Elements
Four stars? Interesting... I didn't expect that from a giant. Generally, the more brutish men are less intelligent, but you seem to be an exception." The mage nodded thoughtfully.
She looked away toward the table, picking up a goose feather pen and dipping it in ink before writing something on my parchment. Then she opened her mouth and began to explain, "We have categorized the aptitude of prospective students of magical schools into six levels."
She sighed and, without looking at me, continued speaking while writing, "The genius among geniuses, who will certainly become a mage within a few years, has a mental capacity of six stars and is known as a 'sun.'"
"A bit below the genius are those with five-star mental capacities. They have above-average talents and are only one star short of geniuses. They are known as 'moons.'"
As I listened, I became absorbed in her words, trying to understand where I would fit into this system. The way she described the aptitude levels made it seem like my whole life was about to change based on this assessment.
"Those with five and six stars are the best, and all schools will do everything to nurture such talents. But, unlike these two, there are those who are average and below average."
"Four-star talent; three-star talent; two-star talent; one-star talent."
"Among these four, only those with four and three stars have a chance to become mages, if they are lucky and work hard. Now, those with two stars or lower are considered talentless. The chances of them becoming mages are so rare that if it happens, it certainly won't be natural, and there will be some extraordinary factor involved."
While the mage spoke, I saw her turn a ring on her hand and make a strange mark on the yellow parchment, which began to glow.
The witch paused for a moment and said, "But... there is an exception, even for someone with six-star talent."
Curious, I asked, "What exception?"
She smiled like a demon and said, "If an acolyte dares to disrespect a mage, even if he has six-star talent, that acolyte will certainly be killed, for the honor of a mage is worth more than the life of an acolyte, even if that acolyte has great talent."
A chill ran down my spine, but I didn't show it and thought, "Even among mages, only the strong make the rules..."
"Your exam is over here. You will go to another test! Next!" she said, dismissing me with an impersonal wave.
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I sighed and soon forgot what the witch said about dishonoring a mage, because with my chip, my mental capacity is not within this small measurement system.
My chip can perform calculations and absorb information in such a surreal way that, if it were measured by this star system, perhaps 50 stars would be my ideal score.
Moreover, this type of evaluation is similar to measuring IQ in my past world, but instead of numbers, the mages here measure with stars which, according to what this old lady said, represent mental capacity.
"May I come in?" I suddenly hear Mavia's voice as she entered the tent. The witch looked up and, like all the other mages, frowned for a moment, curious, but soon returned to her cold expression.
Seeing Mavia enter the tent, I took my parchment from the table with my large hands and began to walk to the next test, located at the back of the tent. I pulled aside the hanging curtain and proceeded to the next procedure.
The area was as spacious as the previous one, and in the middle, there was a sight that perplexed me. "What? What the hell is this?" I thought, staring at a small green-skinned creature dressed in a black robe similar to those of mages.
"Are you still human by any chance?" The voice of the small creature came, and looking up, I noticed it seemed like some kind of goblin. Moreover, it wore a glass monocle on its right eye and a ring with a skull symbol on the ring finger of its left hand.
The creature seemed to study me with interest, so I didn't waste time and replied, "Yes, sir! I may be a bit big and scary, but I am still human."
The small goblin adjusted the monocle in its eye while looking at me, almost as if contemplating my soul. He sighed and said, "Okay, giant, step closer and sit down." He pointed to a chair in front of his small desk.
Seeing the small chair, I felt an almost uncontrollable urge to laugh, but my instincts warned me that if I laughed at this little goblin, something horrible could happen to me. I swallowed hard and, even though I looked a bit ridiculous, I tried to sit in the small chair.
"Pulse~~"
Supernaturally, as I touched the chair with my leg, it expanded and grew like the trunk of a tree, becoming perfect for me. I widened my eyes in surprise but soon recovered and sat down in front of the small goblin.
"Before we begin your test, I have a proposal for you, how about that?" As soon as the small mage's voice reached my ears, my heart raced. I didn't expect to hear such words before even becoming a mage.
Maintaining my composure, I calmly replied, "What kind of proposal?"
The small goblin looked at the table where he was sitting, picked up the dark top hat next to some shiny items, and placed it on his head. "That ring on your hand appears to be an ancient magical item and is damaged. Its value would be around ten magical crystals, but if you agree to be part of my experiment, I can give you a potion of equal value. What do you think?"
My heart pounded in my chest, and I was sure the small mage sitting in front of me could hear it. "A magical potion? Moreover, this ring is worth ten magical crystals?" I repeated, stunned.
I looked at the ring on my hand, which until now seemed like just an old piece. I breathed calmly but also remained suspicious, remembering that according to my memories, mages are dark and extremely cruel beings who never play to lose...
When negotiating with a mage, there was no option to win without consequences, so I pondered for a few moments and asked, "What exactly does this experiment involve?" I tried to hide the excitement in my voice while analyzing the goblin's proposal.
In a friendly manner, the goblin smiled, as if trying to lure a child into the ice cream truck, offering ice cream for just a dollar. "I will give you some things to eat and then observe how your body reacts. How about it?"
As soon as the goblin said this, I felt a chill in my soul and immediately remembered the griffin that intercepted the airship earlier to demand money. I began to sweat and used logic to respectfully decline. "Sorry, great mage, but I will have to decline your noble proposal."
The goblin heard my voice, sighed, and said, "Are you sure?"
Another shiver ran down my spine, but I kept my decision firm. "Yes, sir, I am sure!"
He studied me for a moment, the gleam in his eyes seemed to probe my depths, but then he shrugged. "Very well, then. Let's proceed with the standard test, now hand me your parchment."
After handing the parchment to the goblin, he looked at me and said, "Four stars? A good talent for someone who looks brainless!" Scratching his chin, he continued, "Alright! Now, I will test your elemental affinity!"
The goblin tapped his small desk, which opened to reveal an item shaped like a square with letters written in a completely unknown alphabet. This object was not simple. It seemed to be made of some kind of liquid metal that vibrated from the inside out and from the outside in, alternating between perpendicular forms.
The goblin then said, "I need a drop of your blood!"
"Zap!!!"
It was so quick that I only felt my finger burning before realizing that my red blood was dripping onto the floating square. It didn't hurt much, but the speed and precision made me feel powerless. This goblin could kill me at any moment if he wanted to.
As I watched my blood being absorbed by the strange object, I felt a shiver. The square began to glow and vibrate more intensely, and I could only wait for the result of this bizarre test.
"Carefully, look at the square!" The goblin's voice sounded, seemingly carrying an authoritative tone.
I could do nothing but focus all my attention on the center of the square. With my steady focus, the shapes of the square began to change continuously and transformed into a circle, as if a red portal the color of my blood was opening.
"Now, tell me, what do you see?" My eyes felt a bit strange and changed color, from the blue which is my eye color to a golden yellow, even the pupils disappeared leaving only a bright eyeball.
"I see a large triangle and at each bright point I see a shining crystal. The first crystal is white, shining as brightly as the sun, the second crystal is vibrant blue, and the third is red, fluctuating from yellow tones to blood red!"
"Anything else?" the goblin asked.
"No!" I replied.
"Okay, test over!" The goblin snapped his fingers, and I suddenly came back to myself.
"What happened to me?" I asked, surprised.
"The test is already over! In terms of elemental affinities, you have a magical attunement with three elements: Light, Thunder, and Fire. These affinities can be explored if used intelligently."
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1658 Words
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