Chapter 288 First Test

Air Blade was the most-used spell, followed closely by Fireball. However, neither had much effect—only managing to graze the ball or scorch its outer layer of fur. The metal core of the ball was strangely flexible yet tough, a combination that baffled Damian. More than the Highsword organization's power levels, what surprised him were the unique alloys they used. Their armor was crafted from an unfamiliar mixture of metals, and now, this ball also demonstrated their mastery of unconventional materials."42."

"46."

"38." Continue your adventure at empire

"49."

One by one, kids took their turns, giving their best efforts to shoot down the ball, incinerate it, or cleave it in two with Aura Blade slashes. The last approach was rare, as only the older kids dared attempt it. Yet, despite the barrage of blades and fireballs, not a single participant managed to cut the target in half or completely destroy it. The highest score so far was 51.

No one used a unique spell until the beastman boy's turn, and Damian was not disappointed. Likely with a Pugilist support job as his secondary class, the black jaguar beastman from the Empire showcased masterful aura control. After raising his aura to its peak, he unleashed the most powerful Aura Slash among the contestants so far. It struck the furred ball, splitting it in two despite some resistance from the alloy metal. The sheer force of the attack was enough to finish the job.

"Kamisen from the Empire – 77."

Applause broke out. No one knew who started it, but soon, everyone joined in. Scores above 75 were considered S-rank.

Damian turned his attention to the next contestant, the silver-haired girl from batch number four. He watched with interest. Hopefully he will get something useful from her.

The girl began chanting, gesturing with her hands as a dirt-yellow and green runic circle formed in front of her. Damian instinctively memorized it and drew it on his book, not caring whether the spell seemed useful-it was unique. Anything new was valuable, no matter how strange. But this spell was far from useless. The runic circle created a small, solid dirt platform, just big enough for a single person to stand on. She stepped onto it, and the platform rose into the air, climbing 200 to 300 meters before halting.

Damian could sense the immense mana cost draining her with each second. The spell was purely for show—its combat utility seemed inefficient. Still, it was undeniably cool.

Then, raising her staff adorned with a beautiful ember mana stone, the girl cast another spell. This time, it came from the wooden handle runes of her staff rather than through chanting. Over 40 Air Blades erupted from a large green runic circle, shredding the furred ball into pieces. Impressive and clever-she used her own spell to show her skill and still used a sure fire way to destroy the target.

"Grace Ashbourne from Dawnstar – 82."

Damian recognized the multiple Air Blade spell and didn't bother copying it. It was detailed in one of the advanced spellbooks he had purchased in Pyron, and he could modify it to that degree if needed.

Minutes passed as Damian observed more participants. Most performed admirably, earning him glimpses of unique spells. While most were basic, he did note a few highlights: a basic strength enhancement spell, a noble kid's beam of light spell-that was fun, and another spell that seemed to offer target guidance—though he would need to test it to confirm.

Finally, it was Princess Evrin's turn.

The princess removed her hood, revealing her face, and the reaction was as Damian expected. Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd. Her Eldorian beauty aside, seeing a member of the Eldorian royal bloodline in person was a once-in-a-decade event for many commoners outside the Eldoris capital.

Evrin began chanting, her movements elegant and enchanting. She didn't use a mage staff—a flex and a half, considering most participants brought their best tools to this test. A good staff boosted a little mana but the main purpose of the staff was better mana control, it worked as a conduit. People who could do spells without mage staff were confident in their mana control - and no house in the five kingdoms was more attuned to mana than the Eldorians.

The pressure on her was immense, but she proved her talent. A giant, advanced-level pitch-black runic circle formed above her outstretched hand. After a few seconds of anticipation, in which Damian copied the spell in full.

A towering pillar of pure darkness erupted from the circle, radiating intense heat. Damian quickly realized it was fire—a pillar of black flames. The spell lasted five seconds, leaving nothing of the target—not even ash.

Now that was impressive as f*ck. Indeed she was the niece of The Spellmaster herself.

"Evrin Eldorian from Eldoris – 95."

Not a perfect score, but understandable. She had expended over 70% of her mana on that single spell. Additionally, two enchanted rings on her fingers had activated, aiding her in some way. The use of tools wasn't forbidden, but it wasn't exactly applauded either. Regardless, she left a hell of a first impression on everyone. Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Sam and Einar followed her. Though the two were the most powerful teens present, their performances were straightforward and brutal shows of power.

Einar unleashed over 20 crimson Aura Slashes, pulverizing the target into tiny fragments. She earned a score of 97.

Sam, ever the showman, took a different approach. Jumping nearly a kilometer into the air, he enhanced his Esper body with lightning-though not a single bolt of electricity was visible, slicing the target into thin, salami-like pieces in mid air. His landing left a crater and webbed cracks on the ground. The crowd went wild for his flamboyant style and cringey dramatic poses, which earned him a crisp 98.

The two joined Damian at the front line, drawing even more attention to their group after Evrin came to stand next to him. Despite the stares, they stayed to watch the other participants.

While Damian was focused on copying another unique spell, a name made him pause. In a different batch, a younger boy managed to aim four Air Blades precisely at the target. Considering the distance, it was impressive. The boy earned 64 points. His orange hair and innocent yet determined eyes stood out—but it was his name that caught Damian's attention.

"Elias Sunblade from Dawnstar – 64."