"The entrance exam will last a total of three days. Each day, the test takers will go through a different test, and by the end of each test, they will receive a ranking. This means that everyone will have three numbers by the end of the exam."
"You will have to get a rank of fifty or higher in at least one of the tests to get admitted into the academy. Keep in mind that getting disqualified from one of the tests means that you automatically failed the entrance exam."
"Now, does anyone have a question regarding the test before we continue? Feel free to raise your hands if you have anything to say."
One of the boys who was in the same carriage with Vidra reluctantly raised his hand.
"Me! Where do we stay after the end of each test?"
"That is a good question. We have two dormitories where the test takers can stay. One for the boys, and one for the girls. Every room inside these dormitories can fit two people without a problem."
"Now, just pick one of the rooms once the first test ends. Keep in mind that you will be able to stay with your roommate, in case that both of you pass the entrance exam. Should one of you fail, the other person gets assigned to another room. No one can stay alone as we don't have enough rooms."
"Anyone else?"
The old examiner asked as he surveyed the crowd of upstarts. He nodded, seeing that there were no questions being asked.
"Good, I will now explain the first test. It's simple, and something that has been a part of every entrance exam we have ever conducted since the founding of the academy. Behind me is a stone pillar. Your job is to give it everything you've got and pour all of your mana into it."
"The pillar will light up once you're done, and show us a number as you're pouring your mana. The final number will represent the amount of mana you poured into the pillar. The higher the number, the higher your ranking. Everything is clear?"
The test takers nodded as they looked at the old stone pillar beside the old man.
"Good, I will call your names one by one, and the rankings will be shown once everyone got their chance. The first one is Frederick."
Frederick walked up to the stone pillar and stood in front of it for a few seconds, getting ready to give it his all. He placed his palm on the pillar, and a slowly increasing number appeared above it as Frederick steadily poured his mana.
*34*
*43*
*65*
*102*
The pillar released a faint white light. Indicating that Frederick was exhausted. He took away his palm and nodded with a neutral expression on his face. The scribes quickly jotted down his result before the number disappeared.
"That should be above average, right?"
"Yes, barely above average. The average was a hundred, if I remember correctly. This is not enough to get into the top fifty."
The scribes whispered amongst each other, making Frederick a bit sad.
"Next! Anne!"
The examiner called the names one by one, following the list given to him by one of the academy staff. The numbers generated by the test takers were somewhat higher than usual, but no one managed to stand out yet.
"Next, Uros! Please come forward and place your hand on the stone pillar."
The scribes' pulse quickened as Uros walked forward. The boy was known as a true genius. His results will be the talk of the town, regardless off the number that the pillar will show. Uros placed his hand on said stone pillar, and the magical number appeared.
*10*
*11*
*22*
*51*
The stone pillar emitted the familiar white light, and Uros slowly walked back into the crowd where he previously stood, visibly exhausted. Everyone was stunned by the result. They knew that the famous Uros would cause an upset, but nobody expected something like this.
"Were the rumors about his genius a lie?"
"Are you going to write this down? I think they would call me a liar if I did."
The scribes were confused, but the result didn't lie. The old man shook his head, seeing the scribes doubting the stone pillar.
"Next, Lune!"
The scribes snapped back their heads towards the stone pillar where Lune stood. She placed her hand on the pillar, and the crescent moon on her forehead released a while light as the mana poured inside the old stone.
*56*
*98*
*134*
*179*
*199*
The stone pillar released the white light, indicating that Lune had used up all of her mana. Her score eclipsed the other previous record and soared past the world record for her age group.
Needless to say, the spectators were shocked. Those who thought they stood a chance gulped seeing her achievement. In terms of raw output, Lune seemed to be standing alone on her own level.
The scribes were frantic as they scribbled down everything to the tiniest of details. Starting from the carriage incident where Lune swore at the mysterious elf till this point, this entrance exam was a treasure tove.
"Silence!"
The old man released a blue light from his hand that exploded with a sharp, unpleasant sound. Everyone turned back his attention to the exam, and the next test takers continued. However, the rest of them didn't stand out in an unexpected way, like Uros and Lune.
Those who were expected to get a higher score got a higher score. Those who weren't known... Their score remained a surprise, but no one amongst them was particularly talented. Soon, Vidra's turn came, and the light atmosphere tensed.
Everyone was curious about the mysterious entrant. The dark horse, the trait holder who shook up the competition from seemingly nowhere. He placed his hand on the stone pillar and closed his eyes.
A second later, steam rose from Vidra's body as red mana engulfed his palm. Vidra was a high elf. His mana sensitivity was high enough to be called a genius. This ability was further strengthened once he became a trait holder.
This impossible combination placed him on a level of his own when it came to mana sensitivity. A level that not even Lune could reach.
The old examiner widened his eyes as the number rose further when it was supposed to stop.
*101*
*134*
*175*
*201*
*223*
*249*
Stopping at exactly 250 gave him a score high enough to rival the average second year student of the academy.
"That is ridiculous!"