I followed the stream of first year students through the building until we found ourselves in a big open space. I hadn't written anything specific about this evaluation in my novel, only that the main characters were sorted into the highest ranks and the main protagonist was sorted into the lowest class.
'I should have spent more time actually writing rather than skipping out on the important details,' I thought whilst fidgeting with hands.
At the end of the room stood a woman that had a lithe figure that hinted at the toned muscles beneath her shirt. Her black hair styled in a bob cut, only served to accentuate her sharp features and brown eyes. In short, she was really beautiful and totally my type.
"Welcome, new students," she began, silencing the room. "I am Seraphina. Today I will be helping you get evaluated and sorted into your appropriate ranks."
She then went on to explain the three tests we were going to undergo.
"The first test is simple," Seraphina continued. "You will each step forward, one at a time and channel your mana into this crystal ball." She gestured towards a table where a large, crystal ball rested on a velvet cushion. "The amount of mana you channel will be measured and you'll receive an appropriate rating. Remember, do not hold back. Show us your full potential."
A hush fell over the crowd of students. Some were clearly nervous, some masochists were clearly excited.
'Just what was exciting about this? I'm not just going to fail, but they'll suspect I'm a demon too,' I panicked, assuming they'd detect some sort of anomaly in me.
We all then shuffled into a line with the first student: a boy with unruly red hair, getting evaluated first. His hands trembled slightly as he reached towards the crystal ball. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and channelled his mana.
A faint blue light emanated from the crystal before it intensified and glowed brighter.
After a moment or two, Seraphina nodded. "Enough," she said. "Step back," she ordered.
The boy opened his eyes and withdrew his hands, looking a little dazed.
"E!" Seraphina yelled out loud, after looking at a panel.
"Wait what? That can't be! I put everything I had into it!" The boy exclaimed, before Seraphina shot him a menacing glare that shut him up like a frightened pup.
"Next!" she called out.
One by one, we stepped forwards to test our mana capacity. Some struggled and received poor ratings. Others, like a confident-looking girl with icy blue hair and cold blue eyes, seemed to have no trouble at all, causing the crystal to blaze with a brilliant light.
"C. As expected of a Frostvale. Well done, Amelia."
"Tch," the girl tutted, looking at her rating before disappearing into the crowd of students who finished their test.
'Amelia Frostvale…' I thought, seeming to recognise the name.
Then it hit me like a thunderbolt. She was one of the main female characters in my novel, the wielder of frost magic and the master of bows, as well as a central figure in the fight between demons and humans in the novel.
It was strange seeing her in front of me. On one hand it was amusing seeing a character I had written so much about come to life, on the other, she was a major death flag that would only get me into trouble if I got involved with her in any way — or any of the main characters, really.
I had a life to live here, even if it wasn't necessarily my own. I had no reason to involve myself with them in any shape or form, and I would likely never have to so long as I kept my head down.
All I have to do is survive and be strong enough to defend myself, even if I had this mark from a demonic pact.
'Caspian, seriously what were you thinking?' I asked, addressing the true owner of this body.
…
My turn was approaching rapidly, and I realised I really was screwed. I hadn't given much thought to how I'd be channel my mana since I had never done it before, but it couldn't be that hard, could it?
Finally, the last student in front of me with brown hair and brown eyes stepped back from the crystal ball after having received a "D" rating. He didn't say much except for bowing at Seraphina then making his way to the waiting area.
'My turn,' I thought as I swallowed my saliva hard and walked forward.
I reached out hesitantly, my fingers first brushing the cool, smooth surface of the crystal ball. I closed my eyes and desperately tried to visualise the mana flowing from my body and into the crystal, a process I described many times in my book. It worked but was of no use since the crystal ball barely lit up.
'Right, I have an F in mana.'
"Enough," Seraphina said, pulling my hand back.
"F," she announced as her voice echoed through the room.
Murmurs of surprise and disbelief rippled through the crowd of students.
"Is that even possible?" one of them asked.
"How'd he even get in with a rating like that?" another added.
Embarrassing. This was the exact embodiment of the word. I felt like I did back when I peed myself during a rehearsal when I was 5.
'I want to disappear. Ugh…'
…
After a few more students passed, we moved on to the next test.
The next test was a physical assessment, and if my magical assessment was any indication, I was doomed to fail spectacularly once again.
And fail I did.
Whilst the other students showcased feats of their strength and agility, I stumbled through the obstacle course, barely managing to lift the lightest weights.
A boy with blonde hair and bright yellow eyes who received a D rating in the first test excelled in the physical test with a C rating, shocking a few people.
The final test took place in a large classroom. Rows of desks filled the room, each one equipped with a small tablet. Seraphina explained that this was a general test, designed to assess our understanding of logical thinking, magic theory, and combat theory, as well as other relevant subjects.
I felt relieved, almost.
'Finally, a test I might have a chance of not totally failing!'
The test began, and I quickly dived into the questions. The test was a series of multiple-choice questions, and I tapped the answers as best I could with surprising speed. Magical theory, properties of the different magical elements, alchemy, the anatomy of monsters — I knew some of the answers since I did write about them.
When time was up, I had managed to answer most questions with enough confidence I was had gotten them right.
Seraphina showed the results on a screen, and I had scored an 82 — not the highest, but certainly not the lowest. Amelia Frostvale had scored a 94.
"Congratulations to all of you for completing the evaluation," Seraphina declared, "Now step forward and receive your academy watch."
Each of us received a sleek, silver watch with the academy's crest on the watch face.
"Your watch will serve as your identification, communication device, and give you access to the academy's facilities. You'll also find your overall rating given to you based on your performance across all three tests in the ID section. This rating determines how much allowance you'll be given on a weekly basis and which dorm you'll be assigned to. The next evaluation is in 3 months time, that's all."
I checked my watch and discovered I was placed in F to E class dorms, meaning I'd receive a total of 10,000 zelis (this world's currency) a week to spend on my basic necessities. The other tiers people were assigned to were based on their rating, meaning D-class students were placed in D-class dorms, while C-class people were placed in their own respective dorms. The higher you went the nicer your dorm room, some high classers even received their own studio or entire apartments.
Meanwhile, as someone placed in the F to E class dorms, I would have to share a room and bathroom with someone.
'Things could be worse, I guess,' I thought as I made my way out of the building in search of my dorm.
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