‘Spatial magic… someone with such a rare talent died…’

When Nataly mentioned spatial magic, Sol’s first thought immediately went toward the lost potential of the talent. Depending on the rarity of the spatial talent, Liam could have become a huge figure in the future.

“Wait. So the portal dropped you off at the 9th floor?”

He quickly realized what that meant.

She nodded, “I was stuck there. There was only so much food, and I didn’t know when the next party would arrive, so I had to start climbing back down alone. With my life on the line, I became surprisingly good at nature magic. I only really knew healing spells and how to summon plants, but I managed to combine the two into a really unique spell. I don’t know if I am the first to create something like this, but I was able to defeat two monsters at once! I was also lucky I found a party on the 7th floor who were kind enough to help me out.”

“I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your party, but I still don't get why you are applying to become a knight.”

“Shh! Don't interrupt; I was getting to that!”

‘I completely forgot how much she liked to talk…’

The same thing happened when they were at the fort before the invasion began. Sol remembered when they were exploring the fort and how she would always be talking about magic or some other topic.

“So, as I was saying. The party helped me escape, and once I was outside, I realized how much I improved when I was exposed to danger like that. That doesn't mean I’m gonna throw myself in harm's way on purpose, but I ended up discovering a path in nature magic I want to explore. I later heard that the knight selection was happening soon and a few of the benefits. Did you know that all royal knights have access to the first level of the royal library? I’m sure there are some dusty books with all sorts of magic spells and techniques; I’m sure that's where I can further improve this new style I'm working on. On top of that, as knights, one of the missions we might get assigned can be diplomatic ones to other countries. If I am able to join one that heads into Sylmasera, I’ll hopefully be able to learn from the elves who excel at nature magic.”

Sylmasera was the domain of the elves, a kingdom settled in the heart of the Great Forest, which was located west of Crestelia. While the kingdoms had some trade relations, Sylmasera didn’t allow strangers to enter their borders without permission. This mostly stemmed from the violent past the two nations used to have. Almost two centuries prior, the humans of Crestelia used to invade their borders to capture and enslave elves. It led to many skirmishes between the humans and the elves until the royal family of Crestelia signed a peace treaty with the Matriarch of the elves. The treaty was originally only meant to stop the fighting and the enslavement of elves, but the king of Crestelia at the time took it a step further and officially abolished slavery in its totality.

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Though the humans of Crestelia don’t attack elves and think of them as neighbors, the elves haven’t forgotten. Elves were a naturally long-lived race; though the ones who committed the acts of enslaving the elves were long dead, the ones who were victims of these acts were still very much alive. It was hard to forget such a crime when it happened within their lifetimes, which was why they closed their borders and scarcely allowed outsiders inside. Even for trading, merchants are only allowed to travel to a border city, which was where they obtained access to their elven wares.

“Oh hey, it’s your turn.”

Time flew thanks to Nataly’s story, and they arrived at the front of the line.

“Right. Well, I hope you find what you're looking for; who knows, maybe someone can teach you. Good luck on the tests.”

“Thanks! You too.”

Sol approached the stand where a knight sat with an orb and a slate on the side.

“Name?”

“Sol.”

“Put your hand on the orb, Sol.”

[Analysis Orb

Rare

Skills:

[Analysis] Lv 7]

‘Okay, it should be fine.’

He used [Analysis] to quickly verify the ability of the orb. He knew for a while now that his biggest risk would be during the inspection if the item used could pierce through the Deceiver’s Earring’s level 8 [Status Deception], but luckily his fears were unfounded.

Sol placed his hand on the orb as a status page emerged from it, facing towards the knight. From where Sol could see, it appeared his earrings worked their magic and made the fake status page appear.

“Hmm, I see. Oh…”

The knight's face went from shock to sadness as he gazed upward to Sol with a look of pity.

“You must have had it rough, huh.”

‘What?’

Sol was confused by what the knight meant. Was there something wrong with his status page? Luckily, the knight gave him a clue of what he meant.

“While it's a good skill, be careful in training it. Too much pain can make someone lose their mind.”

The knight was referring to [Physical Resistance]. A skill that required someone to endure a lot of pain just to increase its level by one, and that was only if you had a talent that helped with its growth.

“Oh, umm. Yeah, I don’t plan on it, it just sorta happened.”

The knight nodded. He kept looking at Sol in a way that made him feel like he was a victim.

“Your status passes the check, this is your token. Take it and head over to that group to head towards the second test.”

The knight handed him a small token with a number on it, 241.

“Thanks!”

Sol walked away, and Nataly waved at him as she went up next. He didn’t wait for her, as he knew they would meet up later, and went to where he was directed. On the way there, he noticed a few outbursts every so often from people who failed the status test. Either from forging their status or simply not meeting the base requirements. A few knights were dispatched to escort those people out.

‘I could understand a reason for those who forged their status. I did it too… but why apply when you aren’t strong enough? Just wait for next year.’

Maybe there was a story behind their actions that completely justified them, but Sol didn’t know them. With his current circumstances, he had no right to judge them.