Yes, that is it. He can accurately assess the amount of mana on every object. Weirdly enough, he seems to dislike anything mana-related. Is it because of his trash affinity towards the normal elements, and would he feel better about mana from the trash element, or does he just dislike mana in general and trash somehow corresponds to something opposite to mana? This is getting interesting, she thought and started smiling.
"Good, very good disciple. Now I know why you called yourself Trash; you really are something," she said. "Thank you, master, I keep trying my best," were the first words the graduate heard after awaking from unconsciousness.
He needed a few seconds to realize what just happened before and who was in front of him. Then he heard the words they were speaking and was even more bewildered. This girl is the master, and how does she talk to her student? Why does the student like it? Has this guy a weird fetish?
No, no, no. Why do I even think about them? "Hey, release me at once! Otherwise the Simsalabimisung Academy won't let you get away with this," he yelled angrily. This woman knocked him out without even inquiring about his status; now that she knows she will definitely need to beg for her life, he smiled evilly.
But sadly, to his dismay, nobody answered. After waiting for 30 seconds, he yelled once again. "Hey, release me. I'm James Baltasar, a graduate from Simsalabimisung Academy. The top academy in the country. SIMSALABIMISUNG ACCADEMY S-I-M-S-A-L-A-B-I-M-I-S-U-N-G-A-C-A-D... Why do I also spell Academy? You get my point, right?"
Trash and G finally turned their heads. While Trash clapped his hands, delighted by this outstanding performance of spelling, G went to him. "Hey loser, I don't care whether you came from Simsalabimsbums or straight from heaven itself; you interrupted me and even called me a subordinate. I could kill you right here right now, and nobody would stand up for you and dare to challenge me," she said while displaying some of her power. The shown power was strong enough for James to fear her even more. He didn't know how strong the top magicians of Simsalabimisung Academy were, but this woman was definitely far above his capabilities.
"Alright, alright, please spare me. I understand. I didn't realize you were a master of magic; please let this humble little magician go," he pleaded.
"First use your status and then beg for your life? What an average idiot. How about a game? You against him," she pointed at trash. "Each of you will assess every item auctioned on whether it has any mana on it or not. Whoever gets the most right will win. If you win, I will let you go and even gift you the most valuable item in this auction. If you lose, you will have to give all your belongings to him," she said, pointing at Trash.
"Please, have mercy," James said. "I know he is your disciple, and I am incapable of defeating him. Please don't play with me; I apologize with everything I hold dear," he pleaded.
"Well, he never cast magic before; he isn't awakened and has lived in poverty his entire life," G said.
"Alright! Bring it on, my friend!" James shouted, excited. This was his chance to break out of here and even take something with him. After getting out, he could research G's background and eventually avenge this humiliation tenfold.
"Ok," G just said and took of James binds. Then she walked over to Trash and said, "You heard us, right? This will be your first competition; if you lose, you will be tortured for one day, but if you win, I will take you in as my official disciple and will really train you to be a great mage. At first you were just some interesting idiot, but with your talent, you actually could beat my ex-master in the future. It is all on you," she said.
Trash just looked at her and said, "As long as you let me see even more of the world, this will be fine."
"Yes, you will see a lot. That is something that I can promise you. Now let's start the competition."
G gave both of them a paper and a pen. "Write your answer on this magic paper, which will announce your answer after both finish writing. Nobody can see what the other one writes due to the magic imbedded into the paper and pen. Only the person who writes can see what is written, so nobody can look at the others answer. The game will start on the next item," G explained.
As the game started and the first item was revealed, both instantly wrote down their answers. "Magic" and "bad," the two papers announced. "You wrote bad?" James was puzzled. This guy didn't even write magic or no magic, but bad?
"I wrote bad, because this item is bad," Trash said. Any problem?
At this moment, James, who took a glance at G's uninterestedness, felt like he was in heaven. "My name is James Baltasar; what is your name, young friend?" he asked.
"Trash," Trash answered.
"Ok, trash. From now on, we will be livelong friends. Trash? Your name is Trash? Like in garbage, waste, dirt?" he asked.
Trash just nodded at James enumeration, with a smile getting bigger and bigger. "Yes! Just like that! I love this name!"
James was stunned but soon smiled himself. "Yes, Trash, what a great name, fitting for a wonderful person like you. Let's continue this little game of ours and keep good memories in our hearts," he said while thinking: Yes, this guy is mentally ill. I will win, get the best auction item, get out of here, research that woman, and make her regret messing with me.
But while James was smiling from ear to ear at the prospect of taking revenge, G was smiling as well. This game wasn't as easy as James could ever predict.