Morgan and Mathilda arrived at Ascension Hall, a spacious hall west of the Trident headquarters. Despite its name, only the Ascension Stage was available there.
The members could do the Ascension Rank independently, according to the guide.
The first thing Morgan saw right after arriving was a large circular area with a small circle in each corner and one in the center.
"You know the requirements for doing the Ascension Stage, right?" asked Mathilda, confirming with Morgan.
"Mana capacity must be sufficient. EXP must be full. Understand the minimum standard to enter the stage. And have the main materials for the ascension stage this time," Morgan explained.
Mathilda nodded, the woman's right hand stretched to point to each circle on the cardinal side.
"Those circles are places where you can put the materials needed to facilitate the Ascension Stage," Mathilda explained.
After learning a lot and hearing the experiences of the seniors in the first squad, Morgan understood the differences between gems.
In general, they are divided into two; Amethyst and Carmine gems. Carmine gems were commonly used to support offense or defense, unsuitable for Ascension, Material Enhancement, or Gem Formulation purposes.
However, Amethyst was different. It is a gem intended only as a primary material in the three crafting gems. The two types of gems had the same three tiers, ranging from common, rare, to legendary.
Morgan could use Carmine Gem, but the results would not be optimal, and the potential for failure would be high.
"I got it." Morgan took two pieces of carmine gem from his magic storage, the two gems were named oak leaf gem and old well water gem. They were different colors, green and dark blue, with a round shape about the size of a marble and were classified as common gems.
Morgan placed the four in different places, one circle for each gem. Once they were all stored, the circle lit up bright white, signaling that the ascension stage was about to begin.
"You sit there," Mathilda asked. Morgan cleared his throat in agreement.
Morgan sat cross-legged with his palms together, like a pose when he was absorbing nature's energy. A pillar of light formed in a large circle, trapping Morgan's body along with the four gems that had been placed there.
Mathilda watched as the Carmine gem began to erode, evaporate, and vanish. The mana flow inside the gem entered the mana flow connected under the hall floor to the center circle.
'Looks like his Ascension went well,' Mathilda said.
Not just one, but three other gems began to erode and vaporize. The mana energy trapped inside the gems was transmitted through the available mana flow under the hall floor, connecting to Morgan.
Another pillar of light formed in the center circle where Morgan had meditated for the Ascension Stage. Stage two was about to begin, the most difficult phase of an Ascension Stage.
Now, Morgan had to balance his own mana energy with the mana energy of the four materials. If Morgan failed to balance it, his body would be exhausted, and his EXP would be drained. Also, the gems he had used earlier would be wasted.
'I didn't expect this Ascension Stage to be so difficult,' Morgan explained.
He was still focusing on absorbing and balancing the energy with his mana. Mathilda looked on anxiously. Not many Trident members could do the Ascension Stage to the Magic Arcana 9, partly because of the difficulty.
'The significant difference in the characteristics of the two gems must affect this Ascension Stage,' Morgan said.
Morgan's back felt quite heavy, and his hands and feet shook. Occasionally, Morgan coughed as the absorption of the gem's energy didn't quite synchronize with the energy in the young man's body.
"Calm your mind, Morgan. Control the flow of the energy like you're controlling the flow of nature's energy," Mathilda instructed, advising Morgan.
'I need to balance it immediately. Don't waste any more time, or I'll be harmed!' Morgan said inwardly.
Morgan tightened his hands and focused his mind. His eyes were firmly closed as he adjusted his breathing to be more relaxed and his heart calmer.
Mathilda was originally worried after seeing Morgan struggling to balance the two different energies in his body. However, after seeing the flow of Amethyst gem energy start to enter, it was certain that Morgan had passed the second phase safely.
'That's good. He succeeded in the second phase. Now, the third one shouldn't threaten him,' Mathilda explained.
After all the Amethyst mana gem flow entered Morgan's body, Morgan's hands were pointed forward to create a magic circle.
Not only did a magic circle appear before his hands, but another magic circle appeared beneath Morgan's body, growing in size until it resembled the main circle of the Ascension hall.
'This is it! The final phase of the Ascension Stage.'
A giant pillar appeared from the huge magic circle that glowed brightly, breaking through to the glass roof that was intentionally created so that the pillar's light could stream through it, telling people indirectly that a member had completed the Ascension Stage.
The golden pillar mixed with white appeared to surprise many people. They pointed at it and whispered to each other, curious about the origin of the pillar from the successful Ascension Stage.
"W-Who did the Ascension Stage successfully?"
"I don't know, he seems like a powerful person," said another member.
In the front yard of Trident headquarters, Nura and Jordan began to exchange glances, smiling while nodding. Both of them knew very well who was performing the Ascension Stage.
"Looks like he succeeded," Nura added, her cheeks blushing with a smile.
"Damn! I'm having a hard time catching up to him," Jordan complained, realizing the gap between him and Morgan was widening, three ranks apart.
Cillian, who was in his study, also felt the strong energy fluctuations from the Ascension Hall. He stopped his activities and rushed over to see who managed to perform Ascension.
'Fluctuations of this magnitude. There's no mistaking it; it's coming from the Ascension Stage,' Cillian explained.
The door to the Ascension Hall opened, revealing Mathilda standing outside a pillar of white-gold light. When she heard the hall door open, Mathilda responded by turning around and seeing Cillian's arrival.
"Is Morgan doing Ascension?" asked Cillian, stepping closer briskly.
Mathilda cleared her throat, her arms crossed over her breasts, "Don't worry, he made it through the second phase well."
"That's not what I was thinking. Actually, I have a special mission to give him," explained Cillian, hands clasped around his waist as his eyes continued to watch the golden pillar of light before him.
"Special mission?" asked Mathilda.
"Do you remember the Child of the Crown?" asked Cillian.
"The recruitment group for Golden Crown members? I certainly remember it!"
"One of my men said that they found traces of the Child of Crown at the Monarch Academy of Magic," explained Cillian, looking intensely at Mathilda.
"Then I'll go with my team to hunt them down there!" declared Mathilda, about to leave, but Cillian stopped her.
"Don't. It will give Trident a bad image in the community. Everyone knows that the magic academy is a neutral place," Cillian explained.
Mathilda sighed, feeling annoyed at being hindered by such annoying rules. The woman walked back towards Cillian and stopped just outside the golden pillar of light before her.
"So, the only person who meets the qualifications to enter the academy without excessive confrontation is Morgan?" asked Mathilda, pointing ahead.
Cillian said yes. With Morgan's current age at 17, it was enough for the young man to join the academy. Cillian was lucky to have invited Morgan to join Trident last year so he could find a solution for this particular mission.
"More details about the mission. I will tell him everything right after he completes the final phase of the Ascension Stage," Cillian explained.
For ten minutes, Cillian and Mathilda waited. Finally, the pillar dimmed, and Morgan appeared to be sitting on the floor at the center of Hall's main circle. The light in each small circle began to fade, a sign the Ascension Stage was over.
Morgan's eyes opened, his body feeling refreshed and more energized. One benefit of a successful Ascension Stage was mana energy, magic combat ability, and physique recovery.
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
[Ascension Stage succeeded]
[Stage: Magic Arcana 9]
[Title: Senior Instructor]
'I can feel it, the power flowing in my veins,' Morgan said.
Morgan got up and walked over to Cillian and Mathilda, bowing his head respectfully. Cillian smiled and patted Morgan lightly on the shoulder, proud of his good friend's son's achievement.
"Well done. You're the first youngest member in Trident history to reach the Senior Instructor Stage," explained Cillian.
"This is thanks to the help of Captain Mathilda and the rest of the seventh group. If it wasn't for them, I might not have made it to this moment," Morgan explained.
"I'd better meet Nura and Jordan. I can't wait to go on another mission with—"
"Wait, Morgan!" interrupted Cillian, preventing Morgan from leaving the Ascension hall.
"What is it?" asked Morgan.
"The Trident has a special mission for you, a mission I think suits you," Cillian explained.
Morgan was silent for a moment. Both eyes focused on Cillian intently, wanting to know what mission he wanted to give.
"What is it?" asked Morgan, suspiciously.
"You're going to the academy of magic," explained Cillian briefly.
"Huh?"