In a grand chamber deep within the heart of the academy, twenty imposing figures sat on either side of the room, their powerful auras crackling in the air. These people, with their strong and fierce presences, were the academy's esteemed instructors and council members. At the center stood Instructor Astrovis, as if facing an interrogation. Before him sat nine individuals, their seats elevated and prominent, especially the central one, signifying the presence of the academy's master.
One voice among those seated on the left corner spoke up, cutting through the tense silence. "So, it is true that a genius has once again appeared in our academy. But I heard he is only third-rate. Instructor Astrovis, was there a mistake in the calculation of the orb?"
Astrovis, rascal to the core but of unshakeable integrity, couldn't explain further. He just held up the orb that had recorded Zarek's spell. "There is no mistake," he declared, pointing out the visible holes left by Zarek's spell. "This orb is no illusion. And despite being a third-rate, Zarek managed to cast an eighth-rate spell."
He continued, "Zarek is weird. He threw that strong spell so casually, without any preparation or casting. I only saw the materialization of the spell, not how he cast it. The output force was so strong that it went through the thick orb.
The room buzzed with disbelief. The instructors trusted Astrovis's account, knowing his reputation. What left them pondering was the seeming impossibility of casting a spell without incantation. Not even the Archmage could do that, and a third-rate student had done the impossible.
After a moment of thought, the highest seat among them belonged to the head of the academy and gave his verdict. "This is a special case. Zarek will automatically pass the exam and go to the Celestial Class, one of the highest classes reserved for sixth-rate students, extraordinary geniuses, and talents with great talent in magic."
The meeting ended, and the members started to leave. Astrovis was one of the last to leave because he had been called to stay for a moment. The elder council asked another matter, to which Astrovis assuredly replied with a smile that he would take care of it. Astrovis said goodbye and teleported himself to the stadium to continue with the following test.
As he stepped onto the stage, the students' attention was immediately drawn to him. Astrovis, the strictest instructor in the academy, with a prideful demeanor and the potential to become an Archmage, started his announcement. A magical board appeared before the students, listing the rules for the next exam.
"All students will be teleported to a magical space, a vast island," Astrovis explained. "You start at A and have to reach B. On the way you see flag points that have different values. As the value of the flag increases, so will the danger—the location may be protected by powerful beasts or concealed in places that are nearly impossible to access. You have to fight monsters and solve riddles while keeping yourself alive. When you 'die,' you come back into the real world, and the points you have gathered so far determine your score. The pain and the fatigue you feel are real, but don't forget, space and its monsters are illusions. You won't die in reality."
Anticipation and anxiety seemed to be dancing in the air as the students listened intently. The test would push them to their skill, creativity, and survival limits. As the students prepared for this trial, Zarek still kept his goal intact: to pass among the students normally.
While Astrovis was speaking, Leo turned to Zarek with a knowing glint in his eyes. "My eyes and feelings are never wrong," he said, as if he felt that there was something special about Zarek.
Zarek shook his head. "There's nothing special about me, Leo. What I said is the truth. The spell I cast was just an ordinary third-rate spell. But I perfected it, manipulating its energy output through countless castings and experiments.
Despite having a powerful system, it only provided Zarek with information and a limited package of skills necessary for survival. His talent in magic was very normal—nothing exceptional. The system helped him comprehend how magic worked, but he couldn't cast spells on the same level as the true prodigies of magic.
Most of the spells Zarek knew were fairly normal. He couldn't wield powerful magic because his mana resource was limited, typical of a third-rate mage. In reality, it had taken him six grueling years of relentless training to reach third-rate. Without natural talent in magic, he forced himself to upgrade his level through sheer technique and experience.
Zarek constantly drained his mana to improve his source of mana; he did as if physical exercises strengthened the human body. In his case, constant strain on mana was expected to grow it. As opposed to how physical tissues build up and become strong with strain, mana sources are painful to see growing. Nevertheless, he still did it as he knew any increment no matter how small in a long time frame was progress.
And then, the academy assumed he was some kind of genius who could cast an eighth-rate spell when, in reality, it was a perfected third-rate spell. He felt the weight of expectations bearing down on him that now he would constantly be under the microscope.
As Astrovis continued announcing, Leo leaned closer over him, "There's more to you than you're letting on, Zarek. I can feel it."
Zarek sighed, liking Leo's assurance but knowing it to be nothing more than the truth. "Perhaps. But now we must attend to matters at hand.
Meanwhile, in a dark alley, two hooded figures were discussing a serious matter. Their identities were masked by the darkness. One of them, exuding an eerie aura, asked, "Did the plan go through without mistakes?"
The other, though apparently fearful, answered with a sinister smile that chilled to the core. "Yes, they have no idea of the bloodshed that is coming. Soon, he will feel the wrath of my revenge.
The eerie figure thought silently, reflecting on how easily the instructors of the supposedly secure academy were fooled by exploiting their weaknesses. Without another word, the figure with the eerie aura vanished into the shadows. The remaining figure, an instructor planning a horrendous act, carefully walked out of the alley, making sure to avoid detection.
Once again, all the students were transported into the magical space. Just that, they stood on sandy beaches. The scenery felt very real - ocean wave sounds, strong husky air currents above, and clear voices of animals and rustling of leaves. Each minor detail presented the illusion as almost real. The students were somehow distracted by island beauty, touched everything to feel it, and were amazed at its sensory authenticity.
However, they snapped back to reality when they heard the announcement to proceed with the examination. Students quickly went into the island, while others chose to form groups. Single student survival could mean soloing the points, but it was very hazardous and possible only for the confidently strong. Most third-rate students instinctively followed the stronger ones. Five fifth-rate students each had at least a hundred students trailing them. Others either teamed up with friends or decided to go it alone.
Leo and Zarek decided to stick together. Leo wasn't sure if the others would accept him into their group, and Zarek wasn't particularly fond of groups. "We'll do better together," Leo said, glancing at the forming groups. "It's safer, and we can cover more ground."
"Agreed," replied Zarek. "Let's head for higher ground to map the area. We'll have a better vantage point."
They would climb the mountain to get a clear view of the island while collecting flags along the way. As they moved swiftly forward, they realized there was at least one flag every 200 meters as they went deeper. However, these flags were only worth 10 points but were defended by monsters with a threat level of 2. The flags were set in areas that were visually identifiable. The goal of this exercise was to see how well students could utilize their knowledge of magic, which was beyond the ordinary uses and if they could capitalize on their use of magic.
Mostly, there were goblins guarding the 10-point flags. Leo dispatched one with a swift fire spell. "These are easy enough," he commented.
"Don't get complacent," Zarek warned, using a wind spell to down another goblin. "The real challenge will be deeper in."
When Zarek and Leo finally reached the blue zone, it became much harder to find the flags. "This must be one of the higher zones," Leo said, scanning the area. "The blue zone, if I remember correctly."
The island was divided into five zones: black, white, red, blue, and green. The green zone contained the easily retrievable 10-point flags. The blue zone had limited flags, no more than a thousand, but each flag was worth 100 points. The red zone had only 100 flags, each worth 1000 points. The white zone had only 10 flags, each worth 10,000 points. The black zone contained flags worth 100,000 points, but the risk of getting caught was exponential in every zone, and thus the flags were hard to find and almost impossible to get from the red, white, and black zones.
"Sounds like we are going to have to think outside the box," Zarek said. "The more points the more difficult."
Leo nodded his head, his eyes filled with determination. "Let's find those flags and see what we're really made of."
With each step further into the blue zone, Zarek and Leo knew they would have to tread these zones with all the cleverness and magical capability they had. There were many secrets and dangers on the island that this trial was destined to delve into in ways they hadn't even thought possible.
Leo and Zarek had intended to go to the red zone. They would save energy and not waste time on low-point flags by focusing on high-value flags. The journey was tiring, and for two hours straight, they moved forward, passing through dense forest and rough terrains.
"Are you sure we're heading the right way?" Leo asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Zarek nodded. "Yes, the red zone should be just beyond this ridge. We need to keep our pace and stay alert. The higher the points, the stronger the guardians."
"Isn't it the other way around?" Leo remarked with a grin. "Shouldn't you stay close to me since I can see clearly?"
Zarek chuckled, appreciating Leo's humor. "True. But I can feel things you don't catch, so there's a trade-off."
As they ventured deeper into the island, they had a few lower-level threats to contend with—goblins and smaller beasts, which fell easily enough to their combined strength. They went around the green and blue zones, saving their reserve for the more challenging battles ahead.
"This test is not just about finding flags," Leo pointed out. "It's about testing our endurance and our strategic thinking."
"Exactly," Zarek agreed. He asked then, "System 64, map and locate the flags within one kilometer."
System 64 replied, "Within one kilometer, three flags are located."
Thanks, System 64, Zarek said. He turned to Leo. "Follow me. I have a really strong instinct that there is a flag hereabouts."
Leo raised an eyebrow but nodded, trusting Zarek's intuition. "Alright, lead the way."
As indicated by the précis of the situation, Zarek noticed that there is another student is close to one of the flags. Zarek advised Leo to separate, get to the flags and assemble later, but for now separate and assemble in case you go to get each one. "There is a flag around the water bank 500 meters away, about," said Zarek "I'll grab the other so it is quick."
Zarek knew that Leo had deceived him the moment they first met. Zarek had initially thought that Leo was weak, but now he realized that Leo had actually tested him. Zarek knew Leo was cunning, like him. While annoyed at having fallen for the trick, it also made him smile. Leo's slyness amused him.
Zarek trusted Leo to get the flag and went to the other one in a waterfall cave. He moved quickly and jumped toward the cave, feeling the other student was close. The student was faster but did not know where the flag was because the waterfall hid the entrance of the cave. Zarek hid behind a tree and waited. He would steal the flag when the student fought the monster crocodile that guarded it.
The student eventually realized the cave's presence, took a peek, and left to inform his group. Once confirming the student was gone, Zarek approached the waterfall, activating his radar sense to locate the flag. He materialized a spell, pointing his finger where the flag was. A silk-like thread materialized, slipping into the cave undetected by the crocodile.
Zarek retrieved the flag effortlessly, avoiding a fight with the crocodile. He chuckled at the thought of the other group fighting the monster only to find the flag missing. He then headed to the planned meeting spot with Leo.
Finding Leo already waiting, Zarek asked, "That was fast."
Leo smiled. "The sentinel of the flag was just one huge water slug. Ice magic is my expertise, so it was easy enough to freeze and shatter without any problem."