Among the skyscrapers lining the streets of Shinjuku, Tokyo, the Japanese Branch of the International Mage-Knight Federation stood thirty stories tall.
"Damn, this place looks amazing" said Kuraudo
"I know right, I've already made an appointment with the guys at the registration office so let's go do a check up on your blazer powers" said Yuuzou
"You make sound like I'm a mental patient Lightning old man"
"Aren't you a mental patient Kuraudo-kun?" replied Yuuzou mockingly
"If I weren't excited, I would've attack you old man"
Yuuzou Kaiede laughs it off as the pair enter the building and walked to the reception, "Mr. Kaiede welcome sir, who is young man?" asked the female receptionist
"He's a kid I'm taking care of, were here for his blazer registeration"
"Oh, he must be quite gifted, if you're here with him, we will expect great things from you, young man"
Kuraudo just nodded and Kaiede filled in the necessary forms and guided him to the room where the test would be taking place. As they were walking, they ran into someone that both of them were familiar with.
"I didn't expect to see you here Itsuki, aren't you quite busy as Japan's branch manager of the Federation?" Kaiede asked the man who he run into as he and Kuraudo were about to enter the room for the registration.
"It's been a while, Mr. Kaiede, I was here to look at the results for the test of my daughter, Shizuku" Itsuki Kurogane curtly replied.
"Oh, from what I heard, she had a high magic capacity when she was born, is she a natural interference type like your son?"
"Yes, she is a water type natural interference blazer and is a B-rank blazer" Itsuki said with an uncharacteristic hint of pride that was barely noticeable on his emotionless face.
"It seems like the Kurogane household has a bright future moving forward" Kaiede complimented to which Itsuki shrugged with his characteristic stone face.
"Is he the boy from the fighting ring incident" Itsuki said glancing at Kuraudo who at the moment wasn't paying attention as his mind was occupied at what rank he was to be given.
"I'm surprised you paid attention to the report of the incident, it was quite small scale and not something that required someone on your level of authority to take too seriously" Kaiede replied surprised that Itsuki Kurogane as the Director who had more important things to deal with would pay attention to a very small fighting ring.
"As long as the situation involves blazers in Japan regardless of rank, I am required to know all the details as the Branch Director of the Mage-Knight Federation Japan" Itsuki replied staunchly to which Kaiede admired
"Well, this little guy here is Kurashiki Kuraudo, I adopted him since he wants to be a mage-knight and we're here to get him registered and obtain his rank" Kaiede said as he put his arm on Kuraudo's shoulder to get his attention.
"I saw a video of you fighting, you would make a good rival to my son, Ouma with his attitude" Itsuki said nonchalantly
"I'm not anyone's rival, I aim for the top. The only thing I see are stepping stones. But is your son stronger than me currently?" Kuaraudo asked curiously.
He knew from the information of the novel that, Ouma Kurogane was the only A-rank blazer in Japan of his generation but he also was curious to find out where he stood in comparison to a genius A-rank.
"He is stronger than you in my opinion but not by much, how far you can go or even surpass my son will depend on your rank today" Itsuki said
"Good day Mr. Kaiede, Kurashiki-kun" greeted Itsuki as he left.
"You really don't aim low kid but that motivation is good, come on let's go in". The two went through the door and entered a large space with something that looked to be an orb but with various diodes and wires connected to it as it was mounted on a platform that was probably suppling power to it.
As I stood in front of the large device, I felt a mix of excitement and anxiety. This orb-like machine was the Magic Power Evaluation Device, designed to measure a Blazer's mana quantity. Mr. Yuuzou explained that the results of the quantity measurement would factor in about sixty percent of my rank.
Which makes sense because despite the existence of Kurogane Ikki, it's an iron clad fact that power of a blazer foremost depends on mana quantity. The blazer's magic ability is second though.
I couldn't help but feel the weight of expectations pressing down on me.
From what was told, the device approximates the amount of mana a blazer has in units and rates them according to this scale;
F: 10 – 20 mana units
E: 21 – 40 mana units
D: 41 – 60 mana units
C: 61 – 80 mana units
B: 81 – 100 mana units
A: <100 mana units
From what Mr. Yuuzou told me, Ouma Kurogane's mana quantity is at 100 units and Stella Vermillion's is actually passed 600. I'm also quite shocked that Ikki's mana quantity is 10 because I was told regular F ranks had mana levels above 16, if anything most F ranks have 20 mana units.
"Just relax, Kuraudo. The device will do the rest," Yuuzou encouraged, his voice calm and steady. I nodded, taking a deep breath to steady my racing heart. I stepped forward, placing my hand on the cool surface of the orb.
Suddenly, the machine hummed to life, its lights flickering as it began to analyze my magic power. I felt a surge of energy course through me, and the orb glowed brighter with each pulse of my magic. My heart raced as I wondered if I would be able to reach the same level as Ouma Kurogane, the only person my age who I think is probably stronger than me
The machine beeped, and the lights shifted to a deep blue, indicating the evaluation was complete.
"Let's see what you got!" Yuuzou exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
A panel slid open, revealing a screen displaying my rank. I leaned closer, my breath catching in my throat. Mana Quantity: 86.72. Rating: B
"Not bad, kid!" Yuuzou grinned, clapping me on the back. "That puts you on par with some of the best young Blazers in Japan. You've got potential!"
"B-Rank, huh?" I echoed, a mix of pride and disbelief swelling in my chest. I was relieved, although I knew my mana quantity greater than my original counterpart, I frankly thought it would have been by one level, after all Kuraudo in the novel had a mana quantity of D but to my surprise it's actually B.
It may not look like much compared to Stella Vermillion but having B rank mana quantity is incredibly rare, like one in a thousand.
After the mana quantity measurement, the Federation officials began with the other tests, my blazer ability's offence and defense, my mana control, physical ability and surprisingly some sort of interview.
At the end of the day my status and blazer ranking were given;
Kurashiki Kuraudo
Ranking: B-Rank
Physical: B
Luck: B
Offense: C+
Defense: C+
Magic Cap.: B
Magic Ctl.: C
Bummer, I thought I would be an A-rank blazer but then again rank doesn't really matter only strength does.
"Don't sell yourself short. Being a B-Rank at your age is impressive. With hard work and training, you could surpass that in no time," Yuuzou reassured me.
"Thanks, Mr. Yuuzou," I said, my confidence rising. "I'm ready to put in the effort. I want to become a Mage-Knight that's worthy of the title." and cut down strong opponents too
"Good! Let's head back home and start your training. We'll begin with physical conditioning; you'll need to be in top shape if you want to surpass with the likes of Ouma Kurogane." he said, leading me out of the evaluation room.
As we walked back through the bustling halls of the Mage-Knight Federation, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement for the future now that I know my level.
I just can't help of thinking about my future opponents. Yep being a mage-knight is going to be fun.
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