Aziel was pleased with his result. After the first part of the exam, he ended up in twenty-first place.
If the entrance exam ended now, he would have qualified because he was one of the top thirty candidates. However, there were still the second part of the magic exam and the physical exam left.
Alaric waited briefly for the commotion to subside before shouting, "Follow me!"
He turned around and led the large group towards the academy building.
Soon, the entire group gathered in the Grand Hall.
"We will once again call you in the ascending order of your points."
"Once you're called, you will enter that corridor," Alaric continued, pointing at one of the numerous corridors that led out of the Grand Hall.
"At the end of that corridor is a room where our judges await. Once inside, you have to unleash your most impressive spell. Our judges will then evaluate it and assign points."
When Alaric finished speaking, many were dissatisfied.
"How is that fair?!"
"Isn't the point of the academy to become a mage?"
"How can they expect me to be a mage even before entering the academy?"
Aziel wasn't too miserable. He knew that those who were already mages were all ranked above him anyway, so he wasn't going to lose his place. He only had to perform well in the physical exam, and he would get into the academy.
Alaric started calling candidates who entered the corridor one by one.
When the first couple of candidates came out devastated, Aziel let out a breath of relief.
As he predicted, the rankings didn't change since lower-ranked candidates haven't awakened yet.
Aziel could almost see himself in the academy.
However, things quickly went south when one of the candidates suddenly shot all the way up to first place.
Aziel froze when he saw it.
He realized two things. First, there were a lot more mages, not just those ranked above him. Second, the second part of the exam was worth way more points. The candidate ranked three hundred twenty-first managed to get to first place. It was evident that this exam would thoroughly shake things up.
Candidates continued being called up, and the first place kept changing.
Aziel's expression turned worse by the moment. The first-place candidate already had two hundred points. Since Aziel wasn't a mage, he would get zero points, which would push him back a lot. He could only hope that a physical exam would give him lots of points to make up for the difference.
Among these thoughts, time passed quickly, and Aziel's turn came.
Aziel tore off the crowd, trudging across the Hall towards the narrow corridor. His heart was beating wildly, but not because of all the condescending gazes thrown at him.
Aziel turned the corner, winding up alone.
Even the whispers vanished, leaving behind pressing silence.
Aziel didn't speed up, but instead purposely slowed down even more.
Aziel stopped when he arrived before the large wooden doors.
Can you help me? Aziel asked his mysterious companion.
No response came, leaving Aziel with no choice but to enter the room.
He leaned forward slightly, using his weight to push the doors open.
Before him was a wide room. It was completely empty with the exception of the desk in the middle.
Aziel stopped halfway, his eyes locking on the three judges sitting behind the desk.
On the left was the yellow-haired woman in a long white robe who announced the results of the written exam. She exuded a warm aura.
On the right sat a charming middle-aged woman. Her long hair stood out against the black of her dress. She was veiled in a mysterious aura.
In the middle was a bald elderly man in a simple brown robe. He radiated an ancient, but imposing aura.
When all of their gazes landed on Aziel, it made him feel small. He started sweating profusely, and his anxiety only deepened.
"Hello, Aziel," the old man said.
"Hello," Aziel answered in a shaking voice.
"You know why you're here. Show us your best magic spell."
Aziel waited for a couple of moments, as if expecting a miracle to happen.
But it didn't. Nothing happened.
Aziel sighed.
"I can't. I'm not a mage."
The old man frowned and looked down at the desk.
Aziel followed his gaze and noticed that there was a paper on the desk.
"You're lying," the old man said, locking eyes with Aziel. His aura suddenly expanded, pressing Aziel down.
What is happening?
Aziel felt like somebody was pressing him down, yet he couldn't see anything. He had to use all of his strength just to keep standing.
"I'm not lying," Aziel denied, trying to appear unshaken.
"We have all your data, " the mysterious woman said. "You scored quite high on the written exam. That wouldn't be possible if you weren't a mage."
"Explain yourself," the yellow-haired woman added.
Aziel tensed. It was like beasts were pouncing at him ruthlessly.
What should I do? Should I expose that a weird voice inside my head helped me?
No. That would probably end in a disqualification or even something worse.
I'm not a mage, so if I pretend to be one, I won't be able to back it up.
Aziel's thoughts ran at an incredible speed as he tried to find the best excuse. The more time passed in silence, the more nervous Aziel got. The weight on his body also kept increasing. If he didn't think of something fast, it would make it seem like he was making up an excuse.
Aziel put on the most confused expression he could muster under all of this pressure. He looked straight at the old man before speaking. It was important to show that he was confident in his answer.
"I don't understand what you're talking about. Isn't this supposed to be the entrance exam for the academy where you become a mage? It doesn't make sense that you would need magic in order to pass."
"Then how do you explain your result on the written exam?" The old man said, his eyes stabbing at Aziel.