The day Elijah had been waiting for had finally arrived. Armed with the equipment he had collected during this week, Elijah finally went to the Academy of Sword and Sorcery on foot.
Perhaps because the test time was held at the same time for all new prospective students, the streets of Arlo City were filled with horse-drawn carriages when Elijah came out of the Adventurer's Guild building. This time, walking seemed to be more advantageous for Elijah. Because that way, he could arrive earlier than those who used the horse-drawn carriage.
Once Elijah arrived at the Academy of Sword and Sorcery, the front courtyard of the place was already filled with those who had left since early in the morning or important guests who were allowed to stay at the Academy of Sword and Sorcery before the test time. Elijah ignored everyone to go to the data collection area first. But even if Elijah tried not to care about what was happening around him, the teenager could still hear the whispers of the people around him who kept discussing the same thing wherever he went.
"Did you see that luxurious carriage earlier? It looks like Her Highness Princess Sofia will indeed be a new student at the academy this year. Ah ... I still can't believe I'm going to be a student in the same year as my idol...."
"Not only that, the rumor said that the last prince of the elven kingdom will also enroll in the academy this year, right? If that really happens, we'll be studying together with two royal families of different races for four years."
"Oh my! I really need to pass the academy test this year!"
When Elijah heard that two royal families of different races were enrolling at the same time, the teenager couldn't help but think that their presence would trigger the important mission he would have while studying at the Sword and Sorcery Academy. It took four years for students to graduate from the prestigious academy. Elijah believed there were many opportunities for him to work on other missions during his studies at the place.
"Hey, we meet again!"
Someone tapped Elijah on the shoulder, and Elijah turned to see that the person who had just greeted him was the girl with cat ears, Heidi, who was handling his enrollment. Elijah nodded politely to greet his future senior. Although Heidi was just an NPC, Elijah thought it doesn't hurt to build a good relationship with the girl.
"Good to see you again, Senior."
"Ah, just call me Heidi. That way, it's okay if I call you Elijah, right?"
"Of course."
Elijah agreed easily, and Heidi was satisfied by his actions. The werebeast race was famous for its sensitivity to power. From the moment Heidi saw Elijah, the girl could already tell that Elijah was destined to become someone so strong.
Befriending those who were strong was an unwritten tradition for the werebeast race. Heidi stared at Elijah with a smile until someone calling her name caused Heidi's attention to be diverted in another direction.
"Heidi, we have to go now, or the professor definitely will kill us!"
A human with a burly body and a scary face spoke to Heidi from a distance, and Heidi nodded back to reply to his words. Heidi's attention returned to Elijah after that. Heidi smiled, then patted Elijah's shoulder with a more familiar gesture this time.
"I wanted to talk to you more. But unfortunately, I have to leave now because I am one of the seniors who will be guiding those taking the physical exam. You also have to take the test in the magic section, right? Then, I'll see you soon, Elijah!"
Heidi said 'see you soon', instead of 'good luck' as the others had said. Elijah stared at Heidi's departure in confusion. But after a while, Elijah decided not to think too much about Heidi's strange behavior and just focus on taking the test.
When the time for the start of the test was just around the corner, the majority of the participants had finally arrived and the number could probably reach thousands. Most of them were between 15 years and 20 years old humans, dwarves, and werebeasts. As for the elves, no one could guess their ages as they all seemed to be in their teens.
"Group 1, please come with me!"
"Group 2, please follow me!"
"Group 3!"
When the test time finally arrived, all the participants were grouped by the academy according to the type of test and their enrollment time. The people were taken away by each person in charge of the test. And for Elijah, the person in charge was a male elf with a cold face who would not speak unless he had to.
"Follow me."
Elijah's group was taken away to a separate building, where a transparent glass sphere hovered in the center of a large room. Elijah heard that the first test was a test to measure their mana capacity. Having a large mana capacity was probably not the main obligation for a mage. However, the Academy of Sword and Sorcery stood to help swordsmen and mages reach their full potential. Those admitted must at least have enough ability to keep up with their lessons. And because of that, the entrance test as a mage was always considered difficult every year.
The minimum mana limit to pass the test this time was 500. So, for Elijah, who already had 800 MP, it was certain that Elijah would pass this first test.
When Elijah's group arrived, some of the test takers were already waiting for their arrival at the venue. Those who arrived first were participants from important families who did not need to queue or wait outside like the others to take the test. The elf guiding Elijah's group looked surprised to see a male elf who was part of those important people. But unlike the respect he should have given, the person in charge frowned and greeted the male elf in a flat tone.
"It's good to see you, Your Highness."
The male elf called His Highness snorted, then nodded as if he was as unconcerned as the elf who had just greeted him.
Elijah was quite curious about the status of the prince of the elven kingdom. The teenager quietly observed the elf, then saw his status appear as a transparent screen that only he could see.
[Name] Damian (40 years old)
[Level 35]
[HP] 1400/1400
[MP] 700/700
[Stamina] 1400/1400
[Physical Skills] Archery level 19, One-handed level 15, Light armor level 11, Light step level 10
[Magic Skills] Ice level 3, Thunder level 2, Wind level 4, Six sense level 3, Magic shield level 1
Although Damian was 40 years old, his face looked more like a 17-year-old teenager's. Elijah was silent after seeing Damian's status, too confused because this was the first time he to see an elf with a magic ability as bad as Damian's. Damian was an elven prince who should have been blessed with magic from the moment he was born. But apparently, Damian was a rare exception in the elven race.
Fortunately, his physical abilities were above average. Elijah stared at Damian for a long time but immediately averted his eyes when Damian felt something and turned his head toward him.
Meanwhile, the members of Elijah's group began to fuss as they finally realized that the prince of the elven kingdom that people had been talking about all this time was in the same test group as them. People stared at the young elf with sparkling gazes. But before they got any noisier, the person in charge of them immediately calmed down the commotion by turning around and glaring at everyone.
"Don't make a scene in the test room."
With just that short sentence, everyone immediately returned to silence and watched the person in charge obediently. The person in charge only turned his back to them after there was no more noise among the participants. Then afterward, the person in charge walked toward the floating glass ball in the center of the room.
"Alright. We will start the test right away this time."
After saying that, he touched the glass ball with his hand. Then slowly, it began to fill with a bright blue liquid that continued to rise until it reached halfway up the giant glass ball.
"As you can see, the glass ball will flow the amount of mana you have and give us a faster count to determine how much mana you have. The red line on this ball is the minimum mana limit you must cross to pass this test. If you fail to cross the red line, you can either take the test for the sword class or retake the test next year when you have more mana."
The red line that the person in charge was referring to was at the bottom of the glass ball. So, those who saw it were quite amazed that someone could actually fill half of the giant glass ball. The entrance test of the Academy of Sword and Sorcery was one of the most difficult tests on the Rhodes Continent. So, even though the academy made the test seem like it was easy, the amount needed to fill the glass ball was actually much more than everyone expected.
"I will call your names one by one. Come forward and hold this ball when I call your name."
One by one, they were summoned, and not a few of them failed to cross the red line set by the academy. Of the 100 people in Elijah's group, more than half had failed to meet the basic requirements. Elijah watched as one by one they were forced to fail because of their incompetence. Some of them were crying from disappointment. But in the end, they still had to leave the room after being declared failed by the person in charge.
"Damian Foster Lazlo."
The elf, who was called noble by the person in charge came forward and touched the transparent glass ball confidently. It was said that elves born into the royal family were the strongest of all elves. The person in charge alone could fill up to half the glass ball. Therefore, the remaining participants in the examination room were mostly looking forward to how the youngest prince of the elven kingdom would fill the glass ball with mana power.
"... You pass."
Unfortunately, Damian failed to live up to everyone's expectations. With his mana, Damian could only reach a little more than the minimum requirements. Elijah could clearly see how Damian's face turned red from having to pass this humiliating test. No wonder the person in charge of them didn't respect Damian as they should. In an elven world that valued magic above all else, Damian's existence had forced the elven race to endure decades of shame for having a prince as weak as Damian.