Present.

The arrival

Leaning on a pillar in the middle of a warehouse, a young man watched the crowd gathered around a square. Droplets of sweat flooded the people present, a constant reminder of the heat of a summer afternoon.

The young man was tall enough to see over them without having to stand on tiptoe. His normal physique made it easy for him not to stand out. He was someone who wouldn't be looked at twice. His black hair curved over his shoulders. The shirt and pants that had once been a fine leather outfit were now just faded gray and black, revealing a long journey. His name was Julio.

"Fight, fight, fight," the people shouted, organizing themselves into a small circle with two people arguing in the middle.

One of them was a child, who could be distinguished from Julio only by the light tone of his skin and the close cut on his head. It was a different style to that of the locals. Yellow pants that were short at the knees and boots that went halfway up the leg were not common there.

The other was a man. His weight pushed the boy, who defended himself as best he could, being crushed by an opponent almost twice his height. The man beat the boy with punches, kicks and slaps. Sweat ran constantly down his smooth head, wetting his long golden beard that dripped like a tap that hadn't been turned off.

"Since your father didn't give you an education, I'll give you one, you little shit!" the man continued to hit while cursing at the young man.

If you looked closely, you'd see that there were no bruises on the boy. Unlike him, the man's hands were already red with a few cuts.

"Leave your arguments for later," a voice echoed across the square.

A purple portal opened in the middle of the square, interrupting the duel and attracting the attention of the people around. More people gathered to watch the man coming out of the portal. Thousands of murmurs were heard.

"Finally, they've arrived! "

"I hope my son gets a good position"

"Shut up, do you think it's that simple? This is the fifth time my son has tried to get in. This is his last chance. "

Voices could be heard in every corner. This year would be the fifteenth selection process for young mages on the continent of Eldrac. People had been preparing for years to enter the most renowned academy in the kingdom.

"Welcome, noble ladies and gentlemen of Strawgoh. We are pleased to begin the selection of the next mages to represent our kingdom. No matter your social status, origin or background. Do you want to say something? Speak with your fists. Do you want show something? Show your power. " said the man, looking at the crowd.

Julio noticed that the man wasn't wearing a microphone or any external device.

"This year our selection in the capital has been canceled and relocated to this village. I hope the citizens here can appreciate and take advantage of this opportunity," the wizard said.

The village was situated in the lowlands, to the south of the kingdom's capital, surrounded by small mountains, in a valley known as the valley of silence. It was of average size, few people lived there, but this year was different, the capital's selection tournament would take place here.

"Do you know why the selection was canceled?".

"I heard that the capital suffered an attack. It seems the place has become a small war camp."

"But what exactly happened? Large-scale disputes aren't usually common."

"I don't know, I just know that's how it happened. They forbade everyone from divulging information, as well as surrounding the entire perimeter. It seems that even some A-rank mages have been summoned," one citizen commented.

Julio's initial route was to the capital Ividia, which would have taken him months of travel, but luckily there was less work now. The academy was the easiest place to get information, as well as being the home for the learning and development of the kingdom's leading prodigies. There were other academies throughout the kingdom, but according to his research this should be the most reputable of them all, both in terms of influence and power.

The wizard representing the academy continued, "Our tournament this year will have five places. Due to internal conditions, the selection will only take place in two stages, unlike the five stages we've always had." He raised his right hand where a sphere materialized.

In the sphere, a reflection of short orange hair and an unshaven beard could be seen, it was Calleu. The wizard was one of the six sent by the central magic school to recruit prodigies.

In his view, it was increasingly difficult to find talented humans, and when they did, they were usually blinded by power. Often limiting their own potential, or worse, standing in the way of those they considered weak, preventing promising potential magicians from advancing.

The golden age of humanity had passed, and now, along with other races, including races that humans had humiliated in the past, they were just pets for the upper continents. Whether demons, gods or even dragons, except for the last one, they all abused most humans.

Julio watched Calleu. He couldn't say precisely, but apparently he was only one level above Julio. But in practice, in terms of overall power, there was a small gulf between the two. Julius simulated in his mind a possible battle, at best he would manage not to die. This made him angry, he was still weak, his master would defeat this man with a single finger.

There were several fighters in the crowd, with different accessories. They were mostly young, between ten and seventeen years old, the maximum age allowed to enter the academy of studies.

The academy wasn't the only way to improve yourself. There were dungeons, forests, hunters, mercenaries and even the army. They were all places where you could evolve, but they weren't easy to survive in. Because of this, the academy became the most common way to learn magic.

One person caught Julio's eye, a boy with red hair. He looked between ten and twelve years old. The young man was slim and short, with a silver insignia of a lion on his chest, and on his back he carried a golden bow. The young man's expression was stern, his posture was rigid and he was attentive to every detail.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

For a moment he stared at Julio, who looked away, turning to the rest of the participants. Julio was surprised to notice that a boy was smiling at him. With a wave of his hand, the boy greeted him, but was met by a serious nod. Julio was surprised to realize that this young man was the same boy who had just been beaten up.

"Participants, please line up," Calleu ordered.

"The selection will be simple. After the attack on the capital, our time has been reduced. We have a total of five vacancies here. First everyone will place their hand on this sphere, it measures the approximate magical strength of your ozus.

Twenty people gathered in front of Julio, and he was second to last in the queue. The participants slowly approached the place where Calleu was standing. The first person was a girl, probably just starting puberty. The sphere startled the young girl, who hadn't expected the blue ball to be able to speak like a living being. Two eyes and a mouth protruded above the sphere.

"Well done, young lady, the sonserina house for you! Ha ha ha. I'm joking, of course," said the sphere. The voice was that of an old man.

"The winds will take you wherever you want to go. Take a step to the right," continued the orb. The girl obeyed, turning to face the candidates and giving way to the second one in position, listening attentively to the commentary on the next contestants.

"Stones will fall in your path, but you will crush them with your fists. Go to the right".

"Be careful not to drown in the rain. Take a step to the left. "

The puppet continued with the next seventeen candidates. Julio observed the turn of the two boys he had noticed earlier. Now the sphere was talking to the young man who had smiled at him.

"Looking to the future is good, but don't forget the past, it made you who you are. To the right".

As far as Julio understood, the sphere was talking about the magical affinity of each wizard. Probably with some fantasy about each one's potential. Which led him to this young man's element. The first hypothesis was time, but these types of magicians were very rare, and according to what Julio had learned, they wouldn't need to enter a competition to be accepted somewhere. Two candidates later, there was the boy with the lion insignia.

" Blood can make you strong. But a long trail of corpses in front of you can block the road. And don't forget the stench!, ha ha ha . To the left," the orb continued to analyze the remaining young people.

Blood magic, Julius thought. He'd never seen this kind of magician, his master hadn't told him about them either. Perhaps he didn't know much either. After the next candidate, it was Julio's turn. As he approached, the light from the sphere shone. She remained silent. Just as he was about to complain, the sphere spoke:

"The void is the primary source of everything. You can fill it with whatever you want. To the right," the sphere stared at him for a while. Julio didn't quite understand this parable, but it probably had something to do with the unusual state of his ozus. He would investigate further in the future.

Each participant was tested, and at the end there were three participants on the left and the rest on the right.

The sphere glowed, throwing a burst of light into Calleu's hand, who verbalized, :

"The three participants on the left are automatically classified. Those on the right will take the second test and compete for the remaining two places. ", said Calleu.

Murmurs were heard among the participants and the crowd. Everyone there was waiting for the chance to raise their status. If one of their children entered the academy, they would be respected by the inhabitants of other towns, as well as having a better financial chance. The academy paid a regular stipend to the families of participants who stayed in the program and accumulated enough merit.

"Quiet!" Calleu released his aura. The crowd fell completely silent, everyone had goosebumps.

"If you haven't qualified, train harder. Either you lack strength or ambition, or you just lack luck. In any case, it's not my fault, make your own way. If anyone has anything against me, they can challenge me to a duel. If you win, the place is yours. But if you lose, and you probably will, I can't guarantee that I'll be merciful. I'll make it worth your while. "

Everyone there had some magical affinity to a greater or lesser degree. They felt they had no chance if this wizard wanted to do something to them.

"The seventeen remaining mages, gather in the center of the square. The last test will begin," Calleu continued. At that moment, one of the men accompanying him quickly arrived at his side, whispering something in his ear.

"Attention! Before that, I have some news. One of the vacancies has just been reallocated. It's higher orders, I don't know why and I don't care. Now you'll only be competing for one spot," Calleu finished, pointing to a mountain ahead.

Disbelief could be seen in the eyes of the participants and their families. The number of places, which was already low, became even smaller. That was very unfair! Who could steal a place without even taking part in the test? That's very unfair, they thought. But no one dared question the decision, they were still weak, without power and status. Complaining at best would only take away the small opportunity in front of them "Our time is short, so it will be a simple race. Look at the mountain in the distance. It's said to be where King Suiluj, the most powerful human wizard, made his last appearance. All you have to do is reach it," Calleu concluded.

The king's mountain, also called the "summit of the ascendant". Julius heard some rumors while he was in the city. It was a huge monument, the faded gray surface at its base validating its antiquity. Rumor had it that the magician king defeated a deity there.

Julio estimated a distance of around eight kilometers. It wasn't much, but he had to control himself and not make such an obvious victory. His intention was not to show off. On the contrary, he had no support. Let alone enough strength to deal with the greatest powers in the kingdom. The sensible thing would be not to stand out too much.

"Hey, I'm Lucien. What's your name?" said a voice not far from Julio.

He looked behind him. It was the smiling wizard who had greeted him a few moments ago. He could now be studied better. His muscles were much bigger up close, his square jaw was guided by a smile that would scare away any fear. The stereotype of a perfect warrior. Hero number one, Julio thought. But the body was just a detail. Strength lies in how well you can use what is yours, and the environment around you, his master had taught him.

"Julio."

"You don't seem to talk much, Julio. You hide your ozus well. " Lucien said, trying to prolong the conversation.

"More or less. You're also very happy for someone who's supposedly just been beaten up." Aren't you afraid of being lynched?" said Julio.

"You got me, haha." Lucien said, rubbing his nose, disguising a smile. Bringing his lips close to Julio's ears, with one hand over his mouth, as if telling him a huge secret, he continued:

"I'm a demon who fled hell to venture among mortals, so there's nothing to fear. If I do anything, I'll blow my magic whistle and they'll come and get me and take me back.

Of course he was making a joke, thought Julio as he stared at Lucien for a while. His sympathy for Lucien was neither negative nor positive. The boy seemed honest in his personality, but Julio preferred to be alone. Loneliness was something he was used to, and having someone other than his master by his side bothered him a little.

"Get ready, it's about to start," commented Julio. Calleu's voice was present again.

"We've left a device at the base of the mountain, the first to press it will be the champion. Don't worry about the city, we've put up a barrier at the main points, the rest of the damage will be paid for by the academy. You can use any means you like to get there, as long as you don't take any lives or permanently cripple your colleagues. Go!

A huge purple ball of light exploded from his hand, announcing the start of the race. Although it sounded simple, it wasn't. According to the instructions, any tactic could be used. Knocking down, delaying or even injuring their opponents was not out of the question, Julio thought.

The mages shot fiercely towards the mountain. Some using mana to strengthen their muscles, others shaping some part of the environment to their advantage. Nothing extravagant, after all, most of them were just starting out in magic. In first place was a mage who mastered gravity, he lowered the weight on his body, reducing the friction of his body against the ground. In second place was a young woman with the wind attribute. She cut through the air in front of her with two swords made of air, which acted like wings, reducing friction and making it easier for her to move forward.

"Let the games begin," Julio thought.