Many people gather in the hall of the magic division of the Royal Arcanum Academy. After all, yesterday, the fourth promotion test was held, so today, many people gathered to welcome the newcomers.
There were many students from various classes, professors, and instructors.
Artus sat among the newly accepted students and looked around. Compared to the total number of trainees who were accepted to the preliminary course, the number of students who were admitted to the academy as official students was low. Still, he could not judge things accurately yet, as another promotion test would be held, and they had yet to finish even half of the preliminary course duration so things may change.
The hall was alive and buzzing like a beehive. The atmosphere was filled with the clatter of chatter, with laughter here and there. Everyone was in a good mood; happiness and joy filled the air.
"Ahem…Ahem".
Suddenly, all the noise disappeared, and the hall became quiet. You could even hear a pin. Everyone was holding their breath, looking at the man standing on the podium, waiting for his following words.
Artus's eye turned to the stage; it was the first time he had seen Galdor since the end of the magic division trial. As the chief and the academy headmaster, Galdor was naturally busy. Yet, he always attended the new student's welcoming ceremony every month, which showed how much importance he stressed on this event.
Behind him stood several officers and professors. Artus saw Seers. When they made eye contact, she smiled at him, and he smiled back at her.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, esteemed proffers and gusts, and most importantly, our new students."
"As the headmaster of the Royal Arcanum Academy, I am honored to welcome you to our academy."
"You have worked incredibly hard to reach this moment. The dedication, the sleepless nights, the countless sacrifices you've made — all of it has led to this very moment."
"Young mages, you have earned this title rightfully!"
"I stand before you today as we celebrate the culmination of all your efforts. And the beginning of an exciting new chapter in life."
"With the ending of one journey comes the start of another."
"Embark on a new journey in life."
"Welcome again, young mages!"
As soon as Galdor finished speaking, the hall was filled with cheers and clapping sounds.
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"Congratulations Artus!"
"Now you are a mage officially; your hard work has paid off."
The following day, Artus headed directly to Seers to complete the registration procedure and discuss some matters.
"Thank you, Aunt; I would not have reached this point without your help."
Seers smiled and praised Artus when she first saw him.
"I will help you complete the registration procedures. You will also undertake power and affinity tests to determine which classes you will enroll in. Please sit down while I finish dealing with these documents, and then we will head out."
Artus sat down and took a sip from the cup of tea; there were also some cookies; he grabbed one and ate it, and he started waiting for Sees to finish her work.
"You are quiet today? Huh?"
"Honestly speaking, I have a lot on my mind now, Aunt."
"Don't overthink, Artus. We will deal with problems when they arise one at a time. Remember, I will always have your back."
Artus did not reply; he gave Seers a subtle smile.
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"After getting accepted to the Academy, students undergo magic power and affinity evaluation. Magic power assessment will determine your level; I know you are already a level two Apprentice mage."
"As expected from Aunt, I can hide nothing from you."
"Don't hold back and show all your power. This will help in putting you in advanced classes and will also increase the resources allocated to you by the academy."
"As I already told you, now you are officially a student of the academy I have your back. I already told Galdor that you are my nephew."
"Then you will undergo affinity evaluation, which will determine your elemental affinity. Each mage had an affinity for certain elements; having a high affinity for an element means that person can cast spells faster and stronger; there are even some spells that can't be cast unless you have high affinity. That doesn't mean you can't cast spells of elements you have a low affinity for; they will be weaker, cost you more mana, and will be more likely to fail."
"All in all, your elemental affinity will determine your future path as a mage. You can train to increase your magic power, but you can't change your elemental affinity. It is Innate."
They entered a large chamber. The walls contained all kinds of magic symbols, and a huge, complex magic circle was on the floor.
In the center of the magic circle, a tall stone pillar inscribed with magic symbols stood. The pillar was divided into nine parts, around which several magic crystals floated in the air. The crystals were connected to the pillar with metal chains.
Seers took Artus to the officer in charge of the chamber. There, they saw another professor. He had a cold aura. He was a middle-aged man with short hair and dark eyes. His face was cleanly shaved.
He greeted Seers immediately when he saw her.
"Greetings, lady Seers! What brings you here?"
"Hello, Professor Cadeyrn. I have some business to finish here."
"I wanted to discuss something with you, but since you are busy now. I will meet you later."
Cadeyrn nodded to Seers and left; before leaving, he glanced at Artus but said nothing.
"That was Professor Cadeyrn; he teaches combat magic and will probably teach us in one of the classes."
"Ok. Let's start with the magical power assessment. I want to stand before the stone pillar and inject it with all your magic power."
Artus walked slowly to the center of the room. He placed his hand on the stone pillar and began injecting it with his magic power. The first level lit up almost directly, and the second level started to shine slowly. After a while, it was completely lit up, while the third level stayed dull.
"As expected, you are a level two Apprentice mage."
Artus did not say anything. According to NuroFusion, he is around mid-level there. He did not know how the magic pillar worked when he placed his hand over it; it started sucking magic directly out of his body that's why the first level lit up directly. Fortunately, he was able to use NuroFusion just in time to control the flow of mana and limit it to level two, or else he would have been exposed in front of Seers.
"Now, we will start the magic affinity evaluation. Please put your hand again on the pillar."
Seers modified the magic stone configuration, and the floating magic crystals changed their position.
"Start injecting magic power."
Artus started injecting magic power again; the pillar began changing colors. At first, it shined with all four colors together. Red indicates fire, blue indicates water, green indicates wind, and yellow indicates earth. They occupied the pillar from top to bottom equally.
The red color started taking over the pillar, occupying around seventy percent, the yellow color occupied around twenty percent, and the green color around ten, whereas the blue color completely disappeared.
"Congrats. You are a level two fire Apprentice mage."
The officer announced.