Before Alex could stand in front of the Mirror of Souls, as the supervisor called his name, a massive, bald man whispered words to him that altered his demeanor.
Unusually, Alex's eyes turned red with anger, his grip tightened so much that his nails dug into his palm.
"Are you alright? Your eyes are red," the supervisor, who noticed his tension, asked. He mustered a smile and replied, "I'm perfectly fine, but the same can't be said for the bald one."
Alex stood before the mirror, but his mind was preoccupied with what the bald student at the institute, had told him. He said something that made his blood boil.
"Young master Blackstone, doesn't want to lose the bet on you. He advises you to withdraw from this test immediately. I'll give you a five-minute head start, because by the sixth minute, I'll head towards Green Hill Village. I've heard there's a stunning blind lady there."
The bald man licked his upper lip and, with a lascivious tone, added, "What can I say except that I adore older ladies? Rest assured, I'll take good care of her."
His words weren't empty threats; with his life experience, Alex could sense the determination of this deviant to carry out his promise.
For over a month, a nobleman named David Blackstone arrived at Green Hill Village with another person to investigate the murder of the nobleman Monroe. It ended with a wager between David and Alex, the Red Spatial Cube against the skill of the Autumn Leaf card.
David was confident in winning the bet, and even if he lost, the Red Spatial Cube wasn't of utmost importance to him.
However, in recent days, rumors reached him about an influential figure in the kingdom collecting dark red colored cubes. Now, the last thing he wanted was for his cube to be lost before he discovered its secret due to a moment of recklessness.
Hence, the burly man was tasked with eliminating Alex during the first test. Indeed, one of them was sent behind Alex, but he received news of Alex's success in the test. There was nothing left for him to do but to handle the situation himself.
Alex stood before the mirror, staring at the white reflection. Everything around him turned into a dense white fog. Amidst the fog, there was a voice.
"Take it easy, it's our first meeting. You need to calm down."
The voice was melodic, more like a musical note than spoken words.
* Nana nana *
The singular melody repeated and repeated, yet somehow he could understand it, even communicate with it.
"Hello, pleased to meet you."
Alex remained standing before the mirror, everyone watching in silence, waiting for the result.
"The strength of the soul has reached seventy points, while two stars shone on the left," the supervisor nodded and said, "Very good. Try to gather the mana to see if you can manifest the third star."
Alex followed the instruction, and the seventy points decreased.
Someone inquired, puzzled, "Seventy points is high for someone in the middle of the Physical Realm. But why is it decreasing?"
His companion, gazing at the newly appeared third star, answered, "I have no idea. But the more important question is, what exactly is this ?"
The speaker gestured towards the mirror where everyone was staring at the form that had finally manifested on its surface, with none of them understanding its nature.
Some started to whisper and mock the entity that appeared before them. A few even dared to describe it as garbage. Finally, the supervisor spoke up, "These are impressive results for someone at your level, but I'm sorry, it's an unknown entity. Your form is... a sphere... just a silver sphere. You've failed the entrance test." The supervisor didn't ask the elsk to leave; instead, she continued, "Despite your high mana, without a magical form, you can't become a sorcerer. You need to raise your spiritual energy and participate next year as a fighter." True, the elsk met the condition of three stars for sorcerers, but there's another specific requirement for sorcerers: possessing one of the two magical forms.
The unknown form was the nightmare of every martial artist student. Without the Growth Technique, its possessor would struggle with slow progress. If they forcefully entered the realm of laws, they might manage training, but it's not that simple. Most ended up maxing out in the Realm of Spirits at best. Gloom overcame many, especially Steve, his friend who had previously helped them overcome the magical seal crisis. Many wished to console him, but the right words eluded them.
Meanwhile, others suppressed their laughter, mocking the elsk and his silver card.
Steve's anger began to boil, and he felt the urge to strike them. His heart shattered for his comrade.
Suddenly, a loud, joyful scream erupted from the mouth of alex.
"Amazing! It's the best form ever! Enroll me as a fighter!" The shock silenced everyone. He had just failed, so why was he so enthusiastic about the unknown form? Some thought the shock had driven him mad, but the voice of one person made everyone stare back at the mirror.
"What's happening? Why are the results changing?" Everyone stared at the mirror, where the results were indeed changing. The numbers skyrocketed until they reached a hundred points. It was surprising; Alex was in the middle of the body Realm, and reaching a hundred points was impossible. It was evident that he had joined to become a sorcerer. However, their astonishment paled in comparison to the supervisor, who remained frozen in place, gazing in disbelief at what was happening on the left side of the mirror.
Someone screamed, alerting everyone, "Impossible, the mana stars vanished. He converted all the mana in his body into spiritual energy, including the first star that represents the primary mana."
Everyone was born with a magic card with a single star, hence referred to as primary mana. No matter how much elixir one consumed to enhance their mana, only two stars could be achieved at most. Even those born with a higher-level mana card couldn't break this rule. Upon reaching the third star, one could gather mana from nature; that's the basis of magic. A moment ago, when the elsk attempted to gather mana to show the third star, his spiritual energy points decreased. Now, the opposite occurred: the stars vanished, while his points increased. His form, a genie, could convert spiritual energy into mana and vice versa, including primary mana. This ability left everyone in shock.
"Tell me the result," Alex addressed the supervisor who had been gazing at the mirror until this moment.
Finally, she said, "Congratulations. You are now a martial artist. I will file an exceptional request for you to become a novice sorcerer, even though your form isn't magical. Not everyone can manipulate mana and spiritual energy like this every day." Alex's expression remained unchanged; he didn't smile, he simply said, "Good. What are you waiting for? Come with me. You're my partner from today."
"Excuse me, what did you just say?" the bewildered supervisor asked.
"No need to be shy, my dear. Be assured... we're going to have a lot of fun tonight."
The face of the blonde supervisor turned completely red before she exploded in anger, "How dare you say such things?"
The supervisor moved her finger in the air, forming an aggressive magical circle. As terror gripped the participants, they realized she was an advanced sorceress, and her attack would surely kill him. She was about to strike when Alex spoke up, "Lily, come on. We've got some asses to kick."
The supervisor repeated what he said, then she looked at where Alex was staring from within the Mirror of Souls. It was a small silver ball the size of a walnut. It started to move madly, emitting a bright white light. It exited the mirror slowly, hovering, and finally landed in Alex's palm.