Chapter 30 - Entrance Exam [1]

A week had passed.

We had made it to the Academy, the Academy was situated in the country known as 'Akasha.' It was named after the mythical book that supposedly stored every piece of knowledge in existence. That was because this nation was a nation that pursued knowledge above all else.

And, it also sought to spread that knowledge. The Academy I was going to try and enter, Arcadia Academy, was the best in this country. Or rather, in this world. The Academy was meant for Awakened.

So, the very thing they wanted to know was your Mana Capacity. Of course, this wasn't totally related to the entrance exam. It was more for data collection. Eventually, a mean value could be established, and people would be able to know the average Mana that a person has.

Currently, Awakened guesstimate. They look at someone and think.

'He has an average Mana Capacity.'

Based on their on their personal experiences, but, with time we'd be able to more accurately quantify and compare Mana Capacities.

And so, I was in a long queue of people waiting to get their Mana Capacity checked. As my turn approached, a professor approached me and looked at Charlotte who was with me.

"Madam, is the gentleman beside you... human?"

We looked at each other, a little confused. But, she nodded.

"Then, I'll have to have his Mana Capacity checked elsewhere. At first, most of us assumed he was some sort of strange Artifact that stored Mana. But, if he's here to get his Capacity read then we'll have to take him elsewhere. That machine can't take readings on this scale."

I then went with the man, after waving my good bye to Charlotte. The man was of average height, and average build. But, he was strong. And, it made sense. The professors at this Academy were geniuses in their own rights, prodigies with a profound understanding of Mana.

I was led to a room where there was an orb, floating in the center.

"Place your hand on the orb, and we'll take a reading of your Capacity and try to convert it into a number. But, I'm not entirely sure it'll be able to turn it into a numerical value. Your Capacity is... astronomical. The highest I've ever seen in my 50 years of life, and in my 20 years of teaching."

And so, when I placed my hand on the orb, I felt it injects it's own Mana into my body. The room shook a little, and soon a screen was projected.

It said two things.

"Mana Capacity: ????? Rank: 01"

The professor smiled awkwardly, clearly he hadn't expected what had just happened. Although the scene wasn't exactly particularly awesome, a new piece of information had been revealed to us.

"Does this mean.. I have the highest Mana Capacity in my year group?"

I already assumed that my Mana Capacity would be the highest in my year, perhaps in this whole school.

"Technically, yes. But, this machine is used exclusively for those with a Mana Capacity that's abnormal. We've not used it in a long time. But anyways, the rank that's presented is in reference to all of those that have used this machine. And, this machine has been taken to many countries and many Awakened. In other words..."

"In other words..?"

"In other words, you probably have the highest Mana Capacity in recorded history."

My eyes widened a little, it was a pleasant surprise. But, it ultimately didn't matter, especially with my current Mana Efficiency. My efficiency was awful, although that would be fixed with time.

My efficiency would make me run out of Mana faster that I should be, people with lower Mana Capacities could theoretically outlast me if their efficiency is good enough.

"I'll take you through to the practical test, I'll brief you since you probably missed the explanation since I dragged you here. It'll be a one on one fight, your win or loss is irrelevant. Display everything you have, we've made some estimations so your partner should be sort of similar to you in strength. The matches shouldn't last very long since we'll stop you when we've seen enough. Oh and, they'll take place one at a time. And, you can watch someone else's match, and others can see yours."

***

And just like that, I was in a sort of coliseum. There were... so many people. Upperclassmen, teachers, fellow examinees and even random citizens.

I was one of the first people to be called up to the stage. There was a man with a microphone, and he was the commentator. So far, he hadn't said very much, aside from introducing us.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Today, we've got an exciting match for you. Even though these two aren't from prestigious families, nor are they famous, we as a collective have come to the conclusion that these two are some of the strongest first years!"

The stadium went quiet, save for a few murmurs.

"On one end, we have Reinhardt Hyperius! A man, who according to rumours, has been taken in as the disciple of the strongest in the Erebus Empire. He's an anomaly who uses Arcane Magic on himself, with a Mana Capacity that dwarfs even we proffesors he's a force to be reckoned with. And, he's also the Knight of the Princess of the Erebus Empire!"

Then, the door opened and I walked out of the waiting room. I was equipped with a great sword, I had denied the armour they were offering.

Then, my opponent was announced, and to both my surprise and joy. It was none other than the main character.

"On the other side, we have Arthur Valter! A man with a past shrouded in mystery. A man with dominion over several attributes of Magic and an uncanny level of efficency that can only be achieved with a profound understanding of Mana!"

When Arthur stepped out and into the light. I instantly felt it, he was strong. He was probably... about as strong as me.

He was tall, his physique wasn't anything amazing but he was still relatively well built. He had jet black hair along with grey eyes that seemed to lack any form of light. He had a katana at his side, clearly his style was entirely different from mine.

This fight was getting me just the slightest bit excited.

He was a regressor, and I, a transmigrator. He was sure to be a more experienced combatant, he definitely had a deeper understanding when compared to me and he had a wider arsenal than I did.

But, that didn't mean I'd lose. On the contrary, I was gonna win this.

'Unfortunately, I can't exactly go around using the power of a God willy nilly. So, you'll have to settle for this.'

"We've also decided to allow this match to go on until the end, after all, we wouldn't want this fight to be cut short. Now would we?"