Theo's POV
The academy training grounds were
massive.
Far bigger than I expected.
Hundreds of students stood across the enormous field, separated by class.
Tall stone pillars surrounded the training grounds, each carved with glowing runes that measured mana and protected the area from destructive spells.
Class A stood near the front.
Confident.
Relaxed.
They looked like they already belonged at the top.
Class B students stood nearby, watching the others carefully.
Class C looked competitive, whispering among themselves.
And then there was us.
Class D.
We stood at the far end of the field.
The place no one wanted to be.
Kairo stood beside me with his hands in his pockets.
"Man… look at them," he muttered.
I followed his gaze.
Several Class C students were staring at us and laughing quietly.
"They already picked their targets," Kairo said.
"Probably."
Professor Drayke stepped forward.
"Listen carefully."
The noise across the field faded.
"Today you will complete three evaluations."
He raised three fingers.
"Mana Capacity."
"Elemental Output."
"Combat."
"Your results will determine your initial Raider ranking."
The tension in the air immediately increased.
These tests mattered.
A lot.
Mana Capacity test
Students stepped forward one at a time toward the glowing crystal pillars.
Each pillar measured how much mana energy a student possessed.
The brighter the light, the greater the mana capacity.
A Class A student placed his hand on the crystal.
The pillar exploded with bright golden light.
Several instructors nodded.
"High capacity."
"Expected."
More students stepped forward.
Some crystals glowed brightly.
Others barely flickered.
Then my name was called.
"Theo Vale. Class D."
Whispers spread across the nearby students.
"That's the water magic guy."
"The weak element."
I ignored them and walked to the pillar.
I placed my hand on the crystal.
For a moment nothing happened.
Then—
Blue light surged through the pillar.
Bright.
Brighter than I expected.
Several instructors exchanged looks.
One of them leaned closer.
"Interesting…"
The light slowly faded as I removed my hand.
I walked back toward Class D.
Kairo stared at me.
"Okay… that was weird."
"What?"
"For someone with water magic, that was a lot of mana."
I shrugged slightly.
"Maybe the crystal's broken."
He laughed.
"Yeah, sure."
Elemental Output
Large stone targets were placed across the field.
Professor Drayke spoke calmly.
"You will now demonstrate the power of your magic."
"Cast a spell at the target."
"Raiders who cannot produce sufficient power will not survive inside Gates."
Students stepped forward.
A fireball exploded against one target.
Wind magic carved deep lines across another.
Lightning attacks sparked violently.
Then my name was called again.
"Theo Vale. Class D."
I stepped forward.
Several students nearby chuckled.
"What's he gonna do? Splash it?"
I raised my hand.
A small sphere of water formed above my palm.
Then I compressed it.
The sphere spun tighter and tighter as the pressure increased.
It wasn't perfect.
But it would work.
I flicked my hand forward.
The water shot toward the target.
CRACK
A thin fracture spread across the stone.
Nothing impressive.
Just a crack.
Some students laughed.
"That's it?"
"Pathetic."
I lowered my hand.
Still too weak.
The compression wasn't stable enough yet.
If the pressure had been higher…
The crack would've spread further.
I need more work.
I walked back toward the group.
Kairo leaned over.
"At least you did damage."
I sat down beside him.
"What about you?"
He shrugged.
"Burned the target pretty good."
Fire magic.
That explained it.
"Not amazing," he added. "But the instructors didn't look disappointed."
Another voice spoke.
"I barely scratched mine."
I turned.
Mira Thorne sighed quietly.
"My wind blade collapsed before it hit properly."
Kairo grinned.
"Hey, at least yours didn't splash."
Mira rolled her eyes.
"Your fireball almost hit the ground."
"That was tactical."
"Sure it was."
Combat Evaluation
Professor Drayke's voice echoed across the field again.
"The final evaluation will now begin."
The tension instantly rose.
This was the real test.
Combat.
Students from different classes would duel each other inside a barrier arena.
Kairo leaned toward me.
"This is where things get ugly."
I watched as students gathered around the combat field.
Excited whispers filled the air.
Then an instructor called the next match.
"Lucian Draeven. Class A."
The name spread through the crowd instantly.
"The number one student."
"The lightning prodigy."
"Someone's about to get destroyed."
Then the instructor spoke again.
"Theo Vale. Class D."
The entire training field went silent.
Kairo slowly turned toward me.
"…You're kidding."
Across the arena, a tall boy stepped forward.
Black hair.
Golden eyes.
Lightning crackled faintly around his fingers.
Lucian Draeven.
The strongest first-year in the academy.
And my opponent.
I stood up slowly.
Looks like this evaluation just got a lot harder.