Book 13 Chapter 32

Episode 18

The Gladus (4-star) ranking examination first goes through regional preliminaries.

This is abbreviated as [4-star selection], and only one person is selected from each of the Empire's five administrative regions. In short, five people representing each region reach the main competition.

The eligibility requirement is an Atlas (3-star) ranking. This is a race toward the pinnacle for the Empire's top 150 intellectuals.

"Greetings, fellow mages. I am Ulan Page. It truly gladdens me to be here in the North as the supervisor of this examination."

The [4-star selection] in the North has traditionally been held in the Garden of the Great Sage.

It is one of the places revered by mages as a sanctuary, as it is where the first mage, Emittsa Page, is said to have stayed when constructing the northern capital's <Snowstorm>.

As if to prove her direct lineage from Emittsa, Ulan Page's light purple hair, a physical trait of the Page family, fluttered.

"…Wow, it's Ulan Page."

"…He really came."

"…The current Magic Alliance Leader."

As Ulan Page ascended the platform, the crowd in the audience began to murmur. His influence was that absolute.

"Whenever I come here, I always feel ashamed before the sages of the past. As you all know, this is the Garden of the Great Sage, where Emittsa Page resided when she established <Snowstorm>, which controls the harsh cold of the North."

"……!"

"What is magic? To his disciples' questions, he replied, 'It is to bring all the *ma* (evil\/magic) of the world under the order of *beop* (law\/order).'"

"……!"

"Following his teachings, the history of magic has prevented disasters and relieved the populace, yet not a single mage has ever reached the Shinsaeji (7-star) rank like him. This means that while we desire to in our hearts, our bodies utterly fail to follow his teachings."

"……!"

"A mage is one who pursues truth. I have not come here to supervise an examination. I have come to find someone. Someone who will one day reach the truth and unravel and teach it to us."

"……!"

"I sincerely hope that someone is one of you, who are here today as one of the Empire's foremost scholars."

Though no one prompted it, applause erupted from the audience.

This was Ulan's charisma.

He was the one who, by overwhelming everyone not only with his skill but also with his character, ascended to the position of Alliance Leader unanimously despite the conflict between the Mage Families and the Seven Great Academies, was he not?

"Now, let the [4-star selection] begin! The mage who presents the optimal solution to the given problem shall reach the main competition!"

In the Gladus (4-star) examination, preparing magic in advance is not permitted. Even if it were, it would be meaningless.

This is because the situational conditions also change according to the problem.

In the year 1103 of the Calendar Era, the problem presented in the Northern [4-star selection] was 'a levee on the verge of collapse due to heavy rainfall.'

Of course, this situation is not presented in text. Instead, it directly appeals to the examinee's five senses through an illusionary magic that unfolds in an instant.

Examinees must perfectly assess not only the situation but also environmental factors to devise the optimal 4-star magic.

'…This won't be easy.'

'…The cohesion of the soil has become extremely low due to prolonged heavy rain.'

'…It's impossible to solve with conventional earth magic.'

An extreme situation where an ordinary mage might have fallen into a panic, with a time limit likely around 10 minutes.

However, those gathered here were intellectuals aiming for the pinnacle, and they began to unfold their respective answers as magic circles on their canvases.

Bulken, a muscular middle-aged man who came here as a supervisor for the Northern [4-star selection] alongside Ulan Page, raised an eyebrow boldly.

"This looks interesting."

His gaze fell upon a mage with eyes as cold as ice.

Kun, a late disciple of the Belsedel School, known by the epithet North Sea Ice Palace. He is the older brother of the light blue-haired female mage, Cecil Duren, who participated in the Svarlag subjugation.

Ulan Page nodded.

"The Belsedel School has a deep understanding of the characteristics of ice magic. It seems he intends to overcome this test with that strength."

What Ulan Page focused on next was Ken Sherman, who was beside him.

The Sherman family belongs to the Ten Gate Families, which are situated below the Five Mage Families.

Ken, who reportedly began studying magic at the age of twenty-one after a dissolute youth, achieved Atlas (3-star) rank at twenty-seven, and his immense talent led to expectations that he might become the tenth Gladus (4-star) in this examination.

"Haha, those Shermans! Masters of poison magic, they're the kind you'd enjoy fighting. It seems they intend to do something with their famous poisons in this examination too."

Bulken smacked his fist into his palm, savoring the thought.

He, too, is the sect leader of the Chyhark School, one of the Seven Great Academies. The Chyhark School consists of Wing-type mages.

They were known by the epithet [Strength Mages], fighting by enhancing their bodies with magic power.

"The possibilities of poison are truly boundless, even outside the realm of killing. I look forward to seeing what creativity they will display."

Ulan nodded at Bulken's words and shifted his gaze to the next mage… a boy impeccably dressed in a hanbok.

Suddenly, in that instant.

Ulan's pupils, his thoughts, froze.

'Ah…'

For a moment, that thought came to him.

'If…'

If magic itself were to be embodied in this world and draw a magic circle, wouldn't it look like that?

'How…'

How could such profound grace emanate from such a small, delicate body?

*Ilpilhweji* (writing in a single stroke).

The boy's figure, writing down runes and mathematical equations on the canvas in a state of intense concentration akin to *mang'a* (self-oblivion), drew the grand hall into silence.

There was no hesitation.

No wavering.

As if the optimal solution was already in his mind, and all he had to do was write it down. At this moment, when other mages were racking their brains calculating mathematical equations.

- Alliance Leader, I have truly discovered a heaven-sent talent.

Ah, this child.

The child Kern Ulf spoke of.

And the child who caused a stir throughout the Northern Magic Alliance branch.

- He may not yet reach Gladus (4-star), but with my guidance, he will be able to. I wish to recommend this child for the [4-star selection] so that he may face a wall and require a true teacher.

Kern, my foolish friend… what on earth are you talking about?

What did you see, exactly?

The horizon of magic this child can perceive seems to be beyond what 4-star magic can stand as a wall against…

"I've made the magic. Can I use it now?"