Following the new student orientation guide, Allen arrived at the public auditorium.
There was none of the magical splendor he had imagined. Instead, it resembled a lecture hall from a university in his past life, only a hundred times larger and far more cold and austere in its construction.
Tidy Rune Arrays lined the corners of the walls and ceiling, silently maintaining the stability of the space and the circulation of air, exuding an industrial sort of beauty.
Nearly a thousand new students from different planes had already taken their seats, the air thick with suppressed excitement and tension.
Suddenly, the lights in the auditorium dimmed without warning, and a heart-stopping wave of oppressive Magic Power swept through the hall like a deep-sea current!
On the dais, three figures materialized out of thin air amid twisting light and shadow.
In the center stood a Female Wizard with a stern expression, dressed in an immaculate black instructor's robe.
To her right stood a man in a silver-gray uniform. His face looked as if it were carved from stone, his aura so restrained it was nearly nonexistent. The badge on his chest identified him as a member of the Disciplinary Committee.
And to her left was a young man in his twenties, clad in the robes of an Advanced Apprentice, a hint of exhaustion on his face.
"Silence."
The Female Wizard spoke. Her voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly to every person's ears, instantly silencing all whispers.
"I am Lecia, a representative of the public course instructors. First, congratulations on reaching the most prestigious academy for Wizards, freshmen of the 3256th year."
Her tone held not a trace of celebratory warmth; it was as if she were exhaling frost:
"Congratulations on not being disposed of as scrap during the selection process. And further congratulations for not being dragged into the labs of insatiable Black Wizards, to become screaming consumables for their forbidden experiments."
A single sentence sent a chill through the hearts of all the boys and girls in the hall, whose restlessness had been fueled by a sense of novelty.
"Regardless of your previous status, here, you are merely the reserve force for the 'White Wizards'."
"Don't get me wrong, we are no saints. We simply have a better understanding of the meaning of 'sustainability.' The Seven Towers Alliance you now stand in abides by the Wizard's Codex and believes that 'knowledge is power'."
Lecia's gaze swept across the hall. "Your apprenticeship is divided into two stages."
"During the junior apprentice stage, you will have three years to complete all the public courses. Your academic performance will determine which school opens its doors to you. Those with grades that are too poor will simply be eliminated."
"Those who fail to advance within three years, or whose grades are too low, will be forcibly expelled, and their respective investment agreements will be executed. Incidentally, the pass rate for this stage is seventy percent."
The freshmen below began to discuss this in hushed tones.
Allen, however, was deep in thought.
'A thirty percent elimination rate for the junior stage. So the screening criterion is mastery of the material? Makes sense.'
Lecia completely ignored the apprentices' reactions and continued.
"Those who advance will become Advanced Apprentices. You will enter a chosen tower, study under a mentor, learn the exclusive knowledge of the five major schools, and transition to a more powerful Meditation Method in preparation to become a true Wizard. At the same time, you'll become sought-after talent, with major Wizard Organizations spending fortunes to recruit you."
She paused, the corners of her mouth twisting into a cruel smile.
"The pass rate for this stage is twenty percent. Moreover, anyone who fails to become a First-level Wizard by the age of thirty is considered to have no further potential. You can find your own path, no need to waste your time here."
The entire hall fell deathly silent.
Seventy percent multiplied by twenty percent... the total pass rate was a pitiful fourteen percent. And every apprentice studying here was exceptionally talented!
Allen's knuckles tapped gently on the armrest. He thought to himself, 'An 86% elimination rate to become a First-level Wizard. Is this their idea of an elite education?'
'The academic pressure must be immense.'
Having finished her speech, Lecia looked to the young man beside her. "Carl, explain the rest of the details to them."
With that, she closed her eyes, as if she had no interest in the rest of the proceedings.
The Advanced Apprentice rose. He waved his hand, and a massive screen of light unfolded in the air, revealing a dense list of course titles.
"I'm your teaching assistant, Carl." His voice held a hint of pity. "And this is the nightmare you'll be facing for the next three years."
On the screen of light, the courses were divided into three main modules.
[Basic Theory]: *The Nature of Magic Power and Macro Theory*, *Introduction to Planar Studies*, *History of Magic*, *Magical Biology*, *Introduction to the Elements*.
[Practical Skills]: *Basic Runes and Linguistics*, *Ancient Languages and Textual Interpretation*, *Meditation Magic (Standard Version)*, *Fundamental Potions and Toxicology*, *Magic Material Research (General Survey)*.
[Wizarding Arts & Sciences]: *Mathematics and Magical Geometry*, *Logic and Spell Modeling*, *The Wizard's Codex and Ethics*, *Fundamentals of Astrology and Divination*.
The long list of titles made most of the freshmen's heads spin; it looked like more books than they had read in their entire lives.
"Though these are just the lowest-level public courses, this is knowledge you couldn't hope to find anywhere else. It will lay the most solid foundation for your future."
"So don't even think about slacking off!"
"The vast majority of you are just here to serve as a backdrop for the true geniuses, to make up the numbers. You'll have to give it your all just to advance within the required time."
"The academy uses a flexible study system," Carl added. "As long as you feel you've mastered the material, you can apply to be tested on any of the courses at any time. If you pass, you can advance immediately."
"Of course, every year a few smart-alecks try to do just that. They usually fail, and you only get two chances to apply for assessment for each course."
He pursed his lips, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.
"Also, learning costs money."
"Tutoring, buying Magic Potions to enhance your Spiritual Power—it all requires Magic Stones. Where does the money come from? Figure it out yourself, or pick up jobs from the mission hall. If you don't have money, you won't even be able to keep up with your classes! And for any of you who are illiterate, I suggest you learn to read, and fast."
While the other apprentices groaned in despair, Allen's eyes only grew brighter.
'DSeek, build a curriculum model, analyze the interdependencies, and plot the optimal learning path.'
To him, this was hardly a nightmare.
It was, in no uncertain terms, a "tech tree"!
It was a meticulously logical guide for ascending from mortal to extraordinary!
'It normally takes three years... but I have DSeek to help me learn and memorize. The theory courses can be compressed down to almost nothing. The practical courses require resources... which means I'll need to earn Magic Stones quickly.'
A bold plan began to form in his mind.
One year!
He would walk a path in one year that took others three!
Just then, the man in the silver-gray uniform, who had been silent the entire time, lifted his head. His rock-like face was expressionless as he uttered a single sentence.
"On behalf of the Disciplinary Committee, I have one piece of advice for you:"
"Don't die outside the rules."
After speaking, he, Lecia, and Carl all vanished from the dais at once, as if they had never been there.
The apprentices looked at each other, still reeling from the terrifying elimination rate and the crushing weight of the curriculum.
And just like that, the opening ceremony came to an abrupt and brutal end.