"Yep, it said I had an affinity with this inheritance" Ryan said with a large smile on his face.
"What the hell?" Both Miko and John exclaimed.
"What, you both didn't get in?" Ryan asked in confusion. He assumed since he had obtained the approval of the test, John and Miko would as well. But much to his surprise, he was the only one who succeeded.
"Nope, neither of us got in. So, what did you get for succeeding?" John asked curiously.
"Nothing yet. It said to study the stone tablet, and that was it." Ryan responded.
"That's it? No treasure or weapon? That's kinda lame" Miko remarked.
"Well, go try it out and see what happens," John urged.
"Okay."
Ryan started walking towards the tablet, and was able to walk right past the invisible restriction that halted both John and Miko. He walked all the way to the tablet, and felt a profound aura wash over him that he couldn't feel before.
Ryan sat down in front of the tablet and closed his eyes as he sent his divine sense into the tablet. John and Miko watched Ryan sit there silently for over an hour before Ryan finally opened his eyes wide in elated surprise.
"Guys, it's a Mage Art. This tablet is an amazingly profound Mage Art." Ryan exclaimed in happiness.
"Mage Art?" Miko asked in confusion.
"It's like the channeled attack that he unleashed on me during our fight. Ryan's called a War Mage, according to my father, and uses Mage Arts," John responded.
"Oh," Miko nodded his head in understanding.
Both John and Miko now realized why they failed to gain the approval of the test. The test asked for them to use their strongest attack, and neither of them attacked with a Mage Art. Obviously, only War Mages were able to win the approval of the test, and only talented ones at that.
"How long will it take you to learn this art?" asked Miko. They had nothing to do here, and he was hoping it wouldn't take long.
"I don't know, but I think quite a while. You guys should head out and look for other opportunities. I'm going to stay here and study this Mage Art," responded Ryan, elation evident in his voice.
"Alright. Be careful." John and Miko turned around and left the palace, leaving Ryan to study the Mage Art.
"How lucky is Ryan? The very first thing we find, and it's a battle art perfectly suited for him," Miko said depressedly.
"He's probably already feeling left behind by both of us, so him finding his own luck in here is a good thing for him," responded John happily. Although Ryan hadn't said anything, John could tell that he was feeling the pressure of being left behind by the two of them, and he could fully understand those feelings. He had felt those feelings his entire life before he could cultivate, and knew how terrible it felt.
John and Miko left the palace and continued to walk towards the mountains in the distance. They continued forward for half a day before they finally came to the base of the mountains, at which point they spotted a giant cave dug into one of the mountains. After arriving at the mouth of the cave, they peered into its depths, but saw only darkness.
"This cave is clearly not a natural formation, so I'm guessing it's here for a reason," John remarked as he continued to peer into the darkness. He had sent his divine sense down into the cave, but its range ran out before he was able to sense the end. Even Miko's divine sense, which was much stronger and could see much further due to his variant soul and powerful cultivation, was unable to see the end.
"Well, standing here isn't going to solve anything. Let's head in."
John and Miko steeled their nerves and stepped into the darkness. They used their divine sense to see where they were going while they continued deeper and deeper into the mountainside.
After almost thirty minutes of walking, both John and Miko spotted a light further into the tunnel.
"Light! There's something down here!" exclaimed Miko as he dashed forward rapidly. John had wanted to proceed somewhat cautiously due to his fathers warnings, but chased after Miko towards the light.
"Hey, wait up!" John exclaimed as he chased after Miko. The two of them arrived at the bottom of the cave, and were able to see the source of the light.
"A door!" Miko exclaimed.
At the end of the tunnel, against the cave wall was a door made of light. Neither of them were able to see through it, but it reminded them somewhat of the gateway into the pocket realm.
"Let's enter! I don't sense any danger coming from the door" Miko said and charged towards the door. Due to his powerful variant soul, Miko was much more sensitive towards danger, and his soul would often alert him of any surrounding danger. However, he felt no danger coming from the door, and so proceeded towards it without any caution.
John saw Miko step through the door and disappear, and decided to trust his friends instincts and step through as well. Light overwhelmed John's vision for several seconds, before he suddenly found himself alone once again in a foreign room.
