Chapter 18: Entrance Examination [2]
They arrived at the first major station. Affinity Assessment Area.
A long row of crystal pillars stood in an open courtyard and each one of them glowed faintly as applicants placed their hands on them one by one.
Bright lights of various colors erupted from the pillars as students showed their affinities.
Julia glanced at him "This is the first test. They measure your primary affinity."
Klein nodded silently, though a small worry flickered in his heart.
’If it shows curse energy too openly... it might cause unnecessary trouble. I need to keep that part hidden for now.’
Julia stepped forward first when her number was called.
She placed her palm firmly on the crystal pillar.
A moment later, a vibrant emerald green light bloomed around her, mixed with faint golden threads. The evaluators nodded approvingly, noting down her results.
"High Nature Spirit Affinity," one of them announced. "Great compatibility."
Julia stepped back with a calm expression, though there was a hint of satisfaction in her eyes.
Klein stepped up to the next available crystal pillar.
He took a slow, deep breath and placed his hand on the cool surface.
For a brief moment, he focused intently, trying to suppress the cursed energy deep within his black heart and let only the golden spirit power flow.
The crystal pillar reacted almost instantly.
A brilliant golden light surged upward and the light was intense enough to draw attention from nearby applicants and evaluators.
Murmurs spread quickly through the crowd.
"Golden again... just like at the Rite."
"A man with spirit affinity like this? That’s insane."
"What is happening?"
"This is THAT guy... with Mythic- rank class."
"What the fuck? Mythic-rank class?"
"What was his name again? Klein Faress?"
The head evaluator’s eyes widened slightly before he quickly composed himself and recorded the results.
"Exceptional Spirit Affinity. Confirmed high compatibility with spiritual entities."
Klein removed his hand from the pillar and let out a sigh of relief.
Julia watched him with a more serious expression than before.
She stepped closer as they moved away from the testing area.
"That was... impressive. The instructors are going to be all over you."
Klein gave a small shrug "I was lucky, I guess."
Julia looked at him for a moment longer, as if trying to read between the lines, but she didn’t press further.
They continued walking together toward the next evaluation zone.
"The second segment is Mana Capacity testing. It measures how much mana can you hold and channel."
"Mana capacity is ranked from F-tier all the way up to S-tier."
Turning to him, she spoke "With your talent, I won’t be surprised if you got S-tier atthis."
He only smiled gently "Let’s see how it goes."
---
Julia’s eyebrow twitched faintly as she watched the crystal pillar light up.
’I said that as a joke. To think that he actually got S-tier...’
The evaluator standing nearby was completely dumbfounded. He stared at the glowing pillar, then at Klein, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he finally managed to speak.
"S-tier Mana Capacity. Exceptional result. Next applicant, please step forward."
Klein retracted his hand from the crystal and walked back to stand beside Julia.
Seeing the way she was staring at him, he smiled dryly in his heart. though he maintained a calm face outside "Why are you looking at me like that? You also got S-tier in mana capacity."
Her eyes condensed subtly, "...Nothing."
They continued walking together toward the waiting area for the next segment.
The murmurs around them had grown louder.
Several applicants and evaluators were openly staring at Klein, whispering among themselves.
"The next part is the final segment. You can choose to do Practical Evaluation or Thoery Evaluation."
Julia pointed toward the arena and uttered "Practical Evaluation is for combat-oriented Arbiters. Direct fighting, weapon proficiency, mana control and tactical decision-making."
"It’s the most popular choice for those aiming for frontline roles in guilds or military or noble armies."
Then she gestured to the left, toward a series of grand lecture halls and examination rooms.
"Theory Evaluation exists for Arbiters with supporting or specialized classes like Healing, Alchemy, Summoning, Enchanting, Formation Masters, and so on."
"It tests knowledge, mana theory, strategic analysis, and understanding."
Julia paused for a moment, "Technically, I should also attend the Theory Evaluation since I have strong spirit aptitude."
"Most spirit users go that route because our abilities are better suited for support, summoning, and control rather than raw physical combat."
"But I like fighting with a sword. So I will choose the Physical Evaluation."
"You can go there and attend the Theory Evaluation if you want. It would be the safer and more logical choice for someone with your class."
"Most people with high spirit affinity avoid direct combat until they’ve properly trained their summoning and support abilities."
Klein remained silent for a moment before nodding his head "Alright. Good luck."
Julia gave a small nod in return. She turned on her heel and began walking toward the Physical Evaluation zone without another word.
Klein watched her go for a few seconds and stretched his arms above his head with a soft breath.
’Hmm... well, to get that sponsorship, I need to show my absolute best.’
’Guess, I will have to follow her.’
As he was about to move forward, a new message suddenly appeared in his Arbiter Panel, glowing with a deep crimson hue that stood out from the usual blue.
[The First Fallen of the Underworld is watching you.]
Huh? Klein was quite surprised ’Usually the Gods can only see what’s happening inside the Towers, they can’t see whats happening outside of it.’
’Azara... is she allowed to do that because she is powerful than those normal Gods?’
He glanced up at the sky and grinned ’Didn’t know she was such a tsundere.’
[The First Fallen of the Underworld suggests you not get the wrong ideas and she is merely curious.]
Klein’s grin widened slightly. He could almost imagine Azara’s irritated expression as she tries to maintain her dignified demeanor.
’Well, there is nothing to watch here anyway. Just me fighting some bunch of constructs.’
---
The Practical Evaluation area was far more intense than the mana testing zone.
The sounds of clashing weapons, exploding spells, and the occasional roar of beasts filled the air.
Klein joined the line for registration.
When his name was called, he stepped into one of the waiting arenas.
Julia was already in an adjacent field, swinging her sword in warm-up exercises.
At that moment, she also noticed him and her eyes widened in surprise "What the heck?"
She lowered her sword and gestured toward him with a sharp, questioning look, clearly asking, ’What are you doing here?’
Klein shrugged playfully as he mouthed back, ’I don’t know.’
’The fuck you mean you don’t know? What?’ Julia stared at him in utter confusion.
She looked like she wanted to march over and demand an explanation, but the barrier between their arenas prevented her from doing so.
The examiner for Klein’s group looked him up and down.
He tapped on his tablet to pull up Klein’s information. The moment the data loaded, the examiner’s expression changed.
"Klein Faress. S-tier Mana Capacity... Mythic-rank class?"
He glanced up at the handsome young man standing before him, "Are you sure you don’t want to switch to Theory Evaluation?"
"With your affinity and class, Theory would be much safer and more suitable. Practical combat is no joke for new awakeners."
Klein shook his head firmly, "I’m sure."
The examiner stared at him for a few seconds longer, then let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.
"Very well. Your test will begin in three minutes. You’ll face five waves of increasing difficulty. Survive and demonstrate control. That’s all we ask. Good luck."
Klein nodded once and stepped into the center of the arena.
The mana barrier hummed around him, sealing him inside.
From the observation stands and nearby arenas, more and more eyes began turning toward him.
"Is that the Mythic-rank guy?"
"He’s actually doing Practical? With spirit affinity?"
"This is going to be interesting..."
Julia, in the adjacent arena, gripped her sword tighter, ’He’s either extremely confident... or completely reckless... Or he is just stupid.’
Meanwhile, Klein glanced at the weapons on the side that he can use and his gaze fell on the spear.
’Ah, there you are... my first love.’
