“Alright. Which test would you like to take? Dummy, Barrier, or Reactive?” The deep, clear voice belonged to a tall, burly man, about seven feet in height. Despite his imposing build, there was something reassuring about his tone. His skin was a warm tan, and he wore fitted, dark armor that stood out compared to the black suits the other officials wore. Most people Enya had seen around the academy so far were lean and wiry, but this man was all muscle—almost like a fortress in human form.

“I’ll do the barrier,” Berry said, the first to step forward. They had waited outside until Enya felt a little calmer after the whole needle fiasco, and now she was eager to get started.

The three of them stood in a white-tiled chamber, smaller than the reception area yet still impressively spacious. Scorch marks, scratches, and faint blemishes marred the tiles in various places—marks of previous trials, Enya assumed. And yet, none of the tiles looked cracked or out of place, just well-worn from countless tests.

Aside from Enya, Manny, and Berry, there were only two others in the room. The man in dark armor, who seemed to be in charge, and a woman with sleek golden hair pulled back, dressed in a black suit. She wore thin-rimmed glasses and stood just over five and a half feet tall. Though she said nothing, her presence was sharp and mysterious. Her stares felt like she could read a person at a single glance.

“Very well, barrier test it is,” the man said, nodding.

Manny leaned down to whisper to Enya. “She hasn’t told you her class yet, has she?”

Enya shook her head.

Manny straightened with a soft smile. “My sister can be a bit of a klutz and a one-track mind, but…”

He trailed off as a shimmering blue barrier appeared across half of the room, forming a perfect wall that split the chamber in two. Enya felt a pulse of mana radiate from it—a surge of power that far surpassed anything she’d felt in her earlier encounters, even stronger than the study’s shield and the bandit’s spell.

“She’s one strong sister,” Manny continued, his eyes following Berry as she positioned herself several feet from the barrier, knees bent and shoulders squared. “And I’m proud of her.”

The magical barrier shimmered before them. This wall of magical energy felt thicker and denser than anything Enya had seen before—it was almost impenetrable.

“What type of test is she doing?” Enya asked.

“A lot of basic combat tests have different ways to show your combat skills,” Manny explained. “The barrier test is for people who want to demonstrate raw power, like empowered strikes or explosive spells. The Dummy test is for people showing non-explosive power, like fire magic, poison, or quick blade strikes that hurt the target without destructive force. Is that explanation okay?”

“Uh… I… think so? Berry is going to hit the barrier then, right?”

“Yep. Just stand back and watch,” Manny said.

Berry stood near the center of the room, while Enya, Manny, and the two instructors watched from the back, near the entrance. Everyone’s eyes were on Berry as she held a steady, combat-ready stance, her knees and elbows slightly bent, right leg forward, and body turned to the side. Her left hand hovered, while her right arm pulled back, fist ready.

Taking a deep breath, Berry’s usual bubbly expression hardened. The glint of happiness and joy in her eyes vanished, leaving only a fierce, piercing stare. The skin around her fist tightened as her body tensed. Mana flowed through her, empowering her limbs.

Enya, watching closely, felt the traces of mana coursing through her friend’s body. Her eyes glowed a dim yellow as her vision sharpened, letting her see the flow of mana pulsing through Berry’s muscles, each surge strengthening her stance and gathering in her arm.

Berry let out a sharp, quick exhale, emptying her lungs in one focused breath. In the half-second that followed, her body moved with astonishing speed. Muscles, usually unseen beneath her slim frame, became visible, her arms and legs forming toned lines as she lunged forward at the barrier. Her fist shot out, a blur of motion that flashed red, igniting with a fierce, whizzing flame.

Bang! BANG!

Two explosive sounds echoed. The first was the sharp snap of Berry’s muscles as they whipped forward; the second, much louder, came from her fist colliding with the barrier. A small gust of wind burst past, lifting Enya’s hair and rustling her clothes as the barrier shook from the impact. Three ripples of mana shimmered outward from the point where Berry’s fist had landed.

All in under a second. Even with her full attention fixed on Berry, Enya could only process fragments of the movement. Berry’s strike was simply too fast to catch entirely.

Enya stared in awe as Berry relaxed her stance, mana dissipating from her limbs. Somehow, this explained why Berry’s grip and hug of death was so strong. She simply, was strong.

A whistle sounded from Enya’s right, and she turned to see the burly instructor, eyebrows raised in admiration.

“You got quite the punch for a kid. You said you’re here to try out for the advanced division, missy?” he asked, clearly impressed.

Berry, her usual bubbly expression back in place, skipped over with a grin. “Yep! My brother and I are both trying out for the advanced division!” She bounced on her feet, eyes sparkling. “What’s my score?”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The man checked his bracer thoughtfully. “Hmm… I’d estimate your striking power at a B+ for your age.”

Berry stood taller, pride radiating off her as she punched her knuckles together. “Cool!”

“Alright,” the instructor announced, “Manny, you’re up next. Which test would you like?”

“I’ll also take the barrier test,” Manny replied.

“Very well. Step up to the center of the chamber,” the instructor said, gesturing him forward.

The rest of them stepped back, while Manny moved to where Berry had stood moments before.

“So? Was I cool?” Berry asked, nudging Enya with an elbow.

“Yeah! That strike was really strong! I could see mana flowing all through your body, and you punched faster than I could even keep up with!” Enya exclaimed, eyes wide with admiration.

Berry laughed, a light blush rising on her cheeks. “Thanks! I think I can punch faster than most people can follow, so don’t worry about it.” She tilted her head, intrigued. “But wait—what do you mean you saw my mana? Do you have some kind of mana-sensing skill?”

“Yep! I can kind of sense mana vaguely, and I can also focus really hard on things!” Enya said, equally proud.

Berry mouthed an “ooh” in appreciation. “That’s a super handy skill! Being able to see or sense mana is really valuable in fights against people or monsters.”

By now, Manny had reached the center of the room, and their chatter quieted down.

“It’s ready when you are,” the instructor announced, nodding to Manny.

Unlike Berry, Manny always seemed more thoughtful and calm—almost an exact opposite of his sister’s lively personality. Though Enya hadn’t appraised him as the strong type, the both of them were aiming for the advanced division, which meant he had to be hiding some strength of his own.

“Hey, Berry?” Enya whispered. “What’s your class?”

“Oh, right, I guess we never told you! I’m a mana berserker. It’s a pretty uncommon class. I can channel mana to go into a berserk state, making myself a lot stronger and faster,” Berry explained, a hint of pride in her voice.

Manny stood at the center of the chamber, his back to them, facing the barrier. The wall had returned to a smooth, solid state, its surface calm after Berry’s powerful punch.

“As for my brother…” Berry’s voice dropped, her tone softer. “I bet he told you I’m really strong, huh?”

Enya nodded. Manny had indeed just said that—and he’d even mentioned he was proud of Berry. She wasn’t sure if that was something Berry needed to hear from her, so she just nodded and left it at that.

“Well… I guess I am physically strong, but… Manny’s my big bro.” She chuckled before continuing, “That guy is leagues above me. I really think he’s got what it takes to win the advanced division.”

Enya’s eyes widened. Manny? He was the stronger one? Berry’s punch alone had felt like it could rival Bonehead’s crushing fist from the dungeon. And here Berry was saying that Manny was even stronger?

“What’s Manny’s class?” Enya asked.

Ahead of them, mana started to pulse from Manny’s core, traveling down into his arms, forming two intricate spell circuits between his palms. Enya’s eyes flickered with a dim yellow light as she focused, expanding her senses to study the spell being crafted. Both circuits were identical, but something about them stunned her—the spell had eight different patterns.

Not all patterns were equal. An eight-pattern spell with basic patterns wasn’t that impressive, but these were all complex. The way they intertwined was the most intricate thing she’d seen so far—second only to the nine-pattern spell from Sable’s notes.

A gust of wind began swirling through the chamber. But unlike Berry’s punch, which had blasted air outward, this wind flowed toward Manny, creating a vortex that tugged at everything around him. Enya felt herself being gently pulled forward, and Berry quickly reached out an arm to steady her.

“Manny’s class is—hey—whoa, your eyes are glowing yellow!” Berry interrupted herself, looking down at Enya in surprise.

"Y-yeah. It’s a skill,” Enya said quickly.

Berry stepped behind her, gently gripping Enya’s shoulders—not squeezing as she normally did in her bear hugs, but just holding her steady to keep her from being pulled forward.

Ahead, Manny raised his hands in front of his chest, palms facing each other, fingers splayed as if cradling an invisible sphere. The wind rushed into the space between his hands, gathering into a swirling ball of air. Even from nearly sixty feet away, Enya could feel the fierce winds churning around him.

“Unlike me, Manny got a regular mage class,” Berry explained, her voice low but filled with pride. “He’s always been more of the studious type. I’m more carefree, but Manny… he’s a hard worker. Not some genius mage or anything, but he—he knows his strength.”

They both watched, eyes wide, as the wind around Manny coiled and twisted like tendrils of some wind-monster being flayed. Moments later, Manny pressed his hands closer, forcing the ball of air to condense even more tightly between his palms.

“Manny’s class… it’s just a basic wind mage. He can control and manipulate air to a certain degree. But,” Berry chuckled as the roar of the vortex grew louder, almost drowning out her voice, “that darn brother of mine came up with his own unique spell. And let me tell you, that spell is—”

Before Berry could finish, Manny completed the compression, the air now forming a tightly packed, four-inch sphere of violently swirling wind. With a steady motion, he drew his arm back, then quickly, hurled the ball forward.

Berry reacted instantly, whipping around to shield Enya, pulling her close and covering her head.

A piercing, shrieking noise tore through the chamber, sharp enough that Enya’s ears popped, leaving a pulsing echo reverberating in her head. The entire room quaked as the blast exploded outward, a massive force of pressure that rivaled the dungeon quake. Fierce, slashing winds ripped through the chamber, and Berry’s long black hair flew straight back, each strand trailing right above Enya.

Even with Berry shielding her, Enya could feel both of them skidding back across the smooth white tiles, their feet slipping as the wind blasted against them. The air whipping past felt cold, almost biting, its speed creating an icy chill.

After a long ten seconds of bracing against the onslaught, the winds finally settled. Berry unwrapped her arms from Enya, standing up straight.

Enya blinked, her vision clear again as the flicker of mana-sensing faded from her eyes. She took in the room: deep slash marks crisscrossed the white stone tiles, remnants of wind blades from Manny’s spell. Berry’s hair was a frizzled mess, sticking out in all directions. Enya checked her own hair, breathing a little sigh of relief to find it mostly intact—only a few split ends.

Manny turned back toward them, looking completely unruffled. His clothes were untouched, as if he was immune to wind and air itself. “So? How’d I do?”

Beside Enya and Berry, the two instructors stared at him, their faces a mix of shock and appraisal.

“That was…” The man broke the silence, his voice quiet but impressed. “That was one of the strongest attacks I’ve seen from a first-year candidate. Easily in the top five. You’ve got some serious firepower, kid.”

The woman nodded, her voice rich and smooth, though tinged with a slight rasp. “I agree with Jan here. Only the top five percent of first years can pull off that level of raw power. About twenty percent of second years, maybe half the third years,” she said, clearly impressed. “I’d say that’s S-rank for exam purposes.”

“Agreed,” Jan, the male instructor, echoed.

Manny smiled, and held out a thumbs-up, aimed at Enya and Berry.

Enya leaned off to the side, past Berry, and held her own thumbs-up pointed at Manny. Berry turned to look at Manny, a soured expression on her face. Manny winced, noticing the frizzled hair of his sister. “S-sorry.”