Ruth made it clear that she did not want to hear that it had been a fluke. Oscar told her that Zazan's magic was definitely impressive, but that at the same time he had thought it was a waste to use that much mana. Ruth was shocked that he would consider what Zazan had done a waste of anything. Oscar explained that since the exam was a practical one, it assumed combat against monsters.
That was why he had thought it better to suppress mana consumption with the battlefield in mind, and that explanation blew Ruth's mind. She apologized for delaying him and told him that he could go. As Oscar walked off, Ruth was left in complete awe, because he had possessed the vision to read the movements of the targets and the courage to wait for the perfect moment.
As if that were not enough, he also had the mana control to strike exactly where he aimed. Ruth admitted that Oscar's magic was not flashy, and that it was not a difficult magic either. All she could see when she looked at him was someone of incredible talent. At the same time, Oscar was walking away thinking about how impressive Ruth's own magic had been, since she had been able to make several targets move independently of one another.
Suddenly, Oscar sensed that someone was watching him, and in a stern voice he demanded to know who it was. A voice came out of nowhere, commending him for noticing. Then an old man appeared above him and introduced himself as Balsamus, the headmaster of the academy. Oscar immediately bowed his head to him and apologized for his rudeness, since he had not known who he was.
Balsamus assured him that it was fine, because he had been the one eavesdropping in the first place. Then Oscar spotted the strange pendant hanging at the headmaster's neck, and he recognized it instantly. Balsamus noticed the hesitation in his movements and asked whether anything was wrong. He stretched out his hand toward Oscar and told him to offer his greetings.
Oscar reluctantly reached out, and just as he was about to take the headmaster's hand, he sensed an attack brewing underneath him and leapt backward to dodge it. Balsamus was impressed that he had avoided the attack, and he told him that his perception was sharp. Then Balsamus levitated into the air to take the advantage of height, and Oscar frantically asked him whether he had come to kill him, whipping out his wand to prepare for an attack.
Balsamus teased him, asking whether he thought he could take him down with such a small wand. Then he unleashed a powerful wind magic that trapped Oscar, and the moment Oscar sensed it, he realized there was no way out. Instead of panicking or trying to break free, he did something else. He cast a fire spell and went directly for Balsamus, forcing him to block the fire magic and let his own barrier drop.
Balsamus was completely astonished by that, because he could see the route Oscar had taken. He dispelled the barrier entirely, and Oscar crashed to his knees in exhaustion. Balsamus descended to his level and asked him whether he was already out of spells, pointing out that he would have died if this had not been a test. Oscar sighed weakly and asked Balsamus what his end goal was, because there was no way he had put him through such a test purely for fun.
Balsamus commended him for noticing, and he began to explain that there were many people in the academy who saw magic as a special privilege. He told Oscar that he simply wanted him to experience the reality of things for himself, though with the way things had turned out, he could see that he had underestimated the extent of the boy's true potential. Oscar finally understood what the headmaster was saying to him. If he stood out too much, he would be targeted, exactly as he had just been.
Balsamus told him that this was precisely his point, and he revealed that there were extremists who did not tolerate the presence of talented commoners. That reminded Oscar of what the mages who killed him had said. They had told him that he had too much talent, and that they could not overlook it. Oscar asked the headmaster to tell him who they were, and Balsamus took a deep breath before telling him that knowing their identities would only put him in danger.
Balsamus told him that he should simply focus on gaining the power to protect himself within the academy. The statement struck Oscar deeply, because he realized that he would have died if Balsamus had truly been after his life. Then Oscar decided to ask the headmaster about the pendant at his neck, and Balsamus revealed that it was proof that a man was a magic saint.
The revelation shocked Oscar, because magic saint was the title that indicated the highest rank a mage could reach, exactly as sword saint did for a swordsman. As Oscar prepared to leave, Balsamus dropped a badge into his hand and told him not to lose it, because it was going to be useful to him very soon. As the headmaster left, Oscar finally saw just how powerful he was, because there was not a single disturbance anywhere in his mana.
At the same time, it dawned on Oscar that he could not simply stand around being impressed. He had thought that learning magic in this life would be enough, but after realizing that a magic saint had been among those who killed him, he understood that there was a real possibility they would come for him in this life too. Since that was the case, Oscar came to a clear decision. He had to surpass the man he had been as a sword saint.
Later, in the classroom for the first class, Zazan overheard some of the students talking about Oscar, and about the fact that he was the first commoner ever to join the first class. Zazan cut in, telling them that Oscar was a mere commoner and would be weeded out soon enough. He had not even finished the sentence when Oscar walked into the classroom, shocking Zazan and everyone else who had not expected him to make the cut.
After his meeting with the headmaster, Oscar had gone back to his dorm room to train, trying to increase the amount of mana his circuits could absorb. As time went on, he found that the duration he could maintain was growing longer and longer. What he wished for now was an opportunity to gain some real combat experience. As he stepped into that classroom with every eye on him, Oscar realized that this was the first time he had truly felt the urge to get stronger.
Oscar and Zazan locked eyes, and Oscar could see the disgust on the noble's face. He was not surprised to run into Zazan, because he had expected to meet him in the classroom. Just then he noticed a familiar presence sitting at the back, and it was none other than Lily. Oscar walked over to where she sat and helped her pick up a bookmark that had fallen to the floor.
With a bright smile, as always, Lily took the bookmark and thanked Oscar for the help. Oscar could see the flower printed on it, and he quietly remarked on Lily's love of flowers. She heard him and asked him what he had said, and he quickly twisted his answer, saying that he had only been thinking about how beautiful the flower was. He introduced himself and asked whether he could sit beside her, and she happily accepted, introducing herself as Lily Lowell.
Suddenly a strange voice cut through the room, addressing the students now that they had all gathered. Everyone got up in curiosity, wondering what was happening. Then an image of a person appeared at the front of the room, and it turned out to be Ruth, the professor who had supervised the selection exam. Ruth told the students that she would be in charge of the first-class group.