Chapter 1 - The Class Aptitude Test

Today was the day.

I could hardly believe it.

After four long years of all-nighters, stressful papers, and painful physical exams, it was finally time for me to take the Class Aptitude Test.

𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢 "𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵", 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵. 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥.

I walked through the halls of the Zenshin Academy Dorms. Most of the students had already left for the Class Aptitude Test, as I was part of the final group, leaving the hallways unusually empty. I didn't mind, though. The silence was oddly calming.

It gave me room to think.

[Alert: Group 4 will be departing in 5 minutes]

A notification appeared in the corner of my eye, letting me know it was almost time to head out. Even after four years, I was still incredibly impressed at how useful the Shard's powers were. By manipulating mana, a messaging system like this was possible.

I quickly made my way down the stairs to the ground floor of the dorms, meandering past the few lingering students, probably waiting for the alert bell to sound. My mind was racing with the opportunities that would open up when I finally became an Advancer.

No more scraping by month after month doing small jobs just to make ends meet.

No more living off of convenience store meals to save money.

With the power of the Shard, I'd be able to sign up for Dungeon Permits, and spend my time making REAL money by fighting monsters.

I could almost feel the coins sifting through my fingers.

"Hey, Kal, I'm standing right here, man!"

My mental fantasy was abruptly broken when I ran headfirst into a tall figure. Glancing up from my thoughts, I could see the male student I had run into shaking his head in a disappointed fashion, blonde hair swishing across his forehead.

"You really have to stop doing that, dude. One of these days, you're gonna accidentally walk into a Dungeon or something."

A grin formed on my face as my best friend, Valleris, put his arm around my shoulders, chuckling.

"Shut up, Val, we both know if anyone's going to mess up like that, it's you. At least I remembered the test was today. You wouldn't even be down here waiting for me if I hadn't messaged you."

Val jumped back and put his palms out in front of him in mock distress at my retort.

"My bad, almighty Kal-endar, sorry I'm not obsessed with the schedule. Unlike you, I actually have a life."

I struggled to escape his grasp at the mention of the dumb nickname, but no luck. In terms of physical strength, I could never compete with Val.

"Well, I like to take these kinds of things seriously. We're going to be Advancers from now on, and I don't want to miss out on ANY kind of information when our lives are on the line."

A sharp bell echoed outside, signaling students to head to the Shard for their tests. Val quickly let me go and bolted for the front door, almost knocking down a few students on their way out.

"Last one to the bus has to buy dinner!"

I awkwardly stumbled after him as he sprinted outside. I couldn't help but grin.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘰𝘧𝘧, 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺.

...

The bus pulled up to one of the large buildings in he Advancer HQ, which was built around the Shard. I was still trying to catch my breath from Val's impromptu sprint when we got arrived.

Once the bus stopped, our group left the bus, and we all stood in the parking lot. Several Advancer guards were standing nearby, and I could feel the mana they were exerting weighing down on me.

"Looks like you're up first, Mr. Owes-Me-Dinner."

I was too busy admiring the black and purple uniforms of the Advancers to realize my name had been called. Val slapped my back to get my attention, causing me to stumble forward. I looked back at him with fire in my eyes. Shaking my head, I couldn't help but grin one last time as an Advancer escort gestured for me to walk into the massive coliseum-like structure.

"We'll meet up back at the dorms after the tests, alright?"

I yelled back at Val and saw him give a thumbs up in response. Turning back around, I looked down the hall leading to the Shard. I stepped into the long entryway, walking through an impressive tunnel of stone. My escort stopped me just before a large archway with a shimmering blue screen, a mana barrier. They held out their hand, and the barrier disappeared.

Taking a deep breath, I composed myself.

𝘈𝘭𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘐𝘕𝘈𝘓𝘓𝘠 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘢-

I stepped through the doorway and immediately fell to my knees from an enormous pressure crushing down on me.

A series of notifications popped up in the corner of my eye.

[This area contains an abnormal amount of mana.]

[Your Constitution Stat is not high enough to withstand this much mana.]

[Your Arcana Stat is not high enough to withstand this much mana.]

[Your body has started to sustain tremendous damage.]

𝘞𝘩𝘢-𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?

Before I could process what the messages meant, a sharp, searing pain exploded inside my body. I thought I knew what pain felt like from my years at the Academy, both physical and mental, but this had it all beat.

This pain was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life.

It felt like someone set me on fire, threw me into a volcano, and then started stabbing me. I couldn't even scream as I collapsed on the ground. I could feel my consciousness start to drift away, but before it got worse, another notification popped up.

[Iron Knight Ceelia has used Share the Pain Lv. 6]

Almost immediately, the mind-numbing agony stopped, leaving me awkwardly gasping for breath on the cold, stone floor.

I slowly picked myself up and started patting my body, looking for injuries, but finding none.

The Advancer beside me tapped my shoulder.

"Take it easy, rookie, you haven't even made it to the Shard yet."

I grimaced in response as I stood there sweating. I recalled a passage from a book I read regarding this phenomenon. All sources of mana exude a pressure referred to as an "aura". The stronger the source, the more powerful the aura. People in the presence of a powerful aura risk overloading their mana veins, which is what caused the overwhelming pain I just experienced.

Advancers could lessen this effect, or even nullify it completely, by having high Constitution and Arcana Stats, or by using an appropriate Skill. As a regular person, I had neither. Ceelia's Skill seemed to be redirecting most of the incoming mana to her, but she didn't look fazed in the slightest.

It seemed this test also served as a way to show new Advancers firsthand that this job was no joke.

𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦.

"My name is Ceelia, although you probably just learned that."

"Nice to meet you, Ceelia. Thanks, that was awful."

Ceelia laughed at my remark.

"It's alright, all the newcomers get to experience that when they come to take the test. Think of it as a hazing ritual of sorts. Although, I've never seen anyone collapse so quickly."

I sheepishly laughed in embarrassment. After catching my breath, I turned my attention to the room I was in, and my jaw dropped.

The Shard was more incredible than I could have ever imagined.

It had to be at least 20 meters tall, floating a solid 10 meters off the ground. Pristine facets of magical crystal jutting in and out made up its translucent form, reflecting light all across the room.

Veins of energy pulsed throughout its shimmering angles, emanating a ridiculous amount of raw mana. Even with Ceelia's Skill shouldering the brunt of the aura, I was still having a hard time just walking.

Advancers stood watch all around the massive room, guarding the powerful artifact, their weapons gleaming in the Shard's light. Based on the quality of their weapons alone, they were definitely stronger than the Advancers I saw outside.

I couldn't imagine how powerful you would have to be to stand in this room without any Skills.

"Now, I'm sure you're aware of the regulations regarding this test, but I'll go over it one final time."

Ceelia stopped me a few meters away from the Shard and continued her explanation.

"The Class Aptitude Test is the final step in becoming an Advancer. Approach the Shard, and place one hand on it to begin. The Shard will activate your mana veins, and channel its energy into you. While this is happening, do NOT let go of the Shard, otherwise, the mana backlash from breaking the connection could cause serious harm, or worse. Once the process is complete, you will receive a Class. It will be a very intense experience, so try your best to stay calm."

Ceelia smiled at me and patted my back reassuringly.

"Brace yourself, rookie. And good luck."

I took a step forward and grabbed a portion of the Shard jutting out, and my vision was immediately overtaken by a vortex of mana.

Raw mana flooded my body as the swirling colors collided and broke apart to form dazzling landscapes of energy. The mana started to take on more comprehensible shapes, still flashing by in rapid fashion. I was able to identify fleeting images of familiar places, like the dorms and nearby restaurants.

A growing pressure started closing in on me as the Shard began pushing my mana veins to their limits, and soon, it turned into pain.

I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to concentrate on the energy flowing through me. The weight was hard to stand against, but I somehow managed.

After what felt like an eternity, the mana seemed to settle, and I could feel my body allowing the energy to pass through me more easily. I relaxed my grip on the Shard a little, not realizing I had been squeezing it so tightly. The colors around me settled down, resting on a peaceful blend of blue and purple splashes.

𝘈𝘭𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘥.

Suddenly, a loud screech pierced my head, followed by the feeling of ice and fire in my body. I felt myself fall to my knees as my mana veins exploded with pain. The colors picked up speed rapidly and surrounded me in a tornado of incomprehensible images. My consciousness was being swept away by the storm of mana spiraling out of control.

Through the raging mana, I could faintly hear Ceelia calling for help. The relentless colors and screaming mana made it impossible to tell what else was going on.

I had read stories of potential Advancers being rejected by the Shard like this. Most of them had their mana veins ripped apart by mana, leaving them permanently crippled.

Fear gripped my heart.

𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴... 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦?

𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?

𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘛𝘏𝘈𝘛 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦!

The storm kept getting louder and louder, tearing apart my mind. I couldn't keep my thoughts intact anymore. It was an overwhelming storm of energy, but I still managed to resist it.

𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵! 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨!

I could hear Ceelia's voice somewhere in the vortex yelling at me to let go of the Shard, but I kept my grip on the crystal, stubbornly refusing to give up.

It was a miracle I was even qualified to enroll in the academy, and I wasn't about to let that opportunity slip away right at the end. Even if the Shard was threatening to burn through all my mana veins, I wouldn't let go.

The screams of mana spiraling out of control felt like electricity all throughout my body, but I was determined to somehow make it through this.

𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘕𝘖𝘛 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘦?!

Then, as if in response to my thoughts, I heard a notification.

[??? would like to trade ??? with you.]

[Will you accept the trade offer?]

On the verge of blacking out entirely, I had no mental energy left to ponder what the messages could mean. Without hesitation, I said yes.

A flash of golden light burst from the storm, and the mana rapidly dissipated, leaving me cradled motionless in someone's arms, probably Ceelia's. I didn't have the strength to even open my eyes at this point.

Just before I passed out completely, as faint footsteps closed in on me, I heard one last notification, along with the sound of...coins?

[Congratulations, your Class is...]