The moment the applicants passed through the gates of Aetherial Institute, the atmosphere changed.
Completely.
The excitement.
The curiosity.
The admiration.
All of it slowly faded.
Reality began.
The academy did not care about dreams.
It cared about results.
The academy did not care about potential alone.
It cared about proof.
The academy did not care where someone came from.
It cared about whether they deserved a place within its walls.
Thousands of applicants moved through enormous stone pathways toward the Registration District.
The district itself resembled a small city.
White marble buildings stretched across an entire valley between two mountains.
Floating crystal signs guided newcomers.
Administrative officers moved efficiently between stations.
Magical devices sorted information automatically.
The scale alone left many students stunned.
One applicant whispered.
"This is only registration?"
His friend nodded nervously.
"I think so."
Nearby.
Several noble students looked equally surprised.
Even prestigious noble academies did not possess administrative systems on this level.
Everything moved with frightening efficiency.
Every few minutes.
Thousands of forms were processed.
Verified.
Stored.
Sorted.
Analyzed.
Meanwhile—
Kel stood within one of many registration lines.
His travel bag rested on one shoulder.
His expression remained calm.
The line moved quickly.
Very quickly.
Each student received a magical form.
The form automatically expanded once mana was poured into it.
Questions began appearing.
Name.
Age.
Background.
Weapon specialties.
Magic affinity.
Aura proficiency.
Combat experience.
Practical experience.
Research experience.
Recommendation letters.
Special achievements.
Additional remarks.
The academy wanted everything.
Because before evaluating talent.
They evaluated information.
One by one.
Applicants began writing.
Some confidently.
Others nervously.
Several immediately regretted not preparing beforehand.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly filled his form.
His handwriting remained neat.
Simple.
Precise.
Nothing unnecessary.
Name: Aedon Flinth
Age: 16
Primary Weapons: Spear, Sword
Magic Affinity: Elemental Affinity
Aura Control: Intermediate
Experience:
• Independent Explorer for 3 years
• Explorer under Unwritten Horizon Guild for 5 months
• Directly worked under Guild Master Nameless
• Participated in exploration and recovery of multiple ancient treasures
• Participated in dangerous frontier expeditions
Recommendation Letter: Attached
Kel reviewed the information.
Then nodded.
Everything was technically true.
Just not completely true.
The best kind of truth.
The recommendation letter remained attached.
A recommendation personally written by Nameless.
Who was also Kel.
A detail nobody else knew.
Inside his mind—
Seiren immediately started laughing.
"You wrote a recommendation for yourself."
"Yes."
"And then accepted it."
"Yes."
"This should be illegal."
Kel ignored her.
Again.
The Guardian laughed harder.
Meanwhile—
Nearby.
Seraphina's situation looked entirely different.
The silver-haired mermaid sat before an administrative receptionist.
The poor woman already looked overwhelmed.
Because every answer created three new questions.
"Name?"
"Seraphina."
Reasonable.
"Age?"
Silence.
The receptionist blinked.
"You don't know?"
Seraphina shook her head.
The receptionist immediately wrote:
Approximate Age: Unknown.
Then continued.
"Previous education?"
Silence.
The receptionist stared.
Seraphina stared back.
"No formal education."
The receptionist sighed.
Then continued.
"Combat specialization?"
The mermaid hesitated.
"I copy things."
The receptionist stopped writing.
Several nearby officers looked over.
The woman slowly raised her head.
"What?"
"I copy things."
"..."
The receptionist quietly summoned assistance.
Immediately.
Because this situation was clearly above her pay grade.
Several minutes later.
A special evaluator arrived.
A middle-aged woman wearing academy robes.
Sharp eyes.
Calm demeanor.
The type of person accustomed to handling unusual cases.
After hearing the explanation.
The evaluator looked at Seraphina.
Then at the receptionist.
Then back at Seraphina.
Finally she said:
"I'll handle this personally."
The receptionist looked relieved.
Very relieved.
Meanwhile—
Forms continued arriving within the administrative building.
Thousands.
Tens of thousands.
The sorting process began.
And within the heart of the Registration District.
Administrative officers started reviewing applications.
Inside Administrative Hall Three.
Large magical screens floated in the air.
Hundreds of forms moved across them.
Officers reviewed applicants rapidly.
Most forms received only a few seconds of attention.
Standard students.
Standard backgrounds.
Standard recommendations.
Nothing unusual.
Then—
One officer paused.
"Hm?"
The woman adjusted her glasses.
Her eyes narrowed.
The form floating before her belonged to a noble.
Nothing strange there.
Yet the recommendation section contained seven recommendation letters.
Seven.
The officer sighed.
Then opened them.
The first recommendation described the student as:
"The future pillar of the empire."
The second recommendation called him:
"A once-in-a-generation genius."
The third called him:
"The greatest talent in a century."
The officer closed the file.
Then marked it.
Excessive Recommendation Bias.
The form disappeared.
The officer moved on.
Nearby—
Another administrator laughed.
"What happened?"
The woman rubbed her forehead.
"The future pillar of the empire."
The entire office laughed.
Because they saw that phrase at least twenty times every year.
Elsewhere.
Another officer reviewed commoner applications.
Most possessed no recommendation letters.
Some possessed local academy endorsements.
Others possessed military recommendations.
Nothing unusual.
Then—
One file appeared.
The officer blinked.
Twice.
Then opened it again.
The name:
Aedon Flinth.
Commoner.
Explorer.
Interesting.
The officer continued reading.
Then paused.
Directly worked under Guild Master Nameless.
Silence.
The officer looked again.
Then opened the recommendation letter.
A signature appeared.
Nameless.
The officer froze.
Several nearby administrators noticed.
"What happened?"
The officer slowly turned.
Then pointed.
"Look."
The others gathered.
The recommendation letter floated above the desk.
Neat handwriting.
Simple wording.
No exaggeration.
No dramatic praise.
Just facts.
Aedon Flinth possesses exceptional adaptability.
Excellent judgment.
Remarkable observational ability.
Reliable under pressure.
Capable of independent decision making.
Recommended without reservation.
— Nameless
Guild Master of Unwritten Horizon Guild
Silence spread.
The administrators exchanged glances.
One finally asked:
"Is this real?"
Another immediately verified the seal.
Several magical circles activated.
Moments later.
A result appeared.
Authentic.
The office became quiet.
Because unlike noble recommendations.
This one carried weight.
Actual weight.
Nameless.
The most famous explorer currently active within the Empire.
The creator of Divine Spoon Art.
The man currently responsible for countless explorer legends.
The man whose stories were spreading across the continent.
And apparently—
He personally recommended this student.
One administrator frowned.
"Only five months under him?"
Another nodded.
"Yet he personally wrote a recommendation."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The file immediately received a special mark.
Priority Review.
Meanwhile—
Elsewhere.
Another administrative team handled unusual applicants.
Special cases.
Rare cases.
Difficult cases.
A new file appeared.
The evaluators stared.
Name: Seraphina
Race: Mermaid
Age: Unknown
Education: Unknown
Specialization: Unknown
Experience: Unknown
Recommendation: None
Silence.
One administrator rubbed his forehead.
"What is this?"
Another opened the attached evaluation report.
Then froze.
The report contained observations from witnesses aboard the academy vessel.
Perfect imitation ability.
Instant adaptation.
Exceptional magical learning.
Abnormal talent.
The administrators became silent.
One finally spoke.
"...another monster."
Everyone nodded.
Because Aetherial Institute loved one thing above all else.
Talented monsters.
And today.
Two very unusual files had just entered the system.
One carried a recommendation from Nameless.
The other carried talent bordering on absurdity.
Neither applicant realized it yet.
But deep within the administrative halls of Aetherial Institute—
Their names had already begun attracting attention.