"Lam, Senior Brother, please wait a moment."
Sophia approached the supervisor and whispered something to him.
The supervisor hesitated for a moment, then nodded, no longer focusing on the situation at the magic array, and instead started to converse quietly with another supervisor.
"Daniel, Senior Brother, what do you think of the candidates who passed this year?" Supervisor Lam asked with a smile.
"So far, they seem quite good, certainly a notch above the quality of the past two years," responded Daniel, a black-robed magus with a small mustache standing beside Lam.
He was also a supervisor in the Inspectorate Department, named Daniel.
"How do you think that Luna compares to your prized disciple?" Lam gestured towards Sophia.
"Enough with the bragging!" Daniel replied somewhat glumly.
He recalled the girl named Luna who seemed to possess a powerful weakening spell.
After casting it on a stone man, she smashed its head with a single blow from her staff.
This newcomer indeed had a strong talent in curse magic.
Daniel glanced over the list of those who had passed, letting out a wry smile, "Look at these people, all from the Resonance faction, well... except for that wind-based elementalist named Emily."
Lam blinked and smiled, unsure of what to say next; truth be told, he wasn't too optimistic about Emily either.
Even though Emily demonstrated impressive skill in compressing magic, the candidates who had passed this year were all exceptional, and she might well be eliminated in the final assessment.
If that happened, Daniel wouldn't recruit much talent this year.
"Ha, if it comes to that, I'll lend you Luna," Lam joked with Daniel.
Daniel pursed his lips and stroked his stubbly beard, remaining silent.
He had anticipated such a situation.
In Nebula Academy, regardless of the department, the Control faction and the Resonance faction coexisted.
Magic and martial arts inherently embody both human and natural elements, naturally giving rise to two factions.
The Resonance faction advocates for a close connection with nature, gaining strength through harmony with the natural world.
The Control faction, on the other hand, champions the transformation of nature, wielding greater power through strong conviction and control.
Moreover, the differences between these two schools extend beyond their magical philosophies and are evident in their approaches to life and work.
Over the years, the academy has segregated administrative personnel according to their factions, assigning them to handle different responsibilities.
This division effectively prevents conflicts arising from differing viewpoints, saving a lot of unnecessary trouble and internal strife.
However, with the retirement of old Dean Epton and the appointment of the new Dean Jones, who favors the Resonance faction, a significant portion of resources has shifted towards the Resonance faction, leading to a gradual decline in the influence of the Control faction within the academy.
Even the academy's entrance examinations and the majority of teaching professors lean towards the Resonance faction, relegating veteran Control faction professors to less significant departments.
Even Professor Cliff, whom he had always respected, had been assigned to a place like the Sky Sanctuary, spending his days in idleness.
Considering this, he, a recently appointed elite magus, felt there was little need for complaint.
Yet, at that moment, his attention was drawn to Nathan, who stood outside the magic array, focusing on the fireball spell in his hand.
Sophia had mentioned that this newcomer was a friend's junior, asking for a chance to be given to him.
"But this is..."
As a veteran Control faction magus, he keenly sensed something different about the magic in Nathan's hands.
"He's actually compressing magic!"
Daniel squinted his eyes.
It was his first time witnessing someone compress magic in such a manner.
This technique left him feeling quite impressed.
"Good, finally another Control faction member has emerged!" Lam, too, noticed Nathan's distinctiveness and nodded in approval.
Daniel nodded, his eyes alight with excitement as he straightened up in his seat.
He had only recently joined the Inspectorate Department and hadn't quite settled in yet.
Besides Sophia, his student, he had no additional manpower at his disposal, yet the tasks allocated to the Control faction continued to be assigned as usual, leaving him in dire need of more hands.
However, after observing for a while, he slightly shook his head.
Compressing magic in this manner wasn't ineffective, but it had two drawbacks.
Firstly, this method was evidently slower than directly releasing and then compressing the magic.
Secondly, it demanded much higher control over the magic.
It was manageable with familiar spells, but for those barely manageable in their original form, it became significantly harder to manipulate.
Recognizing that Nathan was compressing a large fireball spell, Daniel remained skeptical about this technique.
While such a level of compression could eliminate a stone man, it was only on par with the wind-based newcomer, Emily.
As time ticked away, even he began to lose hope.
Despite mastering the technique of compressing magic, the slow casting speed rendered it practically ineffective.
Nonetheless, Daniel genuinely appreciated the newcomer.
In an era dominated by the Resonance faction, it was comforting to see a new student learning Control faction magic.
After all, each new person learning control magic added strength to the future of the Control faction.
"Senior Brother Daniel, I think it's best to let it go," Lam said, pointing at the motionless Nathan with a barely suppressed smirk.
"Let's wait a bit longer!" Daniel, feeling a bit embarrassed and regretful, insisted.
Another five minutes passed, and Nathan remained motionless beside the magic array, holding a small fireball in his hand, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing that the supervisors from the Inspectorate Department remained silent, the other candidates, though disgruntled, kept their complaints to themselves.
At that moment, Alex stepped forward from the crowd and addressed Supervisor Lam, "Sir, this person has already delayed everyone for ten minutes. It seems deliberate. If he continues like this, are we expected to keep waiting?"
Supervisor Lam shot Alex a glare, "Enough from you. I haven't even said anything yet, and here you are, getting all worked up."
Alex, rebuffed and sulking, tried to stir up the remaining candidates in whispers.
Five minutes later, someone's patience finally snapped, and they shouted, "For heaven's sake, hurry up! What are you dawdling for?"
With one person breaking the silence, the rest began to voice their complaints as well.
"Sir, if you won't deal with him, then we might as well not take the exam!"
"Damn it, I'm not taking this anymore. It's too frustrating!"
"I agree!"
...
At this point, Supervisor Lam could no longer sit idly by.
Although he wanted to give Daniel face, he couldn't let such an incident unfold.
This could be considered a serious examination mishap, and he would be held accountable by the higher-ups.
He glanced at Daniel, who ultimately sighed, indicating no objection.
Daniel waved Sophia over, "Ask him to step down."
"Of course, mentor," Sophia internally sighed, puzzled by Nathan's behavior.
As Eris's friend, she had done her best.
With a nod of apology to Supervisor Lam, she made her way to the magic array.
"Nathan, please step back," Sophia said, tinged with regret.
But Nathan seemed not to hear her, still standing there.
In fact, Nathan was in a state of utter distress at the moment.
He had thought that by compressing a triple-sized fireball, he could shatter the stone man's head in one hit.
He had even experimented with the compression technique and thought there were no issues.
However, when he compressed the fireball to nearly three times its size, he suddenly realized that the power of the compressed fireball seemed a bit too overwhelming.
He didn't even need to release it to feel the terrifying level of energy it contained.
He was genuinely afraid that a single fireball would damage the magic array, and he'd end up having to pay with credits.
So, he tried to reduce the compression slightly, but the slightest movement almost detonated the fireball.
With no other option, he had to slowly withdraw mana from the fireball.
But while infusing mana was easy, retracting it proved to be very difficult!
Moreover, as the mana underwent this reverse change, the fireball started to become somewhat unstable.