The crowd thinned out, until only around a dozen people remained—Jered included.

Ravenn waited until the 'unworthy' had filed out of the royal grounds, then he clapped his hands animatedly, "Lovely! Now, follow me," he turned around and walked back inside the Royal Palace.

A brief moment of silence ensued as everyone stared at each other.

Jered was the first one to follow Ravenn. And, like a chain reaction, everyone else woke up and did the same.

It was dark inside, but that didn't last long. With each step they took, a floating, magical light paved their way forward from both sides.

The door behind them slammed shut.

Only the rhythmic sound of their footsteps rang out. Jered had his 'Mana Sense' spread out, hoping to pick up on anything that might have given him a hint. But nothing. It was as if his 'Mana Sense' was limited to the enclosed space they were in. He could feel the mana coming out of his competitors, each of them shining with a different intensity. And then there was that of Ravenn, who was like a bright star in the sky—the strongest source of mana in that corridor.

Unfortunately, Jered couldn't penetrate the walls and sense what lay beyond them.

"The first test is quite simple," Ravenn began with an enigmatic glint in his eyes, "You have to find a way out of this place, with only one of your senses."

The moment he said that, he faded from existence.

The lights around them were turned off, along with any ambient noise. Jered couldn't either see or hear. And he wasn't the only one under that torture. Everyone else scrambled back and forth, sometimes hitting each other by accident. Jered slowly crouched down, his hands 'touching' the ground. He couldn't feel anything; the same applied when he tried to touch his face or the rest of his body. It was perpetual darkness, deafness, and unawareness.

If someone stabbed him right then and now, he wouldn't feel it... which was rather troublesome.

Jered tried to focus on his 'Mana Sense', but even that proved to be as useless as before. He wondered if he could still cast spells in that state. He tugged at his Mana Circuit, or at least, that was his intention. No response made its way back to him. Clearly, he had been deprived of the 'communication' between his mind and his Mana Circuit, which was... frightening in a way. Never would have he thought something like that was possible.

On the surface, finding a way out in that condition was downright possible. However, Ravenn had said that only one of their senses would be available.

Jered wrinkled his nose. He had always, unconsciously, put a lid on his Mana Sensitivity. And that was due to the fact that he could smell and hear mana, which wasn't pleasant.

He breathed in and out, slowly allowing the pungent tang of mana to linger on his nose. The more he stopped holding back, the stronger that tang became. It wasn't unbearable, but it certainly was irritating.

Mana was everywhere around him.

Still, how was he supposed to find a way out?

Jered turned his head around, facing each direction, hoping that one of them would smell different.

However, the only thing that changed was the intensity of the smell.

Behind him, the smell was at its weakest.

To his left and right, it was very mixed. Probably because of the competitors; each of them emanated a unique scent.

To his front, it was stronger, but not the strongest.

Jered looked up, his nose curling in reaction. The way out was overhead. Probably somewhere in the ceiling.

Now, the only issue was...

'How the fuck do I get up there?'

If he couldn't cast spells, then he couldn't fly either. Unlike some other Swordmasters around him, his innate physical strength was that of a normal human.

He stroked his chin in thought.

However, another thought occurred to him. What about his Ethereal Shadow Eyes? Were those restricted too?

Jered blinked, feeling a pressure in his face. And, without him knowing, the green of his eyes deepened, while the faint crimson smudges glowed eerily.

'Vision Enhancement'.

'Mana Flow Understanding'.

Colors swirled in front of him. In a certain way, he had restored his vision. He could see the mana flowing through his competitors, clearly blocked by something foreign. Just like how it happened to him.

And then he could see and feel his own mana too, as if the restraints placed on him had been lifted.

Jered smiled quite jovially.

---

A series of screens were projected all around the room, each of them focused on a particular examinee.

"Oh, look at him," Ravenn commented with a fascinated chuckle, "Well, considering the things I've heard about him, it's not that far-fetched."

Next to him stood two more figures. A man and a woman respectively. Both of them had an oppressing magic density, not any weaker than Ravenn's.

"Jered is his name, correct?" the man asked, his long, white beard tied by two silver cuffs, "He's young."

"And he's a Royal Magician," the woman's flowery voice flowed out, smooth and ethereal. Her face was hidden behind a black, demonic mask, "What are we going to do with him?"

Ravenn regarded his colleagues with a deep look, "It would be a waste not to have him with us, wouldn't it? Just the fact that he managed to accomplish Royal-Tier in such a short time tells us that he can become an Arch-Magus. The Royal Family could definitely use another powerhouse."

Their silence meant that they approved—at least on the surface.

"It's such a bad timing, though," the woman said, and Ravenn could hear the man grunt out his agreement, "The fight for the throne is reaching its climax, and I fear that some of the princes and princesses will..." she trailed off, a sigh flowing out of the mask. While she had left those last few words unsaid, it was clear to both men what she was trying to explain.

Ravenn expanded the screen about Jered, "I wonder what role he'll play in all of this."

"Wake up, Rav," the woman shook her head regretfully, "At worst, he'll be assigned to 'protect' one of the losing princesses. That's why I said it is such bad timing. Were it any other time, and he'd have shone the brightest."

"That's where you're wrong, Astoria. Talented people like him shine the brightest when facing adversity."

As if to concur with his words, Jered suddenly stood up, maneuvered around the stumbling mob of examinees, and began to fly up, towards the ceiling. 

"..."

"..."

Ravenn smiled, "Let's go welcome him."

---

To Jered, it looked like a net woven by intricate threads of mana. Everything else was dark, but the blue tendrils of mana were unmistakable. They were concentrated at the highest point of the ceiling, in a cobweb fashion. His hand shot up, and a highly devastating 'Mana Beam' lasered through the centermost point of the ceiling, right where the 'weakest' spot was. There was no explosion. The darkness receded, followed by a burst of blinding white light.

His hearing and sight were restored.

A hole opened up in the ceiling, and he was sucked straight into it.

"Congratulations, Jered," Ravenn's suave voice rang out, "I had an inkling that you would have been the first one to pass the first test. I'm glad I was not wrong."

There were two more Arch-Magueses with him. One of them wore a robe that was clearly too big for him, while the other wore a cloak that was way too tight for her. Their color scheme was the same, he noticed; gilded lining over black, with the Royal Crest on their chests. It was quite similar to the cloak Rainey gave him, sans the unnecessary luxurious embellishment.

And, as if sensing his questioning gaze, Ravenn waved at his colleagues, "Ohh... let me introduce you to the rest of the team. This grumpy man over here is Rudolph; he's an Arch-Magus entrusted with protecting His Majesty. While this lovely lady next to me is Astoria, she's the Empress' handmaid and bodyguard. Quite a fearsome woman," he cupped a hand to the side of his mouth and whispered conspiratorially, "I wouldn't anger her if I were you. She might be short, but she has an even shorter temper."

"..."

Jered was almost tempted to agree when he saw Astoria tilt her head towards Ravenn in one, rusted motion, miasma tentacles squirming ominously behind her.

"Could you repeat what you just said, Rav?"

There must have been a cold smile behind that mask.

Ravenn chuckled good-naturedly, "There there. I'm just messing around with you," he raised his hands appeasingly for good measure.

That didn't seem to calm her down at all, but in light of the fact that Jered was there, spectating, Astoria couldn't afford to lose her cool and make a fool of herself.

Jered readily changed topics, "What do I have to do now?"

"Nothing. We wait," Ravenn shrugged, "The first test has yet to end. And we can't start the next one until everyone else is here."

Astoria shuffled forward, eyeing Jered up and down, "Excuse me, young man. I would like to know why you decided to apply for this examination."

That was a fair question, and one Jered had expected too. In fact, he already had an answer prepared beforehand—though he still acted as if he were thinking deeply about it, "I know very little—almost nothing, actually—of Archiland. I might be strong, but I'm still young and inexperienced," at that point he smiled with a half-hearted shrug, "Some people might see it as a good opportunity to take advantage of me, while all I want to do is to grow stronger in a peaceful yet stimulating environment. It was then that a friend of mine told me about this examination, and that I could achieve great things here, while also putting my power to good use... protecting the Royal Family. And, well... there is no honor greater than this."

Astoria nodded almost imperceptibly. Whether she was satisfied with his answer remained to be seen, but Ravenn chuckled heartily, so that was a good start.

However, he couldn't quite understand Rudolph. The man's face was perpetually set into an impassive expression.

"I'm happy to hear that, Jered!" Ravenn walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder; the sheer strength behind it made it seem as if he had cast 'Physical Enhancement' on it, "And your friend, whoever that person might be, is not wrong. To make sure we live up to the expectations placed upon us, the Royal Palace offers tuition, training of all kinds, tomes, and many more benefits. We're also generous with money! We're very willing to reward you handsomely, as long as you put in the effort. Not to mention, the position comes with a positive and influential position within the kingdom. Not even nobles would be able to take you lightly."

For some reason, Jered felt like he was at a job interview.

"Thank you. That makes me look forward to becoming one of you even more."

The smile on Ravenn's face widened even further.

"In that case, let's not make you wait any longer."

Jered blinked as a smattering of noise went off behind him. Openings appeared everywhere in the white room they were in. Be it a hole, a door, a window, or a portal. The rest of the examinees—or what was left of them—poured in. From a dozen people, only a handful remained... and there were still two more tests to go.

"Welcome, everyone! And congratulations on passing the first test!" Ravenn waved his hands dramatically, and the white of the room became hazy all of a sudden, the temperature rising, "The next test will test how far you're willing to go to protect the Royal Family."