The table was covered with magic tools of every kind. The examiner instructed the candidates to choose based on their eye color. Abel had no expectations. There was unlikely to be anything here prepared for amber eyes. He calmly picked up a red one-handed sword as a substitute.
The examiner announced that the targets were made of magic-absorbing black matter. Candidates were free to unleash their magic to their hearts' content.
Ted was the first to raise his hand excitedly, asking to go ahead of everyone else. Abel couldn't help but feel a flicker of worry for him. Everyone gathered here was among the elite. He was afraid Ted's half-baked level would make him a laughingstock in front of the crowd.
Ted wound up with everything he had and shouted as he launched a fireball, but the magic that came out was barely a flicker. Abel felt a wave of disappointed frustration. Just as clumsy as ever. The feeble burst of magic struck the center of the target and faded away without a trace.
Yet the entire venue erupted in a wave of commotion. Abel assumed it was ridicule, but to his surprise the examiner cried out in genuine admiration, declaring Ted an exceptional talent. The other candidates looked deflated, complaining about the pressure of following someone so strong.
Abel couldn't believe it. This level was actually considered impressive here.
The candidates who followed confirmed his suspicion. Their magic was even weaker, like a clumsy talent show performance. The targets sustained nothing more than a few scratches.
When his turn came, the examiner's tone carried a note of hesitant concern. Abel felt a familiar wave of resignation. The examiner had clearly underestimated him because of his amber eyes. But Ted clapped him enthusiastically on the shoulder, urging him to show everyone what he was made of. That wholehearted, unconditional trust sent a warmth blooming through Abel's chest.
He picked up the magic tool and stepped up to the starting position. Countless spectating eyes bored into his back, laced with whispering. They mocked his slow spell construction, fitting for someone with inferior eyes.
Abel tuned them out, absorbed in thinking through an elegant combination. Since the target was made of dark matter, he might as well go big.
He activated his spell. Fireball, type two, split.
A torrential surge of magic erupted, rocketing skyward. Everyone stood slack-jawed, stunned by the sheer scale of it. Abel thought to himself that this was more than just big. The sphere of magic rose high into the air, then came crashing down like a firework. As the onlookers stared on in disbelief, the target was completely swallowed whole. When the smoke cleared, all that remained was a terrifying crater in the ground.
The entire exam hall fell dead silent, then exploded into an uproar far louder than before. Ted leaped into the air with excitement, cheering at the top of his lungs. Abel was certain he had just shaken loose some of those deeply entrenched prejudices.
In another exam hall, Alyssa unleashed her flame cleave with a thunderous strike. The blow carried considerable power, enough to crack the surface of the black target open. The examiner could barely hide their shock, and sharp intakes of breath rippled through the crowd. Yet Alyssa herself felt nothing but utter boredom, for this so-called top academy to be rattled by something at this level.
Just then an examiner from the adjacent hall came rushing over. Alyssa quietly enhanced her hearing and caught fragments of the exchange. The keywords were amber-eyed candidate, and the target was destroyed.
Her heart gave a jolt. She immediately thought of the person she had encountered that morning. A smile of genuine excitement finally climbed to the corner of her lips. Things were finally getting interesting.
After the exam, Abel was rated as class A. Ted also received class A and could barely contain his smugness. The two made their way to the waiting room reserved for class A candidates. The room was sparsely populated, and yet the moment they walked in, all eyes were on them. Every gaze locked onto the amber color of Abel's eyes. Whispered conversations swept through the room, all speculating about the rumor that he had destroyed the target.
A familiar voice rose from nearby. Alyssa walked straight over. She asked directly whether the story about the target being destroyed was true. She pressed him on how the spell had been constructed, suspecting he had trained under a famous master. Seeing Abel remain silent, she declared she would find the answer for herself in the next test.
Examiner Fidia appeared at just the right moment, announcing the rules for the final assessment. The format was a simulated duel, simple and straightforward. Two candidates would face off, and whoever had their defense broken first would be the loser. Opponents would be matched by performance in the earlier rounds.
The outcome was no surprise. Abel's opponent was Alyssa.