Gleson's surprise

However, just as the light on the crystal ball had reached its peak and was about to retract, and Gleson's excitement had also reached its peak, the crystal ball suddenly dimmed.

"We failed!"

Gleson's expression dimmed, and when he said "failed," he was, of course, not referring to Drogo's test, but to his own expectations. Drogo, of course, did not miss Gleson's disappointed expression. He had already guessed what the other was thinking from Gleson's behavior just now. However, Drogo had to hide his identity and strength, so he could not reveal everything. His behavior just now was intentional.

In fact, if he wanted to, with his mental power, he could have shattered the crystal ball in an instant. However, if he did so, his strength would be exposed, and he would not do that.

Gleson's disappointment only flashed across his face. Although Drogo showed the kind of talent he expected in his heart, the fact that the light on the crystal ball almost reached its peak showed that Drogo's mental power was approaching the level of an intermediate wizard.

Such talent was rare. As long as Drogo did not have any problems with spells and actual combat, and was then brought into the wizard's guild, it would still be an achievement for Gleson. At least, it would bring him one step closer to achieving his goal.

Calculating in his mind, Gleson said to Drogo, "Not bad, your mental power has met the requirements, and you have passed the first test. Next, we will proceed to the second test."

Using the crystal ball for mental power testing would not consume too much of a wizard's mental power, and both of them knew this. Gleson did not let Drogo rest, and Drogo did not make such a request.

"The second test is to test the wizard's knowledge of spells. Reciting spells completely and smoothly is the basis of being a wizard. Now I want you to recite three auxiliary magic spells and three attack magic spells separately. Completing all of them will be considered qualified."

Drogo seems to have a natural talent for magic, particularly in the area of spellcasting. While it is true that reciting spells may seem easy, it requires a high level of mental strength to effectively communicate with magical elements and imprint the spells into one's memory. In addition to mental strength, an affinity for magical elements is also necessary to effectively cast spells, and this affinity is a talent that cannot be learned or trained.

For Drogo, however, the spellcasting test is a breeze. He inherited his magical abilities from Matthew, a powerful necromancer who is essentially a grand mage. Matthew's powers were near the level of an archmage, and his magical affinity was passed down to Drogo. As long as Drogo's mental strength can support it, he can cast any spell with ease, given his high level of magical affinity.

The test requires knowledge of three support spells and three attack spells, but this is not a challenge for Drogo. He briefly hesitates at the task, but quickly decides that he will simply pass the test without revealing his true identity as a necromancer. He recites three different spells of varying elemental types, causing a series of light and shadow changes in front of him.

Gleson recognized it at a glance. It was the unique scene formed by the elements of magic gathering and dispersing in front of Drogo as he chanted and dissolved the spells. In other words, as long as Drogo was willing, he had already cast three different types of attack magic in the blink of an eye. Such control was not something that a novice low-level wizard could achieve.

Gleson's surprise was not over yet. Drogo began to recite spells again. This time, it was still three magic spells from front to back. The first was a first-level Slow spell, the second was a second-level Frost spell, and the third was a third-level supportive magic, Windwalk!

However, this time, only the first two spells had magic halos, and the last Windwalk spell, although it also gathered the element of wind, immediately dissipated as soon as it formed. It seemed that Drogo could not control this magic, unable to condense it into shape.

Of course, this was the result that Drogo deliberately made. But it still surprised Gleson. What he saw was not Drogo's lack of control, but that Drogo's magic power had already approached the third level, just one step away from promotion. He even suspected that if Drogo had used only the last Windwalk spell instead of reciting multiple spells, he might have successfully cast it.

In Gleson's view, Drogo should be about seventeen or eighteen years old. At this age, he was likely to become a third-level wizard soon. Although he couldn't compare with the geniuses of several major academies, he was already exceptionally talented.

"Very well, you passed the second exam," Gleson exclaimed, and Drogo's mouth twitched slightly. Passed? It would be strange if he didn't pass. The other party's surprise was already within his expectations.

After the second exam ended, Gleson did not immediately announce the start of the third exam, the practical part, but turned around and walked towards the opposite side of Drogo. As Gleson stopped and faced Drogo, a thin light screen suddenly rose from behind him and in the blink of an eye, enveloped the two of them.

Guardian of the Stars!

Drogo recognized at a glance that the magical barrier was a defensive spell called "Guardian of the Stars," which could isolate a certain area of space. This was undoubtedly an advanced magic that Gleson couldn't perform solely based on his own strength.

Drogo speculated that the Guardian of the Stars was likely released by some kind of tool, as this place was used by the Mage Guild to test the strength of mages and there must be some form of protection.

Gleson said, "The third item is the practical combat part. Feel free to use your most powerful magic attack against me. Remember, use your most powerful one, as it will determine your rank."

"Very well, please be careful, Master Gleson," replied Drogo.

Drogo was not polite, as he was here not only to strive for a mage's formal identity but also to take this exam as a rare opportunity for practice. Therefore, practical combat was the part that Drogo was most looking forward to.

Drogo began to recite the incantation, and Gleson smiled. He recognized that Drogo was using one of the second-level magic missiles he had memorized in the second part of the exam.

However, Gleson noticed that Drogo's recitation of the spell seemed to take a little longer than before. "Could this kid have used up too much mental energy just now?" he wondered.

Just as Gleson was confused, Drogo's magic missile was finally complete. A pale blue magic ball about the size of a coconut appeared in his hand, with flashes of light rapidly flowing on the surface.

"Magic missile!" Drogo shouted. With an outstretched hand, the magic missile flew rapidly towards Gleson.

"Very good power," said Gleson with a smile. With a flick of his finger, a small fireball met the magic missile head-on. Although he couldn't cast first-level magic fireball instantly with his sixth-level strength, he was very close to it.

Moreover, in Gleson's opinion, his advantage in magic power was enough to allow him to counter Drogo's second-level magic missile with just a first-level fireball.

But the result surprised Gleson. Drogo's magic missile did not get canceled out as he had hoped when it collided with the fireball. Instead, with a loud explosion, it pierced through the dispersing fireball and continued flying towards him.

"It was dispersed? It's two magic missiles!"

It was only at this moment that Gleson realized that Drogo had released not one, but two magic missiles. It was just that the first magic missile had blocked Gleson's line of sight, which prevented him from noticing the second one following behind.

Because of this, the fireball he shot out was unable to intercept the magic missile. Since only one was stopped, the magic fireball dispersed, while the other magic missile was completely unaffected.

"No wonder he had to recite the incantation for so long earlier."

Gleson fully understood that Drogo's lengthy incantation earlier was not due to his lack of mental power, but rather to release two magic missiles in quick succession. This required reciting two incantations, which of course took twice as long as normal.

The magic missile was now in front of Gleson, and he did not try to intercept it with a fireball spell. At such a close distance, if the fireball and magic missile collided, the resulting explosion would likely leave Gleson in a very miserable state.

Gleson raised his hand, and the fire element quickly condensed in front of him, eventually converging into the shape of a shield.

Flame Spirit Shield, this was already a fifth-order defensive magic. Like most defensive spells, the advantage of Flame Spirit Shield was that it could be quickly released, but the disadvantage was that it would continuously consume the mage's magic power.

Drogo's second magic missile smashed into the Flame Spirit Shield the moment it formed, but its impact was not as powerful as its previous collision with the small fireball. The magic missile only flashed for a moment before completely disappearing on the Flame Spirit Shield, without even a ripple being caused.

The level of the two magics differed too greatly, and Drogo only used magic power corresponding to the second order, so it was not surprising that this result occurred due to his hidden strength.