One day before the exam, Linfel and Alvin had to take an airship to another country. The exam happened in Lebeu, another city in a further away country that also had a Space Elevator. This city, however, was much bigger, and the Space Elevator it had was obviously capable of carrying much more content.The exam just so happened to take part in there. On the day that Linfel and Alvin got to Level Three, they used their ID as a Clondure Magus and Familiar to register for the exam. They had to demonstrate that they were indeed capable of controlling Brown Magic Energy, and only then was their registration accepted.
At the base of the Space Elevator from Lebeu, one could see several enormous queues. All of them were filled with young Maguses and Familiars. This was only one of such cities, so one could imagine how many more participants were taking the exam around the globe. Also, let's remember this is only one planet of the thousands inside Ventis Sect Territory.
Alvin felt nervous, aware that every single one of the young Maguses and Familiars there was at Level Three... and he could see thousands of them! "I knew Heffal was only one of the thousands of countries on our planet, but seeing so many under seventeen Maguses and Familiars makes me realize how small the war for Heffal truly was."
Linfel nodded with a smile. "If you had all these youngsters on Heffal's side during the war, even that coalition of nine countries wouldn't be able to make their way into Heffal. But then again, this city alone is probably gathering the young geniuses of a few hundred countries around. So, excited already?"
"Excited...?" Alvin didn't understand the wisp. "I feel more like crying... There is no way I can do better than these guys."
"Now that I think about it," Linfel remembered something, "What exactly are the requirements to enter Ventis Sect?"
Alvin almost fell with his face on the ground. "You planned to take the test to achieve your objective and you don't even know what you have to do?"
Linfel nodded. "We just need to pass, right? No big deal. So, what is it?"
Alvin truly couldn't tell where all that confidence was coming from. "Sigh... So, according to the official website, there are five rounds of selection, each of them with their own exams. However, only the exams of the first three rounds are made public." Sёarᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Alvin continued as he and Linfel entered the queue. "The first round is taken before we go up in the Space Elevator. It is quite a simple test, actually, aiming to get rid of at least 70% of the candidates. It is a Magic Energy Output test."
"Output?" Linfel looked back at him. "There wasn't a test like that back in the academy, right?"
Alvin shook his head. "There was, but because you joined mid-season, you weren't there to see it. Do you remember? You ended up as an Independent Familiar, but the test before that was just so I could register you."
"Anyway," Alvin didn't stop. "You will touch a Magic Energy Receptor, and you will have ten seconds to channel as much Magic Energy inside the receptor as possible."
"What's the requirement to pass?" Linfel asked back.
"There is none," Alvin answered with a bitter smile. "There is only one rule, the bottom 70% of the entire planet will be excluded, simple as that. The other 30% will be allowed to go up the Space Elevator to take the second exam. So, unless you get a very obvious position from the start, you won't know if you passed until the end of the exam."
"Oh! I like that, very simple." The exam got Linfel's seal of approval.
"You... did you hear what I said at all?" Alvin felt helpless. "We have just become Level Three! Most of the Maguses and Familiars here probably have been at Level Three for at least a year. They progressed their training and had time to increase their Magic Energy pool. I'll be impressed if we make it to the top 50% already, let alone the top 30!"
Linfel floated a little higher and looked at the end of the queue. "Still, this queue will take forever. Won't we be disqualified if we run out of time?"
Seeing Linfel completely ignoring his concerns, Alvin could only try to ignore them as well. "It is fine. Everyone who joined the queue will have their chance. Besides, there will be many receptors and workers on this. Considering each test takes ten seconds, the results plus and change of candidates, no more than thirty seconds to a minute will pass between contestants... or so says the website."
At exactly midday, all the speakers around the area began the announcement.
-The Ventis Sect Exam starts now. Make sure you have registered on the official website since your Magic Energy Signature will be checked. Do not dwell near the Magic Energy Receptors for long. Channel your energy, check your results, and move to the waiting area. We count on everyone's cooperation.-
The queue began to move slowly, but the rhythm quickly picked up. Alvin was right. There were quite a few workers and receptors connected to the exam results prepared. Every minute, at least forty to fifty contestants were checked. Even with a few thousand contestants, the queues moved pretty fast.
Alvin opened his MCOM and checked the leaderboard on the official website. As there were many other cities going through this exam, the leaderboard updated over a thousand new IDs every minute, too.
Once Alvin and Linfel made half way through the queue, a few names became pretty apparent on the leaderboard. One point to take note was the contestant's level, shown just on the side of their names.
-1st | Ramuh Canfrisei: 773 Points - Level 4 Magus-
-2nd | Winnia Popelis: 772 Points - Level 4 Magus-
-3rd | Glooden Qa'tri: 772 Points - Level 4 Magus-
At the same time, there was also a leaderboard for the Familiars.
-1st | Titifi: 761 Points - Level 4 Familiar-
-2nd | Quay'taba: 761 Points - Level 4 Familiar-
-3rd | Trin...
"Level Four..." Alvin bitterly smiled again.
"Oh!" Linfel also looked at that, surprised. "They make people like you and Milia look like trash."
Alvin almost vomited blood. "Do you need to say it like that?!"
Linfel quickly patted Alvin's shoulder as he spoke confidently: "Don't worry. You are a good trash, my trash."
Alvin felt like giving up the exam right there and then...