The large iron door shut behind with a loud bang.
The examination instructions had been clear, but one thing Professor Varyn had failed to ntion was how dark the chamber was.
And it was quiet. Too quiet.
Sowhere ahead, there was a pile of jade crystals in one corner of the chamber. As I walked towards it, I could sll the unmistakable scent of damp fur in the air.
It frightened a little that I was yet to find the beast. But right now, my main focus was getting the crystal, and passing the examination.
As soon as I placed my hands on one of the crystals, everything changed.
I couldn’t see the beast yet, but in the darkness, I could hear its low growl, accompanied by the sound of heavy claws scraping on the floor.
My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and soon enough, I found it.
A massive four-legged beast, way larger than a bear, covered entirely with white fur, with long fangs sharper than knives.
Grimwolves were C-class beasts feared throughout the continent. Unlike wolves, Grimwolves hunted alone, and they were known for their advanced strength, intelligence, and killer instincts.
They were born hunters ant for the wild, mainly found in the Northern Icelands. How Professor Varyn managed to capture and even ta one of them was beyond .
The Grimwolf circled around the entrance gate, its fierce eyes locked onto , waiting for to make a move.
I stared into its eyes, and for the first ti, I noticed they were the wrong colour.
The eyes of the Grimwolf were known to be blue. This one had yellow eyes.
This beast wasn’t tad as Professor Varyn claid. It was under a mind spell.
Well, as Professor Varyn instructed, there was no need to fight it. All I had to do was activate my aura to intimidate it.
Earlier, Lucy said Rin Stormborn was born with magic. So all I had to do was tap into his bloodline affinity.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
My future as Rin Stormborn depended on this mont. There was no better ti to do it than now.
"Aurora Exponentia," I exhaled.
I could feel sothing warm engulf , like a warm gust of wind flowing around .
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
And found the Grimwolf right in front of .
Its mouth was agape, ready to shut its jaws and devour whole.
Instinctively, I took a step back, narrowly avoiding death.
The Grimwolf snapped its mouth shut and imdiately snarled when it realized it missed its mark.
Once again, it began to circle .
I stared at the crystal in my hand. It wasn’t glowing, which only ant one thing.
The spell didn’t work.
I felt a tinge of disappointnt. Without my magic, I was surely going to fail this exam.
But then, sothing clicked in my mind.
Varyn said that the only way to get past the beast was by intimidating it with your aura. But he never said it was the only way to pass the examination.
All I had to do was get past the beast.
And lucky for , magic wasn’t the main reason I beca the Grand Mage.
It was my knowledge.
The Grimwolf was native to Northern Icelands. In the wild, it was a deadly predator, but throughout history, one race had successfully managed to ta it.
The Northern Elves of House Elowen.
If this Grimwolf was captured from the north, there was one thing I could do to reach it.
I took a step towards the beast, and in response, I received a loud threatening roar. I didn’t flinch. Instead, I did sothing unexpected.
I dropped to one knee.
"Greetings," I said to the beast, speaking in Helian, the native language of the elves. "I seek no trouble, beautiful one."
The beast hesitated, confused by my act. But it was clear to that it understood my words.
"You were once free to roam the vast Icelands from where you ca. Now here you are, a re slave, imprisoned against your will, obeying a master who uses you as a guard dog."
The Grimwolf let out a low growl.
"We share a similar story. Like you, I was once a free and powerful mage. Now I have lost my magic, trapped in a body I do not own and tied to a fate I cannot change."
The growl of the beast sharpened, but it didn’t lunge at .
Slowly, I rose to my feet.
"Our stories both seem hopeless, but we can help each other, you and I."
The beast circled around , closely watching. In its eyes, I could see the hesitation.
I smiled. A cold, sharp smile.
"I am not here to intimidate you. I’m here to offer you a choice."
The beast stopped right in front of the door, now listening attentively.
I took one step closer to it.
"You can sit there and growl at all day..."
I took another step.
"...Or you can let pass, with the promise that when I get my magic back..."
I raised my right palm up and placed it close to the Grimwolf’s face
"...I will free you from this hole."
The beast was completely silent now.
"Deal?"
I waited for a response in a mont that seed like an eternity.
Then, with a terrifying yet quiet grace, the beast moved right past , leaving the chamber door exposed.
It brushed my side with its shoulder, and lay on its back behind .
"Such a beautiful beast," I muttered, gently patting its belly. "In ti, I will set you free."
The beast let out a low howl, then finally retreated to its corner.
"I promise."
*****
When I walked out of the chamber, Professor Varyn stood in shock.
"There was no aura!" He gawked. "How did you get out?!"
I dropped the jade crystal right in his open palm and readjusted my uniform collar. On my face was a cold smile, like I hadn’t just narrowly escaped a life-or-death gamble.
"Take good care of that beast," I said.
Then I calmly walked out of the hall, without looking back.
"What took you so long?" Lucy asked when I stepped outside. I had no idea she was waiting for .
"Took a while to activate my aura," I replied, feigning another smile.
Lucy stared at curiously, but eventually, she shrugged.
"Stupid," she muttered. "For making wait, you’re going to buy lunch."
"No problem," I chuckled.
*****
The results of the examination were released just before sundown.
Lucy had long gone ho to a nearby inn where she stayed, so I went alone to the large noticeboard to check.
The nas appeared in a long list, divided into two parts, and arranged in order of score awarded for the written exam.
The first na on the successful candidates list was Aldrin Stormborn, with a perfect written score of one hundred percent, and a magic class assignnt of E-Rank.
Just as expected.
Then, I moved to the second na on the list.
My jaw dropped in disbelief.
I read the na again, hoping I had read it wrongly. But there was no mistake.
The second na written on the list was:
Lucy Daevalia. 98%. C-Rank.
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