Rising Star

The line slowly inched forward. 

Scanning the leaderboard, it showed: 7 with an A rank affinity, 22 with B rank, 56 with C rank, and 121 with D rank—essentially meaning they had no real affinity at all. 

There's another rank above A but in my past life only one person qualified this year.

Suddenly, one of the examiners let out a startled yelp, quickly followed by a mix of surprised gasps from the crowd. 

I turned to see what the commotion was about

There, I saw Lyra Evermoon, expressionless, surrounded by a group of people as the examiner shifted uncomfortably, his hands trembling slightly as he adjusted his glasses and struggled to steady his voice.

After a tense moment, the examiner tepped forward, his face pale as he cleared his throat and managed to choke out:

"L-Lyra Evermoon… with an S-rank affinity."

The crowd erupted. Excited murmurs filled the air as people jostled to get a closer look at her.

"As expected of the Young Lady," one of her maids exclaimed with pride. 

Another maid, standing just behind Lyra, clasped her hands together

"Did you say her name was Lyra Evermoon?" a boy in the crowd whispered, his voice tinged with both awe and disbelief.

"Yeah, the only daughter of the Duke of Ascalon."

"The Duke of Ascalon? No wonder she's an S-rank," someone muttered, their words setting off a ripple of whispers throughout the gathering.

"The child of a dragon is still a dragon," another added with a mix of admiration and jealousy.

"Now that I look at her… isn't she a real beauty too?" 

"Man, I'm going to be so jealous of her future husband," another voice chimed in, dripping with wistful envy.

I watched the chaotic scene unfold, as Lyra stood there, her expression calm and detached, as if entirely uninterested in the commotion surrounding her.

I'm not surprised, she had earned the title of Celestial Moon, after all, so it only made sense that she'd stand out from the start. But an S-rank, huh? In my previous life, she was one of only ten mages in the entire world to achieve that ranking.

As expected, I saw her name engraved at the top of the leaderboard, overshadowing every other participant.

I shifted my focus back to the line as it gradually began to reach my turn. 

I already knew my mana affinity rank would likely be around A, but with my newly awakened mana core, I can fake an S rank affinity.

However, I didn't want to go around revealing this. Bringing unwanted attention to myself would be a hassle, and I wasn't particularly fond of boasting about my affinity. 

Having a high affinity now would only bring in unwanted expectations and this time, I wanted to live my life on my own terms. 

Fortunately, Nine Veils of Obscurity already has that covered, while it masks my core to prevent others from sensing me, it could also be used to hide my true mana affinity. 

"Hey, aren't you nervous?" a voice abruptly spoke, shattered my train of thought.

"Hm?" I looked up to see who was speaking to me.

"Almost everyone here is practically shaking in nervousness while you're just standing there with that poker face."

A boy around my age that was standing in a line adjacent to mine looked at me with a curious gaze. He had sharp, expressive features with piercing green eyes that seemed to study me intently. His medium-length brown hair fell messily over his forehead, giving him a casual yet confident appearance.

"Why do you think I'm not worried?" I remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"And you don't seem to be nervous yourself either"

"I guess you have a point there" He shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he reached his arm out 

"My name is Kaelon by the way."

"Caelith." I responded, shaking his outstretched hand

"Nice to meet you," Kaelon said, his smile widening slightly. 

"So Caelith, seeing as you're here, why do you want to become mage?" 

"Hm? So I could support my older sister who's been looking after me my entire life." 

It was true—my sister was the reason I decided to become a mage in the first place, so I could repay her for everything she had done. Unfortunately, I was unable to do so due to her untimely death in my previous life.

"For your sister, huh? Quite noble of you." he said softly 

"What about you?" 

"Me? I want to become one because it looks cool, all the flashy magic and whatnot" he stated matter-of-factly.

I gave him a weird look. At first, I thought he was joking, but he seemed genuinely serious. Is this guy crazy?

 As if reading my mind, Kaelon slightly frowned 

"Hey! You're probably thinking I'm crazy right now, aren't you?"

I coughed, "No, I was not."

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Kaelon burst into laughter, doubling over as he clutched his stomach.

"Come on, what with that serious look on your face." 

I rolled my eyes. Kaelon was about to say something before the examiner in front cut him off.

"Hey! Are you coming up or what? Stop holding up the line!" the examiner snapped

"Guess I see you around, Caelith" 

I gave him a small nod and watched as he moved to the front of the line, curious to see what ranking his affinity was going to be. 

The examiner's expression remained cool, but a flicker of annoyance could be seen on his face as he addressed Kaelon.

"Put your hand forward on the device."

Kaelon did as instructed, stretching his arm out. I watched as the examiner's expression shifted, his eyebrows raising slightly.

"A rank."

"Please make your way to where the other participants are for further instruction later"

Kaelon pumped his fists in the air in a sort of celebratory gesture before glancing back at me. I gave him a thumbs up, before turning my attention back to my line. 

One by one, the three people in front of me got their affinity evaluated, and then it was my turn. I dragged myself forward. 

"Put your hand forward on the device." 

I complied and placed my right hand on the device. The mana flowed through, sending a faint, tingling sensation through my body. After a brief moment, he spoke.

"C rank. Please make your way to where the other participants are for further instruction later."

I nodded and made my way toward where the other qualified participants were. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kaelon waving his arm, signaling to me to come over.

"Hey, not bad yourself, eh? You managed to get a C rank," Kaelon said with a grin.

"Say the one with an A rank affinity"

"What? You jealous or something?" Kaelon teased, nudging my arm

"Absolutely not" 

"TCH, you're no fun at all," Kaelon said, pretending to feel hurt.

I surveyed the remaining participants. There were fewer than 200 qualified mages, a stark contrast to the thousands who had lined up earlier. 

My eyes landed on Lyra who is still surrounded by people each vying for a chance to get close to her for their own benefits. But Lyra already seems to realize that, offering only brief responses to the crowd's fervent praise and flattery.

"She's pretty amazing, isn't she?" Kaelon noticed me looking at her.

"You could say that"

"Hey don't you think she pretty beautiful" he added 

"What?"

"Come on, don't play dumb. You know exactly what I mean." A stupid grin was plastered across his face.

I fixed him with a flat stare, looking at him as if he was an idiot. Well, it makes sense for a boy his age, but it still felt awkward for me to engage in this type of conversation. From my perspective, Lyra was just a child

'She looks alright I guess"

Kaelon groaned dramatically 

"Really? You expect me to believe that? Dude, she's practically the full package. Top-tier talent, looks, and she's even got that mysterious aura going on."

I shot him a sideways glance. "Why not go up there and tell her that yourself?"

That shut him up quickly. He opened his mouth, then thought better of it and closed it again.

The crowd around us suddenly quieted, their excited murmurs fading into the wind. Following their gaze, I saw Malrick slowly making his way toward us.