Trial of Power

"Hmmm."

The archer turned back to look at the altar.

He wasn't in a bad mood since he had scored the highest so far, but wasting money on this felt like hunting with no gain.

"Whatever. No matter what attribute you use, the difference won't be that big. It's just a waste of magic bullets."

Amy nodded in agreement.

"That just leaves the mages. Shirone, who should go first? You or me?"

The mercenary mage pointed at Amy.

"How about you go first? Since I'll be going after you, it'll be easier to compare who's stronger."

Amy still had some unresolved emotions, so she readily accepted the challenge.

"Alright. Then, Shirone, I'll go first, okay?"

"Yeah. Show me what you've got."

So far, everyone had failed, but Amy was different—she had a real chance.

Her specialty was in fire magic, particularly focused on single-target attacks with extreme firepower.

Standing before the altar, Amy carefully considered how to deploy her spell.

'This is trickier than I thought. If I use Sniper Mode, the distance is too short. Should I just go with a direct-target spell? But without an Air Tunnel, the power will drop too much.'

Fire magic was popular among mages because, in theory, its energy output had no limit. However, in reality, only a few mages had ever broken past the 1,000-degree Celsius barrier.

Even so, fire magic remained powerful because most materials on the planet melted below that temperature.

Whether it was living beings, rocks, or even metals—before fire, they were rendered useless.

The main drawback of fire magic, however, was its lack of weight. Nine out of ten fire mages would agree—it lacked physical force.

Despite its immense energy efficiency, like light magic, it lacked tangible impact.

That was why fire mages often integrated air magic. The prime example of this was Flame Strike.

Flame Strike used an Air Tunnel—a layer of supersaturated oxygen—to accelerate itself. The longer the distance, the stronger the impact.

'Sniper Mode won't work here. If I want to unleash my maximum power in an instant, I should focus on raw energy output.'

Rather than overcomplicating things, the best approach was simply to generate the highest possible firepower.

'Fireball.'

Two pillars of fire erupted on either side of Amy and then fused into a massive sphere above her head.

"...That's huge."

The mercenaries' faces filled with astonishment, but Amy wasn't satisfied yet.

'Stronger.'

Just like how a blacksmith controls environmental factors to enhance heat, Amy increased the oxygen saturation to amplify her spell's power.

At a certain point, sparks began dripping from the fireball like molten embers.

"Here it comes."

With her eyes blazing, Amy swung her hand forward, sending the crimson mass streaking toward the sphere at the altar.

The moment it made contact, the Maze's spatial field devoured the fireball whole.

Inside the sphere, an immense vortex of fire swirled violently, threatening to explode.

'This… is powerful.'

Just as everyone held their breath, the score appeared.

3,270.

The highest record so far.

Judging from the previous results, it seemed unlikely that anyone could surpass it.

The archer finally realized something.

'These guys… they're not just some average rookies.'

His Lightning Arrow, with the added force of magic bullets, had only scored 1,020. But if a simple Fireball had tripled that score, it wasn't just about skill—it was about an entirely different level of power.

Amy's face twisted in frustration.

"What the hell?"

As if mocking her efforts, the Maze's sphere continued to glow with an aggressive red light.

"Failed? What the hell do they want from us?!"

She hadn't wanted to care about the results, but now that she had actually failed, it infuriated her to no end.

The mercenary mage approached with a smug grin.

"Hah! That's how rookies are. Is it my turn now?"

"Wait! I'll try Sniper Mode! I need to know exactly how many points they want before I stop!"

Shirone, knowing Amy's temperament, stepped in to calm her down.

"Relax for now. If you lose focus, your score will only drop. You'll have another chance."

"Ugh, seriously! Shirone, I have to try again!"

"Alright, alright."

As Shirone and Amy stepped down from the altar, the mercenary mage curled his lips into a smirk.

"What a coincidence. I also use fire magic. To match your level, I'll use Fireball too."

Amy scoffed.

'What a joke. He just liked my strategy.'

But a loser had no right to complain. She could only watch, seething inside.

"Alright then..."

The mage's expression grew serious as he conjured flames between his palms.

As he raised his arms, the fireball grew larger and larger.

Amy narrowed her eyes.

'He's going through every single firepower enhancement step? He really wants to win.'

Adding gestures to a spell was called Magical Action.

Technically, magic was purely a mental process and didn't require movements. But by reinforcing one's mental state through bodily actions, mages could enhance their spell's effectiveness.

The mage's motions followed a textbook firepower enhancement sequence. It was slower than combat casting, but in large-scale battles, it was sometimes useful.

This meant he was obsessed with maximizing his attack power.

"Hoo..."

With unwavering focus, the mage poured everything into his spell.

It was likely his maximum concentration, but focus alone didn't determine power.

"Haah!"

With a dramatic swing of both arms, he hurled the enormous fireball forward.

The burning sphere arced through the air and was absorbed into the Maze's altar.

"Huff... huff..."

Breathing heavily, the mage stared intensely at the swirling firestorm within the sphere.

Moments later, his eyes, filled with anticipation, widened in shock.

"No way...!"

The score appeared.

1,330.

It was only 310 points higher than the archer's Lightning Arrow.

For a test evaluating physical ability, a 310-point difference was quite significant.

But in the realm of magic—where natural forces were manipulated—that was a trivial gap.

"No! This is... Yes! I was just too nervous! I can definitely score over 2,000!"

His teammates fell silent.

The numbers didn't lie. The difference in ability was undeniable.

The archer's expression turned resigned.

'It's over.'

The red-haired girl who had scored over 3,000 was clearly the strongest here.

Even though his teammate was a talented rookie among mercenaries, Amy's magic was over twice as strong. That level of power was only possible for someone with the greatest potential of their generation.

Rian and Tess had similar thoughts.

Amy was the only one in their group close to graduation. It would be difficult to achieve a higher score than hers.

But Amy, who knew Shirone's capabilities, understood that this was far from over.

"Shirone, don't hold back. Go all out. We might be just a few points short of passing."

"Got it. I'll give it my best shot."