From this moment, we will begin the selection of talented individuals who will have the honor of becoming disciples of the Aldeon Magic Tower, opened for the first time in 100 years. Is everyone prepared?”
Everyone, including myself, nodded with eyes full of resolve.
Dercion looked upon the scene with satisfaction before continuing.
“But before that…”
The satisfied smile vanished without a trace.
“First, we must weed out the false ones.”
“…False ones?”
“What does he mean by that?”
At Dercion’s cryptic words, the people around me began to whisper.
Uninterested in resolving the crowd’s confusion, Dercion held out his hand with a resolute expression.
And then.
Fwoooosh!
In an instant, he gathered mana and formed a sphere.
[Mana Compression].
It was the first skill I had attempted after entering this world.
“This is [Mana Compression], a skill that any 1st Circle wizard can perform. And…”
Fwoosh!
Flames suddenly erupted on the sphere Dercion had created.
“This is a [Flame Orb], a sphere imbued with fire. It is a magic that only one who has awakened the fire element can use.”
With a look that said, ‘This should be enough of a demonstration,’ Dercion extinguished the Flame Orb and spoke in a commanding tone.
“Fire, water, earth, lightning, wind, and so on. It doesn’t matter which. Right now, create an orb imbued with an element above your palm.”
Telling us to create an elemental orb out of nowhere.
The applicants tilted their heads at the out-of-context demand, but a few quick-witted ones began to create their orbs as Dercion had instructed.
Some created an orb of fire.
Some created an orb of water.
Some created an orb of wind.
I, too, joined in, creating an orb with the most familiar element to me: electricity.
Crackle!
“Why elemental magic all of a sudden…!”
Not every applicant was able to create an elemental orb.
Poof!
There were countless cases of mana scattering as people with insufficient skill tried to imbue it with an element.
Seeing that their appearances were all shabby, they likely couldn’t afford to read elemental magic spellbooks or pay the tuition for the magic academies run by the Society.
“It seems we’ve weeded out a fair number.”
Aldeon must have seemed like a single ray of hope to them.
Unlike other Magic Towers, Aldeon didn’t require a hefty participation fee or a recommendation letter from the Society to take the selection exam.
Of course, it wasn’t that Dercion was showing them magnanimity out of some charitable spirit.
“Those of you who have still failed to create anything… get out. Now.”
With a stern face, Dercion pointed to the tower’s exit, crushing their hopes.
It was an incredibly heartless act.
“G-Get out? What kind of rule is that…! We haven’t even taken the actual exam yet!” someone shouted in protest, but it couldn’t change Dercion’s resolute stance.
“Hmph, you look quite wronged. The announcement clearly stated that we only wanted talented individuals confident in their skills to apply, did it not?”
“That’s…!”
“Surely you’re not saying you were confident with that pathetic level of skill?”
“……”
The man who had cried out in protest, as if he hadn’t read the announcement, couldn’t answer. Dercion clicked his tongue a few times with a frown before speaking.
“Begone, false one. Aldeon has no need for the talentless.”
“Dammit!”
Starting with that man, the applicants who had failed to create an elemental orb began to turn and leave, one by one.
And their number was by no means small.
A full half of them. Half of the applicants stormed out of the Magic Tower.
Every single one of them had a bitter expression on their face.
Thud!
The great doors of the tower slammed shut. Dercion looked over the remaining crowd and spoke.
“Five hundred still remain…”
It didn’t seem to matter that a thousand wizards had truly gathered here.
What mattered was that the old man was still frowning, as if unsatisfied.
As if to say, ‘There are still this many impurities?’
…Damn, this old geezer has a nasty temper.
A question suddenly arose in my mind.
What if I had possessed a Rare or Heroic-grade Trait instead of a Mythic one?
Or before that, what if the red-haired man had never thrown me that spellbook?
…Would I still be standing in this place right now?
The answer was unknown, but one thing was certain.
“Now then, let us begin the selection exam in earnest.”
The fact that the path to entering the Aldeon Magic Tower was not going to be an easy one.
The exam proceeded quickly.
There were evaluations to check how finely one could sense mana, mana capacity, mana control, efficient mana flow, and so on…
Scores and ranks were assigned for each category, and in the process, many more applicants were eliminated in droves.
Then came the allotted break time.
“Phew… I’m seriously dying. I know it’s an exam to pick talented people, but isn’t this pushing it too far?”
“Forget the exam, my mana is going to be completely drained at this rate!”
“…I don’t know if Aldeon is connected to demons, but I can say for sure that the Tower Master is a devil of a man.”
The one hundred surviving wizards were exhausted and busy trying to rest.
Of course, I was one of them.
…This is tough.
Had it been about ten hours since the exam started?
Even I had never consumed mana for such an extended period.
Thanks to my [Magical Genius] Trait, my mana recovered faster than anyone else’s, so mana capacity itself wasn’t an issue. This was a matter of mental fortitude.
The act of handling mana required a great deal of mental energy and concentration, and my head was throbbing.
Well, this was probably the best I could hope for.
The others were surely feeling it even more than me, not less.
It was then that I heard a voice.
“…Hey, Mr. First Place. You doing okay over there?”
Hearing the voice, I turned my head to see a huge, middle-aged man looking at me.
His build didn’t seem to suit a wizard at all…
Could he be training under a Dwarf like me?
Whatever the case, he didn’t seem to have any ill intentions.
“…I’m holding up for now.”
“Well, aren’t you a monster? What in the world are your mana circuits made of?”
“It’s thanks to diligent training, I suppose.”
“Training, my foot… If training could solve everything, I’d have become an archmage long ago.”
Muttering his complaints, the man walked over to me and casually held out his right hand.
“The name’s Thomson. I may not look like it, but I’m a 3rd Circle wizard.”
“Yuhannes.”
“Oh, so you’re a commoner too, eh?”
As I shook his hand, Thomson naturally sat down next to me.
It was break time, so it seemed he was looking for a chat.
I was bored myself, so I didn’t refuse.
“Your talent is so exceptional, I thought you were a noble for sure.”
“You say that, but you approached me quite casually, didn’t you?”
“Haha, you caught me? Don’t take it the wrong way. It’s just that your appearance doesn’t exactly scream ‘noble’.”
“Well… that’s true. If I had a golden spoon, I’d be decked out in high-grade Artifacts.”
“Golden spoon? What’s that?”
“…Never mind.”
“Hmm, you’re a strange one.”
Thomson looked puzzled for a moment, then scooted closer as if it didn’t matter.
“Hey, have you heard the rumor?”
“…What rumor?”
“The rumor that if you pass this exam, you don’t just get to enter Aldeon.”
“What else is there?”
Thomson glanced around cautiously before continuing in a low voice.
“They say… they’ll give the one who passes the ‘Essence of Light’.”
“Excuse me?”
I wondered if I had misheard.
That was because the [Essence of Light] was a one-of-a-kind consumable Artifact belonging to Aldeon.
Its effect was simple.
It granted the character a growth-type ‘Trait’ of the Light element.
In other words, it was an Artifact that granted a brand new Trait.
“…Is that true? Aldeon is giving away the Essence?”
“I don’t know if it’s true. It’s just a rumor. But…”
Just as Thomson was about to add more, I heard footsteps.
Thump, thump.
An applicant wearing the hood of their robe up was slowly approaching.
As Thomson and I watched him warily, the figure reached us and pulled back his hood.
An unforgettable golden color was revealed.
“You’re…”
Roan Biljeff.
The rich heir who had made my equipment look shabby back at the library.
“Ahem, I’ll be on my way…”
Recognizing the man as a noble, Thomson cautiously excused himself. I was left facing Roan, whose eyes were, for some reason, filled with hostility.
“…Did you come to talk about magic again?” I asked.
Roan replied in a low voice.
“The Essence of Light… is mine.”
His voice contained none of the slick smoothness I’d felt during our first meeting.
0 Comments