Lami woke at 6:00 and brewed coffee, savoring the warm morning air outside his cramped tent.
Crack! Crack!
Crackling fire splashed embers and burnt bits of wood onto the ground. These were some of the most peaceful moments Lami had ever experienced.
All he did was train, sleep, and eat.
It was great, but it was due to end soon.
Like all things in life.
He took the cezve off the campfire and poured lots of water onto the campfire, making sure to drown all embers, pouring water until the last hiss faded away.
Lami quickly stored all his belongings in the ring. He had yet to test the ring's capacity fully, but he had realized that it had a rather large dimensional space.
Unlike the first quick step, the second one was more crucial,l and time-consuming for Lami.
He was trying to find the perfect fit. Endless combinations flashed before his eyes, leaving him dazed by the sheer overflow of information.
He didn't feel this way even in his hours-long study sessions for Swift Strike.
…
"Oh fuck, I am late."
Lost in thought, Lami jolted as he realized how late it was.
"This will do."
Panicked, Lami chose rather basic clothes. He quickly changed into the beige, baggy chino pants, white sweatshirt, and brown low-skate shoes, scowling after seeing the state his daily drivers were in.
He almost missed his bus but luckily he was just in time. Getting off at his stop, he stared at the gigantic gate in front of his eyes. He wanted to enjoy the sight, but sadly, he didn't have much time.
He jogged his way through the security, following the holographic signs that were showing the way to the exam hall.
Nexus, located in the southernwest part of Crownspire, was almost a city itself, equipped with every luxury a student could desire.
It was one of the best districts in the continent alongside the district of the Royal Palace—the Royal City.
It took him several minutes to reach the building where the exam was being held.
'So, this is the Athena Hall.'
In the Academy, most of the compartments were named after ancient mythologies and legends. Athena was the goddess of wisdom and warfare in ancient Greek mythology.
The building was pure white, adorned with various statues and pillars supporting the entrance.
It was where most of the theoretical lectures took place.
"Did you see that guy? Another monster has arrived!"
Lami couldn't help but eavesdrop; the area was too crowded. He slowly started to make his way toward the entrance.
They were talking about the practical exam that Lami didn't attend. It was held last week.
"There are already three Apprentices…"
'Just as I thought.'
"… Yeah, even the Princess is here. Can you believe it!?"
Just like Lami, her awakening came with a surge of uncontrollable energy. Lami knew that because of her importance as a figure, the news became a hot topic.
It was four years ago, back when she was twelve.
Lami couldn't utilize the illusion as he did in that illusionary world; it wasn't even close.
He assumed he had likely achieved the Spell's full potential, albeit limited by the mana capacity of his own body.
What truly made him sad was how he couldn't utilize his Demonic energy. He couldn't feel any of it. It was fully sealed for the time being.
"There are a lot of beauties this year... That white-haired Apprentice, the Princess, that Elf girl, and more."
"And there is that one with the great sword as well. I would even pay to breathe the same air as them…"
'…. Weirdos.'
Lami was truly speechless, but then he realized something peculiar.
'Huh?'
He instantly halted.
He could see white hues swirling around other students.
Some neglectable and some eye-catching.
'I can see mana flowing out of them! Since when?'
This revelation took Lami by surprise.
Being able to see mana was a game-changer for him
"Your ID, please."
"Oh, yes, sure. Here," Lami said, handing his ID to the personnel. His time to test the new discovery would come later.
"Room 013."
"Thank you."
Thanking the worker, he made his way to Room 013. It was time for the test.
Clank!
Lami pushed the door open as he entered the room, and hundreds of eyes fell on him. For a short moment, he felt his social anxiety churning inside.
He forced himself to advance and took a seat, scanning his surroundings. Lami could sense the sting of hateful eyes glaring at him, but he gave them no attention.
It was most likely due to him being a halfling.
But some also seemed to have pitiful expressions etched onto their faces, a look that disgusted Lami.
As the clock was about to hit 10:00, another person entered the room.
Her snow-white hair cascaded to her shoulders, framing a white face adorned with striking golden eyes that radiated a divine aura.
She was ethereally beautiful, one of the most stunning people Lami had ever seen.
'Red She's a demon!? Her horns…?'
Lami examined the hue emanating from her, noting the colors were not as easily recognizable as they were for others, but he could still make some sense of it.
His gaze fell onto her chest, drawn by the flashy necklace that seemed to pulse with mana. Lami concluded that the necklace was most likely a relic, used to conceal her horns.
'...Wait, I can see demonic energy too?'
Lami's eyes widened, the realization slowly hitting him. He tried his best to hold back the exhilarated smile.
Demonic energy was essentially mana with different qualities, often referred to as a variation of mana itself.
It was often described as tainted by some, but that wasn't true; only the Crazed possessed truly tainted mana.
Therefore the pure demons were unable to awaken and utilize elemental magic.
Lami pinched his leg to appear as someone eccentric and cleared his mind. He attentively observed the girl.
Compared to the sheer amount, she profoundly contained her energy, revealing her being a high-ranked student.
'Probably an Apprentice,' Lami thought.
As people ranked up and their mana control got better, the amount leaking from their bodies would reduce.
'How come I didn't sense any mana from Lucian? The Skill probably hadn't awakened yet, I guess. I didn't sense anything from anyone else either.'
It was a peculiar thing that seemed to have no answer for the time being. Lami was certain he didn't gain the Skill from Swift Strike.
He assumed his mana sense was an innate talent that he always had, activating after his awakening, and with his mana control being better, he could sense the ripples of mana.
Lami's gaze was still following the white-haired girl without him realizing it. Lost in his own world, he was drifting through a sea of imaginary thoughts.
It was only when their eyes met that he realized her presence, and he quickly turned his head away. Lami heard her taking a seat behind him.
'Whatever.'
Clank!
"Hello, young guns! I am Mark Stevens. I will be the exam observer for this room. Put your ID cards on the desk, and a screen should appear on the desks.
Before handing in the test, you need to put your fingerprint so we can match the exam with you."
As Mark Stevens' short and concise explanation came to an end, silence fell onto the room.
"You can start; good luck."
Lami put his ID on the right corner of the desk, and a holographic screen appeared before him on the desk, which could be seen only from one angle, which was his seat.
His full name and ID photo could be seen on the screen.
Lami was already bored, and he would be even more so in the next three hours.
'First question: What are the official rank names for the Awakened alongside their Core tiers?'
Lami immediately started typing on the screen:
Awakened Ranks:
Initiate - Tier 1
Beginner - Tier 2
Apprentice - Tier 3
Journeyman - Tier 4
Keeper - Tier 5
Master - Tier 6
Grandmaster - Tier 7
Ruler - Tier 8
Monarch - Tier 9
Order - Tier 10
[?]: ?
It was theorized that there was a rank above Order, but it wasn't proven until this day, so it was marked as 'Unknown' by the Union.
The next question asked for the names of the Crazed ranks, so named because of their lethal and violent tendencies.
'So boring.'
Usually, the first part of the test was general knowledge, but Lami was confident he could ace the whole test. He immediately started typing the rank names.
Crazed Ranks:
Hatchling - Tier 1
Beast - Tier 2
Monster - Tier 3
Brute - Tier 4
Predator - Tier 5
Lord - Tier 6
Overlord - Tier 7
Tyrant - Tier 8
Harbinger - Tier 9
Chaos - Tier 10
[?]: ?
'Summarize the events that occurred during the Great Convergence.'
Lami started typing down.
On January 18th, 2000, 149 years ago, the sky was torn for an unknown reason. That date marked the beginning of a new era.
The Great Convergence was the first-dimensional rupture that resulted in mana entering the Earth. Alongside the mana, demons and elves also descended from the rupture.
The world was already in a state of war before the rupture; almost half of the population had vanished, and many major cities and entire countries were utterly destroyed.
After the rupture, an immediate ceasefire was declared, and the military forces came together to fight the descended beings.
But the whole concept of mana was new, and humans were dying at an alarming rate to the newly emerged Crazed.
Humanity was engulfed in chaos, anxiously awaiting an attack from the demons and elves. Surprisingly, the attack never came.
Elves settled in Western Europe, while the demons chose to inhabit Southern Europe.
The reason for their choice was that almost no people were living on the continent. It had become mostly uninhabitable as a result of the war.
Humans began to learn the basics of mana over the next few decades. During this period of peace, they realized that the demons and elves had no intent of attacking humans.
However, human rulers soon noticed the advanced technology possessed by the other races.
Although humans were lagging behind, they could adapt unlike any other. They were growing rapidly.
Almost seventy years after the Great Convergence, humans launched an attack on the demon realm, leading to an all-out war.
Demons pushed back the human forces, while elves primarily defended their territories if attacked.
Despite the tremendous losses they suffered, humans persisted in the war, their greed knowing no end.
The entire Americas and Africa were destroyed during the war, completely vanishing from the map shortly after. The continents were sucked by the ruptures.
Conventional methods of war were useless. For humans, mana was completely a supernatural turn of events.
However, with their Grandmaster- and Ruler-ranked fighters, combined with the internal issues of the demons, they became a force to be reckoned with.
It didn't look like the war was ending anytime soon until two heroes emerged out of nowhere and changed the tides of war.
The catastrophic conflict settled into a stalemate after almost sixty years of fighting, and the needless loss of life stopped thanks to the heroes Blake Steinhart and Aurelio.
And with the perpetrators punished on both sides, the unison was officially declared.
That was a lot to write.
Lami wrapped up his detailed answer and moved on to the next question. There were five parts to the theoretical exam, each having twenty questions.
The five parts were: general knowledge, math, geography, literature and language, and mana theory. Lami finished his exam in an hour, two hours earlier than the due time, and raised his hand.
Seeing his hand raised, Mark Stevens walked to his desk while taking his sweet time.
"Questions?"
"No. I already scanned my fingerprint. Can I go?" he asked without the slightest bit of interest in his voice.
"...If you already gave up please reconsider. You can only take this exam for once."
"No, I simply finished the whole test. Can I leave? I will be here for the results."
Mark Stevens, the burly middle-aged man with a 7/24 built-in scowl, raised an eyebrow in surprise, stroking his beard.
".... You can go, but don't be late for the results."
Giving his affirmation, Mark left Lami's desk slowly, but unlike the turtle-like observer, Lami didn't linger and quickly walked toward the exit.
Despite the numerous gazes piercing through him, he shrugged them off and left the room.