Master Varcas stared at Daniel in silence for a few moments.
His gaze passed over the scattered formulas on the table, then settled on the rewritten spell that Daniel had corrected a few minutes ago.
A very faint smile settled on his lips.
"Have you ever heard of the Trial of a Thousand Spells?"
"No." Daniel shook his head without a moment’s hesitation.
Varcas clasped his hands behind his back and walked slowly toward the window. The sunlight passed through the room’s tall windows, making his purple robe appear brighter.
"Do you know why it’s called a trial?"
Daniel remained silent. Naturally, he had no idea what this trial was, and he didn’t understand why this old man couldn’t just get straight to the point.
Did he really need to say so much nonsense?
Varcas continued.
"Because there, no one measures your power. No one measures your mana capacity. No one cares about your rank, age, or status."
He paused for a moment.
"The only thing that is judged... is your own understanding and talent for magic itself."
Serys’s eyes sparkled slightly. Even though she had lived in the tower for years, she always loved Varcas’s explanation of this trial.
She also knew this trial and had even participated in it. She had achieved a good result, though not as good as Lioran’s.
But this trial is not competitive. It is a trial that helps a mage learn the entire foundation and basis of the magical world.
The old man fixed his gaze on Daniel.
"This trial is a legacy from one of the founders of the Central Magic Tower. Thousands of years ago, he spent his entire life collecting the most complete spells in history."
"In the end... he selected a thousand spells."
"From the simplest fire magic... to divine spells that even today few have the ability to use."
Daniel listened carefully.
Varcas continued.
"But don’t be mistaken. You’re not supposed to memorize those thousand spells. Each spell only asks you one question."
"What question?" Daniel said quietly. The explanation about the trial had managed to catch his attention.
"Did you truly understand me?" Varcas smiled.
The room fell into silence for a few moments.
"If the answer is no... the spell fades, and the next spell appears. But if the answer is yes, that spell offers itself to you as part of its legacy."
"So the spell itself decides?" For the first time, Daniel showed a bit of interest.
"Exactly." Varcas answered firmly.
"That’s why it’s called a trial. The judge there is not human. It’s magic itself."
"With the help of this trial and learning the spells, you can understand and learn the entire foundation of the magical world."
"Everything you need to know about the structure of magic will be understood through those spells."
A few moments later, the old man sat quietly on one of the chairs.
"Over the past thousands of years... millions of mages have entered this trial. But truly legendary results... have been very few."
He raised his finger.
"Less than a hundred spells... ordinary talent. Between a hundred and three hundred... a genius."
"Between three hundred and five hundred... a genius with the potential to reach Divine Mage."
"Between five hundred and seven hundred... only a few in all of history. Between seven hundred and nine hundred... only the founders of the tower."
"And more than nine hundred..." The old man smiled bitterly.
"Has never happened."
"The current record belongs to Lioran. Seven hundred and eighty-three spells." Serys added.
"That’s why he’s called the greatest genius of the current era."
"That’s right. His record is nearly equal to the founders’." Varcas also nodded quickly.
The room fell silent again.
"Are all those thousand spells complete?" After a few moments, Daniel asked only one question.
Varcas answered without a moment’s hesitation.
"Yes. There are no incomplete versions there."
"Is anyone allowed to try again?" Daniel asked again.
"No. Each person only once. The trial remembers the person’s soul. A second time, it will never allow entry." The old man didn’t even think this time.
Daniel fell into silence for a few seconds.
"Interesting." Then he said very quietly.
That was it. Just that one word.
But that calmness made both Varcas and Serys exchange a brief glance.
But from Daniel’s own perspective, this trial could be a great help for him. Not only could he learn the entire foundation of the magical world,
but he could also find a way to break Lioran’s invincible image. By breaking that boy’s record, the views of many of his supporters would change.
And it would make everyone understand that a genius had appeared who could challenge him.
Varcas continued again.
"There’s another point that most mages don’t know about. This trial doesn’t just measure understanding; it also analyzes your way of thinking."
"If you’ve only memorized the spell... you fail. If you’ve understood the logic behind it... you pass. And if you can optimize its structure... you get extra points."
He paused for a few moments.
"And if you can present a more complete version of the spell itself, the trial itself will react and may give you additional rewards."
A spark of curiosity appeared in Daniel’s eyes. He quietly looked at the formulas on the table, as if piecing something together in his mind.
For him, doing such a thing was not a problem. With the talent and abilities he possessed and his unparalleled understanding, he could practically find any flaw in any formula or spell and create a better structure for it.
He still felt that this trial could be very useful for him. By fully understanding the structure and foundation of the magical world, perhaps he could also find a way to combine his race and his bloodline.
And fully learning the foundation of the magical world would also give him a basis for understanding and learning runes and arrays more easily, which could also be a great help for him.
Varcas saw this change but said nothing. A few minutes later, the old man rose from his seat.
"What do you think? Do you want to participate?"
"Now that everyone knows you’re the one who fully comprehended the main tablet, if you also break Lioran’s record in the Trial of a Thousand Spells... the entire tower will explode." Serys looked at him and said curiously.
"I’m not entering to break his record." Daniel said quietly.
"I just want to see how correctly the tower’s founders... understood magic."
Serys felt she had misheard. She stared at Daniel for a few moments.
This man... wasn’t even thinking about Lioran’s record. He intended to test the tower’s thousand-year-old standards themselves.
Serys finally managed to find her voice.
"You... you’re really insane." And she sighed, but there was no annoyance or worry in her tone.
"One question. When can I participate in the Trial of a Thousand Spells?" Daniel looked at Varcas and asked.
"For ordinary people, it’s held only once a year. But, with what happened with the tablet, I doubt anyone still considers you an ordinary person." Varcas answered quietly.
"It’s very likely the Supreme Council will personally set the time for your trial."
"Good. The sooner, the better." Daniel smiled very faintly.
"Now that this matter is agreed upon, how about we talk about the main reason I came here?" Master Varcas then smiled and added.