Chapter 37 Vermillion

Ignoring the bully for a moment, Lyrian pondered to himself, 'The magic potential test? I've never come across that in any of my books.' He couldn't help but notice the anxious aura it stirred among the other kids, indicating that it was likely a challenging hurdle to overcome.Just as he was contemplating this, a random student raised their hand amidst the crowd. Catching sight of the eager questioner, Julius beckoned them to speak, his smile warm and inviting. "Do we have a question?" he inquired, encouraging their curiosity.

"Yeah... What exactly is a magic potential test?" the student stood up, voicing their query with genuine interest. Julius's eyes twinkled with enthusiasm as he seized the opportunity to explain. "Ah, an excellent question! The magic potential test is designed to assess your inherent magical abilities. Sounds straightforward, right? Well, there's a bit more to it," he began, striding across the stage, fully capturing the attention of the attentive audience.

"You see, there are nine realms of potential that a person can possess," Julius elaborated, meticulously detailing each realm's significance. In summary, the first realm represented 'nothing,' indicating an inability to awaken any magical abilities throughout one's life. The second realm denoted 'brown,' where awakening was possible, but magical prowess remained severely limited--a mere glimmer of potential.

While potential didn't necessarily define an individual's ultimate growth, for most, it was an accurate gauge. Only the most exceptional wizards and influential figures had ever surpassed their initial magic potential. The third realm, 'green,' signified an average magical potential among the students of Anaviotis, a respectable standing among the general public who couldn't conjure any magic.

Then came 'blue,' an advanced potential that hinted at a promising future. Following blue was 'red,' an exceedingly rare magic potential that often birthed prestigious noble families and influential figures within society. Beyond red were the final four realms: 'golden,' 'crimson,' 'jade,' and 'vermillion.' The golden potential was incredibly scarce, occasionally appearing every century or so, with Julius himself possessing this exceptional potential.

Beyond that, however, the next realm was estimated to occur in about one out of a billion individuals. In the vast Yaltas Kingdom, home to hundreds of millions, only the supreme emperor possessed a crimson magic potential, surpassing even golden. Realms higher than crimson remained shrouded in myth and legend. No one had ever encountered a potential above crimson, leading many to assume it was an age-old tradition devoid of genuine meaning.

Lyrian's understanding of magic potentials deepened as Julius explained further, shedding light on why the test instilled such fear in people. Unlike the entrance exam, which offered a fair opportunity for kids to showcase their skills and abilities, the magic potential test was an entirely different beast, relying solely on luck.

From birth, an individual's magic potential was determined, seemingly predestining their path in life. That's how the world viewed magic potentials, and that's how the children perceived this test. The weight of its implications loomed heavily.

"Now, let us commence the qualification stage of the entrance exams! Before each one of you, an empty mana crystal will appear. To qualify for the upcoming preliminaries, you must place your hand on the crystal and produce a magic grade of green or higher! Your grade will be displayed on this board!" Julius announced, turning to point at a large holographic board that materialized beside the stage.

"And for the top ten performers, there will be prizes." As he concluded his statement, rigid, transparent crystals, no larger than watermelons, materialized in front of every student's face. Eventually, one appeared before Lyrian as well. Suspended in the air, it resembled a mere rock, yet the trepidation it instilled in the students was palpable.

For Lyrian, the crystal didn't evoke the same fear, but he wasn't entirely confident about acing the test either. Nevertheless, with unwavering determination gleaming in his eyes, he raised his hand towards the crystal, ready to give it his all.

No one knew what exactly the final test was going to be like this year, as it was always changed, but, for a fact, the requirement of magic was not needed to pass any of them.

Only here was it needed...

As Lyrian's palm met with the crystal, a small group of kids to his left suddenly erupted into a cheer, causing him to look that way for a moment.

The person being cheered was Bardon. His crystal showed a bright blue light as his name showed up as blue on the leaderboard. Out of everyone, Lyrian could see Bardon staring directly at him with an evil grin on his face.

Lyrian ignored the fat bastard and slammed his palm against the crystal.

[Calculating realm...]

*Ding* [Realm calculated!]

[Magic Potential Realm: Vermillion]

On hearing this, Lyrian almost choked on his own spit, his eyes widening his shock.

*Ding* [An error has occurred]

'What?'

[This mana crystal is not able to correctly display the vermillion realm]

Before Lyrian could think, he heard an outburst of laughter coming from where Bardon sat. Several kids were laughing at him, seeing that even after a solid ten seconds, nothing had shown up on his crystal.

"Look! He's still going at it! Ahaha!" Bardon laughed in vengeful joy.

'Look's like he's going to be a bother... I'll have to teach him a lesson later on.' Lyrian grumbled in his mind, sporting an annoyed expression before refocusing on his own crystal.

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[You have the option to choose which magic potential realm to show]

[Highest magic potential realm that this crystal can support: Golden]

[Which realm will you choose?]

Lyrian thought seriously about it for a few seconds. 'I don't like the idea of hiding my strength, but right now, I don't think I really have a choice. Showing the highest possible realm would only make me a huge target. Right now, this realm is nothing but potential to me, not actual power, so I won't be able to do anything when someone does target me for it... for now, I will stick with this.'

Out of nowhere, an extremely bright red glow began to shine from Lyrian's crystal, like it was some sort of disco ball nearly getting ready to explode.

Although he went the safe route this time, Lyrian knew that when he had a good amount of strength, he wouldn't shy away from showing everything he had... well not everything. Get your mind out of the gutter!

Bardon went from a laughing bozo to a snot-nosed fool. His eyes were widened to the size of two planets and his jaw was nearly on the floor.