The door closed behind Elden with a soft click.
Silence swallowed the room for a heartbeat.
Then—
Whispers. Nervous breaths. Fingers tapping desks.
Twenty-six heroes all understood one thing:
Their real training was starting now.
Raze stood first, chair scraping lightly.
Mia rose next, clutching the edge of her sleeve.
Leon cracked his knuckles, trying to hide his excitement.
Tamao exhaled slowly, her eyes cold as steel.
Suzu whispered, "A-A ranking test on the first day… isn't that too much?"
"Everyone, gather outside," a servant announced from the doorway.
The class moved together, tension thick enough to taste.
---
Academy Training Grounds — Entrance
The path opened into a massive open arena, carved from white stone and surrounded by towering walls.
Magic runes pulsed faintly across the ground like veins of light.
Crowds of other students watched from the stands—older heroes, seniors, and academy instructors.
Whispers followed Raze's class as they stepped in.
"Those are the newly summoned heroes…"
"I heard one of them already lost a teammate."
Raze ignored all of it.
His eyes were fixed on the lone figure standing at the center of the arena.
Elden Cole.
Coat fluttering lightly in the wind.
Hat casting a shadow over his eyes.
A faint, unreadable smile on his lips.
When he saw them approach, he spread his arms.
"Welcome," he said, voice echoing across the stone.
"To your first trial."
Elden lowered one hand, and with a flick of his fingers, a glowing pedestal rose from the stone floor.
At its top floated a crystal—clear, smooth, and pulsing softly like a heartbeat.
The arena lights dimmed around it, leaving only the crystal glowing bright blue.
Gasps scattered through the stands.
Suzu whispered, "W-What is that…?"
Tamao answered quietly, "A Mana Resonance Crystal. It reads your mana level."
Elden's voice cut through the murmurs.
"This will be your first step," he said.
"A simple test—touch the crystal. It will measure your mana capacity, purity, and talent."
He paced slowly along the front line of students, hands behind his back.
"Your ranking will not be based only on this… but it is the foundation. If your mana is weak, you'll collapse in real combat before you even swing your weapon."
His eyes sharpened.
"So—step forward. One by one."
A nervous breath spread through the class.
Someone whispered, "Oh god… what if mine is low?"
Elden smiled lightly, though his eyes carried no softness.
"Don't worry. Even if your mana is low, you will simply… work harder than everyone else."
Not comforting.
At all.
Elden pointed to the front row.
"First student. Step forward."
A girl with red braids walked out_
Marin Velor.
She swallowed nervously and placed her hand on the crystal.
BZZZT—FWOOM
A thin blue pulse rose from the crystal… stopping at the number 5 floating above it.
Whispers.
"Average." "Okay… not bad." "At least she's not below."
Marin sighed in relief and stepped back.
That set the scale.
5 = Average
10 = Perfect
(Or rather, as Elden explained earlier, "perfection" was simply the minimum required to live.)
And so the line continued.
Six students touched the crystal—
Four scored below 5.
Two barely reached 5.
They walked away pale.
Most of the others scored between 5 and 7, the typical range for new heroes.
Then came the stronger ones.
A tall boy stepped up—Aeron.
He placed his hand on the crystal.
FWOOM—!!
The pillar shot up faster.
7.4
"Above average," Elden said with a calm nod. "Good foundation."
Next, a girl with twin buns—Rina.
8.1
A few students murmured in envy.
Suzu leaned toward Mia. "S-She's strong…"
Mia only nodded.
Then—
Leon's turn.
He smirked, placing his palm confidently on the crystal.
The reaction was instant.
—BOOOOOM—
A sharp pillar of blazing light shot straight to the top.
10.0 — Perfect Mana
The crowd erupted.
"He got perfect!?" "He's insane!" "No wonder he looks like a beast!"
Leon grinned proudly, stepping back with hands in his pockets.
Next was Tamao.
She said nothing, simply touching the crystal with calm boredom.
The light didn't even flare.
It exploded upward like a spear.
10.0 — Perfect Mana
Elden raised an eyebrow in approval.
"Tamao's mana is… exceptionally refined."
Even Leon glanced at him with a competitive twitch.
Then—
Mia
She was shaking.
Her hand trembled as she touched the crystal.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
FWOOOOSH—!!
A swirl of delicate, glimmering light rose up.
9.0
Gasps.
"She's almost perfect…?" "That girl looks so fragile though…"
Mia stepped back, flushing in embarrassment.
Suzu hurried next, slapping her hand onto the crystal without thinking.
FSSHH—
A bright glow rose.
8.0
She let out a cute "Yesss…" under her breath.
Then—
All eyes slowly turned to the one person who hadn't gone yet.
Raze.
Elden pushed up his glasses slightly, observing him with more interest than before.
Raze walked to the crystal casually, hands in his pockets.
He stared at the glowing object.
I could shatter this thing just by touching it.
He had already devoured the Eldritch and kail powers.
If he released it fully—
The crystal wouldn't glow.
It would detonate.
So the moment before he touched it,
Raze inhaled slowly—
And compressed his mana.
Forced it down.
Crushed it inward.
Layer after layer.
Too much suppression and he'd look weak.
Too little and he'd expose everything.
He placed his hand gently on the crystal.
For a moment—
Nothing.
Then—
…fwip.
A small, controlled pulse rose up.
The number flickered softly.
6.0
A completely normal, harmless result.
Just slightly above average.
The crowd exhaled, disappointed or relieved.
"Eh? He looked strong…" "Only six?" "At least he's not weak."
Raze stepped back without any reaction.
But in his head, he sighed.
Damn. I suppressed it too much.
I was aiming for 7.
Rina tilted her head. "That's surprising. I thought he'd score higher."
Aeron folded his arms, gaze sharp. "Maybe he's the physical type."
Elden Cole stepped forward again, boots echoing across the stone arena.
His coat fluttered as he looked over all twenty-six students—some pale, some proud, some shaking.
When he spoke, his voice boomed across the grounds.
"Your mana results have been recorded. Some of you… performed well."
His eyes drifted briefly to Leon and Tamao.
"And some of you," he added, glancing at a group of anxious students, "have much to improve."
He rested a hand on the glowing pedestal.
"Now listen carefully."
The entire arena fell silent.
Elden's expression hardened—serious, sharp, almost cold.
"The Ranking Test will begin shortly."
A wave of tension rippled across the heroes.
"But," he continued, raising one finger,
"those who scored below average in the crystal test… will not be allowed to participate."
Gasps erupted.
"What!?"
"Are we being eliminated already—?"
"Teacher, that's unfair!"
Elden didn't flinch.
"If you cannot handle your own mana, you cannot handle real combat.The arena went dead quiet.
A slow wind swept across the training grounds.
Elden turned his back, coat swaying as he walked toward the center of the arena.
He raised his voice once more—
A deep, resonant command:
**"Prepare yourselves…
The Ranking Test begins."**