~5th Place~
Name: Jared Leonard
Age: 12 Years
1st Test Score: 100
2nd Test Score: 100
3rd Test Score: 1
Total Score: 201
Mana Core Grade <White>
Mana Core Grade Concentration: 100%
[You Have Been Accepted As A Student Of Ainzlark Academy]
[.]
My jaws nearly dropped and my eyes nearly popped from their sockets the moment I laid eyes on my result. Slowly, my memory returned as I remembered skimming through the 5th position, already assuming it wouldn't belong to me.
'Why did I not even notice...?' I thought to myself.
Perhaps I had been so used to my name that I had unintentionally passed it. Maybe I didn't think I would get that high in the first place. My confidence had been stunted by what was going on around me, so I had lost composure for a moment.
The reason I skipped it didn't matter anymore... what was important was that I passed!
A grin formed on my face as I looked in Legris Damien's direction. He gave a short smile and nodded slightly. I was relieved and happy he had told me. Though no rule prevented him from telling me directly, no one would go out of their way for a mere entrant, especially one with a core like mine.
'So, you're still looking forward to our next time, uh? Very well... I won't disappoint you!' My lips curled up in a wide smile, happy to the point of tears.
I had finally passed one of the hurdles I could never attain in my past life... officially studying magic, not as a scholar, but as a Magic-User.
With my mind relieved, I loosened my ears, and floods of sounds entered. The murmurs of people which I had ignored came rushing in to the point which I couldn't ignore anymore.
"A-Amazing! He got perfect scores on both first and second tests!"
"I told you, you guys weren't there when he performed his spell! That guy is a beast!"
"But what's with his Mana Core? Why is it still white?"
"You think there was an error in grading him?"
"Ainzlark wouldn't make such a silly mistake."
"I don't understand. How could he... don't tell me..."
"Yeah, I think so. He probably cheated. Maybe he's with a magic artifact that allowed him to pass the test or something. There's no way a White Core Grade could achieve what he did."
"So, in the end, he was no big deal, uh? That's too bad."
"Let's just avoid him..."
I sighed as I heard the public opinion of me drift from favorable to the opposite. We're these people stupid? This was the most prestigious institute for learning Magic, yet these fools had the notion that I somehow cheated.
Were they so desperate to refute the achievement of someone with a White Core Grade? Their minds just couldn't accept it, so they went for another impossible answer instead.
In any case, I didn't care anymore. As long as I had gotten in, that was all that mattered at this point.
"Hey, Jared Leonard." I heard a voice coming from beside me.
Recognizing the voice clearly as well as the rude tone that the owner used, I rolled my eyes as I slightly tilted my face toward Stefan's location.
His face once again surprised me. He didn't have the usual haughty expression as before. Instead, a deeper glint of frustration was evident in his eyes. Those eyes told me one simple fact... he was angry.
"How did you do it?"
His voice had a slight hint of emotion attached to it. Was he curious about how I was able to get so high in the test while having a White Mana Core Grade?
"Well, what can I-"
"I'm not joking around right now!" Stefan snapped.
It was only for a moment, but his arms twitched as he formed a fist. The boy was really beating himself up internally. He had lost overall to Maria, but he was still on top in the first test. That had provided him with enough comfort to accept his second place.
However, not only had I gotten a perfect score in the first stage, but I also managed to trump the girl who surpassed him in the second test. In essence, I just proved myself to be better than them in their specialties.
That was a slap on their faces.
"It's a family secret..." I smiled amusedly at the young boy.
Stefan fidgeted the moment he heard those words and glared at me slightly.
Surely, he hadn't forgotten the implied insult he gave me once he realized I was from the Leonard family. Even though my household was a prominent noble family, in the realm of magic we were laughed at.
I intended to change that!
Seated beside him was Maria. She glanced at me with her clear blue eyes, a contrast to the deep and cloudy ones Stefan possessed.
Her expression was blank, rather, it was stiff. It appeared like she wanted to say something to me, but refrained from doing so.
Even though I wasn't even ranked first, second, or even third, why was it that all eyes were on me instead of others?
'I suppose it was a given for Maria and the others since they must have been well known as prodigies and youngsters with potential... unlike me."
I was a dark horse, the wild card that appeared out of nowhere and shook the expectations of everyone present.
A White Core Grade Magic-User scoring a perfect score on the first two tests, cut short only by the score of his Core itself... this was bound to bring quite a deal of attention.
However, I wasn't averse to that. In fact, I welcomed it. What sort of fool would have potential and power but keep it to himself? To truly become great and achieve incredible feats, I needed equally powerful and talented allies.
However, no powerful ally would appreciate joining forces with a weakling. Even I wouldn't.
"To attract the strong... I must become strong as well!"
Or, at least, appear to be.
