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Evil provinces were riskier to live in, but they typically had a stronger mage population.

It wasn't worth contemplating the provinces' alignment since he would be stuck in this province for the near future. Provinces were massive in size: usually around 10 million square miles. It wasn't feasible for a mage to travel across provinces until they became an official mage. Until then, he would have to make do with his current situation.

A few minutes later, the carriages came to a stop. The apprentice mages guarding the carriages yelled for everyone to step outside.

Jake and Tyler were still arguing about affinities, but they shut their mouths' when a nearby apprentice gave them a glare.

In this land, mages were the rulers—their word was law. If a mage wanted to punish a mortal, nobody would stop them from doing what they wanted. In evil provinces, it wasn't uncommon for a mage to slaughter mortals to vent their frustration.

The sun hung high in the sky, but the light it emitted was barely brighter than the moon's. The dense clouds didn't help this problem, giving the province a gloomy atmosphere year-round.

"Get in line!" One of the apprentices yelled.

A line quickly formed in front of the school's gates.

A hooded mage with a crystal ball sat at the gates, a pen in one hand and a notebook in the other.

"Place your hand on the crystal ball and hold it for three seconds. If the crystal glows green, take a room key and pass through the gates. Otherwise, go back to your carriage and leave the school immediately."

Whether the failed person could survive the journey back to their home was of no concern to the magi. They were lucky enough that they weren't captured and used as test subjects for the teacher's research.

Ray and his two friends ended up being near the front of the line; only two people were in front of them.

The first person in line was nearly having a panic attack. His hands were shaking, and his pupils were dilated. He stared at the crystal orb as if he was looking at a vicious monster.

If he could overcome the monster, he would enter a life superior to his current one. Everyone in the line was a noble from a small region, but none of them wanted to be stuck in such a small place. They wanted to achieve more power, more status, and most importantly: more lifespan!

The first person's reaction was nothing unique. Except for Ray, everyone had an anxious look. After all, their entire future was about to be determined.

The first person encased the crystal ball with his sweaty palm. After a few seconds, the ball lit up bright green.

A look of relief fell on the tester's face, and his emotions were elated.

Although his affinities weren't great since they were split equally amongst the six elements (fire, water, earth, air, light, and dark), he couldn't care less at the moment. Simply being a mage elevated his status from the ground to the heavens.

When the next person put their hand on the crystal, it shone bright red.

His expression was ashen—almost disbelief. He didn't immediately get out of the way, so one of the apprentices kicked him out of the line.

Everybody gave him a look of pity, but they silently looked down upon him. Such was the life of a mortal.

Ray was next, so he confidently pressed his palm against the crystal.

The light shone green, but Ray's expression didn't change.

He was a god in his past life, so he had a deep understanding of magic even though his body was reset.

Before touching the crystal, Ray already knew he was qualified to practice magic. The only thing he was curious about were his affinities.

After the crystal turned green, it morphed into 6 colors, each representing an element.

Three quarters of the crystal was gray (wind), an eighth was white (light), and the rest was a mix of the remaining elements.

The results mildly surprised him. The average mage had an equal distribution of their elemental affinities, but Ray was dominantly wind based.

The higher your affinity for a single element, the easier it will be for you to advance as a mage.

His talent wasn't heaven defying, but it was much better than average. He preferred this type of talent since he wouldn't attract much attention and would have smooth progression.

With his knowledge as a previous god, he knew he didn't need to be a genius to reach great heights. As long as his luck was decent and he played his cards right, his lifespan would not pose a major issue.

The mage sitting behind the desk raised his eyebrows after seeing Ray's affinities. He gave a nod of approval, then handed him a slip.

"My name is written on there," the mage said. You can choose me as your teacher.

The mage saw a talented youth, so it didn't hurt to spread his name. All students at the wizarding school had to choose a teacher, so there was a good chance Ray would pick him.

Ray nodded in response, then pocketed the paper slip.

He turned to give Jake and Tyler a thumbs up for good luck. He couldn't care less if they actually passed or not, but maintaining a relationship was beneficial if they ended up being mages.

Jake gave him a thumbs up of his own, although his nerve-racked expression didn't match.

Ray grabbed a house key and walked to the person who was first in line.