Mathew was directed by the phantom mage to stand in front of a massive metal tree that was the second object created from the orb. The metal tree was almost as big as a regular tree, but it lacked any leaves and was made entirely of metal. Its branches stretched out far and wide, and it closely resembled a real tree, except for a hollow at the center of its trunk. The hollow was filled with an eerie black mist that emitted an ominous aura, and it was impossible to see inside.
We candidates watched attentively to understand how the trial works. Mathew was our first guinea pig and we can also learn what to do and what not to do.
Mathew approached the tree, his eyes curiously glancing at the hollow. The phantom mage then instructed him, "For the second trial, insert both your arms inside the hollow tree." Mathew was a bit nervous, but he made sure to follow the instructions carefully. He rolled up his sleeves before inserting both his arms inside the tree. One could see the nervous expression on his face.
As soon as Mathew inserted his arms, nothing happened. He was scared at first, but he noticed that nothing was happening, and his confidence grew back.
We, the candidates, started to believe that the trial was going to be a breeze like the 1st Trial.
However, the phantom mage then instructed Mathew, "Now you need to create the mana orb while your arms are inside the hollow tree. Whatever happens, you don't need to panic, just keep calm." Mathew obeyed, and the next instant, he started to concentrate. The branches of the tree began moving, almost like it was alive, and Mathew's face started to look uneasy for some reason.
Despite this, Mathew maintained his arms inside the tree, and the branches started recoiling, growing shorter. At the same time, small glowing leaves began to grow on the branches of the tree at a speed visible to the eye. The leaves were glowing, and they almost resembled pure mana, similar to the mana orb we were instructed to create. In a matter of a minute, the dead metal tree had finally grown into a full small grown healthy tree with mana leaves all over.
However, suddenly a voice interrupted, "Pardon my interjection grandmasters. Might I ask if it is alright to pull out my arms? I am starting to feel a bit really sick." To our surprise, the voice belonged to Mathew.
As the grandmasters fell silent, we, the candidates, were taken aback. We had never seen them act this way before. The other candidates began to whisper among themselves, trying to make sense of the situation.
"Didn't the grandmaster just tell him to keep his mouth shut?" one of the candidates murmured.
"He's done for. I'm sure he'll be expelled immediately," another candidate chimed in.
"Expelled? I don't even know if Lady Hamanthra will let him walk away alive," a third candidate added.
Hendrickson muttered, "Mathew is such a wussy,"
"I can't blame him. Just look at his face. That tree is actually draining all of Mathew's mana. He's probably experiencing the same relapses that a mage feels when their mana is drained," Trisha said in a serious tone.
I nodded my head and said, "Death is better than insufferable pain. No wonder he opened his big mouth. May his soul rest in peace."
Trisha asked me, "Could you once show some sympathy?"
But I replied arrogantly, "Nope."
We had anticipated that Lady Hamanthra would impose severe punishment on Mathew for disobeying her orders, but to our surprise, she sat there with a devious smile on her face instead of reprimanding him. Her smile appeared more sinister than friendly, almost as if she was deriving pleasure from Mathew's discomfort.
Grandmaster Biswaq said, "Just hang on for a few more minutes. The trial will be concluded soon enough."
Meanwhile, Mathew's face turned pale as he obeyed and kept his arms inside the hollow of the tree.
As we watched, the once-dead metal tree began to grow, and its leaves had fully grown. Buds appeared all over the branches, which soon blossomed into beautiful flowers. However, the flowers wilted and fell off quickly, only to be replaced by small fruits that started growing in their place. The small orbs grew into multiple small round fruits that resembled cherry-like fruits.
To our amazement, the cherry-like fruits began appearing all over the branches, and they were glowing, resembling the mana. Mathew sat on his knees with his arms still stuck inside the hollow trunk, looking barely conscious.
Suddenly, the dark mist inside the hollow trunk dissipated, and Mathew could finally pull his arm away. However, he was almost on his knees and couldn't get up on his feet.
We expected the grandmasters to scold him severely, but they appeared somehow impressed. The phantom mage host walked towards Mathew, holding some kind of potion bottle in her hand. As soon as she reached him, she uncorked the bottle and splashed the contents of the mana bottle on top of Mathew.
Instantly, the potion began to glow, and the color returned to Mathew's face. He quickly stood up and checked his body for any damage, "Thank you for saving me,".
The phantom mage simply nodded in response.
Grandmaster Biswaq was the first to rise from his seat and gave a short round of applause. "Well done, Mathew," he praised. Mathew smiled bashfully and scratched his head, clearly relieved.
Biswaq then directed his attention to the metal tree. "This is quite impressive," he remarked, looking at the tree with mana leaves and cherry fruits.
Every grandmaster focused their attention on the tree, and Gunther stroked his beard, observing the tree's size and the number of mana leaves. "The tree's size is remarkable, and the number of mana leaves indicates that his mana core has good storage capacity at such a young age," he said.
"The leaves are impressive, yes, but the fact that the tree's fruits manifested into cherries suggests that the purity of Mathew's mana is quite low," Grandmaster Pierre responded.
Ajax interrupted suddenly, "Well, I do like cherries. So I don't see that as a problem."
Pierre retorted, "You moron, I am not asking for your taste preferences! Nevermind."
Ajax, undeterred, flexed his muscles and said, "As long as he can train and use those muscular arms for battle, I don't mind welcoming him aboard Ivory Tower."
Biswaq interjected, "Ajax, let's save the invites for later, shall we?"
As we sat in our seats, we were able to observe and get a general understanding of what the trial entailed.
Hendrickson snapped his fingers and asked,
"So, you're saying that the tree absorbs all our mana and then checks the quantity and quality of it?"
Trisha nodded,
"That's the Ironwood Tree that actually devourers mana. They have tweaked the tree to become a trial object. Let me explain-"
The candidate listened carefully and made sure to take mental notes as she spoke. According to her, the hollow in the tree absorbs the mana to the point where the mage almost collapses. Then, the tree uses the mana to grow and come back to life.
As the tree grows, it regrows leaves that are made of the candidate's mana. The more mana there is, the more leaves there are on the tree. Additionally, the tree produces different types of fruits depending on the purity of the candidate's mana. However, if the mana is of lower quality, then the tree bears small, common fruits like cherries and berries.
She also warned that we will start feeling drowsy during the trial but we should not be scared.
The tree will only absorb mana and it will stop absorbing mana when it absorbs the majority of the candidate's mana.
"How come you know so much about the 2nd trial?" I asked Trisha, curious about her knowledge.