Soul Affinity

Black Mage entered the main hall of the Lord's Mansion first. The people awaiting the test wore expressions of reverence and admiration, yet not one dared speak in greeting. They were cautious to the extreme, terrified that even a single syllable might offend Mage Master.

Adam and Ophelia still had no seats, but today they were permitted to stand beside Black Mage.

No one in the entire Northland failed to recognize Ophelia. The Goddess of War was renowned far and wide.

She must have been chosen by Mage Master, the boys and girls thought enviously.

But when they saw Adam, all that remained was confusion. No one knew who Adam was, and since he wore the noble attire the Servants had delivered that morning, they assumed he was the offspring of some noble family.

Black Mage had not been wrong. Yesterday's direct Mental Power suppression of Adam and Ophelia had indeed not been a standard aptitude test. Today, he took a transparent, flawless Crystal Ball from some unknown place and set it on the table. Then he said to the boys and girls, "Now, come forward one by one. Place both hands on the Crystal Ball and try to project your Mental Power outside your body. If the Crystal Ball is filled, it means you possess the most basic mage aptitude. If the Crystal Ball lights up, it means your aptitude is outstanding."

The youths hesitated. At this very moment, facing the instant that would change their fates, they were afraid to be the first to step forward.

Black Mage showed no impatience. Seeing this, he said to Adam, "Adam, demonstrate for them."

Adam walked forward expressionlessly and placed both hands over the Crystal Ball. The youths stared fixedly at him, waiting for the Crystal Ball to change.

The change came swiftly and abruptly, so swiftly that the youths did not even have time to react. The instant Adam's hands touched the Crystal Ball, it rapidly filled with an unknown gaseous substance. Adam stopped supplying Mental Power, but the change did not stop. The next second, dazzling white light flared up. A faint popping sound seemed to come from within the light. Caught off guard, the youths raised their hands before their eyes, their hearts filled with fear.

"Eh?" Black Mage gave a puzzled hum, but said nothing more. "That will do, Adam."

Adam accurately caught the mage's intonation and committed it to memory. After hearing Black Mage's instruction, he removed his hands from the Crystal Ball and silently returned to his place. Ophelia was eager to try; she wanted to see how far she herself could go.

But Black Mage was clearly not that idle. "That is how it is. Now, starting with you, take the test."

The person Black Mage casually pointed to was a timid-looking boy. His face was dotted with freckles, and he looked terrified, yet he still gathered his courage and walked forward.

The boy placed both hands on the Crystal Ball and tensed his entire body, using every ounce of strength he had. His face even turned red from holding his breath and lack of oxygen due to overexertion. Yet even so, the change within the Crystal Ball remained slow. The unknown substance was thin as mist, drifting through it in wisps and strands, nowhere near filling it.

Despair gradually appeared on the boy's face. He knew he was finished. The others rejoiced that they had not been first, while growing even more frightened inside.

A deathly silence filled the main hall.

A quarter of an hour later, Black Mage's emotionless voice broke the silence. "Regrettably, next."

The freckled boy's knees gave way, and he collapsed onto the floor. Covering his face with both hands, he began to sob. His parents hurried forward to help him up, their faces filled with boundless disappointment. But the path of mages had no sympathy, and Black Mage remained unmoved.

Next, the youths stepped forward one by one with expressions as though marching to their deaths. Each had a quarter of an hour, and the results were miserable. Nearly three hours passed, yet not a single one possessed even the lowest grade of mage aptitude.

The string of failures at the front finally caused those waiting behind to break down. Quite a few of the more fragile children could no longer hold back their sobs.

"Let me try."

In such circumstances, someone with a face full of positive energy could easily win others' goodwill. Adam did not care; he devoted only a tiny fraction of his threads to observing the test, concentrating all remaining processing power on the transformation rune. But Ophelia was suffering terribly, her spirits already wilting. This cry of "Let me try" made her expression brighten.

It was a girl with crescent-shaped brows and smiling eyes. Judging by her clothes, she was actually a commoner. It was difficult to imagine how a commoner had obtained such qualifications. She gently freed her sleeve from her parents' tight grip, gave her parents—who were trembling with worry—a reassuring smile, then walked to the Crystal Ball.

The Crystal Ball filled very quickly. In less than five minutes, it was full. This girl was the first person today to possess mage aptitude.

Black Mage nodded in satisfaction. For the current Mordo, even if one more mage apprentice would be of little use, it was still better than nothing.

Just as he was about to speak, the Crystal Ball lit up. The light was not dazzling; it was as soft as the girl's smile. Nor did it shine very far, merely surrounding the girl's body. But it had lit up nonetheless, representing that she possessed outstanding aptitude.

Black Mage clapped his hands in surprise, smiling broadly. "Very good. Congratulations. Tell me your name."

"Krystal, Respected Mage Master."

"Krystal. Very well, I will remember it. You may now stand behind me and wait for the second round of testing. But do not worry, it will not be difficult."

Black Mage's tone was extraordinarily friendly. Neither Adam nor Ophelia, whose talents were clearly stronger than Krystal's, had received such friendliness. Adam concluded there had to be a reason for it.

Krystal's success was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for those who remained. Even a commoner had passed the test, so there was no reason for them, nobles, to fail. They consoled themselves this way.

Perhaps because of the power of an example, by the time dusk fell, three more youths among those remaining had appeared with mage aptitude. Though none had made the Crystal Ball light up, that was enough to make them overjoyed.

After the failures had left, Black Mage once again drew the basic Mental Power solidification rune in the air for the four children. In their eyes, this technique was already magic, leaving them dazzled and entranced.

The reason the basics were the basics was because they were easy to learn and easy to master. The four were fast or slow, but without exception, they all imprinted the rune in their minds.

Throughout this time, Adam did not say a word. He focused on optimizing the basic rune and tried to evolve it into a Mental Power solidification rune suited to himself, until the four New Apprentices began asking questions.

"When can I learn magic?"

"Can I return home after becoming a mage?"

"Where is Mordo Academy?"

The youths clearly did not understand how precious this opportunity to ask questions was. Their immature minds made them blurt out such worthless questions. Black Mage answered casually; to him, this was not a bad thing. At the very least, it saved him a great deal of explanation.

When it was Krystal's turn, that strange friendliness appeared again. For the first time, Black Mage reminded her, "What is your question? First, I must remind you that in the Mage World, unrestricted free opportunities like this are not common. Do not ask boring questions like these fools."

Other than Krystal, the remaining three were all boys. Their faces darkened upon hearing Black Mage's words. They vaguely sensed that they had missed something, but what was missed was missed—there would be no second chance.

Krystal looked gratefully at the mage. Though she had already prepared her question, this friendliness from someone above her was undoubtedly beneficial.

"Respected Mage Master, I had just been about to remove my hands from the Crystal Ball when it suddenly lit up. I would like to know what the Crystal Ball's light represents."

Adam blinked. If Krystal was not Black Mage's illegitimate daughter, then the reason for his friendliness had to be connected to the Crystal Ball's light.

Sure enough, Black Mage smiled approvingly at her and said, "The Crystal Ball is the work of an Alchemist Mage. It is called the Talent Tester. Its purpose is to assess mage aptitude and reveal one's Mental Power affinity. The Crystal Ball's light shows the path with which you have an affinity. From your light, I read air."

He turned his gaze toward Adam. Without mentioning any fee, he said directly, "Adam's light carried some sort of explosive elemental aura. Forgive me, I cannot fully interpret it. After all, there are far too many paths of mages."

Adam knew he was benefiting from Krystal's success. Otherwise, Black Mage would not have kindly told him this, even if he had not made it explicit.

Black Mage continued, "You are different from Adam. Adam's aptitude is the strongest I have ever seen. So long as he is not stupid as a pig, becoming a Formal Mage with his Mental Power will not be difficult, and it hardly matters which path he takes. But this is very important for you. Choosing a path that suits your affinity will greatly increase your chances of success."

Krystal gave Black Mage a deep bow. "My deepest thanks to you, Respected Black Mage."

Ophelia looked anxious. She also wanted to know her own mage affinity. Though there would always be ways to obtain such information later, knowing it one step earlier could only bring benefits and no harm.

Earl Johnson, who had entered the main hall at some point, fulfilled a father's duty. Or perhaps he wanted to leave a bond in his daughter's heart before she departed. He said, "Respected Black Mage, could I ask you to tell my daughter about her affinity? In return, I am willing to pay with a small energy vein."

In the Mage World, terms such as small, medium, and large had strict standards. Mage Master was clearly not someone who liked taking advantage of others. He said to the Earl, "Gladly. However..."