"What do we do now?" Charlotte asked, glancing around at the crowd of gathered apprentices. Her voice was calm but it was obvious she was nervous just by the way she clutched her the edge of her dress.
"What else can we do? It's already too late to turn back. The only thing we can do is look around." Ralth replied, already beginning to walk off.
Everyone was nervous. Apprentices whispered nervously, sizing each other up. Some held their belongings tightly, while others fidgeted. Stronger ones had formed groups, quietly discussing strategies with each other.
Ralth and Charlotte weaved through the crowd, their boots crunching on the hard-packed dirt. Suddenly, Ralth nearly collided with someone he recognized—Mina, accompanied by Ferris and Pell.
The other children who were chosen by the Magus Trakk back in the Gessian Territory. Mina's hair was pulled back in a simple braid, and she had traded in her apron for a fresh, simple robe that hung a bit loose on her small frame.
Mina's eyes widened as she spotted him.
"Ralth! Is that you?"
Ralth nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, it's me."
"I'm glad you're okay!" she said, stepping forward. "I heard there was a terrifying magus apprentice running around, beating people up and… uh… destroying their, um, important parts. I was worried about you! are you-"
She stopped mid-sentence when Ralth coughed and scratches his head awkwardly. Her expression shifted to pure disbelief.
"Wait. That was you, wasn't ?"
Pell raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "He did WHAT!?"
"It was… necessary," Ralth muttered.
Mina stared at him for another second before shaking her head with a chuckle.
"Well, I guess it worked out for you."
Charlotte folded her arms. "Who are these guys?"
"Oh, them?" Ralth gestured toward the group. "They're from Gessian Territory, same as me. They were chosen alongside me as apprentices."
Charlotte nodded slightly but didn't let her guard down.
Ralth turned back to Mina and the others. "Where are the others? There were seven of us, right?"
Mina's face fell. A shadow passed over her face before she responded. "Susie was attacked by the Snake Gang….she left early. The other two quit when they realized there was a chance they would die in this entrance exam."
Ralth exhaled slowly. He had no illusions about how brutal this test would be, but it was unfortunate to hear what had happened to the others.
Ferris, a tall apprentice with short black hair and sharp eyes, spoke up. "We should team up."
Ralth considered this, although they were also from Gessian Territory he knew almost nothing about them otherwise. "Why should I?"
Ferris motioned subtly toward a group of well-dressed apprentices with embroidered cloaks. "You already know,the nobles have formed alliances in advance. They're well-equipped and trained together. If we don't group up, we'll be easy targets."
Ralth glanced at Charlotte, then back at Mina, Ferris, and Pell. He didn't know them well but at least they were familiar—more trustworthy than random strangers in this tense situation. Strength in numbers was an advantage he just couldn't pass up; it was borderline necessary to pass this exam.
"Fine," Ralth agreed. "If Charlotte's on board, we'll team up."
Charlotte scoffed. "Why wouldn't I agree? There's no way we'll survive alone."
"Great," Pell grinned, his fox-like face lighting up. "We're a team now."
With their alliance settled, the group found a quieter spot near the edge of the gathering, where they had a better view of their surroundings.
Hundreds of apprentices filled the clearing, dividing into rough factions. Ralth spotted 4 types of people.
The noble Apprentices from prestigious families grouped together, their quality clothes and superior equipment set them apart. A separate, more physically imposing group of apprentices, likely knights, gathered in a different direction. Apprentices who weren't nobles or knights but knew who knew how to fight had also begun forming loose coalitions and finally Lone apprentices without connections wandered uncertainly hastily checking their supplies as if that would help them survive.
"This is worse than I thought," Charlotte muttered.
"What do you mean?" Mina asked.
"A lot of these people aren't just random students," Charlotte explained. "A lot have formal training, resources, or even connections. If we're not careful, we're as good as dead."
Pell shifted uncomfortably. "So what's the plan?"
Ralth crossed his arms, considering. "Survive. Gather enough crystal balls to pass."
"And if we have to fight?" Ferris pressed.
Ralth's expression didn't change. "Then we fight. Simple as that."
As the others continued strategizing, Ralth turned his focus inward, checking on the Felsan Cube resting within his soul space.
---
[FELSAN CUBE]
- Current Level: 1 (Locked Potential Detected)
- Energy Reserve: 6% (Absorb more magic to advance)
- Next Unlock: Requires 10% Energy Accumulation
Functions (Unlocked):
- 🔹 Energy Absorption (Passive) – Converts ambient magical residue into gradual mind & body strengthening.
- 🔹 Knowledge Extraction (Active)– Absorbs skills & information from magically infused objects.
- 🔹 Mana Absorption (Active) – Converts tainted magical energy from artifacts into usable power.
Locked Functions:
🔹 ??? (10% Energy Accumulation)
🔹 ??? (25% Energy Accumulation)
🔹 ??? (50% Energy Accumulation)
🔹 ??? (100% Energy Accumulation)
---
"Six percent? That's it?"
Ralth had expected faster growth, given the mana-rich atmosphere he was now in. He didn't have time to meditate like before, but if this cube was supposed to help him, it needed to work faster.
It had said it would absorb ambient Mana to boost his capabilities yet he barely felt any different.
"If only this thing had a proper status screen, I could see if any of these so called improvements were true." he muttered aloud.
The moment he spoke the words 'Status Screen', the cube pulsed within his soul, and suddenly—
---
[Loading Status Interface…]
[5%...]
[15%...]
[35%...]
[50%...]
[75%...]
[Loading Complete!]
---
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
---
[STATUS SCREEN]
- Name: Ralth
- Strength: 4
- Agility: 4
- Durability: 3
- Spiritual Strength: 16
- Mana Reserves: 10
- Spells Known:
- Magic Missile (Zero-Ring Spell)
- Force Field Barrier (Zero-Ring Spell)
- Silencing Spell (Zero-Ring Spell)
-Lightness Spell (Zero-Ring Spell )
- Felsan Cube Energy Reserves: 6%
(Ten days until next stat increase of 0.5 points)
---
Ralth blinked at the screen. So this was here all along? I should have checked.
This changed everything for Ralth. Now, instead of relying on rough guesses to track his improvements, he could now accurately track his growth. Easily becoming more powerful and skilled.
Charlotte noticed his distracted look. "Is something wrong?"
Ralth shook his head. "Nothing important."
He dismissed the interface and refocused on the situation. He began attempting to improve his Mana Reflux.
An hour later, a loud chime echoed through the clearing, silencing conversations instantly.
From the elevated stone platform ahead, several senior magi in flowing black robes observed the apprentices. They stood like judges with expressions as cold as ice.
One magus, a tall man with scarred features and piercing yellow eyes, stepped forward. He was powerful, his very presence felt heavy, like the weight of an invisible hand pressing on everyone's shoulders.
"The entrance exam begins now." He said, "Only the strongest will earn a place in the academy. The rest will be discarded."
Beside Ralth, Mina swallowed very nervously.
Charlotte clenched her fists as the magus raised a gloved hand and a blue wave of light swept across the clearing.
"Your task is simple: survive and acquire your means of passage while in possession of two or more crystals."
The place began to get blurry and before Ralth could even react—
The ground disappeared beneath their feet.
He was falling and the exam had truly begun.
Wind rushed past Ralth's ears, drowning out the screams of the hundreds of apprentices falling alongside him.
Above—or perhaps below—patches of dense fog swirled reaching up to swallow the falling apprentices. Through gaps in the mist, Ralth caught glimpses of an endless sea of treetops rushing toward him at frightening speed.
"Charlotte!" he shouted, trying to spot his companion in the chaos.
His voice was lost to the wind. The mist enveloped him, cold and damp against his skin. He could barely see his own hands now, let alone find his allies.
I'm going to die if I don't do something!
Drawing on his Mana, Ralth quickly cast the Lightness Spell followed by the Force Field Barrier Spell.
"Everyone! Use magic to slow your fall!" someone shouted from nearby—Ferris's voice.
All around, the air filled with flashes of multicolored light as the apprentices with Mana Circuits desperately cast spells.
Not everyone was so fortunate.
Ralth burst through the bottom of the mist layer and could finally see clearly. The forest below was a vast expanse of dark green, stretching to the horizon in every direction. Some apprentices had already reached the canopy—many were using magic to navigate between branches or slow their falls.
A boy in a brown tunic hit the ground with a sickening sound that carried even over the rushing wind. Two more apprentices crashed through branches, their limbs twisting at unnatural angles before disappearing into the foliage.
Ralth's barrier slammed into the top of a massive tree, the Force Field Barrier shattering on impact but absorbing enough force to save him. He bounced and tumbled through branches, each impact sending sharp pains through his body. Leaves and twigs whipped his face as he grabbed desperately at anything to slow his fall.
His hand caught a thick branch, nearly wrenching his arm from its socket. Pain shot through his shoulder, but he held on, dangling thirty feet above the forest floor.