Chapter - 50 White Magic Tower [1] 

Magic Towers, an institution dedicated to the rigorous study of Magic.

Almost all young aspiring mages yearn to enter, but most don't, this is mostly due to the Magic Tower recruitment exams. Reputed to house truly brutal competition which forces an examiner to fight tooth and nail to even reach a spot on that echelon. Most blokes fail and insanity kicks in repeatedly failing and redoing the test in the hope that they could pass and join a tower.

The challenges posed by these examinations arise from the intense mental pressure they exert. Candidates must demonstrate their knowledge through oral assessments, providing in-depth summaries of extensive magical texts that encompass discoveries, formulas, and intricate theories aligned with their chosen specialty. Moreover, innate talent is crucial; candidates with exceptional abilities often attract more attention than their peers. Practical demonstrations of genuine magical skill can significantly indicate a candidate's potential, keep in mind using powerful spells carelessly does not contribute to results, this is due to the intention to determine the examiner's understanding of magic fundamentals. 

These Tests are conducted biannually.

Across all five towers, there were thousands of Wizards taking the exam, but only a few dozen wizards at most would pass and be deemed worthy. 

The Red Magic Tower's specialty is summoning. 

The White Magic Tower's specialty is for spirit and alchemy. 

The Black Magic Tower's specialty is for the practice of dark magic.

The Blue Magic Tower's specialty is for battle mages -> magic alike. 

The Green Magic tower's specialty is elemental magic.

These were the subjects each Tower specialized in. and Edward aspired to join the White Tower of Magic. His reason being so stemmed from his lack of comprehension with spiritual energy. 

At first, he had thought he could control spiritual energy, but that notion was quickly dispelled.

"I simply lack understanding," Edward admitted.

For the past few days, he had repeatedly attempted to reach out to Glacias for advice in his training, but the spirit's responses had been frustratingly unhelpful.

[I'm busy] Edward mimicked in a sarcastic tone, recalling the spirit king's voice.

"How useless," he remarked bitterly.

Edward decided that instead of squandering the next nine months of his life, he rather opted he would join the White Magic tower after coming across a registration pamphlet.

What a twist of fate. The very topic Edward had been grappling with for the last day had now presented him with such an opportunity.

 The opportunity to take the test to join the Magic Tower which specializes in such affairs.

"And from what I can recall the tower is run by Melkith, also known as history's greatest spirit summoner, after accomplishing the impossible feat of contracting with two spirit kings, the earth - Yhanos, and the lightning - Levin."

She was quite the captivating woman, with an intriguing personality, to say the least. 

But who cares about such squabbles, Edward had greater sights in mind.

Walking down one of the Pentagon's many roads, he set out his destination for a pastry shop.

A fine establishment which Edward had routinely visited.

His stomach growled with an insistent urgency after today's arduous training, and his patience waned, so rather than ignoring his stomach's pleas Edward had used it as a form of justification to indulge in some treats. 

Though deep down he knew this was a poor choice—his body still healing and in desperate need of the right nutrition but—he tossed that wisdom aside and gave in to temptation.

After what felt like an eternity, Edward finally arrived at the glass-paned doors of the café.

"Ah, what a nice scent," Edward thought as he inhaled the sweet aroma of bread.

***

The following day came rather fast. 

For the past three days, Edward had dedicated his every waking moment to studying and training. For the normal mage the mental burden of cramming such a large amount of information would seem daunting, but to Edward memorization and pattern recognition were second nature. 

The formulas seemed like straightforward equations to him. Those lengthy volumes could be recalled at will, whether read front to back or back to front. In just 72 hours, Edward had honed every aspect needed to ace the test.

"This is Merely Child's play, I should be able to pass quite easily" Edward internally mused. 

His confidence stemmed not from arrogance but rather from competence. 

Glancing at his watch, Edward noted that it was 10:00 AM.

"I have two hours before I need to head to the test site," he murmured as he stood in the lengthy registration line.

After thirty minutes of barely any progress, he felt the urge to cut in front but restrained himself, sensing the keen gazes of several others around him.

Click

Tick-tock.

The rhythmic ticking of his watch slowly ticked. 

Minutes rushed by, and the previous two hours had dwindled into 45 minutes, fortunately Edward had reached the lines front.

Observing yet another youth the receptionist staff asked for the registration fee. Before handing the youth a crystal tablet

"All you need to do is infuse a portion of your mana, which will serve as your signature," the receptionist explained.

Following her directions, Edward received a piece of parchment bearing his test number.

"Next!"

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Had to rush this chapter due to studying and stuff.