"Wha…" Alaric stared, dumbfounded.
How was he supposed to complete a puzzle he didn't even understand?
A flicker of amusement crossed the woman's face. "You have two minutes to finish. Your time starts now."
The words jolted Alaric from his stupor. "What? There's a time limit?"
But the woman offered no reply, merely watching him with an unreadable smile.
Seeing she had no intention of helping, Alaric could only grit his teeth and force his focus onto the glowing geometric model hovering before him.
He stared intently at the completed patterns and the empty spaces between them, his eyes tracing the lines and angles, desperately searching for a clue. After a full half-minute, a flash of insight struck him.
The shapes and lines seemed to mirror each other at regular intervals. Wait, no, that’s not right, Alaric thought, his mind racing.
The souls he had absorbed over the past few months were finally showing their effect; his thoughts flowed with a speed and clarity that felt new, almost alien.
His eyes darted from point to point as he mumbled, "The top-left quadrant mirrors the bottom-left… parallel lines reflect across the axis… I see… it’s a three-dimensional figure!"
The woman sitting across from him straightened in her chair, her smile vanishing.
Alaric reached out and touched a glowing point on the model. He traced a path through the air, connecting it to another point on the opposite side. A line of pure light materialized in its wake.
A minute bled away.
Alaric continued to connect dot after dot, forming angles where lines intersected and filling in the missing patterns. His initial pace was slow and deliberate, but soon his hands were moving almost on instinct, connecting everything with a fluid, confident speed.
His hands wove through the air with a strange, hypnotic grace, like an artist putting the final strokes on a masterpiece.
With only seconds to spare, Alaric connected the last pattern and the model was whole.
The completed geometric figure pulsed with a brilliant radiance before dispersing into a cloud of tiny, fading motes of light.
"Finally," Alaric breathed, a wave of relief washing over him. He looked up at the woman, whose mouth now hung open in disbelief.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, a knot of nervousness tightening in his stomach at her expression. Had he made a mistake?
"N-no. Everything is fine." The woman quickly composed herself. "Excellent work. You may proceed through the back exit."
"Alright, thank you." Alaric stood and left the tent.
The burgundy-haired woman watched him go, her mind reeling. What monstrous analytical skills.
That geometric pattern wasn't a mere puzzle. It was an incomplete model for a Rank 1 spell.
Generally, completing such a thing without any prior knowledge was thought to be impossible for a layman. The academy only required an applicant to complete a quarter of the model to pass.
The test measured not only analytical skills but also innate comprehension. In the long history of the Veridian Academy, only a handful of students had ever managed to fully complete the second test.
And every one of them had grown into a powerful Magus.
To complete such a test meant the boy would have far less difficulty analyzing, comprehending, and memorizing spell models as he advanced. It was a crucial talent, as the models only became exponentially more complex.
I must inform the higher-ups immediately, she decided. This boy needs to be watched. She drew a palm-sized circular disk from her cloak, channeled a whisper of mana into it, and relayed the information.
Unwittingly, Alaric had caused a stir before he had even set foot inside the academy.
He emerged from the tent into a vast square. Gleaming white bricks paved the streets, which were lined with elegant lamp posts at regular intervals. Dominating his view was a grand, three-story building.
A large, spectacular fountain burbled at the center of a crossroads. Dozens of children were gathered around it or sitting on the grass verges lining the streets. The children gathered here had all passed the first two tests, and the air buzzed with their relieved chatter.
Alaric found a nearby tree and settled in its shade. He plucked a blade of grass and chewed on the end of it, closing his eyes. Magus Leander said the final test is combat, he mused. I wonder who my opponent will be...
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to him. "Alaric!"
Alaric opened his eyes to see Edric running toward him, his face alight with a grin.
"Edric! You made it!" Alaric laughed, getting to his feet.
Edric collapsed under the tree beside Alaric, panting lightly before bursting into laughter himself. "Of course, I made it! What was your aptitude?"
"B-grade," Alaric replied.
"Oh! Me too!" Edric exclaimed.
"By the way, Edric, is B-grade common?"
"Yes and no," Edric said. "Out in the world, A and B-grades are incredibly rare. A-grades, especially. Any major organization would snap them up and nurture them."
"But here at Veridian Academy, you could say B-grades are common, because the academy only accepts the best of the best."
"Hmm… I see." Alaric nodded, processing that.
He wondered if the Celestial Lily's constant nourishment was responsible for his current aptitude, and if it could improve even further over time. It was a speculation he had no way of confirming.
Thinking of this, he asked, "Can a person's aptitude increase?"
"Hah!" Edric slapped his thigh. "You can train your mind and your body, sharpen your skills until they're like razors, but you can't change your aptitude! That's something you're born with."
Just as I thought… Alaric nodded.
Suddenly, the doors of the large building across the square swung open. A dozen Archons in dark-green cloaks stepped out, their very presence commanding a sudden, respectful silence from the assembled children.
They descended the marble stairs and came to a halt before the crowd of applicants. More than seven hundred had started the day; now, only about three hundred and fifty remained.
An older woman in a deep blue robe and a matching pointed hat stepped forward. "I am the Headmistress of the Veridian Academy," she announced, her voice carrying easily across the square. "You may all address me as Professor Godfrey."
A stunned silence fell over the children. None of them had expected the Headmistress herself to appear.
A gentle smile touched Professor Godfrey's lips as she continued. "While the entrance examination consists of three parts, only the first two are required for admission. The final test will be used only to determine your first-year rankings."
Confusion rippled through the crowd, but for a few, the meaning of her words began to sink in, and their eyes widened with exhilaration.
Seeing the puzzled looks on most of the students' faces, Professor Godfrey chuckled.
"Which means," she said, her smile widening as understanding dawned on the faces before her, "that all of you have passed. Welcome to Veridian Academy."