"Kid, if you didn't receive a grimoire, it's due to one of this two reasons," Vicinus Sanchez said as his piercing gaze settled on Damien with a scrutinizing intensity.
"The first reason" he held up a finger, "—is that you already possess a grimoire. The second reason" he lifted another finger, his expression darkening, "—is that you have no Mana energy within you, which am guessing is the second, because am not exactly sensing any Mana from you" Vicinus said, his voice rough and matter-of-fact.
'Huh, I already have a grimoire? Wait, is this black book actually my grimoire?' Damien's mind raced as he brought out the book from his sachet, deliberately ignoring the second reason Vicinus had mentioned.
'Come to think of it, what was that strange vibration just now?' Damien thought, his fingers tracing the mysterious black book's edges with growing curiosity and confusion.
'But how the hell am I supposed to open…this damn book' Damien thought, trying his best to open it again, but the book still won't budge.
'Damn it... Does this mean I won't even get to enter a magic knight guild? Then how the hell am I going to break this cursed seal?' his thoughts trailed off as his frustration, almost reaching it's limit.
"Well, that's all for the first test. From now on, the main tests shall begin," Vicinus announced, his tone shifting to one of excitement.
'Wait, there's more tests. What the fuck is going on' that actually took Damien by surprise. Normally the eight captains would select their apprentices based of their Grimoires and magic attributes, but if there were more than one test....
'Then that means I still have a shot at entering a magic knight guild.' That flicker of hope was the only thing keeping Damien's spirits from plummeting.
"Alright then," Vicinus said, raising his magic staff high. The moment the tip of his staff gleamed, a powerful surge of energy exploded across the hall.
Instantly, the ground beneath the two hundred students began to glow with an otherworldly light. Panic surged through the crowd, and before anyone could fully comprehend what was happening, they vanished in a blink of an eye.
When Damien and the other students opened their eyes, they found themselves in a massive open arena. Damien scanned the surroundings, confusion washing over him. He didn't recognize this place from his previous life. Was this yet another unexpected twist from his regression?
Even the other students looked just as bewildered, exchanging confused glances and hushed whispers.
"Everyone, quit your bickering!" A commanding voice boomed.
Damien snapped his head toward the speaker. A tall, broad-shouldered man with slicked-back brown hair and dark shades stood atop a stone platform, arms crossed. His posture exuded authority, and the white and green jacket he wore immediately identified him as a member of the Tempest Guild.
"As you stand here, you are in the presence of the almighty Ten Captains of the Avalon Empire!" The man said.
'Wait, ten captains?'…Something felt off about his statement just now. Damien recalled there being only eight captains back before his regression, but now there were two more.
He glanced around, frantically searching for the captains. It didn't take long until he felt it, an overwhelming surge of Mana energy concentrated in one spot.
His gaze shot upwards, then he saw them. Seated above, on an elevated platform, were the legendary Magic Knight Captains, their power so dense and suffocating it made the air itself feel heavier.
Back in his previous life, he had scoffed at the rumors claiming that a single Captain's strength was equal to that of a hundred mages combined. But after witnessing it firsthand how a Captain leveled an entire village with just one spell, he knew — that the rumors weren't exaggerated.
He scanned the Captains one by one, recognizing some of them from his past life, but then his eyes fell upon a boy who looked only a few years older than him.
But the fact that he was sitting among the Captains only meant he was just as powerful as them.
'Damn, just how strong is this kid?' Damien muttered under his breath. Then his gaze shifted to another unfamiliar figure. He was...
Suddenly Giovanni shifted. He felt that same unknown feeling that he had been sensing for a while now ever since he left the orphanage. And he was right as his gaze drifted to Damien, he had a deadly contorted expression on his face with his teeth grind together in fury.
'Why?...why is he there...just why is that bastard there!' A sharp, burning rage flared inside Damien. His hands curled into tight fists, his nails digging into his palms.
Seated comfortably, was one of the Ten captains of Avalon, a man Damien knew far too well. The man responsible for his death.
Lark Snidder, His nemesis in every sense of the word. The one he wanted to take revenge upon, but was sat high on his throne just like the other captains.
As if the bastard could feel Damien's seething hatred, Lark turned his gaze toward him, and to worse it all, with that same devious smirk curling his lips—the very same expression Damien had seen right before he was killed.
Damien could barely control his rage, that was until a big, quite painful knock struck him in his skull.
"Knock it off Damien" Giovanni said after landing a blow to his head.
Damien stumbled forward, clutching his head from the unexpected pain.
"Ouch! What the hell was that for?!" He glared at Giovanni, who had just smacked him.
Giovanni only sighed, shaking his head.
Damien took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He almost lost himself there for a minute. He didn't understand why that bastard, Lark was now a captain. He was indeed strong in his previous life but no where near the level of a captain. But now here he was.
'It doesn't matter.' Damien's lips twisted into a smirk.
'I don't care what changes have happened… But I promise you Lark Snidder, I'll give you a death that has never existed in this world before .' Damien thought, smirking back at the bastard.
The First Exam.
"My name is Lucas, and I'll be overseeing your entrance exams from this point on," the examiner announced, standing on a raised platform.
"You have only one goal in mind, and that is to impress the magic knight captains by showcasing your fighting prowess. And let me make this clear: you lot taking the magic Knight entrance exams only means one thing and that is to become a battle mage, protect the weak, represent your houses and to sore high in the kingdom of Avalon.
If your dreams are as trivial as becoming the best cook or a better housewife, or any other foolish dream you might have, you might as well erase yourself from here this instant!" Lucas declared, his frown deepening as he scanned the crowd, but no one dared to leave. A slow smirk crept onto his lips.
"Very well then, we'll proceed with the first exam." As soon as he said that, the ground beneath them began to tremble as if an earthquake were unfolding.
Then suddenly, a massive boulder erupted from the earth, landing right in front of the two hundred students. Damien recognized that steel-like boulder.
"This is the Obsidian rock, found deep within the scorching mountains of Avalon. It's known for its toughness and resilience, but don't worry; we've reduced its quality to match the toughness of an E-rank monster. Now, whoever I call should come forward and strike this boulder using your Mana, leaving a mark on it," Lucas instructed, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the students one by one.
'Am fucked. How in the world am I supposed to scratch an Obsidian rock without Mana?' Damien thought, his frown deepening with worry.
"Now, If your Mana isn't refined enough to scratch this Boulder. That will be a straight fail. There would be no use to continue with the rest of the exams" Lucas said with a devious smirk.
"And if you succeed, not only will you pass the first exam but you would be awarded points depending on your performance. And the first top five students after completing the exams would be awarded silver coins, as well as Divine Weapons, based on your points accumulated".
'What?! Are they serious?' That took Damien by surprise. Normally, people would have to spend half their fortune just to purchase a single Divine Weapon— and they were giving them away as rewards?!
Lucas pulled out a list.
"Now, first up is..." Lucas squinted at the name, shock flickering across his face. He wore an expression of someone who'd spotted a name that absolutely shouldn't be on the list. His gaze slightly drifted up to one of the captains before he sighed and continued.
"The first contestant is Daisy Orleanda"
Suddenly, an extraordinarily beautiful young girl stepped forward. Her white short gown was delicately adorned with pink flowers that seemed to dance with her movement. Long silver-white hair with a subtle pinkish hue cascaded down to her waist, catching the light with each graceful step.
"Wow, she's beautiful" students whispered in awe.
"Oh my god, is she a goddess?" The air buzzed with lustful murmurs as she majestically walked past them, not sparing even one a single glance.
'Wow, she must really like pink colour. But why do her name sounds so familiar' Damien thought, his eyes involuntarily tracing her figure. She was undeniably attractive, but he knew he couldn't afford to be distracted.
She stood before the obsidian boulder, pulling out her white and pink three-leaf clover grimoire. With a wand in hand, she lifted it high. Suddenly, a gust of wind swirled around her, catching everyone off guard.
"Wow! She's incredible!" students gasped, shielding their eyes from the dust swirling in the air.
'And she's got a lot of Mana for a novice mage,' Damien thought, squinting against the dust.
"Wind magic attribute," she declared, "Wind Slash!" As soon as the words left her lips, a green wind projectile shot forward, striking the boulder with tremendous force.
Gasps of surprise echoed through the crowd. She'd created a devastatingly deep cut, nearly slashing the boulder in half. Even Lucas looked momentarily stunned.
"Excellent work, as expected from a noble. You have been awarded 500 points." Lucas declared. With a casual flick of his wrist, the rock mended itself - revealing his own earth magic attribute.
Daisy shrugged, flipping her silver-white hair over her shoulder as she turned. She strode past Damien without a second glance— But just before she completely passed him, she leaned in and whispered into his ear.
"Little insect". The words were calm, indifferent. As if she couldn't be bothered to acknowledge his existence. Damien didn't react. He had heard it all before. Nobles calling commoners "insects" was nothing new, and to be honest, he was already used to it.
But still…
'Is that so…we'll see about that' Damien thought, frowning.
The rest of the test was a blur. Most of the students couldn't even lay a scratch on the rock and was given a direct fail. Some left in tears, others with silent resignation. Damien actually took pity on them, it wasn't easy to give up on your dream, whatever they may be, so easily.
He glanced at the remaining students.
'If my memory serves me right, it remains six students including i and Giovanni' he thought, steeling himself. Then—
"Contestant one hundred and ninety five, Damien!" Lucas finally called out.
Damien inhaled sharply.
'Shit, let's do this!'