When Valiance returned to his dorm room that night, he found that Eira wasn't there. Shrugging it off, he climbed into bed and slept alone. The next morning, there was still no sign of her—seemed like she was already up and about. After taking a quick bath, he changed into his Orith uniform and headed out for the first-year building.
On the way, he noticed the tall girl he had encountered yesterday walking toward him. At first, he thought it was just a coincidence and assumed she was looking for someone else. However, that assumption quickly proved wrong as she stopped just half a meter away from him.
"Hello, Valiance Esteban."
The girl gave a slight, respectful bow before meeting his gaze. Her expression shifted as though she was unsure of what to say; her mouth opened and closed several times. After a brief pause, she finally spoke.
"The headmaster is summoning you to her office right now."
"Summoning me?" Valiance frowned at the unexpected request. Is it because of the conversation we had yesterday? The more he thought about it, the more it seemed likely. "But class is about to start," he added hesitantly.
"Your first professor is Prof. Rombuss, right?"
"Yeah?" Valiance responded, still unsure of where this was going.
The tall girl gave him a sweet smile and said, "Then you don't have to worry. The headmaster has already informed Professor Rombuss, and he agreed."
"I see."
Valiance sighed in relief. He had been concerned that Rombuss might use this as an excuse to cause him trouble. But it seemed the headmaster, Agnes, had already taken that into account. She really is the headmaster for a reason, he thought.
"Alright, I'll go then," he said, finally agreeing.
As they walked together, Valiance noticed she had shifted to walk beside him. He didn't mind her presence, but he realized he still didn't know her name.
"Hey, uh… I still don't know your name," he said, breaking the silence.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Her eyes widened in realization, and she made an attempt to bow again, but Valiance stopped her immediately.
"No need to apologize!" he said, nervously chuckling as he lightly held her shoulders to prevent the bow. Quickly retracting his hands, he continued, "So, what's your name?"
"Syrie Illugràd, nice to meet you," she replied warmly, extending her hand.
Valiance shook her hand firmly, smiling.
"It's amazing how you're taller than me," he remarked, clearly impressed.
"Both my parents are tall," Syrie said softly, almost shyly. "I inherited their genes, so…"
"That's awesome," Valiance muttered, his thoughts briefly wandering to his past travels. He remembered the towering barbarian women he had encountered—figures so muscular and masculine that they surpassed many men in physicality. Some of those girls, around his age, were already taller than him by far. The world really is full of wonders, he thought to himself as they continued on their way.
A few minutes later, they arrived in front of the office. Syrie knocked twice before twisting the doorknob. Opening it, she entered the room and gestured to Valiance to follow her inside.
Valiance nodded, stepping forward as he walked through the doorway. What immediately caught his eye was Agnes sitting comfortably in her master chair, puffing on some sort of cigar. A grin was plastered on her face, and when their eyes met, the grin widened further.
"How's your first day? Good?"
"Not bad, I guess," Valiance replied with a shrug, subtly avoiding her piercing gaze.
Agnes chuckled at his behavior before opening a drawer and retrieving something from it. She placed the object on the desk in front of her, piquing Valiance's curiosity. With a casual wave of her hand, she gestured for him to approach. "Come here."
"Alright…" Valiance muttered hesitantly, stepping closer. He sat down in the chair placed in front of her desk and leaned forward slightly, scrutinizing the object. His eyes widened as he recognized it. "This is…a Core Measuring Stone?"
"So you do recognize it."
"I'm not that ignorant," Valiance replied flatly, though his tone betrayed faint intrigue.
"Good, then I suppose I don't need to explain how it works," Agnes remarked.
"Yeah," Valiance said, nodding. The Core Measuring Stone was a widely known artifact, an invention of Archmage Lucius over a thousand years ago. Lucius had been the primary advocate of the Talent Theory, and the Core Measuring Stone was his greatest contribution to mage society. Designed to measure the talent of a mage through their mana core, it became a vital tool in assessing potential.
The mechanism was straightforward: the mage needed to pour all their mana into the stone. It would then analyze the mana to determine two critical aspects of their talent: quantity and quality.
1. Quantity refers to the total amount of mana the mage possesses. It is measured in units, with 1 unit of mana equivalent to 2.5 liters.
2. Quality refers to the refinement, potency, and purity of the mana. It is assessed using a grading system ranging from S to E.
The grading system for mana quality is as follows:
Grade S (91–100): Near-perfect talent, allowing for effortless spellcasting, even of large-scale destructive spells.
Grade A (81–90): Excellent mana quality, capable of casting advanced spells and performing complex magic with ease.
Grade B (71–80): Above-average mana quality, capable of most standard spells and even some advanced magic.
Grade C (61–70): Average mana quality, sufficient for basic spells but presenting difficulty with advanced spells.
Grade D (51–60): Below-average mana quality, limiting spellcasting to basic magic with great effort.
Grade E (1–50): Low-quality mana, making even fundamental spells like fireball an exhausting endeavor.
While these grades measure quality, they do not tell the whole story. A mage's overall talent lies in the combination of quantity and quality. For example, a mage with Grade D mana but 25 units of it may surpass a Grade B mage with only 10 units. The balance of these two aspects ultimately determines a mage's potential.
To compute a mage's talent, the Core Measuring Stone uses this formula:
Talent Score = (Mana Units × 0.7) (Quality Grade × 1.3)
Mana Units contribute 70% of the score, emphasizing the importance of quantity.
Quality Grade contributes 130%, giving greater weight to the refinement and potency of mana.
After calculating the mage's talent score, the stone will glow a color corresponding to their overall talent. These colors follow the rainbow spectrum:
Red (1–40): Very low talent.
Orange (41–60): Below-average talent.
Yellow (61–80): Average talent.
Green (81–100): Above-average talent.
Blue (101–120): Great talent.
Indigo (121–140): Excellent talent.
Violet (141+): Legendary talent.
Few mages in recorded history have ever achieved Violet, as it signifies an unparalleled balance of extraordinary quantity and quality in the mana core.