As Kai approached the crystal ball that was placed in front of three wooden chairs, he couldn't help but feel the intense pressure from the people who sat in the upper chamber.
Using Alpha's sonar recognition, he was able to decipher part of what the high-ranking people were discussing.
Until then, they had high hopes for him, but after Lisa's clarification, all their focus was aimed back at Matthew.
Kai's steps were steady, like he didn't have a care in the world; his beautiful face contrasted well with the invisible light source, causing him to feel otherworldly, so much so that even the examiners and the high-ranking people couldn't take their eyes off him.
As he stood in front of the stone, he heard a loud voice from the crowd. Slowly turning to check the owner of the gentle voice, he was stunned to see Hestia Roswell, the same girl he fought in the entrance exam, call out to him.
"What?" Kai asked in a slightly cold tone.
"Don't you dare fail." She paused. "You can't possibly defeat me and end up with a low-ranking trait."
Kai's eyes widened at her remark; soon, a bright smile curled up on his lips. "I don't think you have the leisure to worry about others."
Hestia stuttered a little before turning and facing the opposite direction, mumbling something inaudible.
Kai continued, his tone firm. "But thank you," he said, turning over to face the cold examiner, who couldn't help but be overwhelmed by his appearance.
"Cadet 277," she said, pointing over to her colleagues.
Without wasting any time, Kai gracefully walked up to the other woman, who whispered a few words to him, which were mostly instructions.
'Are you ready Alpha?'
[Always have been.]
Touching the mana stone, Kai couldn't help but get cold feet; it had been so long since he had stood in front of so many people.
'Am I getting stage fright?'
He shut his eyes for a second before opening them instantly. This single act made all the murmurs and glares of the students almost disappear from his head.
Channeling his mana into the ball, a large amount of mana surged through the room. Though it wasn't as intimidating as that of Matthew, it was still powerful.
Students' eyes widened in bewilderment as the examiner said the result.
"Cadet 277, Kaiser Vanguard trait rank." The dead-eyed man took a dramatic pause. "S rank, mana pool: 560/1000."
The hall grew still; not even a whisper could be heard.
A cracked voice soon shouted from the crowd, "The test must have been rigged!"
Different voices chorused with him, making the hall turn rowdy.
Kai didn't blame them; if someone you thought was weak and beneath you was shown to be far above you, no one would want to agree.
'Just imagine what could have happened if I showed my true trait.' Kai thought addressing Alpha, but instead of answering, she noted the faces of the few individuals who weren't bitter but instead wore wide smiles.
Mainly the S and SS ranks, with a little from the A and B ranks.
[I'm proud of you.]
'What is with that tone? I didn't do anything grand, you know?'
[It's just that I can't help but feel proud and also incredibly happy for the day we have the chance to blow their minds even further.]
'You're a sadist, you know that, right?'
[Of course I do.]
The examiner wore a wide smile before handing him a badge shaped like a raven.
"I wish you success, kid."
Kai reciprocated the smile before taking his badge and heading to where he stood previously.
"So, you are an X rank?"
Before he relaxed on the wall, Elia asked him.
"What made you think I am?"
"Oh, nothing," she said, opening her arms in a confused manner.
Kai sighed and looked at the next students who walked up to the stands.
"Did you notice?"
"What?" Elia asked as she turned to face him.
"Melissa isn't present," Kai said while leaning against the wall.
"You mean the obsessive Melissa?" Elia asked.
"Yeah, she didn't come for the ranking test."
Elia pondered for a moment, her hands placed on her jaw. "I thought she was Lisa's younger sister? Maybe she has a mission." Elia glanced over at Kai, whose gaze was fixed on the testing ground. "She is a third year, after all," she concluded.
"I guess you're right."
*******
Before long, the mana testing was completed, and all cadets were sent to their team locker room.
The only figures that remained were the seven high-rankers that watched the exam from above.
The seven had somehow found their way to the test area the moment the students were done testing.
"Your teleportation is as smooth as ever, eh, Audrey?" a bulky man with red hair spoke, his tone bold and commanding.
"I told you that it's Queen Audrey to you," a woman with purple-coloured hair and grey eyes retorted.
"Hahaha, don't be such a stick in the mud; someone would think you are the queen of this country. Grandmasters are all called kings, not queens," the red-haired man answered.
A man wearing glasses with a formal army suit looked over at the two before sighing. "Silver, Dover, can you two stop that?" the man demanded.
"Cap, I told you to call me by my first name. Why call me by my family name? It is Tony, T... o... ny," the red man said.
"Can you three stop your rambling? We came here for a reason."
"Oi, Radiant Sword, why must you be such a grandpa?"
"It seems you are awfully energetic since your son's X rank status got revealed to the world."
Tony laughed loudly while tapping Radiant Sword on the shoulder.
He then turned to Lisa and another woman who wore a combat suit. "At least my kid showed up; neither your kid nor Lisa's sister even appeared."
The woman with the combat suit had a voice that resembled that of the woman who appraised Matthew's rank.
She was cold and quiet, with an air of nobility. Her blonde hair and red eyes shone brightly.
Each of her elegant movements carried an indisputable poise of royalty.
The tight, full-bodied, leather-like black and grey combat suit had a white skeletal spine at its back, metal shoulder and knee pads, a thin metal belt, and high-tech boots.
She spoke calmly, but her voice was slightly muffled due to the gas mask she wore. "Can all of you stop it?" she said, diverting all attention to herself.
Tony turned and faced her before scratching his head. "I'm sorry about that, Princess Victoria."
"No need," she continued. "Audrey Dover, you are the guild master of the Lions Head Guild. Is there anyone you want?" she asked, casting her full attention on the purple-haired woman.
"Just like everyone here, my picks would be the top six students, including Tony's son." She paused. "But what about you, princess?"
The princess paused, her breathing echoing through her gas mask.
'I don't know why the princess wears her mage combat suit inside the dome,' Tony thought to himself, looking at the beautiful princess.
"It might sound strange for me to say this even after Lisa's warning, but I would like the Mage Association to take the pretty kid."
'Oh, ho, the princess wants someone, that looks promising,' the man with glasses and a fifty-fifty blue hair cut thought while repositioning his glasses.
"Why do you say so, princess?" he asked.
"No major reasons," she paused, her expression darkening. "It's just... I couldn't sense anything from him."
The hall grew still. The royal family of Meltonia had five children, three girls and two boys, but out of all the members of both the direct and indirect branches, Princess Victoria was said to be a genius among geniuses.
"Princess," Lisa said. "If you want, we can have an immediate reevaluation," she said, trembling ever so slightly.
"No," Victoria said. "I don't think there will be a need for that; I might just not be in my right mind."
The man in glasses clapped his hands while wearing a bright smile. "The princess is right; we can do this after the league begins. It is a way to bid on the rising talents after all and we all know what is at stake."
They all looked at him before nodding. "Captain Abraham, you have a fine daughter," Audrey said amusedly.
"Don't brings my baby Anica into this?"
"Haha, someone hearing you would forget you're the third commoner to ever become a grandmaster; Song of the Dead."
"I told you, don't call me that."
"Why isn't it fun, Abel?" Tony asked in his usual playful tone.
Exhaling heavily, Abel turned to the princess, who stood in place as he left.
"What happened, Your Highness?" he asked in a tone filled with concern.
"Nothing. I just felt like someone peeped in here."
All three cast wary glances but, noticing nobody around, they sighed and headed for the door.
'Maybe I haven't actually calmed down from completing my last mission,' Victoria thought as she stepped into Audrey's gateway.