"Just down onto your undergarments young man. It's so I can precisely judge your muscular structure." Hui spoke with a chuckle.
"...Alright." I reluctantly replied as I took off the little clothes I had on.
"Hmm." Hui scrutinized me as he handed me his pole that he had been holding onto. "Could you try and see how long you can hold onto this without dropping it? You may use any part of your body."
"Sure."
But just as I received the pole, the entire atmosphere seemed as if it was pushing down on me. No... Was it the ground pulling me? Either way, I started to feel a sudden and immense amount of pressure.
And it was increasing.
"Hmm not bad, you didn't collapse on the first second." Hui looked at me in amusement as Scamander looked at me with sympathy.
"Argh...." Every second felt like an eternity. The pole wasn't heavy at all, it was actually almost weightless. Of course I didn't realize this at this moment as I was... Let's say occupied with the current situation. "H...Help!"
"No, if you really feel like you cannot hold on then simply drop the pole." Hui replied with a stern voice.
But at that moment.
[Scan of mysterious pole complete. The pole has a special magnetic field which seemed to be going through synchronization with the magnetic field of the wielder on touch, the field is also special in a sense that it showcases a very strong attraction towards something deep beneath the ground. Further data suggests if the user holds on for 13 more seconds, the synchronization will stop and the field will subside.]
'13...12...' It felt like years. No, more like an eternity.
[7 seconds left]
And that's when I dropped the pole.
"53 seconds. My oh my..." Hui spoke with quietly. "It's a shame, but this is still an amazing result."
"Haha, he almost beat the record of your principal disciple! Was it 57 seconds that he lasted?" Scamander chuckled from the side.
"Haa...Haa..." I gasped for air as I listened.
"No, it was 55. This boy, Deus was it?, is more than enough to become one of my core disciples." Hui spoke with a serious expression. "Deus, would you like to follow the path of the melee warrior?"
"Hold on a moment!" Scamander shouted. "He hasn't gone through the other tests yet, he might be a genius magus waiting to be unearthed!"
"Or a cold-blooded sociopathic killer" Hela added.
"Hmph, wait for our turns first old man." Scamander harumphed as he opened his book. "Medeor".
White light started to envelop Deus as all the exhaustion suddenly washed away, leaving behind a clear head.
"Wha... What?" Lost in confusion I looked at Scamander.
"That's a basic healing skill. It heals the majority of fatigue and minor injuries, quite easy on mana as well."
"M..Mana?" I asked at this foreign word.
"In all due time my boy. I need you to do this before any of those things first." Scamander approached me to hand me the book he had been holding as he spoke. "Place your hand on the book and say this word. Obex". He then quickly backed away.
"Al..Alright." Still a bit dazed from the sudden change in my body, I placed my hand upon the book and spoke the words. "O...Obex?"
Then, along with a strange sensation of the book sucking onto my palm.
Shling! Shling! Shling! Shling!
Semi-circular and translucent started to appear around me.
One, two, three, four...
Shling! Shling! Shling! Shling!
Five, six, seven, eight...
Shl... "EXSTINCTIO!!!" Scamander suddenly shouted out loudly with blazing eyes and all the translucent barriers shattered into nothingness in which they had appeared from. A different kind of exhaustion rushed over me. It was more so... mental.
"An amazing mana capacity as well as density... He is bound to be a legendary magus if trained properly... I need to know his elemental affinity as well... Hmm...". The usual smile on Scamander's face disappeared as a stern looked appeared. "Hela, test his mentality."
"Don't tell me what to do." The woman approached me as she spoke with a snap. "Look into my eyes."
I raised my head to meet her eyes with my own.
Then the world turned dark.
Again.
What's with me and falling unconscious?
-----
"I need to report this to the central magus tower, his talents are a waste here!"
"A waste? I am the ex-commander in chief of the entire army of the Empire, I can easily handle his training!"
"He is too fragile and power-hungry to become an assassin. An archer might do but that's too covert as well. I shall take my leave."
-----
I woke up on the rattle of the makeshift bed I was laying on, Scamander was standing before the bed reading the mysterious book he had been holding.
He noticed my eyes opening and quickly shut the book. "Ah good. You're awake."
"What... What happened?" I asked whilst tapping my forehead. Only to see that he was within a carriage. He quickly tapped it again to clear his vision.
[User has fallen unconscious after falling into an illusion. You are currently in a carriage heading towards a destination called the 'Central Magus Tower' of unknown origins and area.]
'Oh...'
"You, my boy, are going to become a magus." Scamander spoke to me with a smile.
"Ma..Magus... Wait. Why? What about melee? Or Hela?" I asked in confusion.
"You are indeed a very capable being, you can become a great warrior if trained under Hui. As for Hela... Let's say your... Disposition isn't fit for an assassin. Or an archer." Scamander chuckled.
"I... I see." I spoke out in dejection. An assassin sounded a bit 'cool', also it would've been nice to work from the shadows, it would further help him 'hide' his special 'trait'.
"But my boy, your mana capacity and density is far beyond superior. It is richer than my own. You may choose to pursue a different carrier in the future but I urge you to become a Magus first. Maybe you'll fall in love with this profession and nothing will sway you away from it" Scamander smiled.
"Well... Do I have a choice? We're heading to a magus tower right?" I spoke in a daze.
"We always have a choice, Deus, free will is a fundame...Wait. I never mentioned the magus tower. How did you know we were heading there?" Scamander's eyes bore into my own.
Sweat ran down my back. "Uh... I heard faint voices as I fell unconscious. Uhmm... You mentioned that I need to be reported to the Central Magus Tower and were curious about my... What was it... Affinity? Yes Affinity. That." I replied in haste, making up a wild explanation.
"Hmm...Alright. And yes, you're right. We're going to the Central Magus Tower to further test you. Mainly for your affinity. From then we will determine which master, or two, you will learn under depending on your elemental affinity." Scamander spoke with slight suspicion.
"Oh... What element are do you have an affinity with Scamander?" I asked.
"It's Magus Scamander. And I, my young boy, am a master of light." He spoke as his eyes started to glow.
"Light... I see. May I ask a few questions?" I looked up into Scamander's eyes.
His eyes started to dim as the usual smile returned. "Sure, we have a lot of time anyway. Roughly around 9 days to arrive at the tower."