Guided by a church official, the crowd moved from the square into the cathedral's grand hall. The hall, with its marble floor and massive crystal chandelier, was spacious enough for the hundreds gathered. At the front, chairs were lined up for representatives and recruiters from major magus academies. The testing area was centrally located, marked by a crystal sphere and a complex six-sided magical formation. The official announced, "Testees, proceed one at a time. Step into the center circle. Family and friends, please step aside."
Draven handed Renji the examination fee and identification, advising him to leave the Umbramouse Echo with him for the test. Renji complied, sending Echo into Draven's clothes before joining the line of youths ranging from six to seventeen years old. The line extended out the cathedral doors, as testees paid their fees and prepared for their turn.
Inside the circle, a bald elder instructed the first testee to place their hand on the crystal ball to assess elemental affinities. The ball glowed red with hints of green, indicating average Fire and low Wind affinities. The testee then stood in the magical formation, enduring a Light-style magic test. The result: a spiritual essence twice that of the average person, deemed insufficient for becoming a magus.
As the testing continued, a young lady managed to endure longer than her predecessors. The elder, pleased, declared her spiritual essence eight times stronger than average, meeting the minimum qualifications and earning her a place as a magus. Her father's elation was met with the elder's stern command for silence as the girl was escorted to the recruiters.
The hall grew crowded as the seven-day testing event continued. When it was Renji's turn, he approached the center with Kaiya Tanaka by his side. Renji placed his hand on the crystal ball, which erupted with a blinding light, displaying exceptional affinities for both Earth and Wind, and average Fire affinity. This extraordinary result stunned the entire hall. Kaiya Tanaka was astonished by the dual-element affinity. Renji, having previously ignored the wind essence, was thrilled to discover his potential as a dual-element magus, a rare and powerful designation.
The test then shifted to evaluating Renji's spiritual essence.