"It's finally over." Inside the hall, a young boy slowly opened his eyes and looked around.
The tablet in front of him had turned slightly golden—he had managed to comprehend 42% of it. This clearly showed his incredible talent and that he had the potential to reach Rank B.
His name was Adrien, and he came from one of the villages near the city. When he awakened a rare Class at the age of sixteen, the entire village had been overjoyed.
That was when he came to this city in search of a better future and more opportunities—and decided to join the Magic Tower.
And now, fortunately, he had successfully comprehended 42%. He glanced behind him, and not far away, he saw many of the top faces of the Magic Tower.
'Are they here for me?' With that thought, his heart started to pound.
Could his prayers have been answered? Had his talent finally been recognized? But then he noticed that none of them were actually looking at him. He followed their line of sight—and saw a handsome young man with white hair.
And a tablet… shattered into pieces?
How is that even possible? Aren't those tablets made of metal? Since when does metal break like glass?
Just then, Daniel slowly opened his eyes as the golden glow around him faded. He stood up and casually rolled his neck from side to side.
"You… you really comprehended all the way to the final level?"
Atlas stepped forward and asked in shock. He still couldn't believe what he was seeing.
This was basically a legend! A literal legend had just happened today in the Magic Tower.
"Eh? I guess so?" Daniel scratched his head and replied. Then he looked at the others. He hadn't seen them before—and didn't recognize anyone.
"You're a monster, kid," Celine said with a stunned laugh. She never thought she'd live to see someone actually comprehend all levels of the tablet.
But luckily, the heavens had been kind and let her witness such a phenomenon.
"Sorry, but who are you?" Daniel asked.
All three of them, along with Zeon, introduced themselves.
"Nice to meet you all."
Daniel didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So many Rank A mages gathered in one place? He never imagined himself in a situation like this.
"Hey kid, are you part of any guild?" Eltha asked with a beautiful smile on her beautiful face.
"I haven't had the chance yet."
"Oh? With your talent, I would've thought you'd already joined one of the top guilds in your world."
Eltha tilted her head, and her eyes sparkled.
If that was the case, then maybe they could recruit him?
She looked at the others, and they all immediately understood what she meant.
Surprisingly, there was no hesitation in their eyes.
No kidding—this boy had comprehended the entire tablet in just an hour. He was a monster.
Even if he was Otherworldly, at this point, no one cared. Rules were made to be broken, after all.
More importantly, they were sure that if the Central Magic Tower heard about this, they'd do everything in their power to recruit Daniel.
But the risk was too high. From what they knew, there were also Magic Guilds in the other world. If they found out about Daniel's talent, they'd definitely come for him too.
The fewer people who knew about his ability, the lower their competition for recruiting him.
"So, kid—do you want to join the Magic Tower?" Daren, who had been silent until now, finally asked.
Daniel didn't answer right away. He started thinking.
Joining the Magic Tower had its benefits, but its restrictions were even stricter than the guilds in his own world.
Plus, he could already tell the relationship between the Magic Tower and his world wasn't very good—and there was a real chance they'd end up on opposite sides one day. He definitely didn't want that.
"I'm sorry, but I have to decline," he finally said respectfully with a sigh.
Celine and Atlas tried to reason with him to change his mind, but it was no use. In the end, they gave up. Obviously, they couldn't force him—and more importantly, they didn't want to ruin their relationship with him.
"If you'll excuse me, it's time for me to leave," Daniel said to all of them.
"Of course—but don't forget about the River of Dragon's Tears," Atlas reminded him.
"Of course. When should I come?"
"Around this time tomorrow. Come to the Magic Tower, and I'll take you to where you need to go."
After that, Daniel thanked them again, said goodbye, and left the hall.
Once he was gone, all four Grand Mages sighed.
"It's a shame to lose such talent," Celine said. She seemed more upset than the others.
She, like Atlas, didn't have a disciple—and her time was running out. She wanted someone to pass down her legacy to, and now she had found such a great candidate.
Unfortunately, it seemed fate had other plans.
"Anyway, Atlas—is he really going to the River of Dragon's Tears?" Eltha looked at the old man and asked.
He was the head of the academy, and the River of Dragon's Tears was temporarily under the academy's authority. Anyone who wanted to enter needed his permission.
This year, the top students of the academy were supposed to go there as a reward for their hard work.
But she didn't remember ever giving Daniel permission or inviting him.
"That was the Duke's order. The boy saved the young lady, and the Duke wanted to give him a pass. What? Not happy with that?" Atlas asked with a smirk.
Eltha and the Duke didn't get along very well. Normally, she'd be against something like this.
"Well, if it's that kid, I guess there's nothing I can do. In fact, this could be a good chance to build a stronger relationship with him." Eltha laughed a little. Then she bent the space in front of her and disappeared.
Tomorrow, she'd be leading the students to the River of Dragon's Tears—and there was a tournament coming up soon too.
Lots of work to do.
"We should get going too. Also, Atlas—if you can, try convincing him to join the Magic Tower. I still think it's a huge waste to let such a genius slip away."
Celine said seriously, then vanished.
In the end, only Daren and Atlas were left.
Atlas took one last look at the broken tablet and told Zeon to gather the pieces.
"Come on. We need to go see the Duke. That kid's probably not a good match to be the young lady's husband," he said, glancing at Daren.
Then both of them vanished as well.
"…Huh? Damn it, they completely ignored me," Adrien muttered.
He had been ignored the entire time.
From everything he'd heard, a 42% comprehension was supposed to be considered really good.
So they didn't even look at him? Well fuck it