One of the instructors raised his hand and called out for the line to move forward. The next student stepped out.
He was a boy in a plain brown cloth, shoulders tense.
"Name," the instructor asked.
"Liam. Liam Liamson III," the boy replied, voice a little tight.
Then a ripple of laughter spread through the nearby students. Some tried to hold it in and failed, shoulders shaking.
A few covered their mouths, eyes turning red from the effort.
"Liam… Liamson… the third?"
"Did his parents run out of ideas?"
"Is his father name Liamson?"
Oliver's let out a chuckle.
Inside the bag, Ethan also laughing.
"Just what kind of name is that? Liamo Liamoson the third? Do his parents hate him or something?"
The huge crystal hanging in the air slowly descended until it floated in front of Liam, its surface smooth and cold, faint light flowing inside it like sleeping water.
Liam swallowed, gathered what little courage he had, and pressed his palm against it.
He was to nervous to even realize people were laughing at him.
The moment his skin touched the surface, a thin line of light extended from inside the crystal and stabbed into his palm like a needle.
"Ah!" Liam yelped and instinctively tried to pull back.
A blue Sorcerers beside him caught his wrist.
"Do not panic," the man said in a calm tone. "The crystal only takes a drop of blood to read your mana and potential. It will not harm you."
A bead of blood appeared on Liam's palm, but it vanished almost instantly, drawn into the crystal along that thin thread of light.
The crystal trembled.
Threads of light inside its body began to stir.
They started as pale white, then gradually thickened and sank downward, turning into a deep earthy yellow.
The entire interior of the crystal took on a heavy, solid color, like soil that had been packed and pressed for many years.
"Earth element," someone in the crowd murmured.
"The crystal has locked his elemental affinity," the blue-robed Sorcerers announced. "A single attribute: Earth."
At the base of the crystal, a circular pattern of light appeared, divided neatly into ten equal segments.
One after another, three of those segments lit up, glowing with a steady, simple light. The other seven segments remained dark.
"Mana Body stage, level three," the Sorcerers continued.
Above the crystal, the air stirred. Faint motes of light gathered and formed a small ring of light.
Then another appeared, circling above the first. Then a third.
Three halos hung above the crystal, not very bright, but clear enough for everyone to see.
"Talent grade: three-ring," the Sorcerers said. "Ordinary aptitude. Not bad you're qualified to be a sorcerer."
As he finished speaking, the halos slowly faded and the crystal's light calmed down.
Liam let out a long breath he had not realized he was holding.
Three rings were not amazing, but they were not shameful either.
At least he would have a change to be a strong Sorcerers.
"Next," the instructor called.
Liam bowed awkwardly and stepped back into the crowd, quickly disappearing among the other nervous commoners.
Oliver watched everything quietly.
He had already started to understand how the crystal worked.
'Element color for affinity,' he thought. 'Ring at the base for realm and level. Halos at the top for talent.'
Inside the bag at his waist, Ethan gave a casual suggestion.
"Have you ever checked your talent?" he muttered.
"If you are a genius, you should hide it here. Those with high talent only become targets for others."
"Do not worry. My talent is just average," Oliver replied. "I only do not know what element I have."
Another student stepped out when his name was called.
This one wore a dark red coat embroidered with gold thread. The Kingdom crest was stitched onto his chest.
At the edge of the crowd, two maids in fine dresses watched him with obvious pride.
"That one is a noble," someone whispered. "From the Rothwell family, if I remember right."
"No wonder he looks so confident," another replied. "The Rothwell family is famous for producing strong sorcerers."
"Yes, I heard the patriarch already reached Grand Sorcerer."
At those words, several students' eyes lit up. Longing and admiration flickered across their faces.
To them, "Grand Sorcerer" was not just a rank, it was a distant peak they could only dream of.
"Name," the instructor asked.
"Cedric Rothwell," the boy replied.
The crystal descended again and came to a stop in front of him.
Cedric placed his hand on it without the slightest hesitation.
The thin line of light shot into his palm just like before, but Cedric did not even blink. His body stayed still, eyes confident as he stared at the crystal.
The threads of light inside the crystal did not move slowly like with Liam. They surged upward together, like a river suddenly freed of its dam.
The interior of the crystal erupted into a bright, vivid red, and then sharp streaks of gold ripped through it.
Red flames and golden lightning intertwined, chasing each other around the crystal's core like two living serpents.
"Dual element!" someone gasped. "Fire and lightning!"
At the base, the ring of ten segments that represented the Mana Body realm appeared, but before anyone could react, all ten segments lit up in an instant.
A second ring rose above the first, and on that second ring, three segments flared to life, shining much more fiercely than Liam's light had done.
The blue sorcerer's eyes flashed.
"Realm: Mana Vein stage, level four," he announced.
A wave of murmurs rolled through the crowd.
"Already at Mana Vein before even entering the academy?"
"He cannot be more than fifteen."
"As expected of a noble lineage…"
Above the crystal, the air shook as halos of light burst into existence one after another.
At first there was one, then two, then three… soon there were four, five, and finally six rings hanging above the crystal.
By the time the sixth ring appeared, several students were already whispering in disbelief.
When the seventh halo formed and joined the others, the space above the crystal looked like it wore seven bright crowns stacked atop each other, the glow so strong some new students had to squint their eyes.
"Seven-ring talent…" someone breathed. "This is real high-grade talent."
The sorcerer nodded slowly.
"Elemental affinity, Fire and Lightning," he said. "Mana Vein stage, third level. Talent grade, seven-ring. You will become amazing sorcerer."
Cedric allowed himself a small smile. He withdrew his hand and turned away from the crystal.
As he walked back to his group, his gaze swept lazily over the plaza.
It passed over Oliver for a moment without stopping, then moved on as if he were not worth remembering.
Around him, soft sighs and admiring comments rose.
"That is a real genius."
"If I had seven rings, my family would probably hold a banquet for three days."
"I heard the highest in the capital last year was eight. Seven is close to that."
Inside the bag, Ethan snorted.
"Look at this," he said. "That bastard does not even see you in his eyes. So what if he has good talent? Without real achievement, all of that is worth nothing."
Bitterness rose in his chest.
He was reminded of his past. Back then, he had focused on studying.
Teachers and relatives kept saying he had "potential," making him feel that all his effort was the right choice.
Only when he entered the workforce did he realize he had been scammed.
All those years, he had poured his time into something useless, and the world did not care about his so-called potential at all. Only result have value.
Oliver did not answer.
He was watching the crystal, watching the halos fade, watching Cedric be received by his noble companions with smiles and respect.
Unlike Ethan, Oliver felt a stab of jealousy in his heart.
He also wanted to stand there like Cedric, to have people looking at him with respect instead of scorn.
"Do not worry," Ethan said quietly.
"Remember what you are. This is nothing more than one step in your long journey.
One day, when you become the greatest artificer, people will not care how many rings you had at the start.
They will remember your creations. Your name will be written into history itself."
Oliver exhaled slowly. "You're right Ethan."
Even so, a thin layer of sweat formed on his palms.
Up front, the line moved again.
Student after student stepped forward, pressed their hands to the crystal, and had their secrets pulled out and displayed.
Some lit up bright, pure colors but had weak halos.
Some showed strong rings at the base but only one or two halos above.
A few approached with hope and left with ashen faces when the crystal barely reacted at all.
The base ring glowed faintly and the top remained dark.
Staff members guided them gently away and explained in soft voices that they might be better suited to other profession.
As test after test went on, the sun climbed higher, and the mood in the plaza shifted with every result.
Genius results raised expectations. Trash results raised fear.
At the front, the instructor raised his voice at last. "Oliver Reed."