Finally, it was Alex's turn. He stepped forward with his phoenix chick—whom he had named Lyra—resting lazily on his shoulder, half-asleep.
"Begin," the instructor called out.
The dummies reset themselves, their shattered parts reassembling as if time were reversing. Alex took a steady breath and raised his hand. Molten gold-like flames shimmered to life around his arm, and as he exhaled, the fire condensed into glowing arrows of molten gold.
He flicked his wrist, and the arrows shot forward in a single wave, striking through the F- and E-rank dummies before finally piercing the D-rank target. The impact left faint golden embers burning along their surfaces before they crumbled back into training mode.
That should be enough, Alex thought, not wanting to stand out too much. He had read enough stories to know that attracting too much attention early on was never good—especially in a world where envy could kill faster than a sword. So he intentionally held back, letting his display look powerful, but not extraordinary.
The instructor raised an eyebrow, impressed. "So, your fire has already mutated into a gold variant?" he asked, stepping closer. "Interesting. What do you call it?"
Alex paused, pretending to think for a moment before answering with a faint smile. "Let's just call her the Gold Eating Chicken."
The instructor chuckled. "Gold Eating Chicken? Named after the Gold Eating Colossus, right? The legendary monster said to devour gold itself and radiate divine gold flames?"
Alex nodded casually. "Something like that."
"Well," the instructor said with an approving nod, "it may resemble that legend somewhat. For now, I'll record your Mystic Bond as Mid-Rare Rank. Judging by the energy output of your flames, that classification could change later once your bond deepens."
Alex bowed his head slightly. "Understood." He then stepped back to join the others.
"Damn, so you've got a Rare-rank Mystic Bond all along," Max said with a half-grin, glancing between Sophia and Alex with a spark of friendly jealousy.
Sophia smirked. "Looks like our little group's turning out stronger than expected."
Alex chuckled quietly, scratching Lyra's head as she chirped in her sleep, the golden embers dancing faintly in her feathers.
The training field glowed with bursts of color as dozens of Mystic Bonds unleashed their power in rapid succession. Fireballs arced across the air, spears of ice shattered against dummies, and bolts of lightning crackled through the testing zone. Some Bonds manifested visible spirit forms beside their masters, while others lent their strength directly through elemental resonance.
Max's Iron-Talon Hawk soared above the range, wings gleaming with metallic light before it let out a piercing cry. A flurry of steel feathers shot downward, cutting through multiple E-rank dummies with mechanical precision. The instructor nodded approvingly, marking his performance as "Stable and Efficient—High E-rank Output."
Nearby, a girl with a wind-type Mystic Bond formed several razor-sharp blades of air, slicing targets cleanly in half before they reassembled. Another student's bond—a serpent wreathed in shadow—fired black mist bullets that corroded the training dummies on contact.
The air grew hot, electric, and almost overwhelming as power after power collided in a symphony of light and sound. Even though this was only a controlled test, the atmosphere thrummed with excitement—each student eager to prove themselves, yet aware that every show of strength painted a larger target on their back.
Sophia folded her arms as she watched from the sidelines. "Not bad," she muttered, seeing the variety of elemental affinities. "We've got fire, lightning, ice, even wood and shadow bonds here. Looks like our batch is pretty balanced."
Alex nodded slightly, his expression calm. "Yeah… but most of them are still figuring out their control. Power's one thing. Precision's another."
Lyra yawned and puffed out a small golden spark, which drifted lazily in the air before fading away.
By the time the last student finished, scorch marks and frost patches covered the field, the dummies now completely exhausted from repeated reassembly. The instructor checked his records, satisfied.
"That will conclude the offensive ability showcase," the instructor announced.
"Congratulations to all of you—you've officially qualified as Seeker Apprentices!" he added, and the field erupted in cheers. Students grinned, high-fived, and hugged each other, the tension of the trials melting into excitement.
The instructor raised his hand again, signaling for silence. "Now, for the final evaluation—this one will test your combat instincts. It will be a one-on-one battle against a live monster. The top three performers will receive special rewards from the academy."
He paused for effect, letting the anticipation build before continuing.
"The first-place student will be awarded a High-Grade Mana Stone (three pieces) and a Rare-Rank weapon of their choice.
The second-place student will receive a Medium-Grade Mana Stone (one piece) and an Uncommon-Rank weapon of their choice.
The third-place student will be granted an Uncommon-Rank weapon as well."
A wave of murmurs spread through the students—those rewards were no joke, especially for beginners.
"These final matches," the instructor said, his voice turning firm, "are not part of the qualification process. You've already passed. This is simply to determine the final rankings of your class—and to see who among you stands out as the top Seekers of this batch."
The air crackled with renewed excitement as students straightened, their eyes gleaming with determination. The real competition was about to begin.
The next test began soon after. The students were led to a larger arena—one encircled by transparent, shimmering barriers. Inside, the floor was marked with glowing lines forming several battle zones, each meant for one-on-one combat.
A middle-aged instructor stepped forward, holding a clipboard glowing faintly with mana inscriptions. "As you all know," he began, "the final progression trials here at the Seeker Academy are conducted under supervision by Dream Constructs—monsters formed from condensed mana. They possess real strength and intelligence, but can't truly harm you. Still, the pain and impact will feel very real, so don't get careless."
He gave the group a calm but sharp look. "The constructs are scaled to your level. If you underestimate them, you will lose."
Another instructor, Sykes—broad-shouldered, with scars along his jaw—added with a grin, "We've prepared over thirty monster types for these matches. Everything from Low Private to Peak Specialist stage. The more you endure and the more monsters you defeat, the higher your score."
He lifted a crystal device that glowed blue. "Your rank points are calculated as follows:
Defeating a Low Private-stage monster earns 1 point
Mid Private-stage earns 2 points
High Private-stage earns 4 points
Peak Private-stage earns 8 points