Special Talent

Angel had originally planned to wait until this journey was over and find a chance to ask Moro. But since a suitable opportunity had presented itself, and the person answering was a formal wizard, Angel spoke of the strange things that had happened to him without a second thought.

"A few months ago, when Lord Moro tested my talent, the moment I touched the talent orb, I suddenly found that the whole world had changed. I was floating in midair..."

As Angel spoke, everyone's expressions grew strange. The Abyras Talent Compendium Yearbook contained many records concerning the Eye of Abyras—the talent orb—but not a single one resembled what Angel described.

Yet based on Angel's account, everyone reached one conclusion: Angel's talent was certainly unusual. Perhaps it was a special talent—no, it was definitely a special talent. They simply did not know what kind of special talent it was...

Moro's eyes widened as he looked at Angel. Wasn't the phenomenon during his test floating?!

Only then did Moro recall what had happened. After the talent test that day, Angel had indeed first said "floating," but he had apparently had more to say. At the time, however, Moro had just advanced to a Level 3 apprentice. His magic power was in disarray, and he had been somewhat restless, so he had interrupted Angel before hearing him out.

Thinking of this, Moro rubbed his temples in frustration.

Such a person with a special talent had been overlooked right under his nose! Had he known earlier, he might have gained some benefit through Angel's talent!

Moro let out a regretful sigh.

At that moment, Moro sensed a cold glance slanting toward him.

Moro secretly glanced over and saw Heloline staring at him with an icy expression.

Outside Barbie Restaurant earlier, Heloline had asked about talented individuals with special gifts. He had sworn there were "none," only for reality to slap him across the face before an hour had passed.

Moro felt terribly wronged.

Though Heloline glared angrily at Moro, inwardly, she was quietly speculating about exactly what special talent Angel possessed—

"This boy has good fortune and has encountered some opportunities. He does not panic when things happen, and he has remained calm throughout the journey. For now, he also seems to possess considerable talent." The more Heloline looked at Angel, the more satisfied she became. She had originally intended to observe Angel for a while, but now it seemed that securing him first was the correct course.

Heloline had already decided to take Angel under her wing, but she did not immediately interrupt him. In any case, Angel was already certain to enter White Coral Floating Island Academy. It would not be too late to discuss it with him after they left the restaurant.

With that mindset, Heloline felt much more at ease.

"...the woman whose face was stitched all over with dense thread clawed me on the back. Luckily, I had already run into the storeroom by then..." Angel continued recounting his experience. Every transcendent was pondering the same question: what exactly was Angel's talent?

Sanders and Flora, standing outside the curtain, naturally heard Angel as well. Flora thought about it for a long while without reaching any conclusion, but Sanders frowned, vaguely feeling that he had heard of circumstances similar to Angel's somewhere before.

"Afterward, I often felt an itching sensation on my back. But every time I looked with a mirror, there were no wounds at all, and it felt no different from anywhere else when I touched it." Angel scratched his head, then added, "Just now, on the Bauhinia, I was bewitched by an illusion of delicious food. At the time, the intense itching appeared on my back again, even overwhelming my appetite. That was why I broke free from the illusion's control..."

When Angel reached this point, Gloria said, "That was a mirage. Such a thing only appears when we food wizards prepare food. Those without a mental power structure in their bodies can hardly escape a mirage's erosion. You say that itch pulled you out of the mirage, then... the thing that caused this 'wound' on you is no ordinary thing..."

When Angel mentioned the "itch," Sanders's brow twitched slightly, as though he had recalled something. His expression abruptly became strange.

"May I see your back? I seem to have read about a similar case in some ancient book." After pondering for a long time, Heloline suddenly spoke to Angel.

Angel froze for a moment. After hesitating briefly, he still removed his shirt under everyone's watchful eyes.

His lean, fair upper body had a faintly luminous, translucent quality beneath the resplendent lights.

Unfortunately, Angel was still too young, and his body had not fully developed. When everyone saw his half-bare body, they regarded it as they would a child's, without a trace of impropriety. Gloria even pinched his arm, which barely had any flesh on it, with a teasing mood.

Angel himself lowered his head bashfully, covering his stomach awkwardly with his hands. During these past months of life aboard the ship, he had had no chance to exercise. His original eight-pack had begun to soften; now, he could at most be said to have a thin layer of muscle, with only a faint shadow remaining of his once lean physique.

When Angel turned his back to them, everyone saw his bare back.

It was fair and flawless, without even a single mole. But that was not the point. Everyone's gazes focused near the "shoulder blades" Angel had mentioned.

At a glance, there was nothing unusual.

Gloria used a minor trick—Eye of True Sight—and examined it again. The conclusion remained the same: nothing unusual.

The wizards interested in Angel's story also used some transcendent methods, yet likewise found nothing amiss.

Gloria then used a spell that only a formal wizard could cast: Truthbreaker.

It was a Level 1 spell. Broadly speaking, it could trace all concealed truths. In reality, it was a spell that used the slightest clues to revisit the truth of history.

Even so, Gloria found nothing improper.

"How strange..." Gloria pondered inwardly. Could Angel be lying? But if he truly was lying, how had he escaped the mirage? Besides, Angel had no reason to lie before so many wizards.

The wound Angel claimed had been inflicted by the "woman with a face full of stitches" could not be found.

The wizard apprentices whispered among themselves, exchanging their opinions.

The formal wizards, however, each had their own thoughts.

"How about this? I'll give Angel a formal test to see what talent he truly possesses, then we can resolve the matter of the 'claw marks.'" Heloline stepped forward. "After all, Angel will be a student of our White Coral Floating Island Academy in the future. Testing him early or late makes no difference."

Heloline deliberately pronounced the words "student of White Coral Floating Island Academy" with forceful emphasis.

Unless something unexpected happened, Angel's talent was certainly a special talent. A special talent did not necessarily mean one could become a formal wizard, but once someone with a special talent became a wizard, they would surely be extraordinary. Heloline's emphasis that Angel was a prospective student of White Coral Floating Island Academy was also meant to prevent other wizard organizations from eyeing him covetously.

Among the formal wizards from the three major organizations present, Poku of Gravity Forest was absent and need not be considered. Sabo was a wizard of Sky Mechanical City and would not involve himself either. Thus, Heloline's words were clearly directed at Jeral of Hurricane Tower.

Jeral naturally understood Heloline's implied meaning and nodded noncommittally.

To formal wizards, special talents were at most worthy of a second glance. If one did not become a wizard, one would still only rot away. Hurricane Tower had already received a student like Isley, who possessed high mental power, so there was naturally no need to covet someone else.

Only after seeing Jeral nod did Heloline smile and walk to Angel's side, preparing to conduct his formal talent test.

Every talented individual would have one opportunity for a formal talent test after arriving at their respective wizard organization. This sort of test differed naturally from the broad test of the Eye of Abyras, assessing the talented individual in every aspect. Generally speaking, after such a comprehensive test, the talented individual was considered formally linked to that wizard organization.

This was because, during the testing process, the wizard organization would draw the tested person's blood. Once the examination was complete, the blood would be made into identification marked with the wizard organization's emblem and returned to the tested person.

Through this back-and-forth process, the tested person naturally came to belong to the wizard organization.

Angel did not understand the implications, but everyone else did. Florent and Moro looked at Angel with much greater warmth as well.

Just as Heloline was filled with joy at the thought of soon taking in an apprentice, a violent crash shook the hall!