Chapter Forty-Nine: A Simple Test
After half an hour of waiting, it was finally Daniel's turn. At the gate, a young man in a student's uniform greeted him. His attire was sharper and more formal than the others, marking him as a senior. A black buttoned jacket hugged his frame, with small strips of red cloth draping from his shoulders as a sign of rank. His trousers were dark, his leather boots polished to a shine. On his chest gleamed a small golden badge that distinguished him from the newcomers. The fresh recruits, by contrast, wore simpler clothes: light shirts, comfortable trousers, and sturdy boots for long walks.
The young man gave Daniel a polite smile and extended his hand for the tuition fee. Daniel handed over three gold coins, the cost of an entire year's lodging in the academy. The weight of the coins gave a soft metallic ring as they fell into the youth's palm.
From his pocket, the student drew out a small badge, about two centimeters square. Its deep black surface was carved with a white four-pointed star at the center, cut so finely it caught the light even in shadow. He handed it to Daniel.
Daniel moved on, not needing to consult his map. Dozens of other new students were heading the same way, and he simply followed. The path wound through clean stone corridors lined with greenery, opening into the public garden before the Grand Hall.
There, in the middle of the garden, stood a massive platform four meters high, built of polished dark wood. Upon it stood roughly fifty senior students, each behind a low stone table. On those tables lay rows of mana stones of every size and color. Some glowed with fiery red, others with cool blue. Emerald greens, silvers, and even pitch-black stones were arrayed in neat lines.
Daniel joined a long queue before one of the tables. His line was slower than the rest. He stepped forward, waited minutes, then again, until two full hours had passed before he reached the front.
At last he saw, up close, what he had only ever read about: the five basic elements he had glimpsed once in a shop—fire, water, earth, air, and lightning—alongside rarer ones. Stones of darkness, stones of light that shone with a soft warmth, and golden sandstones that seemed to swirl with tiny storms within them. He recognized these three rare types from a book he had studied, their images etched into his memory.
The supervising student spoke in a practical tone:
— "Try refining two or more types at once."
Daniel knew this test well. The outcome determined a person's path, etched into their record permanently. The academy gave special notice to anyone who could command three or more elements, seeing them as long-term investments. Some theories claimed a person could later change the mana they wielded, unlocking more elements, but such claims were uncertain—success for some, failure for others.
He stretched out his hand, his fingers moving with slow precision. He already knew what would happen, as though replaying a scene he had rehearsed countless times. First, he reached for the lightning stone. It flared with sharp blue flashes, tiny sparks dancing across its surface as if straining to escape his grasp.
But Daniel didn't stop there. His gaze swept the table, and without hesitation he took up rarities seldom found in markets: the stone of light, glowing with a tranquil warmth, and the stone of darkness, a black fragment that bled wisps of smoke-like haze into the air. For good measure, he also picked up one more—an unknown element, brown-gold in hue, with a faint, swirling vortex trapped within.
Now he held four stones, two in each hand, and began refining. He focused first on the lightning stone, sending threads of mana into it. Lightning mana coursed back into his fingers, biting at his skin with an icy sting. At the same time, he guided a faint current into the stone of darkness. The real trial began: he had to keep the storm of lightning in his right hand completely apart from the creeping shadow in his left. Any overlap meant an internal explosion—if not worse, total collapse of control.
Still, he kept the darkness stream faint, barely more than a whisper, compared to the violent surge of lightning. Time dragged, sweat forming on his brow as he dared to bring in a third element. His body stiffened. He had reached the edge.
Deep inside, Daniel knew with certainty: his body would never accept three kinds of mana at once. Not because it was utterly impossible, but because he had tested it countless times before. The outcome was always the same. He closed his eyes, entering complete stillness, hearing only the pounding of his own pulse.
For a moment, he felt the illusion that his body whispered "possible." But he stopped instantly. He knew better. He had been deceived by this illusion before—forcing three elements only brought agony, his body tearing itself apart, even robbing him of control over lightning, his core element. Only his absolute focus, stripping the excess away, had saved him then from utter ruin.
He opened his eyes. The supervising student was watching him intently. The young man asked in a calm but curious voice:
— "Your name and age? And which element do you currently wield, if any?"
Daniel answered firmly:
— "Eren Kriv. Age, twenty. Element: lightning."
The student pressed further:
— "If lightning is your element, which circle are you in? And how full is it?"
Eren replied without hesitation:
— "First circle, complete."
The student nodded, extending his hand:
— "Good. Hand me your entrance badge."
Eren passed it over. The student swapped it for another, identical in design but with the number (1) engraved inside the four-pointed star, along with a round token etched with the number (99), and a small metal key.
The student smiled slightly:
— "Welcome to Infrida Academy. That's your room number."
Daniel accepted the badge, the token, and the key. He returned the smile with a quiet:
— "Thank you."
He descended from the platform, pulling out his leather map as he walked. His plan was to visit the public dining hall for food before heading to his dormitory. Around him, the air buzzed with the noise of voices, the tramp of feet, and the rich scent of fresh bread drifting from the direction of the hall.
And just then, at another table, a commotion rose. A new student stood there, sharp-featured and intensely focused, and revealed himself capable of wielding five elements at once. The seniors nearby blanched in shock, trading startled looks.
The supervisor of that table blinked, nearly breathless, before blurting out:
— "Your name? Age? And your elements?"
The young man answered with confidence:
— "Lioran Merc. Age, twenty. Elements: earth at the first circle. , at full completion. "
The supervisor carefully recorded every word in his notebook, then, just as he had done with Daniel, handed Lioran a badge engraved with a four-pointed star containing the number (1), along with a circular token marked (73).
Lioran accepted them, then walked off quietly toward the dormitories, exhaling as a thought pressed at him:
("I never expected I'd become a student of the academy once again.")