I am Just an Average Tamer

"Those who succeed… will pass into the next phase and be considered for one of the most prestigious institutions in the Empire. Those who fail…" she tilted her head slightly, "will leave with the knowledge that they were not ready—yet."

A gentle breeze stirred the dust around her feet.

"Prepare yourselves. The first trial begins in fifteen minutes. May your hearts be steady, and your minds sharper still."

With a flick of her wrist, several glowing runes sparked into life in the air behind her, shifting into formation.

The crowd slowly began to murmur, adjusting gear, checking potions, some whispering to companions.

Whoosh!

The blinding light vanished.

Dozens of hundreds of aspiring youths stood gathered, in a large dome.

Kai remained near the edge of the crowd, hands in his pockets, his beasts were gone back in his soul space.

A hush fell over the group as a figure stepped onto the raised stone dais at the center.

He was an older man, mid-fifties, in a long slate-gray robe lined with shimmering glyphs. A beard streaked with silver. Sharp eyes that missed nothing.

"Good morning, aspirants," he said, voice loud and clear, rippling through the air like a command spell.

"I am Master Aldric Venn, a professor of elemental theory and spiritual bonding. Welcome to the entrance trials of Azurean Academy."

A murmur passed through the crowd—some recognized the name. He was known across the Empire for mentoring some of the strongest mages and tamers in the last decade.

"These trials are not meant to be easy. You are not here to show off your strength—but to demonstrate your potential, your judgment, and your adaptability. Three trials await. Survive them, and you may earn your place within the academy."

He raised a hand.

"The first trial begins now. Follow the stewards."

From the edges of the courtyard, several robed assistants stepped forward and began guiding the aspirants into a massive white tent behind the platform. Inside were rows of desks carved from rune-wood. A slight magical buzz hummed in the air—a spell barrier to prevent cheating or communication.

Kai took his seat near the back, slipping into his usual calm. A plain sheet of enchanted paper lay in front of him. A quill dipped in void-ink floated above it, responding only to his mana signature.

"Begin," a steward called, and the quills started moving.

The questions came in waves, scrawled across the parchment in glowing text:

1. Describe the core bond process between an Intermediate Core beast and a human. What risks are involved when attempting to subdue a wild-type elemental beast?

2. What is the counter-element for plasma magic, and how does one stabilize its core within a ritual circle?

3. You're surrounded by four enemies in a tight alley. You have a short sword, minor armor, and no backup. Outline the strategy to minimize injury and escape.

4. Design a basic formation for a mixed team of mages, tamers, and scouts entering an unknown dungeon known for arcane traps and beast ambushes.

Kai grinned as his quill began moving with confidence.

The beast taming questions were a breeze—he'd learned through actual blood and experience. His answers were less textbook and more real-world practical.

Where others recited theory, he explained how a drakelet's damaged core behaved under emotional stress, or how a Phantom Lynx would only bond under specific moonlight conditions.

He skimmed through other sections too—he'd trained to be versatile, and the assassin in him knew how to analyze threats from every angle.

Around him, students grunted, muttered, some sweating. A few were struggling to keep their quills from freezing up—an anti-fraud measure if one copied too much from common magical knowledge repositories.

One girl broke down crying halfway in. Another boy in front of Kai was gripping his head, overwhelmed by the complexity of the multi-discipline test.

By the end of the hour, Kai leaned back. He'd answered every section. Not because he had to—but because he wanted to see how much he could handle.

"Time's up," came the call.

Quills dropped. The enchanted pages folded themselves into thin glowing sigils and flew to the stewards.

As the students were led outside again, many wore dazed expressions. Some looked confident. Others were pale.

Kai slipped his hands back into his pockets.

One down. Two more to go.

------

The sun had climbed higher in the Auralian sky, warming the stone paths of the outer trial grounds.

After a brief break to recover from the mental toll of the written exam, the remaining candidates were guided along a winding trail through the academy outskirts—led by a group of silent, masked instructors dressed in black and silver.

Eventually, the trail opened into a wide clearing lined with silver-trimmed stone walls. The terrain inside was odd—scattered boulders, small cliffs, streams, artificial hills, and even a crumbling tower ruin sat within a perfectly square boundary.

The ground shimmered faintly with illusion magic.

A glassfield—a living, shifting simulation used to replicate battlefields, wild zones.

The field responded to commands and changed scenarios based on input from the examiners.

Kai's eyes narrowed as he studied the terrain.

The group was split into batches of ten.

Kai found himself grouped with nine other aspirants—some visibly tense, others trying to seem confident.

His group had two sword users, a nervous-looking fire mage, a beast tamer with a scrawny-looking hawk, and several others of varying builds and talent.

Professor Aldric appeared once again on a high platform overlooking the field.

"This second trial," he announced, "is a tactical engagement. You will not fight each other, but instead face a shifting objective scenario inside the Glassfield. Each group will be dropped into a randomized mission. The goal is not to win—but to adapt and survive."

A ripple of murmurs spread through the groups.

"Leadership. Awareness. Flexibility under pressure. These are what we value."

He raised a hand, and the barrier shimmered.

Kai's group was motioned forward. The moment they crossed into the field, everything changed.

The sky dimmed.

The warm sun was replaced by overcast clouds.

The terrain shifted—grass turned to damp marsh, trees sprouted from the edges, and in the distance, a ruined tower stood half-sunken into a bog.

A voice echoed in the field—calm and disembodied.

Scenario: Escort and Survive.

Mission: Protect the core crystal and deliver it to the signal tower.

Threats: Bandit ambushes, monster attacks, terrain hazards.

Timer: 30 minutes. Begin.

A glowing blue crystal materialized in the center of the group—floating, fragile-looking.

Immediately, chaos threatened to take over.

"Who's carrying it?"

"What if someone summons monsters on us—?"

"We need a formation—"

Kai sighed and stepped forward, raising a hand. "Shut up."

They froze.

"I'll scout ahead. You—" he nodded to the fire mage, "stick to rear support. Someone carry the damn crystal. Don't bunch up. Expect ambush from high ground or shallow pools."

He didn't bark the orders. Just stated them. Calm and cold.

No one argued.

The crystal was handed to the boy with the hawk. The group moved into formation and began advancing toward the tower in the distance.

Less than five minutes in, the first ambush came.

Illusory bandits—real enough to draw blood—sprang from the marsh, using conjured nets, smoke bombs, and flanking tactics. Most of the group panicked.

Kai was already gone from sight.

Then—

slash!

One of the bandits went down from a sudden neck wound—Kai dropping from a tree branch, blending back into the foliage like smoke.

Few magic circles glowed and with shimmer of white light, Kai's beasts came into view.

Stormeon tackled a second bandit, lightning crackling around its claws. Vex emerged from the tall grass like a ghost, taking down a hidden archer silently.

The group barely had time to recover before mutated swamp wolves attacked, drawn to the crystal's energy.

"Don't group up!" Kai shouted, reappearing to kick a wolf back with precision.

"You with bird, send your hawk up for aerial recon! Keep moving!"

The group followed him now without hesitation. The fire mage finally stabilized enough to throw a solid flame wall, buying time for the rest to reposition.

By the 25-minute mark, two team members were "dead" - disqualified by magic seals when they were hit fatally.

But the crystal remained intact. The rest reached the tower perimeter—bloodied, exhausted, but intact.

Final hurdle.

As they climbed the broken tower steps, a final illusion dropped—an elite rogue enemy guarding the top. It cut down one candidate in seconds and lunged for the crystal bearer.

Before it could touch him, Vael dived from the clouds above, shrieking and striking with precision, throwing the rogue off balance.

Kai appeared behind it in a flash, dagger glowing with light.

Slash—

Clean, swift.

The illusion collapsed.

A bell chimed through the air.

"Trial Complete."

The scenario faded.

The tower, the marshes—all dissolved into the neutral terrain of the test zone again.

Panting. Silence. Then soft applause from a few instructors watching above.

Kai wiped his blade and stepped back, unfazed.

The others looked at him like he was from another world.