Casphian now stands outside the gates of one of the
It was one of the major branch of
'To dream of entering Celestia, I'll need to show off my powers a bit.' Casphian thought.
Verdantia's entrance test consisted only of two things-initial mana control and elemental affinity evaluation. Those who excelled could be recommended to Celestia. The rest would compete for a chance to join one of the Four Academies.
The colosseum was already packed with hundreds of participants when Casphian walked in.
He lined up at the counter and received his testing number.
[ Number 259 ]
"Is the waiting time going to be long?" A participant grumbled.
"It won't take long. Each batch consists of twenty people." The man at the counter replied.
The test itself was simple, but brutal-the chance of passing into a Four Seasons Academy was less than 5%, and the chance of being recommended to Celestia falls below at only 0.1%.
At last, his turn came.
[ Number 241-260, please proceed to the testing area. ] The announcement echoed across the campus.
Casphian stepped into the hall. At his station stood a middle-aged evaluator holding a tablet and a clear crystal orb.
"Good morning." Casphian greeted politely.
"Please place your hand on this crystal and release your mana." the man instructed.
Casphian obeyed, calmly channeling only his water-type mana. Thanks to [ Perfect Mana Mastery ], it was as effortless as breathing.
The crystal immediately glowed blue.
The evaluator checked his tablet and nodded. "Water Affinity: S-. Proceed to the next area."
"Thank you."
Casphian entered a wide-open space where other participants demonstrated their magic against targets.
'A bit underwhelming... but they're only candidates, not official mages-students yet.' He mused.
He approached a stern-looking woman who gave him a cold glance.
"Please aim at the targets and cast your strongest spell." she instructed.
"Understood."
Casphian lifted his hand and silently cast five water bullets at once.
Zi! Zi! Zi! Zi! Zi!
Each shot pierced clean through the targets heads with flawless precision and penetration.
The stern woman's eyes widened, her composure breaking as her mouth fell open.
"Miss..."
"Miss, is the test done?" Casphian asked after a pause, snapping her out of her daze.
"Ah-yes. Yes! Results will be announced tomorrow."
"Okay. Thank you." Casphian bowed slightly before leaving the arena.
But the woman, still shaken, immediately called for backup. Another evaluator came running, and she hurried straight to the principal's office.
"Principal!" she burst in without knocking.
"Who dares-... Oh, Miss Carol. What's the matter?" the old man asked.
She strode forward and dropped the tablet data onto his desk. "Please write a special admission for this participant."
"You know how precious those spots are. Why does he deserve it?" the principal asked cautiously as his brow furrowed.
"He-Casphian Arcana possess S- affinity in Water. And..." she hesitated, "...he pierced through the enchanted training dummies."
The principal fixed his posture. "Impossible. I wove those myself! That would require at least a Tier 3 spell and a D+ mag-"
"Ah, I almost forgot to mention." Carol smirked faintly and cut him off. "He used a Tier 1 spell. Water Bullet."
"...He what?!" The principal bolted upright.
"You heard me. A Tier 1 spell, straight through the target's head."
His face darkened with disbelief.
"He also silent-cast it." she added.
The principal froze.
"And five of them-simultaneously."
Silence followed.
"..."
"..."
For a moment, the man could only stare blankly.
"Principal?" Carol called, chuckling at his expression.
"Ge-get me a communication scroll! We must write to Celestia immediately!"
"Understood." Carol rushed out to fetch the scroll at once.
--
While waiting for the results, Casphian decided to visit the Adventurers Guild.
First, he wanted access to higher-ranking hunting grounds as himself-not as "Zero"-to practice his water magic and earn funds. Second, if he failed to enter Celestia, he would still have stable work and earnings.
Casphian approached the counter.
"I want to register as an adventurer."
"Please fill out this form..." The receptionist handed him a paper.
It asked for basic information like name, age, and affinity. After turning it in, someone guided him to the testing area
Knock. Knock.
"Vice guild-master, please evaluate this young man. He's an aspiring adventurer." The guide said.
Inside stood the vice-guild master, practicing his sword. The guide handed over Casphian's form and left.
'It's been a while, senior.' Casphian subtly smiled. He was also the one who re-examined him as Zero, and the person who rushed to the site during the dungeon incident weeks prior.
It's rumored that he beat up the perpetrators involved in the Dungeon Measurement Bureau after the investigation confirmed their involvement, earning him Casphian's respect.
"Hello, sir," Casphian greeted him with an innocent smile.
"Casphian Arcana. Mage. S- Water Affinity. Seventeen years old." the man read aloud as he sheathed his sword.
"That is correct." Casphian replied.
"Interesting. I'm Jin." the man introduced himself, stepping aside. "Fire some magic into that wall."
He pointed at a thick black wall on his side, scarred with sword marks and dents. Its center was a half-pierced hole.
'That was caused by my Fire Lance when they re-assessed me.' Casphian smiled at the memory.
'Ha...' He exhaled and provoked Jin."What if I destroy it? Will the guild cover the expenses?"
Jin smirked. "Heh. A bold kid, I like that. If you manage the same result as that hole in the center, I'll make you a C rank adventurer immediately."
"Okay... deal." He fell for it.
That monstrous bastard 'Zero' was on another level. Unless this kid is just as talented-or a gem spoiled with elixirs from the 'Zodiacs'-there's no way. Too bad Zero disappeared after that incident.' Jin thought smugly while finding a way to crush this kid's arrogance if he fails.
While Jin pondered, Casphian conjured a single Aqua Lance and fired.
Zing!
The piercing sound echoed as a new hole-cleaner, larger, and all the way through-appeared.
"Oops." Casphian chuckled.
'I guess the difference from a few weeks ago is huge... With S- Affinity and Perfect Mana Mastery, the gap in power is absurd.'
"You!" Jin shouted. "How the heck did you do that?!"
"I just fired a spell like you asked." Casphian replied sarcastically.
"Grr... Explain it properly!"
"I fired an Aqua Lance."
"A normal Aqua Lance won't do that."
"Mine is stronger."
"Obviously, you brat! I mean how-"
"Please give me the C-rank license as we agreed." Casphian cut him off.
"I'm still the vice-guild master. Answer me first, or maybe I won't give it to you at all." Jin threatened, digging for answers.
"Eh, is that so?" Casphian turned aroud. "Then I'll just register in another city. Thank you for your time."
!!!
Jin froze. That was his weakness-losing talented adventurers.
"...Bastard. Fine! I'll register you as C-rank."
He couldn't afford to lose a brighter talent than Zero, who had seemingly vanished after an incident which many believed to be an assassination.
...
After finishing some procedures, Jin handed him the license and guided him outside.
"You're a student at Celestia?" Jin asked.
"I just finished the preliminary test at Verdantia before coming here."
"An applicant? With skills like yours, I thought you were already in Celestia."
"I don't think I have the qualifications to enroll at Celestia." Casphian humbled himself. "However, the mighty senior thinks so highly of me, I'll have to do my best." Casphian said, his words laced with suggestion.
'This bastard!' Jin cursed inwardly as Casphian looked at him with puppy eyes.
"Ehem!" Jin slapped Casphian's back. "Bastard! I'll write you a recommendation letter to Celestia! Now get the hell out of my sight!"
'Success!' Casphian smiled inwardly.
"Thank you, sir. I won't forget your kindness." He bowed before leaving.
With that, both his objectives were accomplished. He now had one confirmed recommendation letter for Celestia in case he fails to get one at Verdantia.
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