“Our academy's most important course is the spellcasting class. If you can master three red-tier spells within three months, you’ll be eligible to continue your studies next semester.”

Of course, tuition for the next semester still needs to be paid.

And if you fail to meet this standard, you won’t be allowed to continue, no matter how much money you offer.

“However, if you manage to master six red-tier spells within three months, you’ll earn the favor of Professor Arcanus Lyra, becoming a true official apprentice mage. You’ll then be allowed to study higher-level spells!”

So, it turns out that although Oliver and the others had entered the academy, they weren’t yet considered official apprentices.

Six red-tier spells?

In this world, spells are ranked much like magical cores. The levels range from red, the lowest, to purple, the highest.

It was said that even beyond purple, there might be even greater tiers, but that was far beyond what Oliver needed to concern himself with for now.

“I hope you all manage to win Professor Arcanus’s favor,” said Hector, the senior student.

His words sparked excitement in both Oliver and James. Eager anticipation filled them as they felt the weight of what lay ahead.

As they continued walking, they arrived at what appeared to be a training ground.

“This is our magic testing area, and it’s also where students engage in magical duels.”

At that moment, over thirty students were practicing their magic, casting spells like Water Arrow and Fireball. The dazzling lights from the spells flickered brightly, almost blinding.

Some students were even honing their knightly combat techniques.

After all, Oakridge Academy offered both knightly and magical training.

To Oliver’s surprise, he recognized someone among the practitioners.

It was that aspiring knight!

Mr. William!

It seemed he was also a student at Oakridge Academy.

It made sense—this was a small town, and most of the knights and mages in Eccleston were affiliated with the academy in one way or another.

“For the next little while, Professor Arcanus will be in Glensorne City on personal business and won’t return until the end of the month. During his absence, your studies…”

The professor’s gone?

Oliver and James felt a brief pang of disappointment.

Their first semester, and the professor wasn’t even here.

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They were starting to feel a bit unlucky, but then Hector added, “I’ll be stepping in as your temporary instructor.”

“Hector here has an impressive level of magic,” William winked at Oliver and added with a grin. “He’s one of the top students in his class, and he’s not far from officially becoming a mage himself.”

Mastering six red-tier spells only made you an apprentice mage.

To become a true mage, one had to master at least nine red-tier spells, three orange-tier spells, activate their mana core, and pass the Mage Tower’s qualification test.

Becoming a fully-fledged mage was no simple feat.

They didn’t linger at the training ground for long. Hector led them deeper into the academy, bringing them to a room filled with magical instruments.

“This is the testing room. Now, I’ll assess your magical potential,” Hector said, pointing to a crystal ball on a table.

Testing magical potential?

James felt a wave of excitement. He couldn’t help but imagine himself as one of those rare, legendary talents.

He quickly followed Hector’s instructions and placed his hand on the crystal ball.

Instantly, the ball illuminated with a yellow glow.

“Yellow-tier. That’s average, though you have a stronger affinity for the fire element. I recommend you focus on fire magic.”

The magical potential ranking system was similar to that of magical cores. Yellow was middle-tier.

“Average?”

James’s hopes were dashed, and he couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Now it was Oliver’s turn.

He placed his hand on the crystal ball, and after a brief pause, the ball glowed blue.

“Hmmm, Oliver, it seems your magical potential is quite impressive.”

Hector’s voice carried surprise and admiration.

Blue was just below the highest tier, purple. It was a rare and highly esteemed potential!

“People with blue-tier affinity are quite rare. We only have five in our academy.”

Even in this small town, there are five?

Oliver thought to himself, realizing that blue-tier potential wasn’t as rare as Hector made it sound. But then again, it didn’t matter much.

His true strength lay in his unique Super Magic Core—something the crystal ball couldn’t measure.

“Five in town? Oliver’s talent is this high?!”

James couldn’t help but shout in disbelief, his voice full of envy.

To Oliver, being strong in this town wasn’t a major achievement, but for James, it was an unattainable dream.

“You have a stronger affinity with the earth element,” Hector continued. “I suggest you study earth magic.”

Earth magic, huh?

Earth magic represented power and formidable defense. Oliver was certainly intrigued.

It aligned perfectly with his boar-form magical core.

But Oliver had a feeling that his future wouldn’t be confined to just earth magic.

With his Super Magic Core, capable of shifting forms, he was likely to excel in other schools of magic as well.

“Next, these two books of basic spells. Take a good look at them. They introduce seven of the most basic spells. You need to study them all, but focus on the elements I just recommended for you.”

“If you don’t understand anything or need help with the spell pronunciations, feel free to ask me.”

Hector smiled as he picked up a thick book and started reading it himself.

Eagerly, Oliver and James flipped open their books, diving into the content with enthusiasm.

Since these were beginner books, the content was simple, mainly focused on spell pronunciation, correct vocalization, and the basic hand gestures to accompany them.

If they had wands, they wouldn’t need to use hand gestures, but wands were expensive—costing dozen gold coins each.

That was beyond Oliver and James’s budget.

The books were designed for beginners, filled with illustrations and very few words.

Oliver began with the spell Fireball.

It was the simplest and most basic spell.

With a clear and firm voice, he chanted:

“Fy-ra-lok-hā!”

As he spoke, he attempted the hand gestures, though his first try was a bit off.

A gust of warm air rose from his palm, but no fireball appeared.

“You did well, but the pronunciation needs some work. Try adjusting the gesture like this.”

Hector’s voice was laced with surprise.

He could clearly feel the heat emanating from Oliver’s palm.

To stir the elemental power on his first try? Oliver was more impressive than Hector had expected.

Meanwhile, James was awkwardly struggling with his own spellcasting. He couldn’t channel any magic, flailing his arms like a fool.

The morning passed quickly.

By the time it ended, James had finally managed to summon some heat into his palm—he had activated his magic!

As for Oliver, he had already managed to cast a fireball on his own, though only intermittently.

For the first time, he had truly learned magic!

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