The exam hall became completely silent.
Everyone was staring at the crystal.
The thin black line inside it slowly spread a little more.
Arin quickly removed his hand.
"I... I didn't do anything," he said nervously.
The man in charge stepped closer to the crystal. His face looked serious now.
"Step back," he said.
Arin moved back quietly.
The other students started whispering.
"What was that?"
"I've never seen that before."
"Is it broken?"
Some of them looked at Arin with confusion. Others looked at him with fear.
The man touched the crystal carefully. It was still glowing, but the black line didn't disappear.
He turned and looked at Arin.
"What is your name?" he asked.
"A-Arin," he replied.
The man stayed silent for a few seconds, as if thinking deeply.
Then he said, "You will still take the entrance test."
The students were shocked.
"What? Why?"
"He has no magic!"
"That makes no sense!"
The man ignored them.
"Next stage," he announced loudly.
Soon, all the students were taken to a large open ground.
It was the practical test area.
Targets were placed at a distance. Some were moving, some were still.
"Use your magic and hit the targets," another instructor said.
One by one, students stepped forward.
Fireballs, wind blades, and lightning attacks filled the air.
Most of them hit their targets easily.
Some even showed off their skills proudly.
Arin stood at the back, watching everything.
His hands felt cold.
"I can't do this..." he thought.
When his turn came, everyone started whispering again.
"The useless one is next."
"Let's see him fail."
Arin slowly walked forward.
He stood in front of the targets.
His heart was beating fast.
"Begin," the instructor said.
Arin raised his hand.
Nothing happened.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
Some students started laughing loudly.
"I told you."
"No magic at all."
Arin clenched his fist.
For a moment, he closed his eyes.
He remembered all the words people had said to him.
Useless.
Weak.
Failure.
His hand started shaking.
Then suddenly—
A strange feeling spread through his body.
It was cold.
Very cold.
The air around him became slightly heavy.
Arin slowly opened his eyes.
For a second...
everything felt quiet.
Then—
A small dark spark appeared in front of his hand.
It was not fire.
It was not wind.
It was something else.
The instructors noticed it immediately.
"What is that...?" one of them whispered.
The dark spark moved forward slowly...
and touched the target.
The moment it touched—
Boom.
The target cracked and broke apart.
Silence filled the ground.
No one laughed anymore.
Everyone was staring at Arin.
Arin himself looked shocked.
"I... did that?" he said softly.
Far away, one of the senior teachers was watching everything.
His expression was serious.
"This power..." he murmured.
"It shouldn't exist here.