(Ken POV)
This certainly was not what I expected...
What in the Seven Gods' name just fucking happened?
My fellow Mage prospects shared my confusion as we all could only wonder the implication behind this... Explosive predicament.
"Hey, mongrel, what did you just did?"
Ouch, insult much?
Mongrel, well that's new in my evergrowing list of insults. Better file that word for later then.
The word of contempt came from Anastasia herself. Her violet eyes radiate a sheer amount of curiosity that could pierce right into my very soul.
"Okay, seriously Dragon lady, what have I done to earn your ire? I may or may not broke the equipment, but I fail to understand what it has to fucking do with you."
"What did you just say, mongrel!!?"
Oops, did I voiced that out too loud? Better start speaking with my mind then. Damn Dragons and their enhanced sense of hearing.
As Anastasia was about to berate me further, she was thankfully stopped by Headmaster Gray.
"Alright, settle down children. I'm sure there's a perfect explanation for this. Perhaps the equipment simply malfunctioned as it was most likely unmaintained for quite a long time. Mister... What's your name, child?"
"Bruce... Ken Bruce."
"Ah, Mr. Bruce then. Why don't you try another Mana measuring scale then?"
I nodded in agreement and did what Headmaster Gray instructed me.
As I step foot at the other equipment, it did not burst into flames and was working normally this time, much to my utter relief.
The first equipment was really malfunctioned after all.
After a short while, the result came out and the numbers... Are quite uneventful to say the least.
For the others I mean. But for me, it was more than enough to brighten my mood.
"1,001, not bad for someone starting his career as a Mage. Even if you have the lowest number of your fellow Mages, do not be discourage as there are a lot of methods to increase your overall Mana pool in the near future."
At least I got the average Mana level of a 15 year old Mage, even if it was barely. I supposed I should feel happy at least that it was not below 1,000.
Hey, I suck at magic, so having 1,001 Mana sure is something for a talentless Mage in the making, right?
For some reason, I saw the sheer disappointment coming from Anastasia as she clicked her tongue in annoyance.
What a strange girl indeed.
Alexander appeared to have not share his sister's sentiment as he simply retained his stoic expression. He's probably thinking that I'm not worth his time to ponder about.
And that's pretty much it for the first phase of the examination. Apart from the first equipment turning to smithereens, I can safely say that the exam itself went well without any remarkable issues on my part.
Now comes the second part of the exam. I wander what it's going to be all about.
Headmaster Gray begun divulging us the details of the next exam.
"The second stage of the examination is to display your proficiency in learning a new spell."
With a click of his finger, the weighing equipment dissapeared into thin air and a bunch of scrolls were summoned and brought right into our hands.
"What you have there is the know-hows of an easy C-rank spell. A Mage of an entry level is capable of comprehending it. Your next goal is to learn this spell for two hours and cast it. Remember to take note of the spell's effectiveness, and Mana consumption. Balancing these two main factors is the key to a succesful spell-casting. Now, open up the scroll for your time starts... Now."
Doing as we were told, I unfolded the scroll and took a look at its contents.
Suffice to say... I'm fucking screwed.
I don't understand a single word or number as they are in a runic language that I'm unfamiliar with.
Well, there goes my dream of becoming a Mage.
Nevertheless, I still attempted to understand the spell, no matter how futile my efforts are going to be.
Who knows? Maybe my own sheer willpower is the key to comprehending this spell...
Like that shit is going to work.
Learning Magic is all about hardwork and determination. It requires a formidable mind and tremendous mental capacity for one to learn even an E-rank spell.
I perfectly knew this dilemma because no matter how hard I try, it was still not enough. That, and I also don't have anyone to teach me back home.
Mages exert incredible effort in progressing their magic, and taking in an apprentice is undeniably an additional mental toll and burden on their part.
Plus, I'm a fucking commoner, a nobody hailing from a farming village. No Mage in their right mind would spare a glance and take me as their student without any form of incentives.
Effort without results is no better than exerting no effort at all.
Who am I kidding? I should maybe just go home and spare myself of any further humiliation. At the very least, my dignity is going to be intact.
As I was about to give in to my depressing fate, I witnessed Alexander putting his scroll away in his pocket. With a proud smirk, he declared-
"Heh, how pathetic. This spell is nothing more than a toddler's book being read by his own mother in bed. Next time, kindly provide me a challenge worthy of my legendary Dragon blood."
I've seen my fair share of arrogant Nobles back when my grandfather and I sold some of our produce in a nearby town but this guy easily made it to the top with that remark.
"You mean you have already learned the spell, Lord Alexander?"
"Of course. This spell is nothing compared to the complex and superior magic of the Dragons, thus it was learned with little effort."
The crowd was definitely amazed and they all begun showering various praises towards the blonde, minus Anastasia and the Akanir chick, with the former gritting her teeth in jealousy while the latter merely ignoring the commotion in favor of focusing her own scroll.
The Headmaster was pleased and delivered his acknowledgment as well to Alexander.
"An outstanding perfomance, Mr. Dragonheart!! To think that you have exceeded my expectations by learning the spell in just five minutes."
Although, Alexander's arrogance is well-placed when he casted the spell of "Wind Blade", a spell for conjuring a sword made of high-pressurized air. The key is to slowly gather the air in your surroundings, slowly manipulate the flow of air in your palm, and...
Wait, wait, wait...
This is strange...
How the fuck did I know all of this?
Not to mention, I do not even remember Headmaster Gray mentioning the name of the spell when he introduced us the scrolls.
It's like one look at the spell and I somehow knew its inner-workings and mechanism behind it.
Hold on, let's not jump into conclusions. First of all, none of this makes any sense at all. How the hell did I even know the spell in the first place despite not being able to understand it in the scroll?
As I dived inside my mind, a new set of information was found for me to examine at my leisure.
"Wind Blade", a C-rank spell of the Air Element. By correctly manipulating the air around, the Mage is capable of producing a powerful, highly-pressurized sword of wind that can cut through most tough metals. Constant precise production of Mana is the key to maintaining the stability of the blade. Thus, the Mage must remain focused at all times in sustaining its overall integrity.
This... This is some weird shit indeed. Perhaps someone is playing with my mind right now? Like the Headmaster screwing me with one of his Illusion spells?
If such is the case, then why even bother at this elaborate scheme? He could have just humiliate me during the first phase of the exam, like rigging the measuring device or something. He even encouraged me despite having the lowest Mana out of the examinees.
So, no. I immediately dismiss the notion of the Headmaster being a bully.
Anyways, I decided to set aside this confusing dilemma for now in favor of the crucial situation that was currently present.
If I miraculously know the spell, then I must be able to cast it, correct?
Worst case scenario, nothing happens and it's back to the village after two hours of waiting.
I specifically followed the instructions in my mind that I have obtained and proceeded to chant the spell.
"Wind Blade."
Not a moment was wasted and there it is, the very same blade that was conjured by Alexander just a few seconds ago, and now it's in my very hand.
"This..."
My very first spell.
I... I actually did it.
To think that I, a mere commoner with no prior knowledge to magic, was able to cast a C-rank spell no less.
I felt the power of the Wind Blade resonating within my hand. I also executed the spell's mechanism by managing to provide the necessary Mana output in stabilizing the blade.
Hehe, you could not imagine how delighted I'm feeling today.
"Remarkable!! Not even a minute passed after Mr. Dragonheart and the second Mage to cast the spell in a short amount of time. Bravo, Mr. Bruce!!"
The applause came from the Headmaster as he clapped his hands with glee.
The other Mage prospects could only stare in utter shock and disbelief at my accomplishment. Heck, even Anastasia's jaw dropped as she gaped at me like I murdered her puppy or something. What's more unbelievable though is the fact that the Akanir chick stop focusing in her scroll in favor of directing her full attention at me.
Alexander was also eyeing at me with new-found interest. As evident by the slight twitch of his lips, the blonde was no doubt intrigued by how I was able to unleash such a remarkable feat.
Err... What should I do now? I'm not used in this type of situation where I'm the freaking center of attention. Should I act arrogant like what blondie did earlier or act cool and calm like Ms. Akanir on the corner?
Oh God, should I be a more pompous bitch like Anastasia instead?
Choices, choices, choices...
Or I could be just my fucking good old self, yeah that works too.
"Hehe, thanks."
I grinned sheepishly while scratching my head in slight embarassment.
Damn it, I'm used to insults, not compliments, so I'm not one to blame here for acting like a child who simply wants to be acknowledge.
"Wait, did a commoner just beat us?"
"Unbelievable."
"Is he a prodigy as well?"
"That can't be. He has an average amount of Mana only, and it was by a close margin too."
As the murmurs regarding my recent achievement kept on going, Headmaster Gray cleared his throat to catch their attention.
"You know children, if you continue to bicker among yourselves like middle-aged women who have nothing better to do with their lives, then the only thing that you'll be learning is how pitiful the sound of your voices are instead of the spell that was assigned to you. Not that it matters, it's your choice, really."
That effectively shut them down as they all panicked and resumed learning the "Wind Blade" spell.
Ah, I'm so ecstatic. Hehe, if I can learn magic like this, then being a Mage is definitely a possiblity for someone of my social status.
Perhaps this was the magic of Infinity that the lady of the lake spoke of? The ability to learn magic just by looking at a spell?
I need further experiments to prove if my hypothesis is correct.
"Hey, you, Ken Bruce, if I'm not mistaken."
I was interrupted in my thoughts when I heard Alexander speaking to me as he made his approach.
"Yes? Do you need something, milord?"
Alexander gave me a serious look for quite a while. His violet eyes bore a calculative look as if he is peering right at my very soul.
Then, he withdrew his stoic expression and turned it to an accomodating smile, much to my slight awe.
My astonishment however does not end there when he pulled out his right glove and reached out his bare hand at me.
"It appears that you are quite capable, Sir Ken. None has ever almost defeated me apart from my sister. Thus, you have earned my acknowledgement and friendship."
Wow, this guy is not so bad after all. He may look like your typical arrogant dude, but he can he nice if he wants to be. Perhaps accepting this gesture is the right move. I find no reason whatsoever in rejecting him.
I also did the same by removing my glove and proceeded to shook his hand.
"Your words do me honor, milord. I thank you."
Hey, I may hate those bastard Nobles, but Alexander definitely earned my respect for being nice. That deserved plus points in my book.
"It's no problem. I look forward to your performance here at the academy should we get accepted. And also, I give you the special privilege of referring me by my name only. None of that milord nonsense, but simply Alexander or Alex shall suffice. You are someone I believe to be worthy of standing by my side.
Wow, and just because I learned "Wind Blade" in a short amount of time, the fucking son of the Dragon Duke himself allowed me to be his friend.
This day just keeps getting better and better.
I felt the jealous looks coming from the other examinees. Of course, they knew better than to express their disdain hence they risk another sermon and a potential Illusion Magic from the Headmaster.
Huh, is this what it felt to be the subject of envy? Hehe, I could get used to this.
Since we've got nothing further to talk about, Alexander and I waited in silence for the rest of the examinees to finish.
Naturally, Anastasia came in third after five minutes, being the prodigy that she is . After displaying her own "Wind Blade" and earning the approval of the Headmaster, she joined in with Alexander and I.
The moment our eyes met, Anastasia immediately turned hostile and pointed her finger at me.
"You..."
"Uhh, may I help you, Dragon Lady?"
Her next words instantly shock the rest of the crowd, myself included.
"Fight me."