The next morning, after Alex finished writing in his notebook, he, as always, went to Marc's room to wake him up.
When he stepped inside, Marc was already getting ready to go have breakfast.
"I see you're nervous, huh?" Alex teased. He would be lying if he said he wasn't, but at least his sleep schedule hadn't changed.
"Yes, we've spent a long time preparing for this. I don't want to have to go back," Marc replied honestly.
"Well, I hope a good breakfast can take some of that weight off your shoulders," Alex comforted him, though he didn't admit that he was also nervous.
Then the duo went to a café to grab something to eat while they chatted about random things.
After breakfast, they headed toward the academy.
As they approached, they started to see more and more people walking in the same direction.
Some kids were going alone, like them, while others came with their entire families — mostly noble teenagers.
When they reached the academy, a storm of emotions seemed to hit them all at once — anger, sadness, joy, frustration.
It wasn't surprising. Out of the five hundred people taking the test, only two hundred would be accepted. Those who didn't make it would lose one hundred gold coins — no small sum. For many families, that was a lifetime of savings sacrificed for their child's dream.
"You should have studied more! Now you'll have to live the rest of your life at the bottom, never achieving anything as a mage!" a woman cried to a teenager while sobbing.
That was just one of the many desperate conversations happening outside the academy.
As Alex and Marc managed to get in front of the board displaying the names of those who passed, they eagerly began searching for their own.
Alex started scanning from Class C upward.
Before long, Marc tapped his shoulder excitedly.
"Alex, Alex, look! I'm there!" Marc pointed at position 97, which read:
Marc (No. 358) — Writing Test: 73 | Practical Test: 94 | Average: 83.2 | Class: B
And as if drawn by instinct, Alex's eyes caught his own name a few spots above.
Alexander (No. 359) — Writing Test: 88 | Practical Test: 89 | Average: 88.5 | Class: B
The duo looked at each other and high-fived. They were thrilled — not only had they both passed, but they'd also landed in the same class.
As they celebrated, five teachers emerged from the academy, following a man who walked ahead of them.
When the man reached the front of the crowd, he lightly tapped his neck and spoke, his voice magically amplified.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I am the academy headmaster, Mikhail Dowain. Behind me are the five teachers in charge of the classes. I kindly request that those who were not selected begin leaving the area. Thank you. As for those who were, please form a line in front of the teacher holding your class sign."
Alex blinked, slightly stunned by how cold the man sounded toward those who failed. After all, they had spent time, money, and effort chasing this chance — and he didn't even allow them a moment to grieve.
"What a ruthless guy…" Marc murmured beside him.
Still, they both made their way toward the teacher holding the Class B sign — the same woman who had overseen the entrance exams.
Once they reached the line, they found themselves somewhere in the middle.
As they waited, Alex glanced toward the lines on his left — the A and S classes.
Something about them caught his attention.
Those groups were filled almost entirely with nobles. The S Class consisted solely of them, while A Class had only one or two students who looked like commoners. It wasn't until Class B and below that commoners started to dominate — and Classes D and C were composed of commoners entirely.
Alex frowned and mentioned it to Marc, who had his own thoughts about the matter.
"Well, I think that's pretty normal. Those nobles probably had private tutors since they were kids. Unlike us, who only studied for a year," Marc said.
Alex chuckled. "Wow… studying really changed you. You sound like an intellectual bear now."
"Screw you. You could've come up with the same conclusion if you used what's between your eyes. Has not eating properly affected your brain or what?" Marc snapped back, missing the subtle praise hidden in Alex's teasing.
"Hahaha, you've restored my faith," Alex laughed.
After about ten minutes, the teacher finished counting her students. Once she reached forty, she turned and began walking.
"Come on, kids. Follow me," she said simply.
All the teenagers lined up and followed the woman across the academy grounds.
After a few minutes of walking, she opened a door marked with a large B and stepped inside.
Once everyone was in, they started taking their seats. Naturally, Alex and Marc sat in the very back — on the left side, as always.
"Now that everyone's here, let me introduce myself," the woman said, standing at the front. "My name is Scarlett Hall, and I'll be your homeroom teacher. I'll be in charge of teaching you your mandatory subjects this year — those being Mana Theory and Elemental Theory.
"After that, you'll have specialized classes that match your chosen profession. Mages will have Magic Training, and martial artists will attend Martial Arts Training."
As she explained, she began handing out papers listing secondary subjects.
"You'll need to select at least three secondary classes," she continued. "You can take this form home and turn it in tomorrow. Also, as you know, there's a dormitory campus divided by class and year. You'll be staying in the 4B section."
Then she returned to her desk, picked up a sheet of paper, and said, "Now, I'll do a roll call. Raise your hand when your name is called."
"Alen.""Here," a boy answered.
"Rina.""Present," said a girl, raising her hand.
...
"Marc.""Yes," Marc replied, lifting his hand.
...
"Alexander.""Yes," Alex responded.
After a few more names, Scarlett finished calling the list.
"Starting tomorrow," she said, "you'll place a name card on your desk so I don't have to ask who's who every time you have questions. For today, you're dismissed. Go home and think carefully about which secondary classes you'll take. Don't forget to visit the academy library to collect your textbooks for the year. They're provided by the academy, but if you lose them, you'll have to pay for replacements. That's all for now — see you tomorrow."
"Goodbye!" the class answered in unison.
Alex and Marc left the room, still buzzing with excitement over their success. Tomorrow, they would officially begin their journey at the academy.