Thus, Hyacine's first class was abruptly interrupted. The Teacher with Glasses immediately announced to the class, "Everyone, study independently for now!"
He then led Anaxa out of the classroom.
As they walked down the corridor, the Teacher's gaze toward Anaxa had completely shed its previous disdain, now filled with profound respect. In the Arcane Federation, knowledge was paramount; those who understood more were inherently superior.
The Teacher even began addressing Anaxa with honorifics. "How did you break through the 20% attrition limit? Is it due to the material composition of this cylindrical object, or is there a unique method of channeling Magic Power?"
"Of course, you don't have to answer if you prefer. I'm just... a little curious. Just a tiny bit..."
"How on earth did you manage that? It's incredible."
Throughout their walk, the Teacher with Glasses kept muttering incessantly, making Anaxa's head spin. In the end, Anaxa offered no explanation, as the matter was simply too complex to explain concisely.
After a short while, they arrived at the Vice-Principal's office. The Vice-Principal was responsible for overseeing the foundational campus, and all academic advancement assessments required her approval.
As soon as they entered, they saw a woman in her forties, her face etched with fine wrinkles and her expression stern. She was hunched over a document in her hands, her appearance almost perfectly matching Anaxa's preconceived notion of a "homeroom teacher" from his past life.
Noticing their arrival, the Vice-Principal temporarily set aside her document and looked at the bespectacled teacher. "What is it?" she asked.
The teacher didn't mince words. "I'm invoking my special privilege to vouch for this freshman," he declared. "I request that he be allowed to take the promotion exam immediately."
The Vice-Principal's expression shifted slightly, a hint of surprise crossing her features. "A freshman? Taking the exam now?"
The teacher's tone was unwavering. "Yes."
"Very well." The Vice-Principal had no reason to doubt her subordinate. Since the teacher had spoken with such certainty, she naturally chose to trust him. "Then come with me," she said.
Now a trio, they left the Vice-Principal's office and quickly arrived at an adjacent, completely empty room.
The Vice-Principal began, "The entrance exam first tests a Wizard's fundamental mastery of Magic. You must demonstrate proficiency in at least fifteen First-Level and Second-Level spells..."
Before she could finish, Anaxa raised his right hand, casually uttered an incantation, and a crimson glow materialized at his fingertips. "Can we skip these tedious basics?" he asked. "I'm ready for something more challenging."
The demonstration stunned both the Vice-Principal, who was unaware of Anaxa's capabilities, and the bespectacled Teacher, who already knew how formidable he was.
For Anaxa had just cast Disintegrate, a Sixth-Level Magic spell. In an exam meant to verify proficiency in First-Level and Second-Level spells, Anaxa had unleashed a Sixth-Level spell, rendering the outcome self-evident.
Moreover, Disintegrate is notoriously difficult, typically mastered only by Gold-tier Wizards specializing in the Transmutation School.
Yet for Anaxa, including Disintegrate itself, any spell below the Sixth-Level could be learned almost instantly with a single reading.
When Anaxa first learned and used magic, he felt a surge of excitement as he recited the incantation and watched different magical effects materialize at his fingertips. After all, he had transmigrated to another world—learning and using magic was practically a given!
Cipher had initially wanted to learn magic when she first saw Feidric use it, but she had been too inept back then and couldn't master it. Now, her dream had finally come true.
But after fulfilling his dream, Anaxa found the experience rather underwhelming. To be honest, these spells held little practical value for him; they were quite underwhelming.
Take Disintegrate, for example. It was already considered one of the most destructive spells, yet its destructive power paled in comparison to Mydei and Castorice. And functional spells couldn't even begin to compete with Okhema's Magical Industrialization.
The Vice-Principal paused briefly before saying, "Then let's move on to the next step."
Normally, after a student demonstrated their magic, the next stage was a 'Practical Assessment'. A humanoid wooden puppet would appear in the empty room, and the examinee would need to engage it in combat.
There were many ways to pass the exam. Students could directly destroy the wooden puppet using Evocation or Necromancy Magic, or they could summon a creature using Conjuration Magic to fight it.
The puppet's body was deliberately inscribed with a hidden sequence of numbers. If a student could discern this sequence using Divination Magic, or if they could control the puppet for ten seconds using Enchantment Magic, or even withstand its attacks for ten seconds using Abjuration Magic, they would pass.
Under normal circumstances, the proctor would be an ordinary person. Students could even use Illusion Magic to deceive the proctor into believing the puppet had been destroyed—this would also count as passing.
Most absurdly, even if a student simply dismantled the puppet with their bare hands, they would receive a perfect score.
The primary purpose of this exam was to assess students' real-time adaptability. After all, what good was someone who could casually cast spells in practice but froze up like a sieve in a crisis, unable to cast a single spell on the battlefield?
However, Anaxa had casually unleashed a Disintegrate spell in an instant, rendering the practical exam completely unnecessary. One Disintegrate spell would undoubtedly reduce the puppet to ash, rendering the entire exercise pointless and a waste of school resources.
Afterward, the Vice-Principal led Anaxa to a grand hall. "Normally," she said, "all students who pass the practical exam gather here to line up and choose their academic schools. But in your case, you'll be the only one doing this."
As they spoke, the three stopped at the center of the hall, where a counter displayed a 'Witch's Hat' adorned with eyes and a mouth.
Seeing this, a powerful sense of déjà vu washed over Anaxa. "Don't tell me I have to put on this hat, and then it'll tell me which school I belong to?" he asked.
The Vice-Principal glanced at Anaxa and nodded. "Something like that. This hat was personally crafted by Headmaster Heinrich. It can detect a person's aptitudes and which school they're best suited for. However, it won't make the decision for you. It will simply inform you, and you must choose for yourself."
Hearing this, Anaxa couldn't help but mentally scoff, Isn't this just the Sorting Hat from Hogwarts?