Episode 29 – Proof of Skills (1)

Proof of the Skills (1)

“This place is the Baramil Stadium.”

After exiting the main gate of Endex, we arrived at the stadium located in the capital after about a 15-minute walk.

Pointing at the round dome reflecting the sunlight, Chedric continued his speech.

“This stadium is divided into a No-Mana-Zone and a regular Mana-Zone.”

Indeed, there are two entrances to the stadium.

[Mana Zone] and [No Mana Zone].

The No Mana Zone is literally an area where mana barely exists, and the Mana Zone is an area where the mana density is higher than average.

“Today, we will conduct a ‘mini-combine’ here.”

Combine.

It’s a method usually used by knight orders to collectively evaluate knight academy students. It’s a kind of evaluation stage that tests physical abilities, mana, swordsmanship, etc., by gathering the students of the Magic College.

“In the combine, we evaluate Mana-Agility and Non-Mana-Agility separately, that is, magic and physical abilities, and then proceed with the draft based on those scores.”

Draft is literally ‘player selection’.

“From the first to the tenth place according to the grades of the first assignment of the college board, Prism Disassembly, a total of ten people become team leaders and draft team members. Each team leader picks five people each, making a total of 60 people forming ten teams.”

60 people form ten teams.

The total number is 90.

30 people are left.

“Conduct the combine from 10 am to 1 pm. The candidate team members should strive to show their value, and the team leaders should strive to form the best team. However, not being picked doesn’t mean you immediately fail.”

At that, sighs of relief flowed from various places.

“If you’re not picked for a team, you can form your own team. A team without a team leader can have any number of team members.”

I looked around.

Would the best option be for the 30 dropouts to form one team and compete?

“We will conduct a group assignment with the team formed that way. We will announce what the assignment is later.”

No, that can’t be. The hardest thing to handle on the continent is people. I’d rather raise 30 cheetahs or leopards.

“I will call the team leaders. 1st place Gerkhen Kal Doon, 2nd place Soliette, 3rd place Elise……”

……4th place Layla, 5th place Kain, 6th place Asher, 7th place Delrek, 8th place Benhur, 9th place London, 10th place Calverton.

“The ten of you will autonomously oversee and conduct the mini combine.”

Leaving those words, Chedric left somewhere.

The 90 people left at the entrance glanced around for a moment and then slowly moved. Naturally, they flocked towards the ten team leaders.

“Everyone, stay still! The team leaders will have a meeting first!”

Kain pushed them away and gathered only the team leaders. It must have been Elise’s order.

—…Okay. So.

They gathered in a circle and whispered something, but only Kain’s loud voice could be faintly heard.

—Right. As Elise said. Yeah. Elise is right. Yeah. So, as Elise said?

Are you some dog raised by Elise?

—Okay.

Anyway, Kain stepped forward as soon as it was over.

“First, each team leader will pick eight people for evaluation! Gerkhen Kal Doon will pick first, so line up!”

Just like a draft.

“Hurry up!”

The seniors who were not team leaders formed ten lines of eight people each.

I was at the very back.

“Hey, Gerkhen Kal Doon. You pick first.”

“……”

At Kain’s words, Gerkhen Kal Doon looked around at the seniors and pointed at them one by one.

“You. You. You……”

He picked ten people like that, and then it was Soliette’s turn.

I didn’t expect much. I just glanced at her face.

Then, our eyes met.

Soliette’s clear red eyes. Her small lips moving as if mumbling. The dry, jade-colored voice flowing between them.

“Shion Ascal. Step forward.”

Perhaps, she had been watching me all along.

______________________________________________________________________

Soliette picked me first. I had a rough idea why. Probably because I had mentioned ‘Knightmare’ in the mine.

“Let’s go in.”

We, Soliette’s team, entered the Mana Zone first. Various evaluation items were already prepared in the Mana Zone.

First, mana control.

Second, mana cooperation.

Third, mana agility.

Fourth, mana adaptability, and so on……

“Let’s start with this.”

Soliette led us to the ‘Mana Control’ section.

“It’s a spinning top.”

The mana control evaluation is simple. You control a specially made top with mana.

The method is to inject mana appropriately into the top and bottom of the top and make it spin. Knowing this ‘feeling’, maintaining the subtle mana dynamics and balance, and rolling the top.

The evaluation factors are rotation speed, duration, and destructive power.

“Shion Ascal.”

Soliette called my name first. There was a strange color in her eyes. A tangled ‘mixture’ of hostility, curiosity, and expectation.

“Yeah.”

I responded and held the top in my hand. The top was connected to a string.

Normally, you would do it without a string, but it seems there’s this consideration because we’re still high school students.

In that case.

“Go ahead.”

Soliette stared at me. It was a look of ‘let’s see what you can do’.

To meet her expectations, I blew mana into the top string……

Thaaaang———!

The top shot up.

And then it fell back down.

Thud,

Thud,

Thud,

Jingle—

After bouncing a few times on the ground, it was cut in half.

“……”

Soliette looked at the top. Her eyes were a bit blank. I probably had a similar expression.

Pfft- snicker- The laughter of a few students mixed in like background noise.

I wiped the cold sweat off my forehead and shrugged my shoulders.

“……Ah, this isn’t my specialty.”

“Huh.”

Soliette nodded with a look of disbelief.

“Next. Let’s move on to coordination.”

Then she hastily pointed to the next one. The remaining seven students grabbed her in confusion.

“Miss Soliette. What about us, us?”

“What are you talking about?”

“We have to do it too. No, this is an evaluation.”

“……Ah, right. Yes. Everyone, please try.”

Soliette started the evaluation again. A rather handsome guy asked with a smile.

“Who’s going first?”

“Anyone. Please hurry up.”

It was a somewhat irritable answer. The man seemed taken aback, but soon stepped forward.

“……Ah. Um, then I’ll go first.”

“Your name?”

“Kielli Berkoonta. I’ll do it right away.”

Kielli stepped forward.

Whiiiiiiing——!

His top spun well. Very beautifully, and balanced. Soliette crossed her arms and nodded her head.

“……Yes. I saw. Next.”

“Me. I’ll do it. I’m Rohal.”

“Please come out.”

It wasn’t just Kielli.

In the mana control test, all ten, excluding me, did better than me.

……Next, mana cooperation.

“It’s simple. You just need to emit mana on this glass wall and draw a shape. Shion Ascal first. Please draw a circle.”

Soliette’s first pick was still me, and I radiated mana on the glass wall. I slowly drew the shape.

“……”

Then Soliette’s mouth opened in surprise. Her eyes became cloudy like a flounder.

I hurriedly explained.

“If you’re wondering what shape this is, it’s kind of inspired by an ultrasound.”

“I clearly told you to draw a circle.”

“Ah.”

“Are you an idiot?”

Even the easiest ‘circle’ doesn’t work. It just sparks and sparks on the glass wall like an electromagnetic wave.

Soliette touched her temple and said.

“Next person.”

……Third, mana agility.

“It’s simple. You’ll be shot with a mana bean bullet, and you need to defend with mana. Shion…… Ascal first.”

Soliette called me again this time. However, her voice was already filled with anger, contempt, and disdain.

“Uh, uh.”

I stood at the indicated spot. There was a gun barrel 10m ahead.

Bang—!

The mana bean bullet was fired. I tried to quickly release mana, but-

“Ugh!”

The bean left a mark on my forehead first.

At that time, Soliette’s sharply narrowed eyes were saying.

‘Crazy useless son of a bitch’

……Fourth, mana adaptability.

“That’s enough. My Mana Zone evaluation is over. Please leave.”

Soliette, who seemed fed up, ended the evaluation right away. She checked something in her notebook and went outside alone, and the others each said a word.

“Dude, what are you doing? You’re fucking terrible at this.”

“Did you get picked by Soliette? Did she deliberately give you a hard time?”

“Ah, right? That’s right? That’s so funny……”

They laughed and scoffed, and after that, my name was never called again.

______________________________________________________________________

“Shit.”

I was lying blankly, looking up at the ceiling of the Graham Hall.

“……The damn mana talent is still the fucking same.”

The talent for magic. The most important talent for students of Magic High School who aspire to attend a magic university and hope to work in the magic industry.

I don’t have that.

I mean, I do, but it’s not at the Endex level.

It’s just at the lower knight level, like my father.

“……”

I slowly raised my head.

By the way, this is a [No-Mana-Zone].

In this place, where the mana in the air is less than 0.001%, only pure physical abilities are evaluated. In other words, it measures the ‘physical ability in a state where not even a little bit of magic is flowing through the body’.

Because it’s difficult to train or hone these pure physical abilities, men tend to have an advantage over women. However, the average difference is only 10~30% compared to ordinary people.

You can’t use Magic Body, but the ‘Strong Body’ that has been consistently receiving and soaking in mana is still there.

The No-Mana-Zone is essentially a place to evaluate that Strong Body.

“……They probably won’t ask me.”

But here I am, sitting in a corner of the mat, lost in thought.

Honestly, I’m waiting for them to call me. I’m quite confident in using my body.

There are various evaluation items.

[50m sprint] to measure speed and agility. [Bench press] to gauge upper body strength. [Long jump] to evaluate lower body explosive power. [High jump] to test the flexibility and power of the body itself.

I’ve been working hard on these exercises, both now and in the past, but they still haven’t called me.

They’re just doing it among themselves.

—Ha ha ha. Hey! What are you! You’re so slow!

That Kain bastard seems to be intentionally making a fuss.

—Try again! I’ll give you another chance. Ready, set!

While the other guys are all moving their bodies, watching the evaluation, or stretching, I’m alone.

It’s been a long time since Soliette, the only one who called me, has ignored me.

“I won’t do it.”

I just lay down on the mat. It’s impossible for me to be chosen for the top team in the Mana Zone anyway. Let’s be mature and let it go, be mature.

“……Yawn.”

When I lie down, sleep comes to me.

“Because of this damn cancer.”

Hypersomnia is one of the symptoms of Cancer of the Magic’s Core. It’s sucking the energy out of my body to use for forced growth, so it’s impossible not to feel sleepy…….