The following week came faster than Cael expected.
Monday morning.
The courtyard of Lunaris Academy was already filled with students.
Several training areas had been prepared across the field. Each one was separated by transparent barriers designed to prevent Core energy from affecting the students nearby.
Cael stood among his classmates.
Beside him stood a boy with slightly messy brown hair.
His name was Evan Rell.
Evan had been friends with Cael since the beginning of the school year. He was talkative, easily panicked, but always tried to make the atmosphere more relaxed.
Evan looked at the training equipment in front of them.
Targets.
Energy sensors.
Small obstacles.
And several devices used to measure Core output.
He swallowed.
“This looks more serious than I thought.”
Cael glanced at him.
“Are you nervous?”
“A little.”
“A little?”
Evan pointed at his own hand.
It was slightly trembling.
“This isn't a little.”
Cael laughed quietly.
“Good.”
Evan looked at him.
“Why is that good?”
“Because I'm nervous too.”
Evan went silent for a moment.
Then he laughed.
“At least I'm not the only one.”
Cael nodded.
Their first practical Core assessment finally began.
A teacher approached their group.
“Listen carefully.”
The students became quiet.
“This assessment is not a combat test.”
A display appeared above the training field.
PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT — CORE CONTROL
The display changed.
Control.
Precision.
Energy Management.
The teacher continued.
“Your Core Rank will not increase because of this assessment. This test is only meant to determine how well you can use the power you currently possess.”
Cael nodded.
That made sense.
He had never expected to become stronger overnight.
Evan let out a relieved sigh.
“Thank goodness. I'm not ready to rank up yet.”
Cael looked at him.
“Do you seriously think you can rank up from a school exam?”
“Who knows?”
“You're too optimistic.”
“Not optimistic. Hopeful.”
Cael laughed.
One of the students raised his hand.
“Sir, are we allowed to use Shell?”
The teacher shook his head.
“Not for this assessment. Shell synchronization will be tested later in your education.”
Several students nodded.
Cael looked back toward the training field.
So this was purely about the Core itself.
The first group was called.
The students entered the training area one by one.
A student with Fire Affinity was asked to maintain a flame at a specific temperature.
A student with Metal Affinity had to move several metal spheres through a series of narrow gaps.
A student with Water Affinity had to control a stream of water without allowing it to touch the surrounding barriers.
Some performed well.
Others struggled.
One student completely lost control and had to stop after his energy scattered.
Evan watched with a tense expression.
“If I end up like that, pretend you don't know me.”
Cael held back a laugh.
“Why?”
“So I can escape with whatever dignity I have left.”
“You don't have any dignity.”
Evan turned toward him with an expression of disbelief.
“That was harsh.”
Cael laughed.
The teachers continued recording each student's results.
Finally—
“Cael Arven.”
Cael froze.
His turn.
Evan patted him on the shoulder.
“Good luck.”
Cael looked at him.
“You're next.”
“I know. That's why I'm saying good luck.”
Cael shook his head with a smile.
He walked toward the training area.
The barrier closed behind him.
For a moment, the voices of the other students seemed to fade away.
A small screen appeared in front of him.
TEST ONE — CONTROL
Maintain a stable flow of wind for thirty seconds.
Cael raised his hand.
He took a breath.
Wind began gathering around his palm.
At first, it was unstable.
The flow moved in different directions.
Cael controlled his breathing.
Slowly.
The wind became more stable.
Ten seconds.
Fifteen.
Twenty.
Cael began to feel his concentration weakening.
Twenty-five.
His fingers trembled slightly.
Twenty-eight.
Twenty-nine.
Thirty.
The display changed.
PASSED.
Cael lowered his hand.
He exhaled.
“One down.”
Outside the barrier, Evan clenched his fist.
“Nice!”
Cael simply gave him a thumbs-up.
The second test began.
TEST TWO — PRECISION
Move five targets into their designated areas.
Five small spheres rose from the ground.
Cael looked at them.
He couldn't simply push all of them at once.
His Wind control wasn't strong enough to do that.
So he chose another method.
One sphere at a time.
He created a small current beneath the first sphere.
It moved.
Slowly.
Then the second.
Then the third.
The fourth nearly moved outside the designated area.
Cael immediately adjusted the airflow.
The sphere stopped.
He moved it back into position.
Finally, the fifth sphere.
All five spheres reached their respective positions.
PASSED.
Evan immediately shouted from outside.
“YES!”
Several students nearby turned toward him.
Evan immediately lowered his voice.
“...I mean, nice.”
Cael laughed quietly.
He was beginning to understand something.
His Wind wasn't powerful.
But he could control it.
The final test appeared.
TEST THREE — ENERGY MANAGEMENT
Maintain Wind manipulation while minimizing energy consumption.
Cael's expression became serious.
This one was different.
It wasn't about strength.
It wasn't even about precision.
It was about efficiency.
Cael began forming a small current of wind.
He kept it moving.
Instead of forcing more energy into it, he adjusted the flow itself.
The wind became smoother.
The energy consumption indicator remained low.
Cael continued.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Forty.
Suddenly, the indicator increased.
Cael noticed it.
He immediately reduced the amount of energy flowing through his Core.
The wind became weaker.
But it remained stable.
Cael continued maintaining it until the timer ended.
The wind disappeared.
The display changed.
ASSESSMENT COMPLETE.
Cael stood still for a few moments.
Then the barrier opened.
He walked back toward his classmates.
Evan immediately approached him.
“How did it go?”
Cael shrugged.
“I don't know.”
Evan frowned.
“What kind of answer is that?”
“An honest one.”
“So you failed?”
“I didn't say that.”
Evan stared at Cael for a few seconds.
Then he smiled.
“If you passed everything, you're treating me.”
Cael raised an eyebrow.
“Why me?”
“Because I need motivation.”
“What kind of motivation is that?”
“Motivation not to fail.”
Cael laughed.
Not long after, Evan's name was called.
“Evan Rell.”
Evan immediately froze.
“Oh no.”
Cael patted his shoulder.
“Good luck.”
“Don't get revenge on me.”
“I'm just returning the favor.”
Evan walked toward the training area with steps much heavier than before.
Cael watched him from outside.
---
Evan's assessment began.
He had an Earth Affinity.
For the first test, he was asked to maintain a small pillar of earth for thirty seconds.
Evan raised his hand.
A pillar of earth rose from the training field.
At first, it was stable.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Fifteen.
The pillar began to crack.
Evan frowned.
“Not now...”
He adjusted the flow of his energy.
The cracks stopped spreading.
Twenty-five.
Twenty-nine.
Thirty.
PASSED.
Evan clenched his fist.
“YES!”
Several students laughed at his reaction.
The second test turned out to be more difficult.
He had to move three chunks of earth into a designated area.
The first succeeded.
The second did as well.
But when he moved the third, Evan used too much energy.
The chunk moved too quickly and crossed the boundary.
FAILED.
Evan went silent.
“...Seriously?”
Cael covered his mouth to keep from laughing.
Evan turned toward him.
“Don't laugh!”
“I'm not laughing.”
“You're obviously laughing!”
“A little.”
Evan sighed.
Fortunately, failing one part did not end the entire assessment.
He still had the final test.
Energy Management.
This time, Evan looked more serious.
He remembered his previous mistake.
He began using smaller amounts of Earth.
Not too much.
Not too quickly.
His movements were slower.
But his energy consumption was much more stable.
The timer continued running.
Evan managed to maintain control until the time ran out.
PASSED.
The barrier opened.
Evan walked out with a long breath.
Cael immediately greeted him.
“How did it go?”
Evan raised one finger.
“Failed one.”
“The second?”
“The second too.”
Cael laughed.
Evan looked at him angrily.
“Don't laugh!”
“Sorry.”
“Liar.”
The teacher then approached Evan and handed him his data panel.
“Your output is fairly good.”
Evan looked at the results.
“But your control and precision still need improvement.”
Evan nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
The teacher walked away.
Evan stared at the panel for a few moments.
Then he shrugged.
“Well... at least I didn't fail everything.”
Cael smiled.
“Not bad.”
“Don't say 'not bad.'”
“Why?”
“Because I almost died of embarrassment in front of everyone.”
Cael laughed.
After that, the teacher who had examined Cael earlier approached them again.
“Cael.”
Cael turned.
“Yes, sir?”
The teacher handed him a small data panel.
“Your output isn't particularly high.”
Cael looked at the results.
He wasn't surprised.
“But your control is good.”
Cael raised his head.
“Really?”
“For your current level, yes.”
The teacher continued.
“Don't try to compensate for low strength by forcing more energy than you can control.”
Cael nodded.
“Understood.”
The teacher then walked away.
Evan glanced at Cael's data panel.
“So?”
Cael showed him the results.
Evan read several numbers.
“Average output.”
“Yeah.”
“Good control.”
“That's what he said.”
Evan smiled.
“Not bad.”
Cael stared at him.
“You just failed one of the tests.”
Evan immediately pointed at Cael.
“Don't bring that up.”
Cael laughed.
Their results weren't extraordinary.
But they weren't bad either.
They were simply...
ordinary.
And for two Beginners, perhaps that wasn't a bad place to start.
Cael looked toward the sky outside the academy.
A spacecraft could be seen passing high above the city.
Cael watched it for a few seconds.
Then he looked back at the data panel in his hand.
For now, he still had a long journey ahead.
And that was fine.
He still had time.