Episode 3 – The Non-e (1/2)
”You need e and a student of Ashar University of Magic”
Kiel's eyes narrowed, he fought the urge to step back
He shaped words 'Not interested' but they never left his led to push the that he was done with that silly wish of his, they never vocalized
He sed the lump that formed in his throat
”Whatthe University of Magic?” Kiel asked, his face turning into a cold mask
”I've been observing you” She stated as if it was thein the world
”Youme?” Kiel smiled coldly
”Call it what you will” She shrugged
”So, as it that you 'observed' that gave you that i to bury that dream for the past year There shouldn't have been any re sentiment left for the world to see
”You are a Rroda Not wanting to be a great e fah you finished high acadeic Now, that is quite strange, considering the fact that you enjoy using ic so much”
So she kneho he was? Well, that part was not difficult to figure out Everyone either called hi Master' He also lived in the Rroda mansion
”Attending the University of Magic is a waste of time I want to be a quest seeker” Kiel reasoned How did she know that he didn't apply? Because he was not getting ready for the entrance exams?
”Do you really?” She smirked ”For days, I've watched you coht face But then, every once in a while, the quest required you to use le brief mo star!” She did a graceful pirouette for emphasis
”Are you insultingme?” Kiel raised his eyebrows
The girl chose not to answer that question Instead, she continued on with her explanation
”You loveabout it You crave it to the point of wanting to devour it”
Kiel gave her an icy glare His aura transfor
She infuriated hiht she knew him
His fury gave him a push to finally say what he should have said from the start
”You know nothing about me I am not interested”
She just se of mood Not many had an ability to stay coirl was either clueless or she had nerves of steel
”Then let e of how much I know about you”
Kiel quietly dared her to continue Her confidence disturbed hiated?
”You hate your life You hate doing these simple repetitive quests that you do every day You hate people around you You hate this town You hate being a Rroda And most of all, you hate the mask that you hide behind”
Kiel stood frozen
It was a perfect perforns of how he truly felt He shed; not even his own father would be able to tell how much hate brewed under his skin How did she deduce all that? Could she see through his poker face?
”You are withering away in this town You want to be ed You wish to discover, learn and achieve new things You yearn for the top, to excel! To show everyone who you truly are! You want to go far away, to fly freely through the sky, to see and get to know all thewith excitement
It was as though she was no longer talking about hiht she understood his underlying desire? Because she projected her own goals onto him?
She looked back at hiht into his eyes, unwavering Even though his eyes were still narrowed into a lare he could muster, she didn't look away
”How do I know that much you ask? It's because, on some level, we are the same I could have easily been you”
He didn't kno to respond It was a rare occurrence for Kiel
Was she really able to see under his skin to the de deep down? Was she fearless or just stupid? Did she lack common sense? How else could she look hi an eyelash?
Because they were the same?
She is nothing like ht
Her senuine smiles As a master of deceit, he would surely be able to tell if they were fake
Not waiting for his response, she continued:
”Now, since you like ic?” Her eyes glittered She was about to answer her own question ”Simple Because you can't pass the entrance exam You can't even pass the bare minimum requirements of entry”
Kiel did not respond How did she find out about that? Including him, there were only three people in this world who knew about it
Last summer, his older brother ventured to take Ashar University of Magic entrance exa He was hopelessly curious about how he coe; they had always been quite co with hio Of course, he wouldn't have enrolled had he passed, he still had one year of high acadeic allowed almost anyone to take the exaet a feel for what to expect the next summer when he took it for real
The result completely shattered all his hopes and dreams
”Most people would have spent this su to improve so they could pass the exa, it is natural to seek to improve until you can Unless… ” She tilted her head to the side in delight
”Unless the result was soe, nosmile Kiel opened his mouth to respond, but she beat him to it
”or so you thought” She smirked
”Who are you?” Kiel wondered
”I am Elaru Wayvin” She responded
Her na a bell Wayvin was not a famous family name
”How about I try to guess what your exaht be for Ashar's exam if you took it as you are now?” She clasped her hands in excited delight
Was this a ga his nerves and insides like this? Kiel wanted to yell at her and stop her He didn't want her to voice as most painful to him But that would be out of character for the person that Kiel tried to be So he missed his chance to stop her
He should have stopped her He should have definitely stopped her, back when it was still possible for hier seemed to know so much about him, it was both ironic and ludicrous
She started her explanation ”Ashar University of Magic is the ic with the hardest entrance exam There are, in total, 9 areas which they test and award points for on a scale of 0 to 25 (Horrid to Exceptional):
Mana Pool Size and Mana Regeneration
Mana Flow Speed
Magic Casting Speed
Mana Weaving (aka Mana Control)
Spell Control
Simultaneous Cast Count (aka Multicast)
Knowledge and Understanding of Magic
Practical Usage of Magic
Special ”
She didn't need to explain those areas to hie knew those terms
To cast y was needed -had a Mana Pool It was a place within one's soul where er Mana Pool means more mana readily available for use When the pool is not full, e will be able to replenish spent mana faster
To cast ic, one first needs to transfer et of the spell The speed hich one can do so is known as Mana Flow Speed The faster one can transfer hthem to perform multiple spells in rapid succession
Once one gathers enough mana to cast a spell, raw mana needs to be woven into a particular pattern that willmana into a spell requires a lot of control and precision Ability to weave e's ability to cast es who can weave well can learn to perform spells easier than those who can't
Better control of weaving also makes spellsis like handwriting You can write a sentence with bad handwriting, as long as it is readable, it would be ood handwriting would ic weaving, better weaving ic
How fast one can gather enough mana to cast the spell and how fast one can weavespeed It is iic in tiic to slon your fall if you have already hit the ground In dangerous situations, casting speed is of life-or-death importance
Once theindividual drops of energy and it condenses into a dense forle entity known as a spell Once created, the spell needs to be wielded and used by the e until it expires and disappears Hoell one can control a spell, as opposed to controlling raw mana, is called spell control
Good spell control et with the spell and manipulate the behavior and trajectory of the spell
People have only two hands, so they can write only two things si mana is done with the mind and not the body, which ic spells – to multicast How many spells you can cast and control simultaneously is known as simultaneous cast count
However, a good ood ht decisions on what ic well in the classroom does not mean that one will be able to perfore of ic is considered a very important skill which is tested in the university entrance exams
Of course, skills areof ic is tested as well
The exaives bonus ”special” points for unique skills, such as being able to use secret types of enius level of talent in a specific area There aren't et special points The ones that do usually come from a fae of a unique branch of ic
Regretfully, Rroda was not one of those families
Elaru's voice snapped Kiel out of his thoughts
”The minimal threshold required to be considered as a student candidate is 145 To ensure passing the exam, you need at least 160 points”