For the various student-made factions within Takerth Academy, the Live Examination was more than just a test—it was a means to an end, an opportunity to reach this very moment. Although their families had sent them here primarily to learn, this was their secondary objective, a goal they had to seize if given the opportunity. Hundreds of students had signed up for the Live Examination, but in the end, not even half made it to the main stage.
And as the real examination progressed, even more were eliminated.
But those who now stood on the field before the professors and academy staff were there for one reason: they were talented. Not everyone who made it far in the Live Examination could stand where they were now; strength was only part of the equation. Potential and ability were far more important. As a student of one of the Ten Great Magic Academies, one would already gain a special status.
Hardly anyone would go out of their way to cause trouble for such a student, if only because of the shadow of the academy looming behind them. However, that protection wasn't absolute. If a student was attacked within the immediate vicinity of the academy, they would surely be protected. But beyond that, their protection was more like a paper tiger.
Many wouldn't dare harm the students out of respect for the academy, but that's all it was: respect. However, being selected as a disciple of one of the masters within Takerth Academy was an entirely different matter. If regular students could be seen as having the shadow of Takerth Academy behind them, then students with masters could be considered to have the full weight of the academy at their back.
In a world where nearly every noble family was making moves to gain influence and power, there was almost nothing comparable to that kind of support. After all, any attack on a disciple of a master from Takerth Academy would be seen as an attack on the academy itself, and there were very few forces in the world willing to risk bearing the consequences of something like that.
I did it... I can't believe I'm actually standing here. Dammit, I'm so nervous that I can't even focus on what's going on.
These thoughts belonged to Velis. As Eredim had requested, all the students had lined up, and as the line formed, she found herself standing furthest to the left, meaning she would be the very first to be called upon. Velis hadn't enrolled in Takerth Academy at the same time as Luden and Magnus; she joined earlier in the year around the same time as Seraline and her cousin, Tascen.
Still, she felt that, compared to all of them, she wasn't that impressive. But despite her self-doubt, she now found herself standing shoulder to shoulder with those she believed she had no chance of defeating. It gave her a strange mix of accomplishment and anxiety.
"Velis Mestor!" Hearing Eredim suddenly call her name, Velis nearly jumped as she snapped back to reality. She had no choice but to push her unease and anxious thoughts aside as she stepped forward, suddenly feeling the eyes of nearly every academy professor on her. Taking a deep breath, Velis slowly raised her head to meet their gazes, but when she did, her heart nearly lurched in her chest.
As her eyes scanned the professors and academy staff, she saw that not a single one of them had their hand raised. The anxiety building in her mind grew even faster. But as her eyes continued scanning over everyone, she finally saw it—a professor with flowing brown hair down to his shoulders and a neatly trimmed beard and mustache had his hand raised.
He was the very same professor who had taken an interest in Velis's ability to cast Master-level elementrix spells during her match and was also the one who had put in the effort to have her be part of the group of potential disciples. A single staff member or professor didn't have enough authority to make a student a potential disciple; it was a matter of votes. If a student gained enough, they would be admitted, and only then could they choose a master.
But sometimes this process worked against masters who wanted certain students as their disciples. It was common for one of them to see something in a student that others did not, and as such, despite wanting a student as their disciple, they never got the opportunity. That's why it's become common for professors to ask each other for favors when it comes to voting. If a professor has no intention of taking on disciples or already has too many, other professors they are friendly with may ask for their vote.
That way, they can secure the student they want as a disciple without worrying about anyone else poaching them. This was what the professor who had his hand raised now had done. Spotting the older man, Eredim nodded in his direction, giving him the stage to speak.
"My name is Beriz Nulio. I've been a professor at Takerth Academy for the past fifteen years. Now, before we discuss what you will receive as my disciple, I have a question for you." Upon hearing his request, Velis nodded and did her best to respond in a clear voice, though it was obvious to anyone listening that she was nervous, no matter how much she tried to hide it.
"O-Of course, what is it?"
"In your match, you used Master Class Magic and cast the spell Abyssal Deluge. How exactly did you do it, and where did you learn it? You may be a Pseudo-Adept in terms of mana control, but that alone wouldn't allow you to pull off such a feat," Beriz stated, his eyes trained on Velis. His question was one a few other professors had as well, and immediately Velis felt the pressure mounting.
"Well, I didn't exactly learn it; in fact, I've only ever seen it used once. When I was still a child, our family's Head Mage performed the spell to protect us while we were traveling through the region. I found it amazing—beautiful, even. Back then, I was still just learning how to control my mana, let alone cast spells, but since that day... I've been doing everything I can to try and replicate it. But... I've never been able to perfect it." Listening to her story, Beriz's expression changed as his eyes seemed to light up slightly.
"So, you're telling me you created that spell yourself from a memory as a child?" Beriz asked, his gaze more intense than before. Velis couldn't help but feel like she had said something wrong as she slowly nodded.
"Ye-Yes. I did my best to..." Her answer caused the various professors who hadn't shown interest a moment ago to suddenly break into conversation with one another.
"Incredible, she's really talented," Mulvin muttered, with Lazitha next to him nodding.
"And I don't think she even realizes it. When she used that spell, I thought she had simply modified some Master Class Magic she had studied before. But she actually recreated it from scratch, with nothing more than a visual." For a Master-level mage like herself to think that Velis's spell was a modified version of the original meant that her recreation, which was based entirely on a visual memory without even a glimpse of the mana formation behind it, was simply that accurate.
It wouldn't be wrong to go so far as to call her a genius.
Looking around, Lazitha couldn't help but smile to herself as she saw the expressions of some of the professors turning slightly sour.
I suppose this is the truest meaning of the early bird gets the worm.
In an instant, Velis, who seemed like a silver statue at best, had just had her outer layer chipped away, revealing the golden core underneath. A true hidden gem. The looks of displeasure from the professors were due to the fact that all of them, except for Beriz, had made it clear they weren't interested in taking her on. If they tried to steal her from him now by raising their hands, it would be too obvious, and they would lose face.
They had missed their chance. On the other hand, Beriz was having a hard time suppressing the grin on his face as he chuckled to himself.
"I see. In that case, Velis, would you like to become my disciple? I promise that until you reach the Pseudo-Master level, you will be the only disciple I take on, so you will have my full attention. I'm well-versed in water elementrix magic as well, and I can give you private lessons to help you progress far more than you could on your own. And if that's not enough, over the years, I've come into possession of quite a few rare materials. Once you reach the Adept level, we could even craft you an Arcane-level staff that fits your style of magic."
His offer caused Velis's eyes to widen in shock as gasps echoed through the spectator area of the Academy Arena.
"Did he just say an Arcane-level staff?" A Knight Division student mumbled, trying to confirm if he had misheard what Beriz had said.
"But... that means he's offering her an Arcane-level magical artifice, right?" Another student murmured.
Just like mages and knights, magical artifices were also divided into different levels. The first two levels for magical artifices were Novice and Adept. Although these levels seemed to correspond directly to a mage's rank, that wasn't entirely the case. While Novice-level magical artifices did typically have up to Apprentice-level magic engraved in them, the difference in quality was significant.
In the middle of a battle, no matter how skilled a mage might be, it's impossible to cast a spell perfectly while making split-second decisions. Although a spell's mana formation wouldn't be so flawed as to be unstable, there would still be imperfections simply because humans make mistakes. But it's different when it comes to being a rune smith, someone who has dedicated all their magical talents to crafting magical artifices.
For Novice-level magical artifices, rune smiths would spend weeks on designs and methods, perfecting the runes and magic engraved into their works, making them as efficient and precise as possible. Some even use enhancement magic to boost their efficiency even further. This means that although a Novice-level magical artifice's abilities seem equal to those of an Apprentice-level mage on paper, in reality, they are more akin to those of an Adept-level mage.
Similarly, an Adept-level magical artifice was closer in capability to a Master-level mage than an Adept-level one. And the level above that is where Arcane-level magical artifices stand. Although not on par with an Archmage, they are powerful enough to give a Master-level mage trouble. In fact, the mask Luden had given Magnus was an example of such an Arcane-level magical artifice, something even professors couldn't see through.
Forging something like that requires more than just ordinary mana catalysts; it needs numerous materials that can handle the strain of such high-tier magic. And that was exactly what Beriz was offering Velis right now.
"I... But I couldn't possibly-" Velis began, but before she could finish, Beriz spoke again.
"It would be rude to turn me down without even thinking it over first." Beriz's voice carried authority, clearly trying to push Velis into accepting his offer, even if it meant being a bit forceful. Sensing this, Velis stopped resisting and instead lowered her head in a respectful bow.
"In that case, I would be honored to have you as my master," she said, causing Beriz to smile and let out a joyful laugh.
"Good, good! We'll talk more after the Live Examination ends, then." And so, the first student had taken on a master, and that was only the beginning. As the selection process continued, student after student stepped forward. Some, like Velis, received a single raised hand, while a few others garnered as many as five. Each professor made their offer one after the other, with the final decision resting in the hands of the student.
However, things really began to heat up when Zilen and Resir stepped forward, as they were standing right next to each other in line. Despite Resir's crushing defeat in a one-sided match against Luden, the professors weren't blind to his potential. This was his first year, and he was already on par with an Adept-level knight. There was no denying that he was gifted.
"His personality is a bit rough and needs some work. But with the right guidance, becoming a Master-level knight in the next few years is practically guaranteed," one professor remarked, voicing the thoughts of many others who raised their hands. In the end, a total of twenty-eight professors expressed interest in taking in Resir, and the offers they made were even more impressive than what Velis had received.
"Resir, I can guarantee that under my tutelage, you will become a Master-level knight within the next five years. I'm also willing to help you develop an entirely new aura style that suits you better than the one you're using now. It will be unique to you, maximizing your potential."
"In only five years? You must be getting old, Zarath; I can do it in four. Not only that but instead of wasting time developing a new aura style, I'll teach you the one I created myself. Out of all the aura styles in Takerth Academy, mine has the most room for growth and will allow you to fully maximize your potential."
A third professor let out a laugh upon hearing the first two and added, "You two are trying to reign in a disciple while offering such meager rewards? Resir, ignore them; I'll teach you an aura style developed by a Champion-level knight. I assure you, you will become the strongest within your level. On top of that, when you reach the Adept level, I'll help you find and raise a Master-level mana beast mount. Success will be guaranteed!"
The offers kept coming, each more extravagant than the last, as the professors tried to outdo one another. But in the end, the allure of an aura style from a Champion-level knight was simply too tempting to resist. Although the other offers were more valuable in terms of material wealth, none could top the potential of such an aura style, and so Resir's choice was made. Zilen, who went after Resir, received a similar response, with twenty-five professors raising their hands, hoping to bring him to their side.
In the end, Zilen chose a master who offered him the most resources rather than teaching benefits. And so, things cooled off again, but only temporarily, because soon it was Luden's turn.
"Luden Rilhawk!" The moment his name was called, and he stepped forward, a massive swarm of professors raised their hands. There were over one hundred professors and academy staff present, yet nearly half of them had their arms in the air at that moment—the biggest show of interest since the selection process began. Eredim, quick on his feet, immediately began to order which professors would speak first.
But before he could give the go-ahead, Luden, who didn't appear the least bit nervous despite the overwhelming interest, lowered his head slightly.
"I apologize; however, I have already decided on who I will take on as my master." Luden's voice was respectful, but it was clear he had no intention of changing his mind. Many of the professors eager to have Luden as their disciple couldn't help but frown.
"Huh, he's already decided?" One of them muttered in a slightly irritated tone.
"Dammit, who got to him first? They must have approached him after his match in the Live Examination," another grumbled, clicking his tongue.
"Oh please, I saw the potential in that boy long before any of you old fools did," a voice cut through the complaints, drawing the attention of the other professors. It was none other than Lazitha, who was sitting with her arms crossed, wearing an extremely sly and satisfied look on her face.
"Ah, so it was you, Lazitha! That's not fair—you're already his teacher. And you've never accepted a disciple before," one of the academy staff remarked, which only made Lazitha chuckle to herself without a care.
"It's not that I didn't want a disciple; it's simply that no one was worth investing my time in. Besides, it's not my fault all of you spend your days in seclusion. Perhaps if you spent more time actually teaching, you would find great talents as well." Her words were sharp, clearly meant to irritate, but none of the professors could deny the truth in them. Many of them simply weren't interested in teaching normal classes and students, and as a result, they missed the opportunity to spot new talent when it arrived.
Even so, it didn't change the fact that Lazitha had had her eye on Luden for quite some time, ever since she first taught him the Mana Sphere Spell. Even if someone else had noticed him first, she wouldn't have let anyone take him away from her. And so, what could have been a large-scale auction for Luden's attention ended just like that, as both Luden and Lazitha exchanged smiles, though likely for very different reasons.
But that didn't mean the excitement was over; all the students watching knew that for a fact. Because the person standing next to Luden was none other than Cain.
"Cain!" The moment his name was called and he stepped forward, the students watching could only speculate on what would happen next.
"I'll bet eighty percent of the mage professors raise their hands," one student whispered confidently to another.
"Eighty? No way, at least ninety," the other student replied with a shake of his head.
"Honestly, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if a few knight professors raised their hands as well. He's clearly strong enough to count as one," another student added, with the first two nodding in agreement.
But what happened next was far more surprising than anything they could have predicted. As Magnus looked up at the seating area where all the academy staff and professors sat, he hadn't set any real expectations for himself, but he couldn't help but feel a bit stunned.
Because not a single one of them had raised their hands.