Chương 37: The Youngest Novice Mage

The next morning. Zelier woke up early and headed straight for the Mage Guild. He was here to complete the retest for his Apprentice Mage qualification with Master Marven. Nearly half a month had passed since his initial assessment. Judging by the timeframe, it was reasonable for him to have learned two Tier-2 spells by now. After all, Master Marven had already made an exception for him. Dragging things out for too long would not be appropriate.

When Zelier arrived at the General Affairs Office, he quickly found Master Marven. However, what surprised him was that someone else he knew was also there. Lante Taylor. The shy young nobleman he had met at the training arena.

"Well, look at that. What a coincidence, Lante." Zelier waved at him.

"Here for your mage evaluation?"

"Y-yes." Lante answered somewhat nervously.

"Are you here for the same thing, Zelier?"

"Something like that." Zelier replied.

"You two know each other?" Marven adjusted his monocle.

"We met at the training arena." Zelier answered. Without wasting any time, Master Marven clapped his hands.

"Alright, Lante. You go first."

"Yes, Master!" Lante removed his mage robe and placed it together with his staff to the side. Then he walked over to the crystal pillar, placed his palm against its surface, and began channeling mana into it. A blue glow slowly spread upward from the bottom. However, the momentum was rather weak. It stopped at around the one-meter mark. It was not even close to Zelier's level, and it was noticeably weaker than Bev's performance back then.

"Your mana capacity is insufficient. You haven't reached the standard required for an Apprentice Mage." Master Marven shook his head slightly.

"You need more meditation and training."

"I understand, Master Marven." Lante's expression clearly dimmed.

"Alright, let's see how your mana control is." Marven stepped aside. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Yes!" Lante took a deep breath and began constructing a spell matrix inside his Soul Space. Zelier watched from the side with interest, hoping Lante might show him something new. Unfortunately, Lante's mana control was also far from impressive. The first spell was Illuminate, the same spell Bev had demonstrated before. It took Lante more than eight seconds to finish channeling, and the resulting light was noticeably weaker. The second spell, however, was something Zelier had never seen before. Ice Lance.

A spell that used mana to create and launch crystalline ice projectiles. Like Fireball, it belonged to the elemental school. This time, the casting process took even longer. Zelier estimated that Lante's channeling time exceeded ten seconds. As for the third spell, Lante failed to cast it entirely. Mana flickered several times in his palm before finally fading away. Zelier sighed inwardly. Partly because Lante had failed. And partly because he still hadn't learned any new magic.

"I-I'm terribly sorry for wasting your time..." Faced with such a poor performance, Lante lowered his head so much it looked like he wanted to bury it in the floor.

"Go back and continue practicing." Marven sighed.

"Your current level is still quite far from becoming an Apprentice Mage. You need to strengthen your fundamentals. Daily meditation cannot be neglected."

"I understand, Master Marven." Lante nodded firmly.

"Zelier. Your turn." Marven waved him forward. Zelier placed his hand against the crystal pillar and began transferring mana. The mana capacity test. He passed effortlessly. The blue light stopped around the height of his chest. Compared to Lante, it was nearly fifty percent higher. Next came the mana manipulation test. The first spell was the familiar Fireball. From channeling to release, the entire process took around four seconds. Marven immediately noticed something subtle.

Although Zelier's casting speed had not changed much compared to last time, the circulation of mana and the formation of the spell matrix were clearly smoother. Those tiny details showed that he was constantly improving. A trace of doubt appeared in Marven's heart. Even if Zelier had spent the entire half month doing nothing but meditating, this rate of improvement would still be considered terrifying. But Zelier was also an adventurer. He had to complete missions and earn money to buy spell scrolls.

Could his talent truly be this extraordinary? For the second spell, Zelier chose Wind Blade. The casting speed of Wind Blade was even faster than Fireball. For the final spell, he chose Gravity Press. Unlike the previous two spells, the effects of Gravity Press could not be directly observed with the naked eye. However, the crystal pillar was extremely sensitive to mana fluctuations. When the downward mana impact erupted, waves of blue light suddenly flickered inside the pillar.

"Oh... very impressive." Master Marven's voice carried genuine admiration.

"You've improved compared to last time." Zelier's performance had exceeded Marven's expectations. Seeing Zelier's outstanding results, Lante looked at him with obvious admiration. He wasn't stupid. From Zelier's lack of a surname and his plain clothing, it was obvious that Zelier came from a commoner background. Meanwhile, Lante's family had been merchants for generations and owned considerable territory. His family wealth was immense.

From childhood, he had received guidance from professional magic tutors, and expensive magical equipment had never been something he lacked. Yet despite having such overwhelming advantages in resources, he still couldn't compare to Zelier. That realization left him feeling deeply ashamed.

"I don't want to disappoint the help you've given me, Master Marven. That's why I've been working hard day and night." Zelier answered respectfully.

"It seems your previous question about the Novice Mage assessment requirements wasn't just idle curiosity after all." Marven smiled.

"I'm looking forward to it."

"If the Blackstone Town branch produces a sixteen-year-old Novice Mage, those fellows at the Imperial Capital headquarters will probably have their jaws dropped."

"According to the records, how old was the youngest Novice Mage?" Zelier asked curiously.

"Sixteen years old as well."

"Kaien Rodri. Born into a prestigious mage family in the Imperial Capital."

"Back then, he was hailed as the future star of the Kingdom of Ther." Marven recalled.

"Ten years have passed now. He's probably an Upper-tier Mage already."

"Though I don't know whether he managed to complete his advancement and unlock his next class."

"I see..." Zelier fell into thought. If that was the case, then he really might become the next sixteen-year-old Novice Mage. Although that invisible barrier still blocked his path, as long as he continued steadily accumulating experience... Two levels? Or perhaps three? Then he should be able to break through naturally and become a Novice Mage. He was just curious what kind of talent skill he would receive next.

"By the way..." Marven suddenly noticed the small scar on Zelier's face.

"How did you get that injury?"

"This?" Zelier scratched his head.

"During a mission. It's nothing serious." He didn't mention the tavern brawl. That would have been rather embarrassing to admit.