"I will now explain the rules," Alaric said.
"We will call you in the ascending order of your points."
A wave of murmurs spread through the crowd, but Alaric didn't bother like he did last time.
"After you are called, you will go stand between those metal doors," Alaric continued, pointing at the weird metal structure.
"You will stand still for a minute so we can measure the size of your mana core, which determines your magic potential. The numbers range from zero, which is the lowest result, all the way to one hundred.
Aziel's muscles relaxed a bit, and his heart trembled in excitement.
This is good. If it's just potential that's measured, my prior magic knowledge doesn't matter.
However, this excitement didn't last long as the mysterious voice spoke.
Hah. What are you getting all excited about? The magic exam has never been only an evaluation.
And as to confirm his statement, Alaric continued.
"But this is only the first part. After your evaluation is done, you will move on to part two."
"You will have a chance to unleash your best spell before our judges."
"In the end, both of the results will be evaluated and then combined."
The silly smile on Aziel's face vanished in an instant.
F*k. That damned voice was actually right for once.
Since Aziel didn't know any magic, he had to compete based on the first test alone. He could only hope that not many people were mages already.
In the midst of this all, the first candidate had already been called upon.
After a minute, the candidate's score was displayed on the board next to the machine. The candidate was naturally in first place. Next to the name, number twenty-two was displayed.
Aziel could see the disappointed expression on the candidate's face. This result obviously wasn't good, but it was expected since the candidate was technically in last place after the first test.
Luckily, Aziel still had some time left to think since he had scored quite high in the first exam, considering that there were hundreds of contestants.
Well, there wasn't actually much to think about since he only had one option left.
He didn't want to rely on others so much; in fact, he despised it, but he truly had no choice.
He clenched his fists and bit into his lip.
Hey you… Whoever you are, I know that you are good with magic. Would you consider helping me just this once?
No.
Wh—?
Aziel couldn't even think straight for a moment. He didn't expect to be rejected in such a manner.
Wait — no, please, you don't understand. This means everything to me.
The Voice sighed.
It's not like I don't want to help you; it's that I can't. I have wasted all my energy helping you before. It's exhausting for me to even keep this conversation with you.
Aziel let out a shallow breath; his heart thudding painfully against his ribs.
As time went by, Aziel's state worsened.
His whole body began shaking. He was drenched in sweat from top to bottom. There was even a scratch mark on the lower part of his arm, the result of uncontrollable scratching.
Meanwhile, numerous candidates have been called over. At first, the number of the first-ranked candidate didn't change much, but after some time, it began to rise at a steady pace. Currently, the first-place candidate had seventy-three.
Soon, it was Aziel's turn.
Aziel dragged his feet across the grass. On the way, many nasty looks were thrown at him, but he paid them no mind. He had bigger problems to face. His mind was in disarray, trying to find a possible solution. But what solution could there be when he couldn't do it himself, and there wasn't anybody who could do it for him? He could only hope for a good result.
A shaky breath escaped his lips as he made his way between the metal doors. He stood there for a moment before a faint blue light enveloped him entirely.
Perhaps this was his best solution. If his potential was extremely high, Aziel might have a chance to get into the top thirty.
The light subsided after a few minutes. That's when a number appeared on what Aziel considered to be an ordinary metal plate before.
Aziel's heart stopped, and for a moment it seemed like time had stopped as well. Aziel couldn't stop looking at the number. He couldn't believe it.
The number displayed on the screen was eighty-one.
At this moment, Aziel could also hear a shaky breath coming from the mysterious voice, but he didn't think much of it. He was overjoyed. With such a result, he would swiftly take the lead and get a good evaluation.
When Aziel took over the first place, cold stares attacked him from all sides. The vile gazes would make many uncomfortable, but not Aziel. He cared only for himself.
Meanwhile, Alaric's expression remained unfazed as he called for the next candidate.
Over the course of the next candidates, the score of the second-placed candidate soared. At the thirty-fifth candidate, Aziel was finally pushed to the second place.
Aziel's expression turned grim. He knew he would have to stake everything on the physical exam.
As the time went by, the number increased to ninety, leaving Aziel in shock. He wore a stupefied expression as he watched the first-place candidate change each time a new candidate was evaluated.
How can the number only keep increasing when it is so high already?! I know that these people were all higher-ranked than me, but that shouldn't necessarily mean that they have higher potential than I do.
The mysterious voice resounded through Aziel's head once again.
Why do you think these people were higher ranked? It was because they are already mages.
Well, yes, but what does that have to do with their potential?
The Voice sighed. You are too young. You don't know much about this horrible world, he said with pity.
Do you think that these people randomly awakened? Of course not. Nobles inspect their children's potential upon birth. Afterwards, only those with high potential are nurtured — becoming mages even before entering the academy.
"Gabriel von Drachenfels," Alaric spoke, reading from the list.
Aziel flinched, focusing his eyes on the next candidate. It was time to see what the candidates from the top ten noble houses were capable of.