Silas Hawk was one of the few magic lords in the blue sky continent. As a close friend of the king, he had been tasked to act as the headmaster of the Academy. This was to ensure all students were treated equally by the professors and that no discrimination occurred due to class differences.

There weren't many duties required of Silas as those under him were responsible for most tasks. Yet, he took it upon himself to personally welcome all the new students each year.

There were two main reasons for his decision. The first was that he personally wanted to see what they were made of, as the trials may not have been suited to showcase their hidden talent.

The second and more important reason was that Silas had been looking for a disciple. Sadly, after all these years, he had not managed to find anyone who would be suitable for the role. Until today that is.

[ Hmm, he has a strong will, that's for sure. But I wonder how focused his heart truly is. ] The old man wondered as he looked at a scarlet-haired youth amongst the crowd of students.

Silver felt like he had been placed in a room with his natural predator as he locked eyes with Silas once more.

[ Crap, not this again,] he thought as a feeling of dread began to build inside him.

Thump thump. Thump thump.

His heart began to beat faster each second, and he felt a slight pain in his chest. Remembering his masters' teachings, he decided to once more focus on a single thought and eliminate all other sources of stimulation.

"Not bad, kid," Silas spoke directly into the youth's mind.

[ Huh, what? Who said that? ] Silver wanted to look around, but unfortunately, his gaze remained locked on the bald man.

"Hahaha. Who else but me," The old man smiled as he spoke again.

[ You can hear my thoughts? ] Silver asked the obvious question so that he could confirm his doubts.

"How else would I be able to reply." The old man's smile grew more profound.

[ Hmm, that makes sense. But what do you want from me? Why are you doing this? ] Silver asked as he remembered his master once telling him that there were all types of magic abilities in this world, so he shouldn't be surprised if he ever met someone who could read his mind.

"It's just a test, boy. Don't be afraid. I mean you no harm," Silas replied as he canceled the spell, much to Silver's relief.

"Tell me, what's your name?" he added.

[ Silver. ] replied the youth as he realized he could finally look around. The plateau he was standing on was much more extensive than he initially thought. The mass of students must have been in the thousands, and there were clouds wherever he looked, as though they stood atop a floating island.

"It's a nice name. Tell me, Silver. Would you like to be my disciple?" Asked the old man, distracting the youth from his reverie once more.

[ Er... Disciple? Why? ] Silver was hesitant as he didn't know what intentions this old man had or what he had done to garner his attention.

"Well. You've managed to impress me, and that's enough." Smiled the old man.

[ Impress you? What did I do to manage that? ] Silver was still unconvinced.

"For starters, the test was for everyone gathered here, and yet somehow, you're the only participant this year who has been able to break free of my spell to some degree." the old man gestured with his hand as if to tell Silver to have a look around.

Taking the suggestion, the youngster first noticed his two companions beside him. It was as though they had been going through a nightmare, from the look of horror plastered on their faces. The sweat had long been dried on their bodies by the sun's heat, and tiny crystals of salt were now visible on their bodies.

[ This...Isn't this too much? ] Silver wondered how powerful the old man had to be for him to cast such a large-range spell while continuing to have a casual conversation with him.

"Hahaha. This is nothing, boy. Just stick with me, and I promise you'll be able to accomplish much more than just this in a mere decade." The old man promised, taking advantage of Silver's awe.

[ Well, considering I can't hide my thoughts from you anyway...I accept. ] Silver replied as he felt thoughts of using the old man as protection begin to stir.

"Not bad, kid. I like straight and direct people. I am sure we will get along very well" Silas was satisfied. He could already read the boy's intentions and knew that the main reason he accepted him as a master was for protection. This was more than acceptable for him.

"Now then, I believe it's time I ended this test and relieved these poor souls of their struggles," he added, slamming his walking stick on the floor.

Boom!

A blue wave of mana spread across the entire platform and through each person. Within seconds their eyes became focused, and their faces regained a healthy look. Additionally, it seemed as though they had all been given a fresh shower, and their clothes had been washed clean as a pleasant fragrance spread through the crowd.

Silas slammed his stick once more to gain their attention as the students began to notice their surroundings, and questions rose inside their hearts.

"Hello, everyone. I am Silas Hawk, the dean of this humble Acadamy. I would like to first apologize for the inconvenience I may have caused. Please understand that it was merely a test to see if any of you had potential that was yet to be discovered." He smiled slightly at the crowd.

The students didn't know why but found themselves nodding along to his words, unable to feel any bad feelings towards him. The silence remained, however, as everyone waited in anticipation for the following words.

"With that being said, I would like to give you all a warm welcome to your home for the next three years." Silas continued. He then slammed his walking stick again, sending out another blue wave of mana that spread everywhere.

Some participants cringed at this but found that they were rooted to the spot. Unable to move or even speak, for that matter. Luckily, they soon realized it was not a spell intended for them as it headed for the surrounding clouds instead.

"If I may be so rude as to direct you. Please head over to the nearest edge and look down," Silas instructed.

The students found that they had no choice in the matter as they all strode to the edges of the platform. Luckily, this was done systematically, so no one was pushed off.

Silver had found that, for some reason, he was late to react as he quickly made his way to stand by Zac and Isabella. The view he saw once he stood at the edge left him in awe. His eyes were met with a vast tropical archipelago consisting of more islands than the number of participants.

"Take it all in, everyone. That right there will be your world from now on!"
Silas said, giving the students some time before he continued.

"That large island in the center is where you will be most of the time as the main campus and some other useful buildings are situated there. However, only the professors have the right to live there. The ten islands surrounding it belong to the top 10 ranked students of the Academy." Silas paused once again so that the crowd could have a few seconds to take in the information.

"Now, I bet some of you are wondering who these top 10 are and what you need to do to guarantee yourself one of those spots. This brings me to my last duty for the day. Let me leave you guys by explaining how the ranking system works" Silas smiled as he gained the crowds' attention once more.