Chapter Twenty: The Final Test

Glancing at the pretty boy, Vere asked, “Aren’t you going to tell me your name?”

“Oh, absolutely not!”

The pretty boy shook his head and replied to Vere, “If you pass the test, you’ll naturally learn my name. But if you don’t, I’ll tell you my name too. However, all of this comes after the test.”

“Why is that?” Vere sensed that the pretty boy seemed to be hinting at something, and frowned as he asked.

He chuckled softly. “The reason is simple. If you pass, you’ll have earned my approval, and I’ll tell you my name as I would to a fellow mage. If you fail, then I’ll simply lump you in with those idiots who pay a few coins to take the test—and tell you my name with nothing but contempt.”

He gave a faint laugh, speaking shamelessly and without a trace of humility.

“To be honest, I’m not particularly interested in your name,” Vere replied, smiling. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather just call you ‘Pretty Boy.’ It rolls off the tongue more easily.”

At this, the pretty boy’s expression darkened noticeably, especially when Vere uttered those two words. Vere clearly saw a muscle twitch involuntarily at the corner of his mouth. But what impressed Vere was the man’s composure and self-control; he quickly mastered his emotions, snorted coldly, and just then, Lise returned to the pretty boy’s side, obviously ready to begin Vere’s test.

“Follow me, kid,” the pretty boy said, gesturing for Vere to come. He led him on a winding route through the guild’s interior, finally stopping before a basement room.

With a loud clank, the iron door swung open. Though the room was dim, Vere immediately sensed something out of the ordinary.

This was the true atmosphere of the Mage’s Guild.

Vere thought this to himself as he entered with the group, careful not to reveal his thoughts. The basement was spacious, illuminated by traditional magical lamps. The furnishings were simple yet meticulous; every placement intentional. Outside, Vere had hardly seen a single item belonging to a mage, but here, everything was an essential tool or apparatus used by mages.

Vere walked slowly to a magical worktable, ran his finger along its surface, and it came away thick with dust—clearly, the room had not been used in a long time.

“All right, kid, these aren’t things you should be touching at will,” the pretty boy said coldly to Vere. He turned to look at Lise and the others, who immediately understood and moved to their respective positions.

“Six people? So, six examiners…” Watching them, Vere’s interest was piqued. He smiled faintly, strode up to one of the mages, and, without waiting for a reaction, took the pen and form from the table and began filling it out with great seriousness.

“First step of the mage qualification exam: registration,” announced the mage, surprised. On this continent, few now remembered the procedures for the test, but this young man before him seemed not only familiar with the process, but even practiced.

After carefully completing his personal information, Vere moved to the next mage, placed both hands on the crystal orb, closed his eyes, and slowly released his magical energy. The orb immediately responded, displaying Vere’s magical attributes.

Concealing most of his magical nature, the orb glowed faintly red and green—clearly, Vere possessed both fire and wind attributes.

“Second step of the mage qualification exam: attribute assessment.”

Next came meditation. Vere approached the third mage, closed his eyes, and entered a high-level meditative state with a speed that astonished everyone. The mage standing before him could feel the magical elements fluctuating around Vere.

“Third step of the mage qualification exam: meditation assessment.”

Originally, they had intended to put this arrogant boy in his place, but none of them expected Vere to know the guild’s traditional test so thoroughly, making no mistakes at any stage. What’s more, the results of each test left every one of them simultaneously drawing a sharp breath.

“Clair, let me see that boy’s information,” Lise said, turning to fetch Vere’s completed form. After reading it, she looked incredulously at the pretty boy, her expression odd. “Sixteen years old!”

The pretty boy, of course, understood what Lise meant. He’d already guessed Vere’s age, roughly, but hearing it confirmed still made his heart skip a beat.

By this time, Vere had come to stand before Lise. “Fourth step of the mage qualification exam: basic skills.”

Although it was they who were testing Vere, Lise suddenly felt as if, from the moment this youth entered the guild, the initiative had been in his hands; the six of them had been on the back foot from the start.

Before Lise could speak, Vere had already taken a palm-sized test gate from the table, placed his hand on it, closed his eyes, and in the next instant, the tightly locked gate sprang open.

“Fifth step of the mage qualification exam: control assessment.”

“How can this be?” Lise’s enchanting face was tinged with disbelief as she picked up the opened gate, examining it again and again.

“The control test measures a mage’s manipulation of magical elements. The elemental arrangement in this test gate isn’t particularly difficult; opening it is actually quite easy,” Vere said with a faint smile. He lingered no longer, moving straight to the final test site—his examiner this time, none other than the pretty boy himself.

“Sixth step of the mage qualification exam: combat assessment.”

Before Vere could speak, the pretty boy voiced his thoughts. “Honestly, you’ve surprised me, kid! So, are you ready for the final test?”