Magic Aptitude Test

"Are you rested?"

Just as he stepped out of the room, the voice of Clark reached him.

"Father, I am well rested."

"Good, let's go. I'm taking you to the provincial capital now."

"Alright."

Clark had already told Garen that morning, after returning from his exercise, that he would be taking him for a magic aptitude test today, so he had been mentally prepared for this moment.

After saying goodbye to his mother, the two of them walked outside.

Clark was a man of reserved character; he didn't say much on the road, only briefing Garen on a few things to keep in mind while in the city.

For instance, not to walk in the middle of the road, because the carriages of the great nobles in the provincial capital would not yield to him... and so on, mostly matters regarding safety.

Half a day later.

Blazing Sun City, a common city in the Rhine Empire located near the Blazing Sun Desert.

This was Garen's first time visiting a city in this world. Although it couldn't compare to the metropolises of his past life, this city with its exotic flair had a unique charm.

After walking for a while, Clark stopped in front of a hotel.

"Let's get something to eat first, then I'll take you to the Magic Guild."

"Alright, Father."

Having walked for several hours, Garen was both tired and hungry, so he readily agreed.

With a large platter of meat and some fruit juice each, the two of them finished their meal feeling very satisfied.

Arriving at the entrance of the Magic Guild, they found it packed with people. The children waiting to be tested were lined up all the way outside, numbering roughly fifty or sixty. They were generally between six and ten years old, accompanied by their parents or guardians.

"Hundreds of children have been tested since this morning, and only two have barely managed to qualify as mages. I doubt we'll see any real talent in Blazing Sun City this year."

Some people were chatting nearby.

Registering for the magic test cost ten gold coins. Average families weren't always willing to spend that kind of money; most of those paying for the test were nobles whose ancestors had produced mages, or families with deep pockets.

Even so, only two out of several hundred had magic talent. Judging by the discussions nearby, those two had only barely passed. It was no exaggeration to say that magic talent was one in ten thousand.

"Garen, you go line up. I'll go register for you. Don't be nervous."

Clark had also heard the comments from the crowd and, fearing Garen might be nervous, patted him on the back.

"Don't worry, Father. Even if I can't become a mage, I will work hard to become a powerful warrior. If I have magic talent, that's even better, but I won't be discouraged if I don't."

Clark nodded with relief and headed toward the registration desk, though he was smiling bitterly inside.

His son was a good boy, sensible and well-behaved from a young age, rarely causing them any worry. But he knew his own situation best.

He had trained diligently since he was a child and had always been stronger than his peers. When he was just over ten, while his peers were barely reaching the level of a first-tier warrior, he was already approaching the second tier. Without practicing battle qi, he had always managed to stay one level above the average person.

It wasn't until he joined the army and earned military merit that he received a battle qi manual. Others were able to reach higher levels quickly, but despite his many merits and having practiced various battle qi manuals, he had never managed to master a single one.

Now in his twenties, he was already a fifth-tier warrior. While he was considered quite talented in the eyes of ordinary people in common towns, he knew that many who were less talented than him had surpassed him after practicing battle qi manuals.

The magic test proceeded quite quickly. The dozens of people were finished in less than an hour, and only one person remained ahead of Garen.

"Gret."

Hearing the magic instructor call the name, the little boy in front of Garen excitedly stepped onto the magic testing platform.

"Magic talent: Water element, low-grade. Mental power is twice that of a normal person. Unable to become a mage."

The little boy walked off the platform, dejected.

"Garen."

Hearing his name called, Garen walked onto the magic testing platform calmly.

He was truly calm because, having obtained the system, he could level up just by killing monsters. Furthermore, he had already used the Wind Element Super-Grade Talent Card; as long as his mental power passed, he would be able to practice wind magic.

And as a transmigrator, with the souls of two lives combined, there was no reason for his mental power to be weak.

"Place your hand on the crystal ball."

Garen walked to the side of the testing platform and gently placed one hand on the transparent crystal ball in front of him.

Suddenly, the crystal ball erupted with brilliant light. Cyan and fiery red colors intertwined, forcing everyone in the magic testing center to close their eyes. A wave of gasps erupted from the surroundings.

"Magic affinity: Wind element, Fire element, super-grade."

The white-bearded magic instructor on the platform looked at the paper in his hand, then at Garen, who was six years old, and called out with a slightly trembling voice.

"Please stand in the center of the magic testing platform."

Garen could clearly feel the change in the instructor's tone; it had become noticeably more cordial and polite.

Garen was also delighted. He hadn't expected to have dual-element super-grade talent; the fire element being super-grade was an absolute surprise.

He walked a few steps to the center of the magic testing platform and stood still.

"Garen, we will now conduct your mental power test. Try to hold on for as long as you can on the platform, understand?"

Garen nodded.

Waves of pressure descended from above, seemingly passing through his body to weigh upon his soul, as if trying to crush Garen; however, for Garen, this pressure was still within his limits.

As time passed, whispers began to ripple through the surroundings.

"Whose child is this? It's incredible, he's actually managed to hold on for so long. His spiritual energy must be at least high-grade."

"Look at his clothes, he's probably a kid from the countryside. Whoever's family got lucky, with talent like this, he's bound to become a great mage in the future."

A quarter of an hour later, as the magic array increased its pressure once more, Garen dropped to one knee, bracing himself against the ground with both hands.

It wasn't that he couldn't hold on any longer, but it was truly uncomfortable, so Garen simply stopped trying.

"Spiritual energy is 40 times that of his peers, super-grade."

Following the test proctor's shout, the people around began to discuss loudly; at this moment, Garen became the brightest focal point in the entire venue.

As soon as Garen stepped off the stage, several people swarmed toward him at once.

"Hello, student Garen, my name is Tony. I am a teacher at the Blazing Sun Magic Academy. I sincerely invite you to join the Blazing Sun Magic Academy. As long as you enroll, not only will your registration be free, but you will also receive a full scholarship every semester and be provided with a private student dormitory."

"Hello, student Garen, I am..."

"Hello, student Garen..."

Just then.

"Garen, I am a teacher from the Ernst Magic Academy. I sincerely invite you to become a member of our magic academy."

After this voice rang out, the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

One had to know that the Ernst Magic Academy was the number one magic academy on the continent. Furthermore, they only recruited 100 people from the entire continent each year; they only took 50 from the Light Alliance, and the other major empires and kingdoms shared the remaining 50. The requirements were even stricter, and it had been unknown how many years it had been since anyone in Blazing Sun City had been admitted to the Ernst Magic Academy.

Not far away, a middle-aged man dressed in white robes walked over.

"Elemental affinity, wind and fire dual-element super-grade, and spiritual energy 40 times that of his peers. Garen, our Ernst Magic Academy welcomes you very much. Would you be willing to join the Ernst Magic Academy?"

Garen was also stunned; he hadn't expected that there would be a recruitment teacher from the Ernst Magic Academy at this magic testing center in Blazing Sun City.

Ding, side quest: Join the Ernst Magic Academy and soak up some of Linley's protagonist luck. (Reward unknown)

Garen, who had been somewhat hesitant, saw his father nodding frantically at him from not far away, and with the sound of the side quest echoing in his mind, he nodded.

"I am willing to become a member of the Ernst Magic Academy."

Garen replied respectfully.

"Good, this is the admission certificate for the Ernst Magic Academy. As long as you go to register by February 9th of any year before you turn 12, it will be fine."

As he spoke, the white-robed middle-aged man took a red letter from his bosom.

He didn't tell Garen to go this year because Blazing Sun City in the Rhine Empire was simply too far from Fenlai City in the Light Alliance; they were essentially at opposite ends of the continent, and it would take a normal person about two years to travel there.

(End of chapter)

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