Auffre Kingdom, Auffre City.

At Aurora Academy, the annual entrance examination is currently in progress.

The Potential Assessment was the first round for admission. It not only determined the examinee’s future profession—Warrior, Rogue, or Mage—but also assigned a corresponding potential rating, ranging from Level 1 to Level 5.

At the center of the examination hall, a massive crystal ball floated silently in midair, waiting for each examinee to touch it and reveal their potential.

“Next, Sigurd Nord.”

As the examiner called the name, the murmurs in the crowd abruptly ceased. A young man, dressed in a black, yet luxurious robe, with globe-encircling serpent embroidered on the back, strode forward with steady steps.

His sea-blue hair fluttered gently in the wind, and his deep blue eyes were like the ocean. His expression was one of icy indifference, as if this moment held no more significance than a passing breeze.

He hailed from one of the Noble Six of the Aufrre Kingdom — Nord of Jormungandr.

Sigurd slowly extended his hand and placed it lightly on the crystal ball.

In that instant, the entire hall fell into a suffocating silence.

And BOOM—!

A tremendous vision erupted from the crystal ball!

An intense chill descended, freezing the very air itself, and the temperature of the hall plummeted.

Frost spread wildly as a colossal figure slowly emerged from the endless ice.

Jormungandr, the World Serpent!

Its scales gleamed like ancient ice, and its piercing serpent eyes radiated an icy brilliance. Its enormous body coiled between heaven and earth, surrounded by a storm of pure frost. Wherever it passed, everything froze solid.

The examinees in the hall were struck silent, utterly overwhelmed by the sight before them.

Some gasped sharply. Others opened their mouths as if to speak, but only managed a breathless whisper, unable to believe what they were witnessing.

The scene is simply too much to take in.

The sheer magnitude of magic, the titanic form capable of devouring the world — this was no ordinary assessment result!

Just how high did a potential rating have to be to trigger such an earth-shattering vision? No one knew the exact number, as test scores weren’t shared with the examinees.

But no one needed to. Sigurd’s potential was just beyond monstrous.

Standing nearby, Colin Vether, the head of the Mage division, narrowed his eyes. Without hesitation, he activated a magical communication link to report to the academy’s headmaster, Professor Ola.

“Headmaster, the most gifted mage of this year has appeared.”

Paused a bit, to ensure his voice did not tremble.

“His potential has reached an unprecedented Level 4.3, breaking your record of Level 4.2.”

On the other end of the link, Professor Ola paused for a moment before responding indifferently, “I see.”

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His voice was calm, as if this record-breaking talent barely stirred his emotions.

Another unprecedented prodigy from the nobility…

But so what?

Would that really make any difference to this continent?

The assessment continued.

“Next, BaiYun.”

From within the crowd, a young man with black hair and black eyes — distinctly an Easterner — came out with confident, almost leisurely steps.

A hint of smugness flickered across his face. A self-satisfied smirk played on his lips as if he expected all eyes to be on him. He slowly scanned the surrounding examinees, seemingly enjoying their attention. He looked like a victorious hero acknowledging his admirers as he waved to the audience.

A dead silence followed. Then, low murmurs began to ripple through the crowd.

“…Who is this guy?” someone muttered under their breath.

“Did he not see what Sigurd did?” another examinee whispered, utterly baffled by BaiYun’s bizarre display.

“Right after Sigurd? I actually feel sorry for him,” someone snickered, shaking their head.

But BaiYun paid them no mind. If anything, the corners of his mouth curled even higher upon hearing the murmurs. He stood tall, his steps firm, as if he were the true protagonist of the day. His eyes glinted with amusement, as if to say:

"You mere mortals are about to witness what a true genius looks like."

Colin Vether frowned slightly, patience wearing thin. His tone was restrained but firm:

“Examinee BaiYun, please proceed with the test.”

The head of the Warrior division, Barrett Raine, made no effort to hide his dissatisfaction. His brows furrowed as he shot Yun a look that says: What the hell are you so smug about?

Meanwhile, the head of the Rogue division, Min Zhao, didn’t even lift her gaze. Arms crossed, posture unwavering, she made it clear that she simply didn’t care — as if BaiYun wasn’t even worth acknowledging.

But BaiYun remained unfazed, his confidence unshaken.

And why wouldn’t he be?

Way before the test began, he had already been given an earth-shattering revelation:

His potential was the highest on the entire continent of all time.

As he put it, learning spells was as easy as counting to ten, and chanting spells was as effortless as singing Baby Sharks.

He was ready for his moment of glory.

Taking a deep breath, filled with anticipation, he placed his hand on the crystal ball.

In his mind, he was already imagining:

"What will it be?"

"A storm of thunder? A sea of flames?"

"Or perhaps golden mana cascading through the heavens?"

"I am the highest potential in history, after all—"

Then—

The crystal ball lit up.

Yes. It simply lit up.

No thunder. No fire. No cataclysmic surge of mana.

Just lit up.

BaiYun froze.

Unwilling to accept it, he let go and pressed his other hand onto the crystal.

Again, it just lit up.

The hall was silent.

Then, finally, someone broke the silence with a low murmur:

“Hey… doesn’t that kinda look like a giant lightbulb?”

A beat later—

“PFFFT—HAHAHAHAHA!”

The entire room erupted into laughter.

BaiYun’s face turned crimson.

He wanted to disappear. The shame of it all, especially after his earlier bravado, crashed over him like a tidal wave.

But on the examiners' side—the reactions were completely different.

Colin Vether’s eyes widened in shock, his face going pale as if he had witnessed something beyond comprehension.

Barrett Raine blinked once before bursting into loud laughter.

Even Min Zhao, who has always maintained an air of tranquility， found herself staring at BaiYun, as if he were a strange new creature.

BaiYun felt more fucking embarrassed.

From his perspective:

Colin was deeply disappointed.

Barrett was outright mocking him.

Min Zhao, simply, was looking at a moron.

But at that moment—Colin Vether’s hands were trembling as he activated his communication link again.

“Professor…” He inhaled to gather his thoughts.

“I was wrong.”

“The strongest potential in history… has just appeared.”

“This Eastern examinee…”

“His Mage Potential Rating—Level 5.”