Time flashed by, and in the blink of an eye, the exam day arrived.
Back at the same clearing where the entrance test had once been held, Edwyn stood quietly in a corner, cloaked in his Cloak of the Hidden One, feeding iron pellets to his raven, Moony.
"Still like hiding in the shadows, huh, Edwyn?"
A familiar voice came from beside him. He turned to see a female apprentice with a pointed witch's hat, dark eye circles, and a staff in hand, Elia.
"Elia, long time no see," Edwyn greeted casually, passing Moony over to her.
Over the years, their relationship had evolved from a flirty closeness to something more restrained, like friends with deep mutual understanding. Time had dulled the spark, and the teachings of the Mageing path had made them both realize one thing:
If you don't become a Mage, everything else is meaningless.
Still, that didn't mean nothing ever happened between them. For example...
They shared research.
The two had formed a mutually beneficial partnership, Edwyn provided the magic stones to acquire spell models and library materials, and Elia modified and refined them. The results? Shared between the two.
In short: he paid, she worked, and they both benefited.
Naturally, this sharing was limited. The deeper teachings Elia learned from her mentor, Susanna, were not and could not be passed on.
Even so, Edwyn had gained plenty.
In return, Elia would order magical gear and alchemical gadgets from him at cost price.
As Elia stroked Moony's feathers, the raven affectionately nuzzled her hand.
"This exam will probably be random teleportation again. Want to agree on a meetup spot?"
Edwyn unfolded the map distributed by the Academy. This year's exam arena was massive, an area with a 50-kilometer radius. Over the course of one month, all apprentices had to survive and secure at least one Apprentice Seal.
These seals were curse marks placed on the apprentices before the exam. They'd vanish afterward, but during the test, they served two main functions:
Preventing escape. If any apprentice left the arena early, the seal would trigger a lethal curse.
Tracking kills. Upon death, the seal would automatically transfer to the killer.
This year, the Academy introduced a new twist: each seal could be exchanged for 100 magic stones, with no upper limit.
In other words, if you were strong enough, this test could make you filthy rich.
Additionally, the Academy introduced a ranking board. Each kill earned one point. At the end of the test, the top ten scorers would receive Academy-issued rewards, and the top three would get special rewards from the Chancellor.
And that wasn't all.
Ten magical beasts, each as strong as a High Apprentice, had been released into the arena. They indiscriminately attacked anyone. Killing one would net you a powerful magic item and 50 points, the same as killing 50 students.
So for anyone aiming for the top ten, hunting beasts was a must.
"Let's meet at the center," Elia said, tapping a point on the map.
"Random teleportation means who knows where we'll end up. But the center is marked, at least that gives us a common point."
Edwyn nodded. "Sure. See you there. Don't get ambushed on the way."
Elia rolled her eyes. "You think I'm still that same clueless girl from ten years ago?"
The exam began shortly after. As usual, Vice-Dean Elric served as proctor.
Elric rose into the air. A surge of magical pressure immediately silenced all 4,000+ apprentices.
"Apprentices of the 432nd class of Black Tower Mage Academy," he announced, "I am your proctor, Elric. There are 4,121 candidates this year. All are present. The rules have already been distributed, I won't repeat them."
"I now declare: the exam begins."
Short and direct.
With a wave of his hand, a white light flared beneath each apprentice's feet. Simultaneously, phantom black chains snaked up from the light, imprinting a black pentagram on each student's hand.
The world around Edwyn turned into abstract, swirling colors, and in the next moment, he vanished.
When his vision cleared, he was standing in a hilly area thick with shrubbery.
"Still makes me nauseous," he muttered. The teleportation sickness was mostly dulled by his physique, but it still made him queasy.
Scanning his surroundings, Edwyn spotted another apprentice not far away. The other student noticed him too.
"Lucky me," the student laughed, and launched a fireball at Edwyn.
"Lucky indeed," Edwyn replied coolly, raising a mana shield.
Boom!
The fireball exploded harmlessly against the shield without even leaving a ripple.
"Too weak," Edwyn shook his head. "Basic fireball, the Academy's default version. No upgrades at all."
He stepped forward, and in a blink, was face-to-face with the student, drawing his massive sword.
"Goodbye."
With one clean slash, the apprentice's head flew off.
Edwyn glanced at his pentagram. It seemed slightly darker now, and he could sense a faint pulse of magic from it.
"Interesting. This signal must be how the Magus World tracks everything."
He looked up. In the sky was a towering beam of light, the center of the arena. A navigational marker for all contestants.
Edwyn was about to head toward it when he felt a chill down his spine.
His Guardian Pendant activated. A mana shield flared behind him, blocking a silent wind blade.
Without hesitation, Edwyn activated his breath technique and fully released his bloodline.
In an instant, his form ballooned to over two meters, his body coated in black scales, a monstrous sight.
"A double bloodline alchemist!" the ambusher panicked and summoned a mana shield.
Edwyn responded with his massive sword, wreathed in black flames, Greedflame.
The flames spread across the enemy's barrier, devouring his magic.
Panicked, the enemy tried to escape.
He pulled a scroll from his robe and activated it,
Boom!
He vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Short-range teleportation," Edwyn noted, then grinned.
"Moony, track him."
The raven squawked joyfully and soared skyward.
"You're not getting away that easy."
Meanwhile, similar scenes were playing out all over the arena.
Evokers burned foes to ash with fire ravens.
Necromancers raised the dead with a single point.
Mentalists screamed, knocking enemies unconscious.
Cursemancers, hidden in the shadows, unleashed cursed insects to spread death.
Everyone unleashed the fruit of their seven years of study.
And they would pave their path to becoming a Mage with the corpses of their classmates.