A smile hung on the corner of Zane's mouth as he walked out of the club room. After his release from prison, he wanted only one thing: an opportunity. If someone took a chance on him, he knew his life would get back on track. Unfortunately, all everybody saw was a black man who was a convict. No one cared about his high IQ, his education, and everything else he had to offer. But ever since the tower appeared, Zane had never lacked opportunities. More importantly, he met countless people willing to give him a second chance when he failed. For someone like him, that meant everything.
Zane rushed back to the tutoring hall, smiling. But as soon as he entered, the room's atmosphere shifted, growing a bit somber. "What's wrong with you guys?"
"We heard. Sorry about that," Evelyn said.
"Don't fret too much about it. You can get in next month," Keesha added.
"Don't beat yourself up. I've failed one class myself, and it's not so bad." Tom Nguyen was, of course, lying. He almost had a mental breakdown after failing that class.
Zane looked at Zulu. "The results are already posted?"
"Yes."
"I see. But you guys don't have to worry about me. I still have a chance."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I missed the mark by 3 points, and after other professors spoke for me, Professor Malieda is allowing me to take another one this Sunday."
Evelyn smiled. "That's great."
"Second time is the charm."
Tom Nguyen nodded.
"She must like you."
Zane looked at Zulu. "What do you mean?"
"Professor Malida is one of Grand Analyst Alieda's most favored students in her generation, which means she is as arrogant as she is capable. So, even if Lord Drakken himself ordered her to give you another chance, she wouldn't do it unless she thought you had enough potential."
"Is that so?" Zane always thought Grand Analyst Alieda was a wonderful teacher, and if there ever were a chance to meet, he'd take it without hesitation. "Well, I'm quite cute, so it's normal that she likes me."
"That, you are," Zulu said, and the classroom immediately fell into a taut silence. All eyes shifted to Zane, who pretended not to hear, cleared his throat, and said, "What's today's plan?"
"How about we use this lesson to review your exam?" Keesha suggested.
"No need. This is your time as well, and I don't want to waste it."
Evelyn smiled. "It's only one day. Plus, maybe we can also learn something."
Zane hesitated briefly, then glanced at Tom, who nodded. He then looked at Zulu.
"That's not a bad idea." She didn't waste time and immediately projected the test questions onto the board. For the first few questions, Zulu slowed things down and explained them simply so the others could understand. When she reached a point beyond their knowledge, she pointed them to chapters in the book to read while she focused on Zane.
After the lesson, everybody usually has a short break before the afternoon class. Normally, Zane takes his time eating lunch, but today he ate quickly, then rushed to meet Professor Burbank; he thanked him for the second opportunity before starting another round of exam review. Zulu was a great tutor, but her teaching skills paled in comparison to someone like Burbank, who had decades of experience.
In the afternoon, the seventh tournament began, and Zane performed rather poorly. His mind was on the exam, and no matter how much he used mental channeling to focus, the retest was his priority. The good news was that Instructor Seiya didn't seem to blame him this time; he didn't yell, lecture, or even give him a funny look.
Evelyn got her wish and finally won the championship. She once again faced Tom Nguyen in the final, and using Zane's Clay Soldier tactic, she won easily by overwhelming the necromancer with numbers; her clay soldiers handled the two undead while Evelyn rushed over to finish Tom. Sergeant Rhode finished third and Keesha fourth. As Zane warned her, it was one thing to know mental channeling and another to use it in battle.
Zane congratulated her, but his mind was on that upcoming test, and everybody understood. So, for the next two days, he did nothing but study; he cut back on eating, trained less, and even slept only an hour a day. Luckily for him, Lord Anansi usually blessed him with great sleep, which kept his energy up. Plus, he bought a few potions to keep his spirit at its peak.
Sunday, Day 93, 8: 30 PM.
"You guys didn't have to come?"
"We couldn't stay long last time because of our classes, but we can't miss it today," Ahmed said.
Myk nodded. "Yeah, Z, maybe we'll be your lucky charm this time around."
Zane smiled. "Maybe you will."
"Good luck," Khadijah added.
"Good Luck." Devonte and everybody wished him the best, and Zane walked toward the club.
"I have a feeling he'll succeed this time," Evelyn uttered.
"Me too," Keesha replied.
"I wonder how much his success will affect Earth," Khadijah suddenly said.
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it: it's only been a few weeks, but someone who can analyze magic at a high level has already appeared. His value is incalculable, and he'll probably attract a lot of attention worldwide."
"That's true," Evelyn said. "If the news is released, people—no, nations —will compete for him."
"Then keep his information private," Myk said. "Especially you."
"Me? What do I —-" Keesha stopped speaking. "I wouldn't say anything that put his life in danger."
"Our silence might be useless."
All eyes turned to Tom Nguyen.
"Have you forgotten about the Oracle?"
Everyone looked at each other and sighed quietly.
Zane waited in the room, and half an hour later, Professor Malida walked in and handed him the exam. As usual, he swiftly checked the questions. He didn't take long to suspect this test might be more challenging than the first. His suspicions intensified when he saw a question asking him to deduce a spell based on the incantation. Calculating Mana Activation Frequency was already a nightmare, but reverse-engineering a spell purely based on the words and frequency was hell.
When Zane saw a question asking him to analyze Elven Rune and its application in Poly Circle Matrix, he was 100% sure the test's difficulty had increased. "I can't back down because it's harder; this is my only chance." He held the protection pendant his mother had made for him and prayed briefly before plunging in.
Five hours later, Professor Malida announced the end of the test, and right in front of Zane, she began correcting the paper. As he stood there, waiting, Zane suddenly felt dizzy. Even though he told himself he could wait until next month, a big part of him really wanted to succeed now. Without realizing it, the pressure had piled up.
"Calm down, calm down. I studied for this, and I'm confident."
"Mr. Skylar, are you alright?" Professor Malida asked without looking up.
"I-I-I'm fine."
"Then, why are you hyperventilating?"
"I am? My apologies." Zane closed his eyes and used mana and mental channeling to calm down. Half an hour — that's how long it took before she finished. But these 1800 seconds felt like an eternity condensed into a short period, ensuring he suffered as much as possible.
"Congratulations."
Zane opened his eyes and saw the red mark: 52.
"I-I passed?"
"Yes, and with flying colors," Professor Malida said, smiling. It was truly remarkable. In just a few days, he raised his score so high, even though the test had become more difficult. She was glad she listened to her teacher's advice and gave him another chance.
"At this rate, he'll be a First Class Analyst by the end of the year for sure, with a 60% chance of being Second Class, and a 5% chance of reaching Third Class," Professor Malida thought. Analytical Magic only requires understanding, which is why, technically speaking, even a nonmagical or mortal could become one. As long as someone can learn, becoming a Third Class Analyst didn't require any magic or meditation stage.
"I'm an Analyst?" Zane asked.
"Yes, you are. Give me a moment to process your result."
Zane stood still as the professor scanned his test, then used her soul crest for something else. Five minutes later, a blank white card appeared on the desk, and she handed it to Zane. "You need to authenticate it with your crest."
Zane finally woke up from his daze and did as instructed. The card emitted a white light, scanned his soul crest, and then condensed his picture, soul crest symbol, and personal information, including his age, date of birth, dimension of origin, and status as an Analyst Apprentice.
"As an Apprentice, you'll receive a weekly income of 100 magic crystals from the association and gain access to our internal system. However, as an employee, you may be called for certain tasks. Apprentices aren't paid for their tasks unless it's a special kind, so you should strive to become a First Class Analyst. You'll have more freedom, more money, and more control."
Professor Malida paused.
"Is that everything?"
"Alright. I know you're dying to check out your title. I'll send all the information you need through email."
"Thank you, Professor — for everything."
"No need. I appreciate talents like yours."