Test of Talent

Consciousness returned to Xero gradually, like swimming up from the depths of a deep pool. The first thing he noticed was the familiar stone ceiling above him, rough-hewn and unremarkable. The second was the absence of sand beneath his body—instead, he lay on the hard stone floor of what appeared to be the same cramped testing chamber he'd entered earlier. The wall that had dissolved to reveal the arena was solid once more, showing no trace of the magical architecture that had amazed him before.

He sat up slowly, expecting to feel the bone-deep exhaustion that should have followed such a massive expenditure of magical energy. Instead, he felt... refreshed. Alert. As if he'd just woken from a particularly good night's sleep rather than collapsed from mana depletion.

[System notification: Host has recovered from mana exhaustion. Recovery time: 47 minutes. Note: Heavenly Fiend Bloodline and Ancient Dragon Bloodline have provided accelerated regeneration and backlash immunity. Standard recovery time for this level of mana depletion: 6-8 hours.]

"Damn," Xero muttered, pushing himself to his feet with surprising ease. "That's actually pretty convenient."

"You're awake!"

Mira's voice came from the doorway, where she stood with a steaming mug in her hands and an expression of genuine surprise. "I was just bringing you some restorative tea. Most candidates who push themselves to mana exhaustion take hours to recover, and they usually wake up feeling like they've been trampled by a herd of oxen."

She studied his face carefully, taking in his clear eyes and steady posture. "You look... completely fine. How are you feeling?"

"Actually, I feel great," Xero replied, stretching his arms above his head. "Ready to continue if needed."

"Continue?" Mira nearly dropped her mug. "Are you serious? You literally collapsed from magical exhaustion forty-seven minutes ago. Most people would need at least a full day of bed rest before they could even think about—"

"I'm fine, really," Xero interrupted, though he appreciated her concern. "Whatever needs to happen next, I'm ready for it."

Mira shook her head in disbelief but set down her mug and pulled out a small crystal. "If you're absolutely certain... though I have to say, I've never seen anyone bounce back this quickly from that level of mana depletion."

She pressed the crystal against the wall, but instead of the entire barrier dissolving as before, the stone floor in the center of the room began to shift and grind. Xero watched in fascination as a section of the floor rose smoothly upward, forming a small platform about waist-high. The stone was polished obsidian, so dark it seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it.

Embedded in the center of the platform was a crystal unlike anything Xero had ever seen. It was roughly the size of a human head, multifaceted like a cut gemstone, and so deep a purple it appeared almost black. The surface seemed to shift and move when viewed from different angles, as if something alive swirled within its depths.

"This is the Talent Assessment Artifact," Mira explained, her voice taking on a more formal tone. "It's been used by the guild for over two centuries to evaluate the potential of new members. Place both hands on the crystal and channel a small amount of mana into it—just a sliver, nothing like what you did in the arena."

Xero approached the platform, studying the artifact with his All-Seeing Eye. The information that flowed into his consciousness was limited but intriguing:

[Talent Assessment Artifact - Ancient Grade] [Function: Measures magical potential and cultivation talent] [Maximum measurable level: Divine Grade] [Current status: Dormant, awaiting activation]

"How does it work exactly?" Xero asked, running his fingers along the obsidian platform's smooth edge.

"The artifact responds to mana and reveals the depth of your potential," Mira replied. "It's important to understand that talent isn't everything. Some of the guild's most successful members started with moderate potential but achieved greatness through determination and hard work. Conversely, we've seen individuals with exceptional talent who never lived up to their promise."

She gestured toward the crystal. "The colors represent different levels of potential. Gray is the lowest, then green, yellow, orange, red, blue, purple, and finally white for divine grade. Most people fall somewhere in the yellow to red range."

Xero nodded, though internally he wondered how his abilities would compare to the legendary figures of this world. The Human Emperor had supposedly started his career right here in Moonshire. What level of talent had he possessed? What about the various legendary figures whose stories were woven into the guild's history?

"Just to be clear," he said, placing his palms flat against the crystal's cool surface, "this won't hurt, right?"

"Not at all," Mira assured him. "It's completely safe. Just channel a tiny amount of mana—think of it like lighting a candle rather than setting a forest on fire."

Xero closed his eyes and reached inward, finding the wellspring of power that had allowed him to defeat the demon. This time, instead of unleashing a torrent of flame, he drew out just a thread of energy—barely enough to warm his palms. He guided the mana through his hands and into the crystal.

The response was immediate and mesmerizing. The deep purple crystal began to pulse with internal light, and swirling patterns emerged within its depths. The movements reminded Xero of the mystical flames in Seer Zelara's tent, but these patterns were far more complex and intricate. His All-Seeing Eye strained to interpret what he was seeing, but the artifact's power was clearly beyond his current ability to fully comprehend.

"The movement patterns are incredible," he murmured, watching the hypnotic dance of light within the crystal. "It's like looking into a miniature galaxy."

"Movement patterns?" Mira asked, her voice puzzled. "What are you talking about? The crystal doesn't show—"

Her words were cut off as the artifact suddenly blazed with brilliant light. The deep purple color shifted and flowed, cycling through the spectrum with increasing speed. Gray flashed for barely a second before giving way to green, then yellow, orange, red, blue, and purple in rapid succession.

Mira's eyes widened with each color change, her professional composure cracking as the crystal continued its impossible progression. When it reached purple, she expected it to stop—that was already an exceptional result, the kind of talent seen maybe once in a decade.

Instead, the crystal blazed brighter still, and the purple light transformed into something that made Mira stagger backward. Pure white radiance erupted from the artifact, so intense it seemed to fill the entire chamber. The light was warm and somehow alive, pulsing with a rhythm that matched Xero's heartbeat.

"Divine grade," Mira whispered, her voice barely audible above the humming energy. "Actual divine grade talent. I've never... in fifteen years of testing, I've never seen..."

The white light held for several heartbeats that felt like hours, then gradually faded back to the crystal's original deep purple. The artifact returned to its dormant state as if nothing extraordinary had happened, but Mira remained frozen in place, her face pale and her hands trembling.

"So," Xero said, lifting his palms from the crystal with a satisfied smile, "did I do well?"

Mira opened and closed her mouth several times, looking like a fish gasping for air. When she finally managed to speak, her voice was hoarse with shock. "Divine grade. You have divine grade talent."

"That's good, right?" Xero asked, though the system notifications flooding his consciousness had already confirmed his suspicions about the rarity of such a result.

"Good?" Mira laughed, but it was a sound edged with hysteria. "Divine grade talent appears maybe once in a generation across the entire continent. The last person to achieve this level was..." She paused, her eyes widening as the implications hit her. "The last person was the Human Emperor himself, over a century ago."

Xero felt a thrill of excitement at the comparison, but Mira's expression had shifted from shock to concern. She glanced around the chamber as if checking for eavesdroppers, then moved closer to speak in a low, urgent whisper.

"Listen to me very carefully," she said, her previous casual demeanor completely gone. "You cannot let word of this spread. Divine grade talent draws attention from powers far beyond anything you're prepared to handle. There are people—organizations—who would kill to control someone with your potential, and others who would kill to prevent you from reaching it."

The weight of her words settled over Xero like a cold blanket. "What do you mean?"

"I mean keep your mouth shut about this result," Mira said bluntly. "Tell people you scored red or blue grade if anyone asks. Exceptional but not unprecedented. Train hard, grow strong, but do it quietly. When you're powerful enough to defend yourself against the vultures who circle divine-grade talents, then you can consider revealing your true potential."

She moved to a small desk in the corner of the chamber and pulled out an official-looking document. "I'm recording your combat result as passed and your talent assessment as blue grade. That should be enough to get you access to decent resources without painting a target on your back."

Xero nodded slowly, understanding the wisdom in her advice even if part of him wanted to shout his achievement from the rooftops. "I appreciate the warning. And the discretion."

"Don't thank me yet," Mira muttered as she filled out the paperwork. "I'm going to have to report the true results to the guild master, and he's going to want to meet with you. Men like him don't stay in positions of power without learning to recognize when the game is about to change."

She stamped the document with official seals and handed it to him. "Congratulations, Xero. You're now a certified member of the Adventurers' Guild. Try not to die in your first week."

As Xero left the testing chamber, Mira slumped back into her chair and rubbed her temples. The artifact in their possession could only measure up to divine grade—it was already considered one of the most powerful evaluation tools outside of the capital cities. But something about the way the crystal had responded to the young man's mana suggested he might surpass even that legendary benchmark.

The academy in the capital had access to an Ancient Emperor-grade artifact, rumored to be able to measure potential that transcended divine grade entirely. If Xero ever tested with that device...

"Divine grade," she whispered to herself, staring at the now-dormant crystal. "And I have a feeling that's just the beginning."

Outside the guild, Xero walked through the bustling streets of Moonshire with his official membership papers tucked safely away. Divine grade talent. The same level as the Human Emperor. The comparison sent a surge of excitement through his veins, but Mira's warnings echoed in his mind.

Power without wisdom was dangerous. Potential without preparation was useless. He had been given incredible gifts, but it would be up to him to forge them into something worthy of the legendary figures who had walked this path before him.

His real journey was just beginning.