Alex sat in the same spot where he had set up camp for the past few weeks, training.
He hadn't explored further since there was no real need anymore. After all, he already had plenty of potions of every kind, and having lasted until the end, he was confident his rank would be high enough.
The last few weeks had been peaceful in their own way — just him, his potion crafting, and the hunt.
He regretted not finding Marc or Tessa. For all he knew, they could have teleported back already, or perhaps they were so far away that the chances of running into them were minimal.
As Alex finished training, he opened his status window.
—STATUS—
Name: Alexander Apprentice Mage (19.82%)
Age: 16
Mana: 850 / 1,492
Mana Gathering: Wind Gathering (Beginner), Water Drop Meditation (Beginner)
Mana Control: Senturion Control (Master – 11.35792%)
Mana Sense: None
Elements:
Wind (Novice – 11%)
Water (Novice – 15%)
Skills:
...Windslicer Barrage (Apprentice – 91%)Water Spear (Novice – 72%)
Alex rarely opened his status window; he never felt the need. He remembered well enough what skills he could use. The only thing that bothered him was that his Mana Sense was still empty.
Mana Sense was a tricky type of training — it allowed the user to become attuned to the mana of certain elements.
'It's like opening your hearing to a higher frequency, or expanding your sight to perceive new colors,' Alex thought, reminiscing about the day he studied this in the library.
The training granted the user a 50% increased sensitivity to the element per level of mastery.
Its main effect was directly tied to one's elemental proficiency.
For example, Alex's water element was currently at Novice – 15%.
During the midterms, he had realized how difficult it had become to raise that percentage. Each single percent gained demanded more effort than the last.
That's where Mana Sense came into play.
Even at the beginner level, the training increased the speed at which one could progress their elemental affinity by 50%.
'An insane upgrade,' Alex thought. He concluded that he needed to acquire a Mana Sense for each of his elements.
But there was a limitation — only one training could be used at a time.
Which meant that if someone had a beginner Fire Mana Sense, they'd have to discard it to switch to another.
It was like tuning your mind's frequency to a single element.
The reason it was called Mana Sense and not Elemental Sense was because at higher levels, the training allowed multiple elements to be sensed in tandem.
Alex sighed, remembering that Mana Sense manuals were the rarest of the three training types. His thoughts slowly drifted, and soon enough, he fell asleep. Tomorrow was the day the remaining participants would be recalled.
The next morning, Alex woke with the first rays of sunlight — as usual. He didn't know when he'd be teleported, so he stood up and prepared himself breakfast.
After eating, he wandered aimlessly, waiting for the recall to begin.
After an hour or two of walking, he reached an open clearing within the forest. Something about the place felt… off. The mana in the air was chaotic, in disarray — unbalanced. He couldn't quite explain it, but the sensation made his skin prickle.
As he approached the center of the clearing, he began to feel heat emanating from his pocket.
Reaching inside, he took out his pocket watch.
It was hot to the touch, and the once-broken dials had begun spinning again. They ticked for eight seconds before resetting, trapped in a strange loop.
"What the hell…" Alex muttered, frowning. He had no idea what was happening or why.
Before he could investigate further, his bracelet began to tremble. The familiar sensation told him the recall had begun. He sighed, brushed the dust from his clothes, and stood ready.
A few minutes later, his body was enveloped in glowing particles of light — and in the next instant, he vanished.
When he reappeared, it was at the entrance of the jungle, surrounded by roughly eighty or ninety other participants.
The pocket watch no longer burned, nor the dials spun in a loop, so with more questions than ever before, he placed the watch in his pocket again.
He then looked around.
It seemed many had been forced to retire early or were sent back.
Alex scanned the crowd but didn't see Marc anywhere.
A flicker of worry crept into his chest.
'What the hell happened to him?' he wondered.
Then his gaze caught Tessa. She looked fine — tired, but fine.
Without wasting time, Alex hurried toward Scarlett.
"Hey, teacher," he said, "do you know anything about Marc?"
Scarlett met his eyes — those nervous eyes — and answered calmly.
"Yes. He's in the hospital. He was defeated by an intermediate beast a week ago."
Marc, unlike Alex, didn't possess the cunning or skill set to fight above his tier. When he had faced the monster, the difference in strength must have been overwhelming.
Alex released a long sigh, the tension in his shoulders fading.
"On the other hand," Scarlett added, her tone shifting as a sly smirk crossed her lips, "you did very well… during all of it."
Her emphasis made her insinuation clear.
Alex swallowed hard. Once again, it seemed he'd been caught.
"I did nothing wrong," he replied, maintaining a calm façade despite the situation.
"Don't worry," Scarlett said with a soft chuckle. "Besides me and that pervert Fabian, no one saw your little encounter. And honestly, for once, I think you did well. There's no place in this world for beasts like them. I won't say anything — and judging by Fabian's expression, neither will he. You and the girl are in the clear."
Alex exhaled in relief, the weight lifting from his chest.
As he turned, he saw Tessa approaching and waved at her.
"Hey, you lasted till the end! Where's Marc?" she asked, smiling.
"Yeah, same to you," Alex replied. "Marc fought something way above his level — ended up in the hospital."
Tessa sighed, shaking her head. "That sounds like him."
The two chatted briefly until Mikhail tapped his staff against the ground, commanding everyone's attention.
"Hello, survivors," he said flatly. "Congratulations on lasting till the end." His voice was as emotionless as ever.
"The results of the field test will be provided next week, alongside your written exam scores. I imagine you're all desperate for a shower, so we'll be teleporting you back shortly. Stand with your respective instructors."
Tessa waved goodbye. "See you later."
"Yeah," Alex nodded. "Until later."
He approached Scarlett once more.
"Where are we, exactly?" he asked.
Scarlett smiled faintly. "We're in the jungles south of the royal palace."
"Why?" she added, tilting her head.
"Nothing," Alex said, feigning casualness. "Just curious." He made a mental note of the location.
Scarlett narrowed her eyes slightly. "Okay…"
Moments later, light enveloped them both, and everyone disappeared — marking the end of the first part of the midterms.