The Wizard Has A Biochip

Chapter 17: The day of the exam has finally arrived!

Another month passed.

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.

.

During that time, I managed to complete every magical code throughout my body.

The brain.

The heart.

When the final code was completed, I felt something change deep within me.

I had finally ceased to be a mere Level 0 Acolyte.

Now...

I was a true Level 1 Acolyte.

The difference was staggering.

When I awakened my vital energy months ago, my body had become stronger.

More resilient.

Faster.

Now it was different.

It wasn’t just about strength.

It was as if my very perception of reality had changed.

The magical particles that had once seemed like a distant mist were now clear.

Almost familiar.

It was like breathing after spending a long time underwater.

Everything felt sharper.

More vivid.

More connected.

I let out a slow sigh.

Now I finally understood.

That woman in the private room at the Arena of Death had subdued me with a simple charm spell.

At the time, I hadn’t even been able to offer any resistance.

Today...

After advancing to the next level...

I could finally accept a simple truth.

Vital energy and magical energy did not exist on the same level.

The former strengthened the body.

The latter...

Interfered directly with the laws of this world.

It was no wonder that a charm spell had pierced my defenses so effortlessly.

As that thought crossed my mind, another memory surfaced.

Throughout this past month...

I had continued visiting the Arena of Death.

But I had learned to control my own victories.

Winning every single bet would have been extremely suspicious.

So, from time to time...

I deliberately made mistakes.

I lost a few crystals.

Placed smaller bets.

Slowly built the image of someone who was merely... lucky.

It was an investment.

Far better to lose a few crystals than to attract the curiosity of dangerous people.

Even so...

The results remained outstanding.

At present, I possessed approximately five hundred ordinary magic crystals.

A fortune.

I smiled as I discreetly opened a small wooden box hidden beneath my bed.

Inside were only five larger crystals.

Blue.

Brighter.

Each one was worth one hundred ordinary magic crystals.

It was far more convenient.

Imagine carrying five hundred small crystals all over the tower.

It would take bag after bag.

Much better to exchange them whenever possible.

I closed the box once more.

It might seem paranoid...

But I’d rather be safe than sorry.

Today, however...

None of that mattered.

The long-awaited day had finally arrived.

The day of the mentor selection.

All of the novice acolytes would finally have the opportunity to join the tutelage of a mentor from Arcangrove Tower.

Naturally...

We would be evaluated.

Some would be accepted.

Others rejected.

My objective was simple.

To find the mentor who could offer the greatest benefits to someone with a Biochip.

It was then...

Toc~~~Toc~~

Someone knocked on the door.

A moment later, I heard an all-too-familiar voice.

— Glutton!

— It’s time!

I smiled to myself.

I got out of bed.

As I walked toward the door, I called back loudly.

— How funny...

— A flat-chested loli calling someone a glutton.

**BAM!~~

BAM!~~**

The door practically shook from the two punches.

— Who are you calling flat-chested?!

I burst into laughter.

— The only person in the hallway who gets mad whenever she hears that.

From outside, I heard an indignant grumble.

— Idiot...

I unlocked the door.

The moment I opened it...

I found Helena exactly as I’d imagined.

She was biting her lower lip.

Her golden eyes stared at me as though they wanted to reduce me to ashes.

A small vein throbbed on her forehead.

She really hated that nickname.

I smiled innocently.

— Good morning.

— There’s nothing good about it!

She crossed her arms.

— One day I’ll prove that I’m still going to grow.

I discreetly glanced at her chest.

Then I shook my head.

— Keep believing.

She clenched a fist.

— George...

I let out an exaggerated sigh.

— Violence is never the answer.

— It is when it comes to you!

Before our argument could continue, I noticed the others standing behind her.

I immediately smiled.

— Morning, everyone.

Arthur was the first to raise a hand.

— Morning.

Clara smiled politely.

— Sleep well?

— Like a rock.

Victor simply laughed but remained silent.

Leon, however, spoke.

— I heard the professors eliminate a lot of people during the very first evaluation.

I nodded calmly.

— That’s to be expected.

Helena snorted.

— If George spent less time provoking people and more time studying, maybe he’d survive.

I looked at her.

— Thanks for your concern, but you’re the one who started it by calling me Glutton.

She turned her face away.

— Who said I was worried?

Leon merely shook his head.

After so many months living together, those little exchanges had already become part of the group’s daily routine.

I closed the door to my room.

Locked it.

Slipped the key into my pocket.

Then I looked at everyone.

— Shall we?

They all nodded and began walking toward the evaluation area.

None of us spoke much.

Anxiety was written across the faces of nearly every acolyte we passed along the way.

After a few minutes, we reached the magical elevator.

The metal doors slowly slid open.

We stepped inside.

As soon as the last person entered, the doors closed.

The crystal stones embedded in the walls began emitting a bluish glow.

The elevator ascended smoothly.

A few moments later...

It came to a stop.

The doors opened.

The instant they did, a wave of voices flooded my ears.

The entire floor was packed.

Hundreds of acolytes walked back and forth.

High above the hall, a large metallic box floated lazily through the air.

Every so often, it emitted a white light.

Then a voice echoed throughout the entire floor.

— Attention, candidates for this year’s selection.

— The examinations will begin in just a few minutes.

— All candidates are requested to proceed immediately to the Selection Hall and choose the professor under whom they wish to apply.

— Once again...

— The examinations will begin in just a few minutes.

We followed the flow of people.

It didn’t take long before we reached a massive sign made of black wood.

Golden letters gleamed across its surface.

["PROFESSOR SELECTION"]

Beneath the sign stood a huge double door, wide open.

Acolytes streamed in and out without pause.

We entered as well.

The moment I stepped through the doorway...

I was stunned.

The hall was enormous.

Rows upon rows of orderly lines filled almost the entire space.

At the end of each line stood a desk.

Seated behind them were men and women dressed in robes of various colors.

Each calmly wrote on yellow parchment using brilliant white ink.

After verifying a candidate’s information, they handed over a document before calling the next person.

Above every desk hung a sign indicating its specialization.

["Enchanting"]

["Magical Engineering"]

["Alchemy"]

["Mining"]

["Herbalism"]

["Magical Creature Skinning"]

["Bestiology"]

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.

.

And many more.

Beside each line stood a small sign listing the minimum requirements.

I stepped closer to read a few of them.

["Enchanting"]

Requirements: Level 1 Acolyte. Full fluency in the Magical Language.

Note: This profession is recommended only for acolytes who possess sufficient capital to finance their experiments.

["Magical Engineering"]

Requirements: Level 1 Acolyte. Full fluency in the Magical Language.

Note: This profession is recommended only for acolytes who possess sufficient capital to finance their experiments.

["Alchemy"]

Requirements: Level 1 Acolyte. Full fluency in the Magical Language.

Note: This profession is recommended only for acolytes who possess sufficient capital to finance their experiments.

["Mining"]

Requirements: Full fluency in the Magical Language.

.

.

.

Aside from Mining, the other professions also had somewhat less demanding requirements.

Professions such as Herbalism and Magical Creature Skinning required only mastery of the Magical Language, without necessarily requiring the applicant to already be a Level 1 Acolyte.

It made sense.

Not all of them depended directly on the intensive manipulation of magical energy.

But that wasn’t the most important part.

The fact that the three main professions all required magical crystals could only mean one thing.

The professors would provide only the knowledge.

Everything else would be the responsibility of the acolytes.

I could also assume that even some of that knowledge would come at a very steep price.

Arthur looked around.

— So...

— This is it.

Victor forced a nervous smile.

— Good luck, everyone.

Clara nodded.

— I hope we all meet again afterward.

Leon simply gave a small nod.

Helena looked at me.

— Good luck, Glutton.

I smiled.

— Good luck to you too, flat-chested loli.

Each of us headed toward a different line.

Within seconds, the group had dispersed.

I was alone.

I crossed my arms as I looked over all the signs.

Unlike most acolytes...

The Biochip practically eliminated my learning difficulties.

In theory...

I could study any one of those disciplines.

Every single one had value.

Every one of them could expand my database.

However...

In my previous life...

Before all of this happened...

I had been an engineer.

Designing systems.

Solving problems.

Analyzing mechanisms.

That way of thinking had become part of who I was.

Perhaps...

Even in a completely different world...

I could still make use of that experience.

If magic had its own set of laws...

Then perhaps those laws could also be understood, organized, and improved.

And if there was one field capable of combining logic, construction, and magic...

It was probably Magical Engineering.

....

1562 Words

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