Chapter 2 Second Test

As the last grain of enchanted sand dropped, every answer sheet disappeared in a burst of light. Several applicants reached out instinctively, but it was too late—the papers were already gone. A familiar voice echoed through the examination halls.

"The Written Examination has concluded. Please remain seated."

"You will now be transported to the Second Examination."

Before anyone had a chance to react, the rooms dissolved into countless specks of light.

When the applicants opened their eyes once more...

They found themselves in a massive circular arena, surrounded by nearly three thousand returning participants. Some appeared worn out, others radiated confidence, and several bore the haunted look of trauma. One noble stood motionless, staring into the void.

"I still don't understand the last question." His friend patted his shoulder. "Neither do I."

***

High above, the professors settled back into their seats while younger professor stretched leisurely."Well."

"That eliminated six hundred and thirty-eight."

"Better than last year."

"The mathematics section was easier."

"You made it easier."

"I was feeling rather generous."

The room collectively just ignored him. Vice Principal Rusell floated once again above the arena.

"The second examination will be The Mana Examination."

Unlike before, murmurs didn't spread through the crowd.

Everyone listened carefully.

“This test measures three things,” he said, raising one finger. “Control.” Then a second. “Precision.” And finally, a third. “Efficiency.” He lowered his hand. “It doesn’t measure how much mana you have.”

Several noble heirs looked relieved while several others became nervous. Rusell continued.

"A fool with endless mana remains a fool. A genius with little mana remains a genius." The arena fell silent. "Remember that."

***

The stone floor shook as a deep rumbling echoed through the air. Slowly, thousands of stone pillars rose from the ground, each about two meters tall. Atop each one sat a perfectly clear crystal sphere, roughly the size of a human head. They seemed utterly ordinary—until countless intricate magic formations began to shimmer within them. A professor smiled.

"The Mana Orbs. This one is my favorite."

Rusell explained.

"Each crystal holds a hundred layers. You’ll channel mana into it, and it will respond. If your mana is unstable, it will reject you. your control is lacking, it will reject you. And if you pour in too much mana, it will reject you."

He paused.

"Your objective is to reach the one hundredth layer."

The crowd stared.

"...That's it?"

The professors chuckled.

"They always underestimate it."

"Well,They're about to learn."

***

"The examination will proceed individually. The crystal will record your highest layer. Failure to reach the twentieth layer results in immediate disqualification."

This time the murmurs exploded.

"Twenty?!"

"I've never even heard of these crystals!"

"This is impossible!"

Rusell simply smiled.

"The academy has never promised otherwise."

The first applicant stepped forward—a commoner. He pressed his hand against the crystal, and mana to flow. Layer one. Layer two. Layer three. Layer four... layer seven. Suddenly, the crystal flared red. Crack. His mana burst apart violently, and the young man staggered back.

"Layer Seven." Rusell calmly announced. "Failed."

The applicant's shoulders dropped. One examination finished and His dream ended far too soon.

The second, Layer Twelve. Failure.

Third, Layer Nineteen. The crystal shattered.

"...Failed."

The arena became increasingly quiet.

After several dozen participants had taken their turn, a young noblewoman finally reached Layer Twenty-Three, prompting polite applause from the professors.

"Qualified."

She nearly collapsed in relief.

The pace kept going. Layer fifteen. Layer eleven. Layer twenty-seven. Layer nine. Layer eighteen. Failure after failure. Some did get very high, but it was visible that hope slowly drained from many faces.

Finally, Rusell called another name.

"Willow Brew."

The brown-haired girl stepped forward, placing her palm gently on the crystal. A soft green glow bloomed, and unlike the others before her, her mana flowed in effortlessly—one layer, then five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty. The professors exchanged approving nods.

"Excellent, no wasted mana and very stable mana flow."

The crystal finally stopped. Layer Sixty-One. The arena erupted.

"A commoner?!"

"Sixty?!"

"Impossible!"

Willow herself looked surprised. "...Higher than I expected."

The observation tower smiled.

"She's better than the reports suggested."

Next.

"Edith Cassia Markult."

Layer Sixty-Eight.

"Wonderful."

"Elodie Cassandra Markult."

Layer Sixty-Six. One professor laughed.

"She lost because she got bored halfway through."

"I believe it."

Then.

"Chester Reinhart."

The crimson-haired heir strode forward with confidence. Mana burst into the crystal—twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty—and the crystal began to shake.

Finally, Layer Seventy.

Cheers erupted among the noble applicants, and Chester smiled with pride. Just as he had anticipated.

"A respectable result."

Next.

"Aurelia Maria Edward."

The atmosphere shifted. She reached out and lightly touched the crystal. Nothing dramatic—just a quiet glow. Twenty. Forty. Sixty. Eighty. Ninety. The professors fell silent. Ninety-five. Ninety-six. Ninety-seven. Ninety-eight. The arena held its breath until the glow stopped. Layer Ninety-Nine.

"What a monster." No one disagreed. Even Aurelia frowned slightly. "...It stopped."

As though disappointed. Rusell smiled helplessly.

"Estelle Celeste."

Warm, golden mana seeped into the crystal. Unlike Aurelia’s sharp precision, Estelle’s energy flowed softly, effortlessly. One layer after another lit up without the slightest resistance until the crystal halted at Layer Ninety-Six. The Holy Kingdom delegation exchanged quiet, knowing smiles.

Only one notable applicant remained. Rusell glanced toward the list.

"Amos E. Kyros."

The blond young man slowly walked toward the crystal. He rubbed one eye. Still looking sleepy. Several applicants frowned.

"Wasn't he sleeping earlier?"

"I think so."

"He doesn't seem nervous."

High above, the professors leaned forward once again.

"Let's finally see him."

"The written examination wasn't enough."

"I'm curious."

Rusell watched silently. The heir of House Kyros stopped before the crystal. He looked at it for several seconds.

Then.

"Hmm."

He tilted his head, as if noticing something. A faint smile crossed his face. Amos before the crystal, gazing at it intently. It seemed to gaze right back at him.

"..."

"..."

"..."

One professor frowned.

"What's he doing?"

Another shrugged.

"Thinking?"

"He has been looking at it for almost thirty seconds."

Below, several applicants began whispering.

"Is he nervous?"

"A Kyros?"

"I doubt it."

Finally—

Amos raised his hand.

He gently touched the crystal.

Nothing happened.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The crystal remained completely transparent.

One second.

Two.

Three.

The examiners frowned.

"Did he forget to release mana?"

A younger professor checked the recording crystal.

"No."

"He is."

"What?"

"The crystal is receiving mana."

Everyone looked back.

"...Impossible."

The crystal revealed nothing—not due to a lack of mana, but because the flow was so perfectly stable it never even triggered its visual effects. The vice principal’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"Hoh."

Then, the first layer quietly lit up. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Unlike every other applicant before, the crystal didn’t climb rapidly. Instead, it moved forward at a steady, unchanging pace. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. Forty. Not the slightest fluctuation. The professors gradually stopped speaking.

"His output... It hasn't changed once. Perfect consistency."

"That's..."

Most mages unconsciously let their mana output waver, even the geniuses among them. Small fluctuations, slight mistakes, quick corrections—it was natural. But Amos showed none of that. Fifty. Sixty. Seventy. The applicants nearby held their breath without realizing it. Even Chester’s brow furrowed.

"Seventy?"

Willow observed in silence as Estelle clasped her hands. Aurelia at last tore her gaze from her crystal, her violet eyes settling on the blond noble.

Eighty. Eighty-five. Ninety.

The observation tower became deathly silent.

"He's still going."

Ninety-three. Ninety-four. Ninety-five.

The professors unconsciously stood.

"He's matching the Saint Candidate."

"Ninety-six."

"He matched her."

"Ninety-seven."

"He surpassed her."

Aurelia narrowed her eyes.

"..."

Ninety-eight.

"He is about to matched Aurelia."

The crystal shivered—not from being unstable, but because every layer had already been awakened. Only two were left. Ninety-nine. The arena fell silent, every breath held. Just one more. Only one. Then, in a burst of dazzling light, the crystal blazed. One Hundred.

...

Nothing happened. The crystal stayed perfectly intact. Not a single applicant spoke, and not a single professor breathed. Then, soft click echoed through the arena.  The crystal opened, like a flower in bloom. Mana scattered into countless tiny lights before fading away into the air.  

One professor blinked.

"That is beautiful"

Another slowly nodded.

"It really blooms."

The vice principal quietly laughed.

"I wondered if it would."

The younger professors looked confused.

"You know about it, vice principal?" Rusell smiled.

"Those crystals were created by an alumni centuries ago. They weren't designed to merely measure mana. They were designed to recognize absolute mastery and celebrate it."

He looked toward Amos.

"In over three hundred years, I can count on one hand the number of students who made a Mana Crystal open."

The room fell silent again.

Someone whispered,

"...How many?"

Rusell answered without taking his eyes off the blond youth.

"Four."

The answer sent chills through the observation tower.

Only Four.

In three centuries.

One professor swallowed.

"...Who were they?"

"The XII Emperor."

"The founder of modern magic."

"The previous Hero."

"And the most recent is Duke Aros, his father."

He looked toward Amos.

"He is the fifth."

Meanwhile, Amos blinked at the opened crystal.

"...Huh."

He poked one of the floating fragments. "It broke?" He scratched his head. "Do I have to pay for this?"

The observation tower collectively froze.

"..."

One professor buried his face in both hands. Another couldn't help laughing.

"I like this kid."

The mysterious heir of House Kyros had exceeded even the academy's expectations even more, yet Amos himself simply looked around awkwardly before raising his hand.

"...Excuse me, is this still considered passing?"

Rusell stared at the blond youth for a long moment. A smile slowly spread across the old vice principal's face.

"Yes, tou passed."

Amos visibly relaxed. "That's good."

He gave the crystal one last glance before quietly stepping away. The shards hovered in the air, drifting back together. The applicants stood transfixed, watching the impossible take shape.

"..."

One commoner finally whispered,

"It repaired itself."

"So it wasn't broken."

"I don't think that was the important part."

Rusell quietly watched Amos return to the crowd.

"He must have noticed something."

Several professors turned toward him.

"Noticed what?"

"A way."

"A way?"

Rusell nodded.

"A way to completely control his mana output." The vice principal looked toward the now fully restored crystal. "He allowed his mana to circulate together with the crystal's internal flow."

One professor slowly understood.

"It requires an absurd sensitivity to mana." The elderly woman adjusted her glasses. "Or countless years of practice."

***

Elsewhere among the applicants.

Willow quietly glanced toward Amos. "...Amazing." She had reached Sixty-one. A result that would have earned praise in almost any generation. Yet, standing beside that perfect score, it suddenly felt very small. She smiled bitterly. "I still have a long way to go."

Estelle clasped her hands together. "A wonderful person..." She whispered almost unconsciously. "The Goddess truly blesses many people."

Aurelia kept her face blank on the outside, but inside her mind was a storm of questions. Impossible. That kind of control... how? She ran through every movement, every shift every breath in her memory, searching. There wasn’t a single flaw to be found. "..."

Chester, meanwhile, "..." The veins on his forehead twitched. "A hundred..."

He looked down at his own score. Seventy. Only moments earlier, he had been proud of it. Now...It looked laughably insignificant.

His fists slowly clenched. "So, that's the Kyros. Father, I have seen it now"

Not far away...

Elodie Cassandra Markult smiled brightly.

"Oh? He’s intriguing, isn’t, Edith?"

Beside her, Edith nodded absentmindedly while writing something into her notebook.

Rusell allowed the murmurs to continue for another minute before raising his staff. The arena immediately fell silent.

"The Mana Examination has concluded. Results will be announced after the admission process has ended. Applicants who remain will not know their final admission status until all four examinations are complete."

A wave of groans spread through the crowd. Rusell remained unmoved. The vice principal raised his staff once more.

"The Third Examination..."

Even the most confident of the noble heirs instinctively straightened. Some faces lit up with excitement, while others... showed genuine fear.

"...The Mental Examination."

The magical circles beneath the arena began glowing with an eerie violet light. Several applicants instinctively took a step backward. Rusell's voice echoed one final time.

"Leave your weapons, you will not need them." He paused. "Because your greatest enemy in the next examination..." His gaze slowly swept across every applicant.

"...Will be yourself."

The violet light swept over the arena, and one by one, each applicant vanished once more.