Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 16 (Part 2)

Cory couldn’t directly see the size of the black dot as he had kept his eyes closed in concentration.

“Listen while you rest. Your talent for spirit summoning… you can be proud. It’s 42 points.”

“Wow! I did it!”

Cory raised his arms while lying down. His legs also flapped like a freshly caught fish.

“Number 107, rest. Next, number 108. Begin.”

“Yes.”

Rodin also connected the passage for summoning a spirit with his visualization. A dot much smaller than Cory’s appeared.

“Your talent for spirit summoning is mediocre. The talent score is 11 points.”

“Thank you.”

“With 11 points, you can make a contract with a spirit. However, don’t expect the spirit to grow much.”

“That’s enough for me.”

Rodin wasn’t too disappointed with his lack of talent for spirit summoning.

No one can have everything. It’s natural to be good at some things and not others.

He had magic. Other talents were just additional.

“Rest for an hour. Take a break.”

“May I ask a question?”

“What is it?”

“Um… Rodin, I mean, number 108’s spirit summoning talent was 11 points. Should he give up on spirit summoning entirely?”

Instructor Serion stared intently at number 107 who asked the question.

Why did he ask that? Was he trying to brag about his own talent?

The thought crossed his mind for a moment but he soon realized it wasn’t the case.

The emotion on 107’s face was pure curiosity. He had asked simply because he wanted to know.

“Well. If he delves into spirit summoning for about 50 years, he might be able to raise a mid-level spirit.”

“Oh! So it’s possible.”

After that question, the conversation ceased. No one spoke for an hour.

“Again, number 107. Begin beast summoning.”

“Yes.”

Cory failed to create a passage for beast summoning. Not even a small dot appeared.

Next was Rodin’s turn.

Rodin deliberately didn’t create a passage for beast summoning. He only pretended to concentrate, while in his mind he thought of other things.

“As expected. Beast summoning isn’t possible. Return.”

“Yes.”

No one succeeded in creating a passage for beast summoning, but Serion didn’t find it surprising.

The talent for beast summoning was rare. It wasn’t unusual for no beast summoner to emerge from this place.

The next day, they measured their aura talents. The aura training room was well-prepared, so it didn’t take much time.

They entered all at once in the morning and finished using the training room together.

What remained was measuring their talents.

Starting with Hedler, number 57, they measured their aura talents in numerical order. Other trainees pricked up their ears to listen.

The Special Forces Training Center didn’t keep talent scores a secret. They didn’t shout it out loud, but it was loud enough for nearby trainees to hear.

Once a few people heard it, it spread quickly. When talent scores spread, rankings naturally followed.

“Number 57. Oh, impressive? 46 points.”

The aura talent score announced by the instructor reached the ears of those nearby. They relayed the score to those next to them, and so on.

In less than a minute, every trainee knew Hedler’s aura talent score.

“Is that high?”

“You’re the best among all the trainees from the first and second batches combined. We have to see the others, but you’re currently the highest.”

Next was number 58, Lant.

Lant’s aura talent score was 40 points. This was also quite high.

The instructor was excited by the consecutive 40-point talents. His voice naturally grew louder.

“Next!”

Although there were 52 trainees in the third batch, the talent measurement ended quickly. Mediocre or low talents were just called out and dismissed.

“Number 107. 2 points.”

Cory’s aura talent was at a miserable level. It was the lowest among all the trainees so far.

“Amazing. Given that we carefully select trainees, most get at least 5 points.”

“It’s fine. I’ll become a great spirit summoner who commands the continent.”

“Oh, you had talent in spirit summoning? That’s promising. Go in.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

Finally, only number 108, Rodin, remained.

Rodin stood calmly before the instructor.

He hadn’t expected much from his aura talent. Despite his sharp senses, nothing substantial had shown up on the aura side.

“Number 108. Aura talent, 12 points.”

“Pardon?”

“Didn’t you hear? Your aura talent is 12 points.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Rodin was surprised his aura talent was higher than expected. He thought it would be similar to or lower than Cory’s, but it exceeded 10 points.

“Shortly, individual interviews will be conducted in the first-floor dining room of the barracks. An assistant instructor will call you one by one from each room, so inform the assistant if you leave your seat. That’s all.”

There was still a long time until lunchtime, but the morning training was over.

Given that they would likely be called in numerical order, the interviews would probably start around 4 PM. That left several hours of free time.

‘Haa, will I not be able to go to the library today either?’

They were led to their rooms by an assistant instructor. Just as Rodin sat on his bed, the instructor called them.

“Number 107, number 108. Interview.”

“What? Us first?”

“Let’s go.”

“Follow me.”

Rodin and Cory stood up. At that moment, another assistant instructor came in and called out again.

“Is number 57 and 58 here?”

“Yes.”

“Number 57, follow me, number 58, wait on the stairs.”

Hedler and Lant were called while Rodin and Cory were led downstairs. They assumed the interviews would be held in the first-floor dining room, but the assistant instructor led them to the central building.

—

The central building.

The room where the slave marks were engraved was in this building. Various classes, including the continental common language and mathematics, were also conducted here.

Rodin and Cory were guided to a small room. Inside, Instructor Serion was already waiting.

“Greetings, Instructor.”

“Both of you, sit down.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Yes.”

Serion was in a good mood.

Number 108, with a magical talent score of 58, and number 107, with a spirit summoning talent score of 42.

Just thinking about these two made him feel full without eating.

“Let’s start the interview. Instead of number 107, let’s start with number 108. You’ve always been last in everything due to your number, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

As Instructor Serion said, Rodin was always the last in line. No matter what, he always had to wait until the end.

“This time, let’s do it the other way around. Number 108. Magical talent 58 points, spirit summoning talent 11 points, aura talent 12 points. You can become a magician, spirit summoner, or knight, but you will major in magic from now on.”

“Understood.”

“Did you think I’d give you a choice?”

“No, sir.”

“Well, if your talents were similar, I might have. But your magical talent is overwhelming.”

“Yes, I have no complaints.”

He wasn’t just saying it; he truly had no complaints.

He had originally planned to major in magic. He was satisfied that he wouldn’t be required to take classes for other majors.

Hyung_Otaku2

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