The Magic Academy occupied a huge chunk in the west side of Last Haven. After all, this was not only the place where the next generation of mages was raised, but it even contained training grounds and facilities used by the graduates. With the city constantly facing threats from mana beasts and the nearby kingdoms, the Magic Academy was second only to the King's mansion in status and importance.
On this fateful day at the start of summer, people from all around the city lined up at its gates. Having your child accepted as a mage would bring honor and status to a family, not to mention wealth. The crowd extended for several blocks, and at the very front, two teenagers were waiting their turn.
"When you woke me up in the middle of the night, I thought we ran out of meat… This was a good idea too."
At the half compliment, the corners of Ana's lips went up all the way to her eyes. She even placed her hands on her hips and took a triumphant pose. The poor girl hadn't heard praise in months.
"I don't see any nobles behind us though." noted Ethan.
"They get in without an examination. People say they're naturally born mages, but…" It was very likely the nobles' so called talent was due to older relatives passing down their knowledge.
"Ahem, the teachers will now receive you." said a 20 something man that seemed to be a steward. As soon as the gate opened, the crowd rushed in. "Anyone who breaks the line will be sent to the back!"
Thanks to their timely preparation, Ana and Ethan were first to be tested. At the end of the yard, a large stage separated the teachers from the would-be mages. They each sat on a golden chair and watched the crowd with bored eyes.
The line was led towards a crystal orb about a dozen feet in front of the stage.
"Place your hand on the orb." The steward instructed. When Ana obliged, 5 sparkling dots appeared on its surface.
"Good." nodded the steward. You may head to the right. Ethan did the same and got a similar result. He too was sent to the right.
"We did it." whispered Ana while shaking with excitement.
"That's it?"
"Yes. You need 3 dots to pass the test, and we got 5. That's above average."
'Dear Gods…' mumbled Ethan. This was the test for getting into the Academy?
A 10 year old walked up to the crystal alongside his mom. He got 1 star and was sent to the left. Only after 12 more people did a girl get 3 stars and went to the right.
"We did it!" Her and Ana clapped hands and began talking amongst themselves. In the meantime, Ethan's frown only got deeper.
'Dumbassess.' He thought to himself. 'What does having more mana pools have to do with one's potential as a mage? Anyone can do that. And, this chick has all of them focused in her stomach. She'll need an hour to summon a bloody fire ball.'
8 shiny dots appeared on the crystal bowl, and the entire crowd gasped. With a cheering ovation, a boy was led to the right. Even the teachers leaned into their chairs. Ethan, on the other hand, was dragging a palm all the way across his face. He too had mana pools in all the wrong places.
There was a certain order to things. Creating pools of mana within the body was simple, but if you got the order wrong, your growth would be limited. It was like building a house by throwing bricks in its general direction. With all the praise this kid got, he'd amount to a level 3 mage at most.
Obviously pleased with himself, the boy walked over. He looked between Ethan and the girls, and chose to walk toward the later group. When he was about to introduce himself, he bumped into a man's chest instead.
"Hi." said Ethan with a deadpan expression. The malnourished scrawny teen was gone. In the past months, Ethan ate like a pig and trained like a demon. Besides building his mana circuit with Ana and hunting in the forest, he spent 6 hours each day working out his body. The results were toned muscles any girl would drool over if not for the dark circles beneath his eyes that made him look like a zombie.
"Come with me." The frozen kid unwittingly followed. Eventually, 2 large circles formed on the right side of the yard. One was made up of happily chatting girls and the other of frightened boys all staring at the zombie in their midst.
"Now that the selection is over, our esteemed teachers will choose those worthy amongst you of being their pupils."
Starting with the oldest looking teacher, they began shouting names. The 8 pool boy was called and joined the vice-principal. Several others were named, all of them with six pools or above.
"Ana Taylor." called one of the younger teachers.
"Here!" Ana cheered and joined him on stage. Since she had only opened 5 pools, this was a bit odd.
James Walker was no older than 30 and didn't have a beard or mustache like the other teachers. His eyes were sharp and his smile a bit dubious.
But, only after noticing he'd only picked girls above the age of 15 did Ethan catch on to his intentions. Not only that, but compared to the other teachers, he picked many more pupils even though they were comparatively weaker.
"Mia Smith!"
With this call, he was certain. The new girl had just 4 mana pools but sported watermelons for breasts.
'Son of a…' The angrier Ethan got, the larger the space around him became. When one of the boys was called, he practically sprinted towards the stage.
Ethan knew it was not the time or place to deal with James. When facing a stronger or trickier opponent, one needed to exercise patience. Yet, amongst his numerous qualities, this one was in short supply.