The universe was vast, filled with unknown wonders and dangers.
Who knew what could be out there? Different races, beasts, cultures, plants, and worlds existed beyond comprehension.
The world where Emery and his companions found themselves now belonged to the most advanced human race in the entire galaxy. Comparing it to Earth's current technology would be unfair—even a thousand years into the future, Earth's progress wouldn't come close.
This world stood at the forefront of understanding the Ten Elements, primordial energies said to be the forces of the gods and goddesses that had shaped the universe itself. Yet, despite their advancement in the magical arts, there remained many mysteries still to uncover.
Minerva turned her attention back to the examination. "Next," she said with a calm but commanding voice.
The next few youths to step forward had results that were relatively close to one another.
There was a young man who towered over the rest of his peers, achieving a battle power of 24—two levels higher than Silva. However, his spirit power was quite low at 22. The others, on average, had a battle power of 10 and a spirit power of 25. Regarding their aptitudes, one in every ten had a Rank S rating.
It took no more than half an hour before Emery and his group of friends from planet Earth were examined by the Eye of Power. Julian, as usual, spearheaded the group and stepped confidently onto the glowing eye symbol. The moment he made contact, the symbol flashed brightly, and a number emerged from its depths.
[Battle power: 8]
[Spirit power: 24]
[Spirit aptitude: Rank A]
It was an average figure compared to the others. Aside from his dual affinity, there was nothing particularly special about Julian. He sighed, a look of disappointment washing over his face. Having trained diligently since he was old enough to wield a gladius, he had been quite confident in his physical strength. However, it became clear that the standards of other worlds were much higher than those of Earth.
Thrax, on the other hand, wore a smug expression as he walked past Julian, flexing his muscles for dramatic effect. He couldn't resist taunting Julian before the Eye of Power examined him. "A pig is a pig!"
[Battle power: 10]
[Spirit power: 23]
[Spirit aptitude: Rank A]
Thrax's eyes widened as he stared at the results. He had seemed to expect a battle power of around 15, but alas, expectations versus reality always brought disappointment.
Julian couldn't help but laugh, pointing at Thrax. "I guess I shouldn't call you a barbarian anymore, monkey! Hahahaha!"
Somehow, this seemed to cheer up Julian as he continued to chuckle at Thrax's apparent epic fail.
Next was Chumo, who entered the circle with his characteristic silence, walking lightly toward the glowing eye.
[Battle power: 7]
[Spirit power: 26]
[Spirit aptitude: Rank A]
The three boys had achieved similar results, which was not surprising, given that Earth was considered a lower-class world. Still, they placed their hopes on their star duo: the exotic, beautiful Klea, who had triple elemental affinities, and Emery, who looked less impressive but possessed four elemental affinities.
Klea was the first to approach the Eye of Power, winking playfully at her crush. As she stepped onto the glowing symbol, it shone brilliantly and displayed her results.
[Battle power: 6]
[Spirit power: 37]
[Spirit aptitude: Rank S]
Klea did not disappoint. Murmurs erupted in the crowd, and the youths could be heard discussing how someone from a lower-class world could possess such extraordinary talent. She was a triple elemental magus, boasting both high spirit power and a Rank S aptitude. As she descended from the platform, Klea blew a kiss to the crowd.
Some of the boys had flushed faces, while the girls wore expressions of envy. It wouldn't take long for Klea to become a Rank 3 acolyte, after all.
Minerva simply nodded, seemingly satisfied with Klea's performance. She had checked earlier to see which planet Klea hailed from, and having such an outstanding result for someone from a lower-class world was indeed impressive.
"You're making us all proud, beautiful," said Julian, genuinely happy that someone from his world had achieved results higher than the average of all the other worlds.
"Of course," Klea replied confidently, flashing another sweet smile in response to Julian's praise. Like the others, she didn't fully understand the significance of the numbers yet. However, seeing how many reacted to her as if she were a goddess, she felt jubilant to receive such special attention.
After Klea, there was only one person left to be tested: Emery. Like the previous examination with the crystal ball, he was the last person to step up to the Eye of Power. The air around them grew tense; even the sound of each breath could be heard as everyone awaited the results for the only person with four elemental affinities.
Emery felt uneasy under their stares. He had experienced this type of gaze before—the envious looks from other noble boys when Princess Gwen had shown him attention. It was a stare filled with jealousy.
He shook off these thoughts as he ascended the stairs toward the platform. To calm his nerves, he tried to use the trick his father had taught him whenever he felt anxious: imagining the people's faces as fish. Unfortunately, that didn't work, and he shook his head again in frustration. Instead, he repeated to himself that he was special, that having four elemental affinities was a monumental achievement.
"Emery, are you ready?" Minerva asked, though her expression looked unsure.
"Ready!" he replied with determination, oblivious to Minerva's concern. Surely he wouldn't score low with four affinities, would he?
The Eye of Power's symbol shone, and the first set of words appeared.
[Battle power: 5]
"...."
It was the lowest number recorded from all the tests—indeed, even lower than Klea's, who had a battle power of 6. Emery tried to keep his spirits high, reminding himself that he had inherited a weak constitution from his mother; that was simply a given.
Then, the next line appeared, delivering another shock to everyone watching.
[Spirit power: 20]
"..."
This number was also the lowest anyone in the room had seen. Whispers began to circulate, with people baffled that the boy with four elemental affinities could have only twenty in spirit power. However, the most shocking revelation was yet to come. When the final text appeared, an uproar ensued.
[Spirit aptitude: Rank B]
Emery was more shocked than anyone else in the room. He unconsciously glanced at Minerva, whose disappointment seemed to have been half-expected. Then it dawned on him: he was the only person with a Rank B spirit aptitude. Was he truly the only one in the entire academy to have such a low rating?