Chapter 14: The Selection (IV)

Among the ninety-six fresh recruits of the Arcane College participating in the draft on the playground, the vast majority were mere wizard apprentices capable of casting only cantrips. There were only six freshmen who possessed two wizard levels right upon enrollment, and Thomas and Joan were among them.

Thomas hailed from the Chapman family, a prominent powerhouse in Leighton Port. The resources at his disposal were vastly superior to those available to students from ordinary citizen backgrounds. It came as no surprise that he had won at the starting line. What truly startled everyone was that Joan, an impoverished young man from the countryside with neither father nor mother, actually possessed the exact same strength as Thomas. This clearly indicated that his spellcasting talent might even surpass that of Thomas Chapman!

When Joan publicly declared that he possessed an Intelligence score of 22, the speculations were confirmed.

For a wizard, spellcasting talent is determined entirely by Intelligence. The higher the Intelligence, the stronger the spellcasting ability; one can learn more spells in a shorter amount of time, and leveling up naturally occurs much faster than for others.

Intelligence scores are primarily innate, but if one has money—a tremendous, staggering amount of money—it is also possible to boost one's Intelligence score by purchasing extremely expensive alchemical elixirs or magitech artifacts.

Take Thomas Chapman, for instance. During his prior interview, he candidly admitted that his Intelligence score was as high as 20. Eighteen of those points were innate, while the extra two points were forcefully hammered into him from childhood through the consumption of countless precious nutritional tonics.

Given Joan's destitute background, it was utterly impossible for him to treat tonics like plain drinking water as Thomas did. Therefore, everyone assumed he was born with an astonishing Intelligence score of 22. If even this did not qualify as being a "genius," then where on earth could any geniuses be found?

Faced with a chorus of praise and sensing the envious, or even jealous, glances of his fellow classmates, Joan felt a secret sense of shame.

He alone knew that those 22 Intelligence points did not all stem from birth. Four of them came from the bonus of the "Tears of the Gods," and another five were thanks to having once consumed the "Springs of Wisdom." However, these secrets were inconvenient to publicize, leaving him to remain silent in the face of widespread astonishment.

The twelve instructors appeared quite calm. They had already perceived Joan's wizard level with the aid of "Greater Arcane Sight." As for his Intelligence score, even if they felt startled, they would never let it show on their faces so as not to compromise their dignity as instructors.

While the instructors scrutinized Joan, Joan was also quietly observing the subtle changes in their expressions. Confirming that no one had detected his 1st-level "Mythic Archmage" class in addition to his regular wizard level, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed that Mimir, the "Wise Old Man," had not been boasting—the spell barrier cast upon him could perfectly prevent others from prying into his mythic power.

With the self-introduction segment concluded, it was time for the instructors' questions.

Robert Rawls and Walter Lee took turns asking Joan two questions to assess his understanding of the basic principles of magic. While Joan felt insecure about his stuttering responses, both grandmasters displayed satisfied smiles.

By this point, even a blind man could see that the two most prestigious and senior arcane instructors at Leighton Academy both intended to take this boy from Delin Village under their wing.

In this competition, Grandmaster Rawls clearly held the more advantageous position—unless Joan performed too abominably in the upcoming spell demonstration segment, there was simply no way the turn would ever reach Grandmaster Lee, who ranked fifth in draft priority.

Having finally survived the first hurdle of the interviews, Joan retreated to the edge of the playground, discovering that his back was thoroughly soaked in cold sweat, as if he had just emerged from a grueling trial through mountains of blades and seas of fire.

Thomas handed him a handkerchief to wipe away the sweat, saying sympathetically, "You were way too nervous. Actually, you're practically the most outstanding student here, so there's nothing to be afraid of. Just say whatever you want to say boldly; even if you make a mistake, it doesn't matter. Who here has the qualification to laugh at you?!"

Joan could not explain to Thomas that his nervousness was not fear, but a deeper psychological barrier. Those who understood would understand; those who didn't would not believe it and would only think he was being overly dramatic. He could only respond to Thomas's concern with a bitter smile.

The remaining interviews proceeded without a hitch. The final two students failed to bring any surprises to the instructors, proving to be merely ordinary 0-level apprentices.

Out of all ninety-six freshmen who participated in the interviews, the final tally showed a total of twenty 1st-level wizards who skipped directly to the second year, and six 2nd-level wizards who skipped directly to the third year.

Next came the second stage of interviews, conducted by grade level. This segment primarily tested the candidates' number of spell slots and spellcasting techniques. The rule was simple: cast the spells you excelled at with all your might until all your spell slots were exhausted.

Among the six fresh recruits directly promoted to the third year, three possessed three 1st-level spell slots, which was normal. What was rather abnormal was that the other three freshmen—Joan, Thomas, and a boy named Edward Gates (who was one year older than Joan and, at fourteen, the same age as Thomas)—actually possessed four 1st-level spell slots!

The only reasonable explanation for why these three freshmen had more spell slots than wizards of the same level was that their Intelligence levels were extraordinarily high!

When a wizard's Intelligence score reaches a certain threshold, it grants bonus spell slots. At the age of thirteen or fourteen, not only being promoted to a 2nd-level wizard but also possessing four 1st-level spell slots—calling them "geniuses" was by no means an exaggeration.

Among these three geniuses, Joan was the only poor kid from the countryside. As for the other two, their backgrounds were extraordinary, wealthy, and noble!

Edward Gates was the scion of a military family, the second son of General Charles Gates, the garrison commander of Leighton Port. He was a textbook example of a privileged second-generation official.

Thomas Chapman was the heir to the Chapman family, the premier major estate owner in Alfheim—a "rich second generation" who had enjoyed a fortune of tens of millions since the day he was born.

"If I don't study magic properly, I'll only be forced to inherit the family business in the future and manage over eighty thousand mu of plantations. That is definitely not the life I want!"

Hearing Thomas utter such a sentiment, Joan could not help but twitch his lips violently, barely suppressing the urge to slap him across the face.

"Edward Gates!"

Grandmaster Walter Lee, serving as the chief examiner, called out loudly. A tall, thin youth—a whole head taller than Joan—responded, stepped out of the ranks, and strode to the center of the playground. First, he bowed deeply to the panel of instructors opposite him, then stood tall and straight with his chest out in a standard military posture, resembling a javelin thrust directly into the heart of the playground.

Joan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a trace of surprise welling up in his eyes.

This pale-complexioned, stern-faced youth stood a full six feet and two inches tall, his demeanor and deportment exuding a strong military aura. If he were to take off his robes and put on a suit of armor, he would look much more like a well-trained knight.