Elydes
Chapter 327: Teamwork Pending

Chapter 327 - Teamwork Pending

Standing beside the refreshment tables, Kai peered at the rows of candidates. Some gripped their glass orbs with sweaty hands, some bared their teeth at the rings of runes, and some gazed at their feet for inspiration.

Just a few stood still, waiting for the silver hourglass to empty—their bleak and disgruntled expressions didn’t suggest success.

Did no one complete the puzzle?

He would have taken longer without his previous experience, but still… Both patricians and commoners here had reached Yellow and likely received an extensive education.

Is it nerves?

They had to weave mana through hundreds of runes; the enchanted spheres reset their progress at the tiniest mistake. Adding the timer and the stakes of entering Raelion, it turned into a vicious cycle.

Kai gave them a sympathetic look. He had also been a bundle of anxiety in his earlier childhood, but he wasn’t rattled so easily anymore.

When did I change…?

“Time is up!” Professor Thornwyn announced as the last grain touched the bottom of the hourglass. “Stop your skills. If any mana touches your orbs, you’ll be eliminated. The assistant examiners will now pass to collect them.”

An imposing presence washed over the applicants. A kind warning for any fool daring enough to cheat.

“If you haven’t achieved any glow, form an orderly line for the exits. Setbacks can teach us more than successes. Those who qualify may try again next year…”

From his square of quiet, Kai watched beaming smiles and bitter scowls bloom around the hall. Luckily, the arrays spared him from hearing the emotional outbursts of hundreds of teens.

Looks like most of them passed.

He studied the palisades of bodies as the assistants spread to retrieve the glass spheres and register the results—only the last color mattered.

No prize for finishing early. Being too exceptional is a hard life. Kai mused with mirth. His confidence could use a boost after all the opulent and monumental sights of the last few days.

I did also get three extra points.

The grid at his feet flickered, then dimmed, crashing a chorus of voices into his ears. Stunned by the noise, most applicants fell quiet, only a few continued arguing with the assistants.

“Remain in your square till all the orbs have been collected,” Professor Thornwyn’s voice echoed. Her forehead scrunched up at the louder arguments. “Your scores can still be lowered for poor conduct.”

She might not enjoy this, but she’s good at it. Hmm… another kindred soul punished for her success.

Without the wards, Kai could see the glow of the other spheres. Orange and yellow were the most prevalent colors, followed by green and red. Only a few teens held dull orbs. They quickly scurried toward the exits once they realized everyone could see them.

The mood in the hall settled.

Kai squinted to count the blues and indigos among the bodies, cutting off his view. There weren’t man—

“How did it go?” Rain asked.

Uh…!

He spun on his heels, remembering the person behind him. “I— Well. It went well. You?”

Rain balanced a violet orb on his knuckles. “I did well too. A curious idea for a game. It was fun to solve once I figured out the rules.” His brow creased as he watched him. “Mat, where is your orb?”

My orb?

“Uh, I finished early and turned it in. The professor wanted to check it.” Kai looked at the approaching assistants and his empty hands.

They must know that, right?

“I’m sure it's fine,” Rain said, following his gaze. “You must be really good at puzzles. I saw you leave just halfway through.”

“I… I’m alright.” Kai scrubbed his hair in embarrassment. The test had been a perfect fit for him. “I had some experience with puzzles.”

“Orbs, please.” A female assistant reached them. She faltered upon seeing the violet glow in Rain’s hand, then stared at his face. “Congratulations. Completing the puzzle is an impressive feat. I— I’m in the fifth year at Raelion. Las—”

Rain politely smiled, raising his glass sphere to her. “You need this?”

“Oh… yes. Thank you.” The girl blushed. Storing the puzzle in a spatial bag, she skipped down the row, completely ignoring Kai.

Did she know about me?

He felt just a tiny bit annoyed about the treatment.

It works out either way…

Around him, several participants complained about the complexity of the runic patterns and discussed where they got stuck. Others were frustrated at the constant resets whenever they brushed the wrong rune and had to rethread mana from the beginning.

Looks like it was hard…

“Congratulations to everyone who passed the test,” Professor Thornwyn said as the assistants collected the last orbs. “Focus and precision are essential skills for a mage. And so is knowing how to efficiently tackle a problem. Each color you’ve revealed will reward you four points…”

Excited murmurs rose at the announcement.

Neat! Twenty-eight and three… thirty-one. A hundred and sixty altogether.

Kai grinned, free from any lingering worry about enrolling. The only question was how high he could push his score, and how many credits he’d earn.

“Remember, there are two more tests to earn points.” The professor raised her voice. “The next trial will focus on the second fundamental of magic: Mana Sense. You’ll cooperate with ten other candidates, but the teams won’t be entirely random. Starting from the highest total score, you can pick another candidate as your companion. We will continue till everyone is in a pair. If you get chosen, you may not refuse to team up…”

Still grumbling about the puzzles and calculating points, the applicants split into four groups, one for each professor in the corners of the hall.

“Thank you— Excuse me.” Kai made his way to the front of the crowd with Rain. The teens arranged in an arc, giving a wide berth to the assistant examiners and the professor in charge.

Dumbledore’s twin? Is that you?

“Make silence.” The old professor wore a robe embroidered with silver thread and a tasseled hat. His bony hand brushed a white beard, while the other waved a list. “Step forward when you are called, and be ready to choose a teammate. You'll lose your chance if you don’t pick in five breaths. Is that clear?”

A very grumpy Dumbledore.

The old man’s eyes turned to the list. “Now… first… Rain Ryuu.”

That was quick.

“Alright.” Kai patted his friend’s back, a little miffed he wouldn’t see his own ranking. “I’ll let you pick me since you insisted.”

“Thanks,” Rain said and glanced at the teens around them. “But there are so many interesting candidates…”

Kai yawned, continuing his smug act. “Anyone better than me?”

“There is a way to find out.” With a half-smile at him, Rain strolled before the professor, unbothered by the eyes that locked on him. “That’s me.”

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“Yes. Uhm…” Dumbledore scrutinized him, receiving a brief nod from his assistants. “Who do you pick, young man?”

“I choose—”

“You’ll pick me!” A pink-haired girl called, turning every head toward the back of the crowd where she stood.

The applicants squeezed to form a path for her. Ripples of reverence and envy spread in her wake. The few voices protesting were drowned by awed whispers or pulled back by their friends.

Near the front, Kai perked his ears, trying to puzzle out her identity.

Is she famous?

The girl stopped before the professor with assured confidence, her eyes fixed on Rain. Gold and emerald beads chimed in her hair. “I’ll be your companion. We’ll make a great team. I reached indigo in the last test.” She spoke as if she were bestowing a priceless offer.

And I thought I was vain earlier.

The professor furrowed his long, bushy eyebrows, but didn’t question or reprimand her, simply waiting for a name. “Who do you pick, young man?”

Rain spared the girl a glance. “Matthew.”

“I see—” Dumbledore jerked his head out of a nod. He looked at Rain as if to confirm he didn’t mishear. When the silence stretched, he cleared his throat and leafed through the list. “Matthew… Reece Veernon… Here.”

He scribbled down the names and motioned at one of his assistants, who jolted forward. “Guide them to the second test. Next, we have… Natalie…”

“Yes, professor,” The upperclassman looked at them with a scrunched up face, his nasal voice oozing with disdain. “You two. Come with me.” He moved for one of the double doors.

Okay…

Kai was too eager to leave the hall to argue. A hundred pairs of eyes pierced his back since he had been picked, filling his ears with whispers and speculations. Who was the guy who was picked over Mirael Verelune? Did anyone know his House? Did he hide his orb during the first test? What did he get…

The girl in question remained stunned on the spot, blinking her pink eyelashes, watching them leave. When she attempted to speak, they were too far away to hear.

Kai slipped through the door after the assistant. A carpet muffled his steps into a long corridor, doors lined both walls up to a golden staircase.

“You could wait for me.” Rain poked his head behind him with a mock sulk. “To think I picked you over everyone else.”

“And remind me… Who finished the last test first?” Kai flicked back his hair—a palm too short for the gesture to work—then motioned to the upperclassman who marched ahead without waiting. “I’d say you got the better deal.”

Rain caught up to him in two strides. “I don’t know. That girl looked pretty good.”

“Mirael Verelune? She only reached indigo in the last test.”

“Do you know her?” Rain perused the gallery of paintings in the halls they passed, occasionally glimpsing candidates from other groups. “She was kind of a weirdo. Didn’t even introduce herself.”

The assistant ahead let out a choked sound, muttering unkind comments under his breath.

Neither of them cared.

“I just overheard people mentioning her.” Kai lifted his gaze to the ramp of stairs stretching several floors into the massive property. “One of the provinces is named after her. Or at least her family.”

Despite the gaps in his knowledge, even he knew the seven main provinces of the Republic. Verelune Province extendedfurther east, famed for housing the Seat of the Seven Moons.

“She’s someone important in this kingdom?” Rain asked with mild interest.

Kai shrugged. After a thousand years, the Great Houses might have cities full of descendants. “I don’t know. She is in the Winter Intake. And only got indigo. So, she’s probably not from the main line.”

Still important enough to make the other candidates hold their breath.

His comments elicited another strangled gasp from their guide.

They had descended to an underground floor through several hallways. Kai was considering how to test their guide's vocal range when the man stopped before a black lacquered door.

“In here.” He curtly opened the door for them.

“Does the second test take place here?” Kai peered inside. Multiple wards enveloped the room, obscuring the interior in a layer of shadows.

“Yes.” The assistant snorted. “It’ll all be explained inside.”

Alright…

Despite his skepticism, Kai had no grounds to argue. Hallowed Intuition told him there was no danger. He shared a glance with Rain before stepping inside.

What the…

Pitch-black darkness covered his vision. “Excuse m—”

The door shut on their back.

Great… Is this part of the test?

Even if the guy disliked them, Kai couldn’t imagine the assistant would risk his position to sabotage them, though he might have skipped part of the explanation.

Mana Observer spread through the room, unimpaired. It was a featureless box with four crystal altars set in a square and a second locked door.

“Are you alright?” Rain stood beside him. A globe of Light coalesced on his palm, illuminating the painted floor tiles and the runes circling the walls.

“I’m… good.” Kai squinted at the spell, making a memo to learn that cantrip himself. With his Minor Elemental Attunement, his affinity for Light should be barely sufficient.

“Do you think the test has already started?” Rain tried to push the doors open before moving to check the altars.

Kai shook his head. “Professor Thornwyn said we’d be in groups of ten. We're missing eight members. And I don’t think she lied.” Giving false instructions was a level too convoluted for an entrance test.

“So we wait?”

“Yeah,” Kai said with a sigh. His eyes fell on the geometric symbols decorating the floor tiles. They clearly had a purpose, but the wards stopped his inspection on the surface.

About a minute later, an array on the ceiling hummed to life, lighting the room as the door opened again. Eight candidates shuffled inside, their steps faltering upon seeing they weren’t alone.

So we waited in here for nothing… What a jerk.

“Hi, looks like we’re on a team.” Kai broke the stall with a friendly smile when the door clicked closed again. They might already be on a timer. “Do you know what the second test is about?”

“You don’t?” A short boy in a flaming red robe raised his chin, sneering. “Why are you even here?”

What does it look like?

Kai swallowed the snappy response and fought to keep a smile. “We were told to wait inside. The guy who brought us here wasn’t very forw—”

“Don’t get in the way.” The boy cut him off and turned to chat with his more muscular companion.

The other applicants had similarly drifted off with their partners, ignoring the fundamental principle of a team test. If the examiners had crammed ten people into the room, there had to be a reason. Everyone seemed intent on going it alone—except for one pair of girls, who kept sneaking glances in their direction.

What is it?

Kai didn’t trust his tone to hide his irritation, so stayed silent.

After another round of murmurs, the girl with the blond ponytail gathered the courage to speak. “You… you’re the one who made the orb glow violet?”

They must be from our hall. Finally, someone with a little sense.

Kai was about to answer when he realized they were looking at Rain—not him. Of course… He had completed the puzzle too quickly for people to notice.

Burdened by my own brilliance.

“I am.” Rain’s terse smile made the pair squeal in excitement. “Can you tell us about the second test?”

“See? I told you it was him,” the girl whispered to her companion, then pivoted to face Rain with a bright grin. “Hi, I’m Mira. Uhm… so you want to know about the second test? They didn’t tell us much. Just that we have to get out of this room within an hour to pass.”

She mumbled through a few more details; their conversation drew the attention of the rest of the room.

“You got violet?” The short boy stared at Rain, his smirk faltering. “You expect me to believe that?”

“It’s true!” Mira stubbornly crossed her arms. “I saw it myself. He was also the first to pick a teammate and even…” Her eyes flicked toward Kai and back. “Ehm… Why did you pick him over Mirael…”

Sure. Act like I’m not even here…

Rain gave him a sympathetic smile, marred with amusement. “Mat was the best option. He finished the puzzle faster than I.”

“Him? Are you telling me, you and he both got violet?” The boy with the red robe snickered. “Do you think I’m stupid? No one completed the puzzle in our hall. And we have two here?”

Spirits grant me patience.

Kai clenched a hand over his other wrist. The second test had already started, and the timer was ticking. If they couldn’t appreciate the luck of landing in this group, he wasn’t about to waste time convincing them.

“What did you get in the first test?” He raised an eyebrow at the boy. “Did you reach green or blue?”

“I— What does that matter?” The young guy snorted. “It was a stupid test. Mages don’t need to solve puzzles. Or spin mana like some common weaver.”

How did you even… No, it doesn’t matter.

Kai held his gaze. “So… you didn’t reach green?”

“You…” The boy’s face tinged a shade closer to his clothes, fist clenched at his side. “You have no idea what the levels of my skills are. My father is a fourth-circle mage! And I—I bet a hundred gold mesars we’ll get out of this room before you.”

If you insist.

“Alright. Let’s make it double.” Kai offered his hand to shake on the deal. “Two hundred golds to the first who finds the way out of here.”

He would have wagered a thousand mesars, if he thought that would get paid.

The short boy stared dumbly at his palm. “That… Are you serious… Do you even have that much money?”

“How else would I enroll?” Kai said. “I can pay once we finish testing. Or… are you scared to take the deal?” The provocation was as banal as it was effective. He waved to the teens observing their exchange. “We’re all adults. They can serve as witnesses for our bet, right?”

“We should cooperate…” Mira weakly protested, though the rest just nodded along. All except the boy’s companion, who tried to pull him back.

“Jorin, I don’t think you should—”

“Shut up, Rik. I won’t lose to this nobody.” Jorin yanked his arm free and shook the deal with a sweaty palm. A smirk plastered on his face. “It’s a binding agreement. You can’t get out of this. I’ll have my money.”

Kai smiled in response. “May the best man win.”