Sword Saint's Reincarnation-Chapter 63: Entrance Exams (1)

Rylan looked at Aelfric and Sarah with a grin.

“So? Ready to go?” he asked after stretching his arms.

Aelfric repeatedly nodded. He was wearing the same clothes as he did in the Flameheart manor: simple shirt and pants covered by a red robe. In the same vein, Sarah wore one of her standard black and white outfits.

“Rylan! Have you heard?” Aelfric said excitedly, eyes shining as he took a step closer.

Rylan tilted his head.

“The tournament! Luna told me about it!” Aelfric continued.

Rylan blinked then nodded with a smile.

“Yeah. Sarah was the one to tell me. I think it was a good decision to host a tournament like that.”

Aelfric nodded repeatedly.

“And the top three will become the Royal Magic Academy’s Headmaster’s disciples!”

Rylan laughed.

“Yeah, I know. Still, we’ll worry about that when the tournament actually starts. One step at a time.”

Aelfric nodded again as Rylan turned toward Sarah. She bowed slightly and walked up to the door. Together, they made their way out of the small hotel. Rylan was lost in his thoughts with narrowed eyes.

Top three, huh?

Since he didn’t know how good the other applicants were, he couldn’t tell if he’d be able to get that far into the tournament with magic alone. Truthfully, becoming an apprentice under the Headmaster would be the best possible outcome for his current self.

Damian Gassiec is one of the strongest Mages in the Ceotha Kingdom.

It was something he’d learned after just a bit of digging. If someone like that decided to guide him, his growth would speed up considerably. At the same time, because of his age and current achievements, Rylan needed to stand out enough to be accepted into the Academy. Would Damian accept him unconditionally if he reached the top three? Or would Damian pick the fourth place instead after seeing Rylan’s current age and Circle? The possibility of rejection still existed. That only meant that Rylan’s performance needed to be so great that it would force this possibility to disappear.

I should aim for first place.

Determination filled his eyes. At the same time, it wasn't his highest priority. What mattered was learning with the battles and becoming better at spellcasting. It had been his goal since he decided to bridge the gap between his two lives with magic. Of course, he wouldn't lose on purpose, but he wasn't trying to prove that he was superior to a bunch of teenagers. Rylan grinned. He was too old for that. The road to the peak was a marathon, not a sprint. As long as he could learn and improve enough to keep evolving for the next few decades, he would be fine.

Deep within, part of him blazed with anticipation. What kind of people would he fight, especially to reach the first place? How great were the talents capable of stunning the whole kingdom? Rylan's grin turned into a smile.

I wonder if I’m going to find someone capable of forcing me to my limits.

A bit lost in his thoughts, Rylan followed Sarah and Aelfric outside. Luna and Karune were waiting for them. The girl immediately smiled as she looked at Aelfric and walked toward him.

After sharing their greetings, they started their journey to where the first exam would take place. Rylan walked through the streets of Caer Rhelon, taking in everything around him. The city was pleasing to the eye: every building looked like it had been carefully crafted. As usual, the streets were packed. After walking for some time, they arrived at their destination.

Rylan looked at the building in awe.

Impressive.

The Royal Magic Academy was definitely the largest building he’d ever seen in this life. Both imposing and grand, the white building stood tall in a district reserved for the Magic Academies.

It looks like a large castle.

Unlike the other buildings he’d seen in the Caer Rhelon, the Academy followed its own style. Thick stone walls cradled a white structure that spanned kilometers on end, more than ten stories tall. The Academy itself was similar in design to the Flameheart manor, possessing wings and a proud center, but also a large area reserved for training facilities. He couldn’t see them from his position, but it was likely that there were even more subordinate buildings behind the castle he could see. The pyramid-like roof pierced the sky, as if declaring the Academy’s greatness.

However, in the midst of all of these observations, Rylan took note of a particular aspect.

It was built as a fortress.

The red velvet curtains that lined the windows and the engravings on the walls couldn’t fool Roland’s experience. Even though he couldn’t see the entirety of the Academy grounds because of how large it was, he could tell that it was designed as a defensible stronghold. Even the sculptures and water fountains had been meticulously placed. A single, enormous gate served as the only way in and out that he could see.

I’m sure there are other defensive measures they can use to hinder an invasion by enemy Mages.

Rylan nodded with a smile. A Magic Academy should amount to at least this much. He turned around, staring straight at Aelfric’s and Luna’s dumbstruck expressions.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“…How are we meant to find the exam rooms?” Aelfric asked in a low voice, sounding like he’d just seen a creature from legend.

“I-I mean, it’s the Royal Magic Academy, I’m s-sure they’ve got a system in place…” Luna replied, blinking rapidly.

Even Sarah looked shocked, even though she knew how to hide her emotions and control her expressions. Karune was the only one who seemed calm. Rylan observed this attentively. Not for the first time over the past few days, the realization that Karune was a dependable man dawned upon him. Calmness and peace of mind were traits that were absolutely necessary in a battle.

Rylan surveyed the area around them. Countless teenagers surrounded them with starstruck expressions, eyes shining. They flowed almost like a river toward the entrance gate of the Academy, unceasingly. Some looked rather grim and determined, others puffed out their chests in pride. Their clothing varied from ragged and torn to luxurious. The sound of footsteps and talking was deafening. The breeze carried away the smell of sweat as the blazing sun shone down on them.

It’s certainly the most varied group I’ve ever seen.

His eyes zeroed in on the figures of blue-robed young men and women, who stood on top of podiums. An insignia adorned the center-left side of their robes, right over their hearts. Unceasingly, they yelled. Their voices boomed, amplified by magic.

“Please form a line outside the main hall!”

“You will be taken to your assigned exam rooms shortly!”

Aelfric looked at Rylan while shaking his head, still looking a bit out of it.

“Now I understand why the exams happen over multiple days,” he stated.

Rylan smiled.

“Of course. Everyone wants to join the Royal Magic Academy. Now, come on, let’s see if we manage to start the exams today or if we’ll have to come back later.”

The group followed the flow of prospective students, soon arriving at the main hall, where more blue-robed young people yelled. In the middle, an adult, white-robed man waved his hand. Golden numbers, formed out of mana, appeared over the heads of the fifty closest teenagers, ranging from 1,100 to 1,150.

“Numbers 1,100 to 1,125, please proceed to the left. The others will proceed to the right!”

The process is pretty streamlined.

The white-robed man was likely a professor or assistant professor. The crowd never stopped moving. Soon, numbers appeared over Rylan’s group. The information about the number he’d been assigned appeared in Rylan’s mind before he even looked up to see it. It was similar to Whisper, but harmless.

He looked at the number above Aelfric’s head, then at Luna’s.

“You’re with me, Aelfric. Luna, you’re on the other wing.”

She sighed, nodding. Waving Aelfric goodbye, she walked with Karune to her assigned room, while Rylan and Aelfric went the opposite way with Sarah. The corridor wasn’t packed, despite the crowd’s size. Finally, after following the instructions of the blue-robed students, they arrived at the exam room.

“Young masters, I can only accompany you up to here,” Sarah said, bowing. Rylan smiled at her and nodded.

The two of them entered the room.

The first part is a written exam.

They headed to their assigned desks and waited for the exam to begin. After the room was full, a blue-robed student entered it, carrying a pile of papers. The following explanation was obvious: the Academy would notice any kind of cheating. After that, they explained the test and how much time it would take, before signaling its start.

Rylan read the exam with curious eyes. Before starting to write down his answers to any questions, he went over all of them. There were eighty of them, ranging from basic mana theory to spell formulation and workings. In a way, it was a measure to ensure that the prospective student held a bit of knowledge about mana and magic. Still, it wasn’t too difficult, to the point where he was able to answer them, even though he’d focused on real practice instead of theory.

Three hours later, the blue-robed student clapped once. The sound echoed within the room, making most flinch. Time was up. Rylan put down his enchanted quill.

“Wait for the instructions about your next exam, which will happen in an hour. It’ll take much longer than this one, so be prepared.”

Rylan stood up and stretched his body. He looked at Aelfric, who walked out with him with an uneasy expression.

“What?” he asked.

“I don’t know if I did well. I knew some stuff, and Father taught me a bit after you talked to him, but…”

“Don’t worry about it. The written exam is probably the least important one. Theory can just be taught.”

Still looking a bit unsure, Aelfric nodded.

Once more, they followed the crowd and the instructions of the Academy students. After some time, they were led to the entrance of an individual room. One by one, each prospective student entered it, then left a few minutes later. Time passed slowly. Hours later, it was finally Rylan’s turn. Aelfric gave him a nod of encouragement, making him smile. Silently, he opened the door and entered the room.

His trained eyes captured the environment in an instant. The room was about as large as he expected, but unlike the one where the written exam had taken place, there was only a single large desk. Behind it, three men and two women sat, dressed in white robes. A few of them looked middle-aged, while the others were surprisingly young. In front of the desk, a blue orb floated. Almost simultaneously, they looked at Rylan’s sword for a few seconds before blinking and looking at his face.

“Welcome, future student. This will be the first step of the practical exam. Please lay your hand on the Scrying Crystal to begin,” the leftmost man said with a kind smile, shooting another glance at the sword. He had black hair and warm brown eyes.

Rylan quickly ran his eyes over the others. The two women and one man looked bored. The remaining man, however, made him narrow his eyes. In the man’s eyes was disdain that he hadn’t even bothered to hide. He looked Rylan up and down. Brown-haired with green eyes, the man seemed to be in his thirties.

“Come on, then. We don’t have all day,” he said with a smirk.

The black-haired professor immediately frowned.

“Professor Jacob. Mind your manners,” he said, making Jacob shake his head with a scoff.

Jacob ran his eyes over Rylan’s clothes, still with the same smirk. Even though Rylan had an idea of why this was happening, it didn’t matter. He approached the Scrying Crystal, recalling Gerard’s words.

Only what I want to reveal.

He laid his hand on the Crystal. After a few seconds, a large blue rectangle reminiscent of the System Windows appeared in front of the professors. It contained only his name, Class, Level, and Circle.

Professor Jacob frowned, as did two others.

“Where’s the rest?” the man snapped.

Rylan tilted his head.

“I thought I was only required to show those.”

Jacob kept his frown. Before he could say anything else, the black-haired professor quickly spoke.

“You’re right, student. You don’t need to reveal more than this if you don’t want to.”

“Damn kid doesn’t even have the money to buy decent clothes, why bother hiding your Status Window? He even carries around a weakling’s weapon,” Jacob grumbled, loud enough that Rylan was sure he wanted to be heard. Abruptly, the man stood up. “I’ll be the one to do the next step.”

Before the black-haired professor could protest, Jacob walked to the middle of the room and raised a Magic Shield after a short chant. The professor looked at the others, but none of them said anything. Rylan glanced at them. If anything, they looked amused. The black-haired professor gritted his teeth.

“…Now, student, you will cast the spell you’re most familiar with against Professor Jacob’s Magic Shield. Based on several factors, such as the power of the spell, casting speed, mana density, and more, we will assign you a grade, ranging from 1 to 100.”

“Do try your best to reach 1, even if it might be hard,” Jacob snickered. "You're just at the Second Circle, after all."

With serene eyes, Rylan grabbed his wand, his concentration reaching its current peak in a heartbeat. As his mana circulated, he focused and pointed the wand at the professor.

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“Magic Missile.”

A blue arrow coalesced and shot forward, hitting the Shield in a second and attempting to drill right through it, spinning. Jacob flinched. After a short while, it dispersed.

The atmosphere in the room froze.