The ascension trial
The next morning started like any other.
I woke to the muffled hum of mana lights warming up across the dorm hall, followed by the usual footsteps — soft for the elites, rushed for the commoners, and silent for the ones who didn't want to be seen at all.
I belonged somewhere in between. Or nowhere at all.
I ran my hand over the faint scar still pressed beneath the mana bandage on my arm. Healed, but not forgotten. I dressed, pulled my cloak tight, and headed toward the main campus.
The buzz started before I reached the east wing.
"Did you check the board yet?"
"They're really doing it this early?"
"Group fights already? But most people haven't even stabilized their affinities!"
The crowd got thicker near the central courtyard, a wide marble circle wrapped with floating banners and glittering runes. And at the center, etched into a glowing board of shimmering crystal, were the words:
INTERCLASS FIELD TRIAL – TEAM FORMATIONS POSTED
Ah.
So that's what they were excited about.
I approached slowly, keeping to the edge. I didn't need to push forward. I just needed to listen.
"Tier threes are grouped together. Makes sense."
"Why are there four tier twos on a single team?"
"Wait—look here—Group 17... what kind of lineup is this?"
I leaned in.
Group 17.
Cael Valeon
Nia Ferrel
Jorvan Lyle
Tobin Crake
I didn't recognize the names.
"That's the throwaway group," someone whispered near me.
"Crake's a drop-out repeater, Lyle's got no affinity at all, and Nia... isn't she the girl who fainted during her awakening?"
"And Cael..."
"The Logic weakling."
"Poor guy. Group 17's basically doomed."
Perfect.
I stepped back, careful not to let the smile rise too far.
They still didn't get it.
---
Later that morning, Professor Elian addressed the class in the high chamber, her voice ringing clear as crystal through the circular hall.
"The Interclass Trial will take place at dawn, three days from now," she announced. "Each team will enter a sealed wild zone. You will be tasked with securing an artifact, surviving wave attacks, and defeating a final-classified monster."
Gasps. Whispers.
I stayed quiet.
"Each team's success will impact your house credits, your ranking, and your evaluation for potential sponsorships."
Ah. So this wasn't just for show.
This was power placement.
"Only three teams will be named victors. The rest will receive partial credit… if they survive."
Elian turned her sharp eyes across the crowd.
"This is your first step into the real world. You'll either emerge as future knights, mages, or nobles… or you'll be forgotten before your second term."
A pause. Then:
"Dismissed."
---
As we filed out of the hall, I caught sight of Eran Vellhart laughing with his team — all polished uniforms, polished smiles, polished reputations.
His eyes met mine.
"Don't trip over your teammates, Logic-boy," he said. "Would be a shame if your first mission became your last."
I gave him a shallow nod.
"That would be tragic," I said. "But I don't plan on dying until I finish analyzing your spell formations."
His smirk twitched.
Small wins. Strategic ones.
---
Later that day, I met my team.
Tobin Crake — wide-shouldered, pale-eyed, wore an outdated uniform. Earth affinity. Level 11. Didn't talk much, but kept glancing at his feet.
Jorvan Lyle — lanky, jittery, no known affinity. Said his family bribed their way in. Level 10, maybe. Carried scrolls more than weapons.
And Nia Ferrel — red hair, quiet, looked like she was about to vanish if you blinked too fast. Illusion affinity. Level 12. Fragile aura. Unstable mana.
We stared at each other in silence for a full minute.
"We're Group 17," I said finally. "They think we'll fail."
Jorvan laughed nervously. "They're not wrong…"
"Then let's prove them wrong enough to confuse them."
Nia tilted her head. "What does that mean?"
"We don't need to win," I said. "We just need to survive better than expected."
They still looked uncertain.
That was fine.
One month. That's all we had.
And in those three days, I'd take this broken formation… and turn it into a puzzle.
Because no one saw it coming — not the staff, not the nobles, not the monsters waiting outside the trial zone.
And definitely not me.
Because something about this Trial… felt off.
----
Fifty nobles, commoners, prodigies, freaks, and mystery cases — thrown into one volatile mixture.
And only ten of them stood out like blazing stars.
It was the first time the academy officially posted the First-Year Rankings — not just by tier, but by potential, battle control, and affinity mastery.
I sat at the back of the training field, reading the glowing parchment nailed to the mana board, watching everyone crowd forward, whispering names like they were royalty.
"The Top Ten…" I murmured.
I already knew I wouldn't be anywhere near that list.
---
Top Ten First-Year Students – Imperial Arcane Academy
---
1. Leron Valis Aerion
– Tier 2, Level 19
– Fire (Intermediate), Light (Intermediate), Space (Basic)
– The First Imperial Prince. Tall, flawless posture, golden hair that shimmered unnaturally, and silver-gold eyes like they were forged in the sun. Said to have inherited both royal blood and a monstrous affinity control.
"He doesn't talk much," someone whispered. "He doesn't have to."
---
2. Selene D'Amaria
– Tier 2, Level 18
– Water (Intermediate), Ice (Basic)
– Daughter of the Aquamancer Guild Head. Silky silver-blue hair, skin like marble, and lips like they could freeze you mid-sentence. Her spell control was so precise, they said she could turn mist into blades.
"They say her emotions can control tides…"
---
3. Leon Aster Vael
– Tier 2, Level 18
– Wind (Intermediate)
– Lean, sharp-eyed, with storm-gray hair. He trained in the Aether Peaks, where wind spirits made children their disciples. Fastest student in the class.
"They call him The Silver Gust."
---
4. Mirielle Cindros
– Tier 2, Level 18
– Earth (Intermediate), Reinforcement (Basic)
– A brawler in noble skin. Jet-black hair tied back, solid build. Daughter of Duke Cindros. Can punch through steel and shatter stone plates with her palm.
"If she looks at you, say sorry. Even if you didn't do anything."
---
5. Kyran Voss
– Tier 2, Level 17
– Electricity (Intermediate)
– Eyes that sparked when he laughed. Arrogant, always smirking, always pushing limits. Son of a merchant family that rose through raw magical might.
"He's the only one to survive an F-rank beast on his own before enrollment."
---
6. Freya Von Drakelle
– Tier 2, Level 17
– Darkness (Intermediate)
– Short, silent, cloaked in midnight. Her voice was rare. Her spells? Deadlier than poison. The Drakelle bloodline was rumored to be cursed — or blessed — with shadow magic.
"No one sees her cast until it's too late."
---
7. Darius Feldrin
– Tier 2, Level 17
– Earth (Intermediate), Metal (Basic)
– Broad-shouldered, bronze-skinned, always armored — even outside training. Blacksmith's son turned battle prodigy. Quiet loyalty, explosive power.
"He treats his sword better than people."
---
8. Arin Liora
– Tier 2, Level 16
– Light (Intermediate)
– Blonde curls and glowing skin, with a voice like bells. Cleric-type, but rumored to have offensive Light spells even the instructors envied.
"They say she once blinded an entire group in training… without meaning to."
---
9. Vale Ignis Thorn
– Tier 2, Level 16
– Fire (Intermediate)
– Freckled, always grinning, with red hair like wildfire. Chaotic magic. No control. But his fire wanted to burn — and it listened.
"His training field was replaced. He melted the last one."
---
10. Yuna Silvra
– Tier 2, Level 16
– Wind (Intermediate), Illusion (Basic)
– Elegant like mist. Slender with violet eyes that danced like moonlight. Her illusions were subtle, hard to detect. Some claimed she was older. Others said she wasn't even real.
"She can make you doubt you exist."
---
I read through the list twice.
Every single one had an Intermediate-level affinity. Some had two. Some had rare talents. All were at Tier 2 — and all had something I didn't.
Recognition.
---
A low laugh came from behind me.
"Still no Cael Valeon on the list," Ryn said, leaning beside me. "Think they forgot you?"
"I'd rather be forgotten than be famous and useless."
"You're halfway there," Kess added, crossing her arms.
Lira was the only one quiet.
"...You're Tier 1, Level 9. You'll break through soon," she said. "Maybe by next term."
Maybe.
But maybe wasn't enough. Not here. Not when monsters were real, and Verdant Clash was coming in one week.
---
I looked at my hand.
Logic and Telekinesis.
Both Basic.
Everyone thought I was useless.
But sometimes...
Being underestimated was the best weapon you could have.