It was the day after Bowen's trip to Aswalt. Bowen, Jago, and the other kids were completely immersed in the delicious sweets that Bowen had brought back from Sweet Treats. Of course, Renault did not partake, as he found these sweets too unpalatable for a noble kid like him, or so he thought. Soon, all the children and their guardians assembled in front of a large tent on the open grounds of the village. Isadora, a strict lady in her forties who was the chief of Allar, made an introductory speech as she was the coordinator of the event.
"All children of age 6-10 from Allar and its neighboring villages have been assembled here for a single reason. That is to decide the future of our kids. Whatever family or background you may have, it doesn't matter. All that matters is if your son or daughter has aptitude in magic. The test your kids take today will forever change their destiny. And to guide you towards your destiny, here we have the noble presence of Mr. Ian and Mr. Valtor from the country of Sylvaria," she said, motioning her hand towards the entrance of the pre-made tent. Two young men walked out of it. One had short hair and was dressed in white and brown linen clothes, while the other was dressed in brown padded armor and green pants. The one in padded armor carried what looked like a hammer, with the hammerhead attached to chains instead of a handle. It resembled a chain mace and hammer combined. The man in padded armor was surprisingly thin for someone wielding such a weapon. However, that was not the most surprising feature of the seeker couple. A pair of long pointed ears stood out among all their similar human features.
"Gasp... Elves?" Everyone had the same question in their minds. The part of the continent where Barn and Allar were located was mostly dominated by humans. It didn't mean they were hostile to other races, but rather that this part of the continent had a low concentration of mana particles due to its geography. As such, many other races tended to live in places where mana particles were abundant. It was said that in many of these races, the children were born with a mana vessel. Humans had waged wars, occupied, or come to agreements with other races to live in mana-abundant lands of Grimesphere more than 500 years ago. Most of the human population had migrated, while some decided to remain in their ancestral motherlands, which was the continent of Yuria. Over time, many parts of Yuria also saw an infusion of other races. However, these were mainly in the main towns and cities of Yuria where trading was prosperous. It was really rare for border towns and villages of Yuria, such as Aswalt, Barn, and Allar, to have a glimpse of other races.
Seekers were a group of people who went in search of talented individuals to take them as disciples in their schools or sects. Most races assigned groups of individuals as seekers to search for talented students. The reason why it was rare for seekers of any race to come to the borders was due to the lack of talents. As a region with low mana concentration, most of the children born here had low or no affinity for magic. It was even rare for seekers of the human race from other mana-rich continents to visit here.
"Hello everyone. We know everyone is astonished to see us, but I don't want to talk a lot. Let's immediately get to business," saying this, the armored man named Valtor made a confirming nod to another elf. Ian soon extended his hand following a bright glow of his Ring on his finger. Soon, something like a 2-foot high metal box with a slanting top that is attached with a mirror, magically appeared in front of the crowd. Bowen immediately understood that the ring was a space ring just like his space bracelet. The box was delicately carved with drawings, and especially the area that surrounded the mirror looked luxuriously embossed with flower and leaf-like carvings. Ian touched the mirror, and it seemed like he kept infusing his mana into it. A small blue glow of light started to appear on the surface of the mirror. The process went on for almost 3 minutes, ending finally when the whole of the mirror started to exude a bright blue color.
[Seems like one of the magic artifacts that was made by an augmenter like Teacher Herald said] Bowen thought. As everyone was in a daze looking at the marvelously beautiful magic tool, Valtor instructed all the children to line up. The parents and guardians of children moved to give way, wishing their kids good luck.
"Umm Bowen... I'm scared... you look all right?" asked Jago, looking at how relaxed Bowen was.
"No, no, I am scared and nervous too," replied Bowen.
"Really?"
"Yep, really. How about this? As we are very much scared, how about taking the last place in the line," suggested Bowen.
"Wow, that's a good idea. Let's go hurry," telling this, Jago quickly paced to the back of the line. Bowen stood last, and Jago occupied the second-to-last place in the queue. Bowen proposed this idea so he could accurately gauge the probability of children that possess magical element aptitude. Soon, the tests started.
Ian stood near the artifact and guided the first kid in front of the mirror. "Place your right palm on the surface of the glowing mirror. You may feel a little weird, but it's only because of mana entering your body. So no need to worry," he said, consoling the nervous kid. Soon, when the kid did as he said, a bright cluster of mana particles enveloped the kid's hand and disappeared in seconds. Ian asked the kid to remove his hand, and then he placed a plain sheet of paper on the mirror. The paper glowed, followed by levitating in the air. Bowen, with his enhanced vision, could see that the blank paper now had much information and something like a chart on it.
Ian looked at the paper, then he said, "Congrats, you have magical affinity with water." Everyone, including the kids and guardians, cheered in happiness. It was a good start.
Valtor stepped up and said to the kid, "You can join our school if you like. You are also free to reject in case you have other plans. We will take care of all your necessities. We will also provide you with free education." The 7-year-old child from a commoner background was, of course, so much impressed. He and his guardians immediately accepted the deal and signed something like an admission form.
Soon, the test for the second kid started. The procedure was the same. But this time Ian said, "Sorry, kid, you have no affinity." Tears overwhelmed the kid, and he walked away sobbing. Starting from this kid, almost 13 kids got tested, but none showed positive results.
Next, it was Renault's chance to take the test. With a smug look that always irritated Bowen, he confidently carried on with the test, as if he already knew he would achieve good results. Just as everyone expected, his results were the best of the best. He had two attributes, the main one being lightning, just like his father Dale, and wind as his secondary attribute. When Mr. Ian and Valtor suggested that he join their school and promised him some gifts, he just smirked and said, "No need, I am going to Tower."
"Tower?" Ian, Valtor, and Isadora gave him a shocked look.
"That's right, it's easy for me to join there as my great grandfather works there," he said hauntingly.
Renault was enjoying the shocked faces of the people, while a servant who came as Renault's guardian said, "Congratulations Young master Renault, please let's go tell this to the chief and Master Dale." Renault exited the test site as if he had done something trivial, leaving others in awe.
[This kid, really...] Bowen didn't know what to say. [Now I can sense why Bale was so frustrated when Dale, who had a trash character, emerged stronger than him. Even if Renault has great talent, his haughty character and useless brain will soon bring him to his doom] thought Bowen, not because he was jealous of him, but because he had seen a fair share of talented people who met their worst end due to their arrogance in his previous life.
The test continued smoothly. Among the 45 or so children present to take the test, only four had elemental attributes, including Renault. One handicapped girl took her test and found that she did not possess any elemental attribute, but her affinity for magic or mana particles was high. That meant she could use her mana as an element, but she could not convert it into fire, water, or any other element. She was disappointed when Mr. Ian refused to recruit her into the school, saying, "Sorry, it's not us. No one will consider and take you into a school because wielding mana in itself is not as powerful as elemental magic."
Bowen, Jago, and others felt too bad for her, but what could they do? They might even get worse results than her. Now it was Jago's turn for the test, and Bowen saw Jago's legs literally shaking in fear. "Go man, cheer up," he said, giving some encouragement to his friend. Jago gave an awkward smile and threw a glance at his mother on the side. Nervously, he went forward and placed his hand on the mirror. The same thing happened like with all the kids. Mr. Ian's face lit up with a big smile. "Sir Valtor, please look at this," he said enthusiastically, running like a kid. Soon, the same smile could be seen on Valtor's face. He came close to Jago and kneeled in front of him, startling everyone. "Congratulations, Master Jago, you are tested to have pure wood element."
"Really? I have an element too?" Jago asked, as he never expected himself to possess any affinity for magic.
"Not only do you possess pure wood element, but you also have an affinity with wood spirits. They are like small fairies that live as elemental spirits. Because of your affinity towards them, you can very well receive their blessings in the future."
"So, does that mean I am talented?" asked Jago, scratching his head.
"Very much. You will even surpass many of the talented kids in the future."
"Wow! Mom, Bowen, did you hear that?" Jago shouted happily. Martha and Bowen hugged him lovingly
[Even if he is my friend, I was not sure if he had any affinity towards elements. Well, all is good. So now it's my turn, huh? Well, if even Jago can get good results, then I may not be worse... Usually, in every fantasy novel or manga, the main character will either be overpowered or too weak. There is no MC who is average. So it's this or that. Let's see what the author had planned for me.] thought Bowen.
With Jago and Felina cheering him on, he placed his delicate hands on the mirror, wishing for some good results. Mr. Ian took the result paper and kept staring at it. Bowen with his enhanced senses could see Ian's pupils dilate for a second. He turned his gaze on Bowen, as if trying to gauge him.
"Kid, your result is..." he started.