The last thing Kaelen saw was Pheniyet slowly lowering his hand. At that moment, he felt an intense pressure in his chest. Then, a massive wave of mana penetrated his body, and his consciousness blurred. His senses faded, his world darkened.
Suddenly, he found himself face-down on a hard, warm surface. The first thing he smelled was a faintly salty sea breeze. Grains of sand stuck to his skin, and the wind lightly tousled his hair. The first sound that reached his ears was the soft, rhythmic crash of waves against the shore. When he cracked his eyes open, the light momentarily blinded him, but his vision soon adjusted.
This was... Pheniyet's created realm.
He took a deep breath—the air carried a mix of salt and humidity. Behind the beach stretched an endless expanse of turquoise ocean. Waves lapped gently at the shore, retreating to leave behind glistening grains of sand. He couldn't even begin to imagine what lurked in those depths.
Ahead of him, a dense forest rose, its broad-leafed trees blotting out much of the sky, casting shadows that seemed to conceal unseen movements. Beyond the trees, a sharp, volcano-like mountain loomed. This was likely the center of the exam.
Instinctively, Kaelen knew he wasn't alone on this island. He could sense the presence of mana creatures scattered throughout, watching him from the shadows. They weren't real—just illusions conjured by magic—but even with their power diminished, they were still dangerous.
This place... resembles a mana seed, Kaelen thought. But a smaller, more controlled version...
He quickly stood, brushing the sand off his shoulders. Taking another deep breath, he steadied himself. Pheniyet's exam was designed to test everything they knew about mana. Even Kaelen hadn't fully grasped its difficulty yet.
There was a fine line between a challenging test and an impossible one.
If you stranded students on an island and forced them to survive while killing each other, that would be hard. But if you trapped an unbeatable monster inside a volcano? That would be impossible.
Kaelen remembered the struggles of his past life—fighting to survive when he was weak, straining to control mana.
Whatever... Let's start from the basics. After all, that's exactly what Pheniyet wants from us, he muttered.
The first step was understanding how to control mana. He inhaled deeply, feeling the untapped mana core in his chest. Energy trickled through his veins—first a faint warmth, then a steady current spreading through his body.
Mana flowed from the core through his veins, a fundamental principle every student learned. The first lesson for any mage was manually opening and closing mana veins to control the flow.
Kaelen kept his mana close to his body. This basic technique, called "Enn," was one of the first things mages learned. It allowed them to wrap mana around themselves like a thin protective layer, minimizing physical damage. But it came with a risk: a mana trace.
Mana leaked outward, forming a faint, visible trail above the caster's head. Other mages could track it, and even mana beasts could detect it.
Yet, not using "Enn" left a mage completely vulnerable.
A double-edged sword.
Kaelen sensed the danger around him. Carelessness here could lead to unnecessary fights, wasting precious energy. Battling random enemies or mana beasts would be exhausting and pointless.
He focused, tightening his control over his mana. He activated "Enn", wrapping himself in a thin layer while minimizing the trace.
Survival here required more than strength—it demanded strategy.
Pheniyet's exam wasn't just about brute force. It tested intelligence, tactics, and mana control.
Kaelen scanned his surroundings carefully. Before venturing deeper into the forest, he needed to assess resources. The seawater was undrinkable—he'd need fresh water. Food was another issue. Were mana beasts edible? If they were pure magic, they might have no nutritional value.
He pondered the exam's true objective. There had to be a goal beyond survival. Was it about reaching a certain point? If so, they'd need to overcome obstacles.
A spark of excitement flickered in him. This was a real challenge. He clenched his fist and smirked.
Let's see just how hard this exam gets.
With a deep breath, he took his first step toward the forest. As he moved toward the unknown, his mana hummed faintly.
Pheniyet's test had only just begun.
---
Kaelen activates "Enn." A thin layer of mana wraps around his body.
Kaelen moved cautiously through the forest, each step deliberate. The woods seemed to bristle at his intrusion. Thick, ancient vines crisscrossed his path like a labyrinth, limiting his movement. The damp earth squished underfoot, and dim light filtered through the leaves, casting eerie shadows.
He froze—something felt wrong. A primal warning flared in his mind. Instinct kicked in, and he jerked his head aside just as two iron pellets whizzed past, embedding themselves in a tree behind him. A second slower, and they would've struck his skull.
His gaze snapped upward. Among the shadows, sleek black-furred monkeys darted between branches, their crimson eyes locked on him. Their grins were taunting.
Missed you, you little bastards. Not really, Kaelen muttered dryly.
The monkeys chittered, leaping away, but he knew they'd return. Their presence was a test—Pheniyet had placed them here to weed out mages who couldn't control "Enn" properly.
Kaelen exhaled, scanning for other threats. None yet. This was just the first hurdle. In his past life, he'd survived three days in these woods. This time, he aimed for longer.
Priorities:
1. Water – Tropical heat meant rapid dehydration. Saltwater was useless; he needed fresh sources.
2. Shelter – Those monkeys would return. Sleeping unprotected was suicide.
His mana sense prickled—others were nearby. At least five, clustered together. A coalition? Interesting. This wasn't just a competition; it was elimination. Weaklings banding together was smart, but...
Draw too much attention, and your enemies unite against you.
They'd learn that the hard way.
For now, Kaelen moved on. His goals were clear: find water, secure shelter, and observe. Trusting anyone yet was foolish.
But one thing was certain—this exam wasn't just about survival.
It was about how far a mage could go.
And Kaelen would pass.