The Wizard Has A Biochip

Chapter 18: Exame

After a few moments of reflection, I finally stepped into the line for Magical Engineering.

Compared to the other lines, there weren’t nearly as many acolytes interested in Magical Engineering.

However, the people ahead of me were moving forward slowly.

Then I noticed something that had escaped my attention until now.

The man seated behind the desk...

Wasn’t an acolyte.

My entire body reacted before my mind could process it.

The hairs on my arms stood on end.

It was a strange sensation.

The air around the old man felt heavier.

Denser.

It was like standing near a storm on the verge of unleashing thousands of bolts of lightning.

Without moving a single muscle in my face, I issued a mental command.

— Biochip.

— Enter standby mode immediately.

[Beep!]

[Standby mode activated.]

[All background analyses have been suspended.]

I let out a quiet breath.

It was the first time I would be standing face-to-face with a true mage.

I had no idea what someone at that level was capable of perceiving.

If there was even the slightest chance that he could detect the Biochip...

It was better not to take any risks.

I continued waiting.

Finally...

My turn came.

I stepped up to the desk.

Keeping my back straight.

My hands clasped behind me.

The old man had long, snow-white hair.

An equally white beard reached down to his chest.

He wore a green robe embroidered with subtle silver symbols.

A small pair of glasses rested on the tip of his nose.

Without saying a word, he slowly raised one hand.

He pushed his glasses a few centimeters higher.

Only then did he lift his head.

His eyes settled on me.

At that instant...

I felt as though I were completely transparent.

As if the man could see straight through my skin.

I kept my expression neutral.

The old man picked up a quill dipped in ink.

Without looking up from the parchment, he spoke calmly.

— Name?

— George Gil.

— Place of birth?

— The Kingdom of Lorem Ipson. The County of Baron Gil.

— Elemental affinities?

— Light is my primary affinity and my strongest one.

— Fire is my secondary affinity, at the basic level.

— Plant is my final affinity, also at the basic level.

— Talent rating?

— Three stars.

He merely nodded.

Then continued writing.

Curious, I discreetly lowered my gaze.

Two fields at the top of the parchment had already been filled in.

Supervising Professor: Totil Uril

Specialization: Magical Engineering

The old man finished writing.

He picked up a small metal stamp.

Pressed it against a container filled with golden ink.

Then...

Tap.

He stamped the parchment.

A brief glow spread across the entire sheet.

The light vanished almost immediately.

He carefully rolled up the document.

Then extended it toward me.

I accepted it with both hands.

— Keep it safe.

— From today onward, this will serve as your identification scroll within Arcangrove Tower.

— Without this document, verifying your identity will be extremely difficult.

— Should you lose it...

He paused briefly.

— You may only request a replacement next year.

I nodded respectfully.

— Understood.

The old man made a brief gesture with his hand.

— You may proceed.

I gave him a slight bow.

— Thank you very much.

Then I gripped the scroll firmly.

Walked past the desk.

And headed toward the large doorway directly behind the old mage.

The moment I crossed the threshold, my eyes swept across the room.

Dozens of desks were arranged in perfectly aligned rows.

Each one had a single chair.

On top of every desk sat the exact same set of materials.

A small book.

A sheet depicting the image of some kind of mechanism.

Nails of various sizes.

A small hammer.

Metal tweezers.

Rulers.

Carefully cut wooden pieces.

Metal gears.

And one object that immediately caught my attention.

A silver pen.

Attached to its back end was a thin cable connected directly to a small blue crystal.

I raised an eyebrow.

It didn’t look like an ordinary pen.

It was probably some kind of magical tool.

Despite the number of desks...

The room was still relatively empty.

Compared to the crowd outside, there were only a handful of people inside.

Even so, dozens of candidates were already waiting in silence.

Some examined the materials before them.

Others sat with their eyes closed.

Probably trying to calm their nerves.

My gaze continued sweeping across the room until it stopped at the front.

There was only a single large desk there, accompanied by one chair.

Seated behind it was a middle-aged man wearing a long green robe.

His brown hair was neatly combed back.

His posture was impeccable.

Even while seated...

He projected a presence far greater than any acolyte’s.

Without a doubt...

He was also a mage.

As I continued observing him, he casually raised one hand.

Then made a simple gesture.

Calling me over.

I calmly walked toward him.

I took my identity scroll from my pocket.

And presented it with both hands.

The man unrolled the document.

His eyes quickly scanned the information.

It took only a few seconds.

Then he spoke.

— Three-star talent, with Light and Plant affinities?

— Not bad.

He rolled the scroll back up.

Then returned it to me.

— But remember one thing.

— To be accepted as a student of Master Totil Uril...

— You must first pass the examination.

I accepted my scroll once again.

The man pointed toward the desks spread throughout the room.

— Choose any available seat.

— Then wait for the examination to begin.

I gave a slight bow.

— Yes, sir.

I quietly stepped away.

A moment later, I chose a seat and grasped the back of the chair.

I slowly pulled it out.

The soft scrape of wood echoed through the room.

I sat down calmly.

Then slid the chair back toward the desk.

Only then did I begin carefully examining the materials.

I picked up the sheet containing the illustration.

My mind immediately began forming hypotheses.

It was clearly a technical drawing of a small mechanism composed of numerous components.

I carefully placed the illustration back onto the desk and remained silent.

There was no reason to rush.

Around me, more and more candidates entered the room.

Within a few minutes, nearly every seat had been occupied.

That was when the mage at the front slowly rose to his feet.

The entire room fell silent.

He raised one hand.

Then softly uttered a few words in the Magical Language.

— Biri... Biru...

A thin layer of golden light appeared beside him.

The glowing particles slowly revolved, condensing before everyone’s eyes.

Buzzzz...

A few seconds later, an enormous crystal hourglass materialized, floating beside him.

The golden sand inside immediately began to fall.

The mage smiled.

— You will have five hours.

His voice carried flawlessly throughout the room.

— Carefully read the book provided on your desk.

— Follow every instruction exactly as written.

— Once you have finished, construct the mechanism illustrated on the sheet beside it.

He paused briefly.

— It is an extremely simple mechanism with limited practical use.

— But simplicity does not mean ease.

— Whoever successfully completes the mechanism will pass and become eligible to study under Master Totil Uril.

He folded his hands behind his back.

— Good luck to all of you.

I subtly lowered my head.

With so many people seated in front of me...

No one would be able to observe my eyes.

Perfect.

Mentally, I issued my command.

— Biochip.

— Exit standby mode.

[Beep!]

[System reactivated.]

I picked up the small book.

Opened the first page.

— Copy all information.

[Beep!]

[Data acquisition mode initiated.]

My irises began capturing every piece of information.

Within minutes, the entire contents had been stored.

The book described the construction of a small device known as the Initial Flow Conduction Matrix.

It was a simple testing mechanism.

It consisted of a wooden base.

Three small metal gears.

Two axles.

A movable rod.

A receiver crystal.

And a metal plate responsible for distributing magical energy.

The mechanism’s function was equally straightforward.

When supplied with magical energy, it caused a small needle to spin continuously.

It served only as training equipment for future engineers.

Nothing more.

The true difficulty lay in the final pages.

There were no more mechanical instructions.

Instead...

There were codes.

Runes.

Magical numbers.

Short words written in the Magical Alphabet.

These symbols had to be carefully inscribed onto specific points of the metal plate.

Every stroke had to be exactly the indicated length.

Every curve had to be drawn in the proper sequence.

By the end, all of those tiny inscriptions formed a small magical matrix.

It was this matrix that connected the crystal to the rest of the mechanism.

Without it...

The machine would remain completely lifeless.

I slowly closed the book.

Now I fully understood the purpose of the examination.

Assembling the physical components...

Was easy.

Anyone with enough patience could do it.

The true obstacle was correctly interpreting dozens of technical instructions and then flawlessly reproducing the magical matrix using the limited magical reserves of a mere Level 1 Acolyte.

A faint smile appeared on my face.

— Biochip.

— Based on the manual...

— Assemble the entire mechanism virtually.

[Beep!]

[Simulation initiated.]

Instantly, a translucent hologram appeared over my field of vision.

Piece by piece...

The mechanism began assembling itself.

First, the base.

Then the supports.

The axles.

The gears.

The movable rod.

The crystal.

Finally...

The delicate runes appeared one after another, slowly forming the complete magical matrix.

Everything unfolded before my eyes at incredible speed.

Within only a few minutes...

The entire simulation was complete.

[Construction validated.]

[Manual compatibility: 100%.]

I discreetly lifted my gaze.

Everyone else was still reading.

Others had already begun sweating.

One young man a few rows ahead repeatedly rubbed his eyes, struggling to understand one of the instructions.

I shook my head.

If I started now...

I’d attract far too much attention.

There was no need for that.

I pretended to be thinking as I reread the book.

Then quietly waited.

The minutes passed.

Little by little, the candidates began closing their books.

Hammers started striking wood.

Metal components clinked together.

Soon, more than half the room was attempting to assemble their own mechanisms.

Only then did I begin reproducing, piece by piece, the exact hologram the Biochip projected before my eyes.

...

1708 Words