Arcane Innovator

'Huh? A test? Already?' I blinked, unsure what was going on. Right now, I didn't need any more distractions as I was wholly preoccupied with my own pursuits.

Besides, I hadn't been paying nearly enough attention in class as I was too focused on my quest to master healing magic. However, it looked like I wasn't the only one taken aback by this.

Master Ayleth's sudden proclamation sent ripples through the student ranks, and rightly so, as having to face a test after only a week of study was a real surprise for most of the gathered novices. Even Gil, usually so carefree, looked a bit pale.

Throwing a side glance at him, I couldn't help but chuckle. 'Heh. He might actually have even worse luck than I, and that's saying something...' After all, this was his very first lesson after he finally decided to start attending the class in the wake of his sudden awakening.

"Remember," Master Ayleth continued, her essence-enhanced voice echoing off the stone walls. This test will assess not only your base knowledge but also how well you can apply your arcane arts.

You will be challenged in ways that will test the limits of your magic so that you might venture past them in order to unlock your true potential. Then, based on your performance, you'll be separated into different groups as we move into the next phase of this course.

...However, if you fail to demonstrate even the bare minimum of what is expected of you, your time in my class will come to an end, as I have neither the time nor patience to waste on slackers."

Hearing this, I couldn't help but furrow my brows. This didn't sound like Master Ayleth at all. From what I observed of her during the past week, the strict magister didn't seem to care whether or not someone attended her classes or how they conducted themselves during them one bit.

'Hmm, what changed? Is this because of the recent monster attack?' I silently wondered. With us falling into the Labyrinth and all, I completely missed the ensuing battle with the crawler army and its immediate aftermath, so I had no idea what had happened down there.

'Are the masters afraid of more incidents like these? That's why they want to separate the chaff from the grain so early?' I thought.

However, from what Gil had told me, it apparently took several weeks of deep meditation and careful guidance for someone to unlock their magic the common way.

There were also plenty of commoners among the first-years who didn't have the benefit of private tutors and still couldn't use their abilities. So, did that mean that if they failed to do so by the end of the week, they would simply be discarded and left to their own devices?

The more I learned about the local practices, the more disturbing this whole system seemed. It was almost as if the academy's main purpose was to manufacture indentured workers rather than aspiring mages.

That said, resources were scarce, so the Masters must have concluded it was better to focus on fostering a few select geniuses rather than hundreds of mediocre mages.

Deep in thought, I missed the rest of Master Ayleth's speech, only catching the last bit. "...in three days. The classes will be suspended until after the test, so take this time to prepare. Good fortune to you all."

Well, either way, I wasn't all that worried about not making the cut. I reckoned I should be able to breeze through anything Master Ayleth decided to throw at me. Still, that was not a reason to grow complacent. 'Three days...' I mused.

What I should do instead is to use this extra time to complete as many Tasks as I can so that I have plenty of Soul coins to go around for when I need them. I had a stinking suspicion that things would only get progressively harder from now on.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

As I was leaving the auditorium on my way to the Assignment Hall, I nearly bumped into the distraught-looking Gil, who seemed to be waiting for me near the entrance.

"Hey," he said, his usual grin replaced by a worried frown. "You ready for this test?"

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "As ready as I can be, I suppose. You?"

Gil ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit I'd noticed over the past week. "Not really. I've been kinda struggling with the earth manipulation thing. I can make it move, but when I want to make anything more than a simple lump, it all sorta crumbles down. Think you could help me out?"

I briefly hesitated. I didn't feel obliged to babysit him as I had plenty of my own stuff to worry about. Still, so far, he was nothing but helpful to me, and it was useful to have someone who could provide me with all the latest gossip.

So, in the end, I relented. Not in the least influenced by the puppy-eyed look he was giving me. "Alright, I think I can give you a few pointers. Let's meet after dinner."

I then left the auditorium behind, all but racing the main staircase all the way up to the fifth floor, not bothering to join the other novices in the hallway, who all seemed to be discussing the upcoming test.

I know I should probably be socializing more. However, I didn't come here to make friends; I just wanted to learn things. So what if they brand me as a reclusive nerd? It's not like I care.

I learned that what truly matters is strength, and as long as I have that, nobody will be able to ignore me.

I made it into the Assignment Hall shortly before lunchtime. With everyone either still discussing the latest developments or heading to lunch, the Hall was relatively quiet and empty except for a few older students, so I took advantage of it to approach the all-but-abandoned Task board.

'Hmm, this sounds interesting...' And after a short deliberation, I picked the task that had, in my opinion, the best difficulty-to-reward ratio. It was something called [Contract maintenance].

In the wake of the last adventure, I wanted something nice and easy to unwind, and this sounded just like that - a bunch of boring paperwork.'That can't be too difficult, right?'

Then, without delay, I went over to the counter behind which stood the same cheerful-looking girl as before. "Hello, Aileen." I promptly greeted her.

"Oh! It's you... Again, for more, are you?" The young woman blinked as if surprised to see me, but then quickly resumed her professional stance.

"You know, there are never enough soul coins to have." I grinned as I handed over the piece of parchment.

She shook her head. "It looks like that wastrel had fully corrupted you. You should really seek out better company sometimes, or the next thing you know, you'll be fragment gambling in the gutter."

I raised an eyebrow. "For how much you always berate him, you seem to have a soft spot for Gil. What's up with that?"

"Oh, it's nothing! We just grew up in the same part of the city, that's all. So I'm keeping an eye on the fool so that he doesn't do anything too crazy." Aileen waved her hand dismissively before she quickly went on to examine the assignment I had brought.

"Well, good for him then to have such a caring neighbor," I replied. There was probably more to it than that, as suggested by that wistful smile she briefly donned, but I didn't pursue it any further. 'If she wants to keep whatever is going on between them a secret, so be it.' I thought.

"I'd rather you didn't attempt this one. It's not a task suitable for a first-year." Aileen said with a frown.

"How so? It sounds pretty simple, and I already checked it; there isn't any restriction." I replied, tilting my head in confusion.

"That may be true, and sure, it sounds simple, but it's anything but. In fact, this is one of the most difficult tasks out there."

"Huh? What do you mean? Isn't it just paperwork? It didn't say anything about fighting monsters or gathering materials from the Labyrinth."

"Oh, no! It's nothing like that…" Aileen waved her hands. "It's just that this isn't a simple, mundane work - it involves using magic. And a lot of it. That's why it promises such a high reward, and that's also the reason why nobody wants to do it."

She then added. "Even doing the bare minimum that is required to complete it might leave a third-year student utterly drained of essence for days, not to mention a first-year, so I strongly implore you to reconsider."

'Ah, so it's about that...' I sighed in relief before flashing Aileen a bright smile. "Oh, in that case, I don't think this will be a problem at all!"