A clear, serene gaze could be seen in Astra’s eyes as he finished his meditation. He caressed the crystal ball as mana started to circulate through his body and into the ball. Astra was recovering his mana and was even using the basic technique to gather up even more mana.

A name could be seen on the giant pillar, climbing through the ranks as quickly as lightning.

“Astra Gale? Who is that? I’ve never heard of him!” The crowd clamored.

“One hundred eighty…One hundred twenty…Ninety-eight…Fifty-two…Thirty-one…”

The crowd’s excitement grew as Astra’s name rose to the top.

“Did he just climb two hundred ranks? How much does this guy want to show off? He just waited until the very end to inject his mana.” Some people sneered in disdain.

“Look! It’s slowing down!”

Astra’s name soared to eighth place, right behind Watson.

“Whoa, nice going! Just a little bit more and you could’ve beaten me. What a shame,” Watson chuckled.

Astra’s eyes remained as calm as ever as if he didn’t hear Watson.

“Look! It’s rising again!” The crowd said.

“Huh?!” Watson stared at the pillar.

Astra was now seventh while Watson dropped to eighth.

“How…Ugh…” Watson murmured.

“Twenty seconds left!” The instructor yelled.

The pressure of time seemed to have urged Astra to do his best as he climbed another rank to sixth place.

“Ten seconds left!”

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Astra gripped the crystal ball tightly, transferring every last drop of mana that he had.

“Wow, fifth place! I’ve never heard of the Gale family before. Is he from another city?” Someone said.

“STOP! The mana test is now over. Those who are rank fifty and above, go to the merit shop later to acquire your points.” The instructor commanded.

The crystal balls turned into gray stone and crumbled apart as if it were sand.

The instructor signaled for everyone to stand on top of the golden platform again and everyone transformed into pillars of light as they were teleported back into the stadium.

A giant stone pillar engraved with names appeared in the air.

The crowd in the stadium scanned the pillar.

“Ha! My pupil made it into the top fifty! What a talent!” An old man exclaimed.

“You think he’s a talent? Mine is in the top twenty!” An old woman next to him said.

“We all know that you expended a tremendous amount of resources to help that girl of yours. It would be strange if she didn’t at least place in the top ten.” The old man grumbled.

Fausto chuckled as he heard these old timers argue over the talents of their pupils.

“Now then, let’s see how you did…” Fausto scanned the pillar.

Astra looked around him. The whole stadium was full of chatter.

Suddenly, a yellow flash appeared in the air.

A loud voice echoed, “Congratulations to this year’s examinees. I am very pleased with this year’s outcome. No matter your status, as long as you work hard, you will rise to the top.”

“Freshman, report to the dorm headquarters for your dorm. That will be all.”

Everyone dispersed through the stadium’s many exits. On his way out, Astra met with Fausto.

“Great job kid, didn’t expect you to get fifth place out of hundreds of people.” Fausto laughed as he complimented Astra.

Astra replied, “Me neither.”

“Here, I’ll give you a map of the academy, so you know where to go.” Fausto left after giving Astra a scroll.

Astra examined the map. The dorm headquarters weren’t too far from here, so he went off on his way. He arrived at a three story building made out of steel and seemed to be reinforced by mana. It looked much better than the guest house he was staying at. Astra opened the door, and a familiar man sat behind a desk.

“My name is Ebarin. I will tell you which dorm you will be living in. State your name.” said the man in a warm, red robe.

It was the same man from the exams. He was still carrying his book which held all the names of the examinees.

Astra replied, “Astra Gale.”

The man glanced at his book.

“Dorm Conquest. Merit points will be redeemable after you acquire your medallion.”

Astra nodded and left the building. He looked at his map for Dorm Conquest and went on his way.

“DORM CONQUEST”

A giant sign was engraved onto the front of the massive building made out of wood and stone. It was many times bigger than the guest house, and the exterior was decorated with flowers and gardens.

The new students walked on the concrete-paved road as they entered the building. Astra followed suit.