2: Chapter 2 Qualification Assessment

The moment he stepped into the pillar of light, Byron felt his body lighten, as if he had lost gravity, and he drifted involuntarily toward the sky.

A slight sense of weightlessness washed over him, accompanied by a strong urge to vomit rising in his chest.

Fortunately, this discomfort only lasted for a fleeting moment.

Before he could fully react, his feet had already landed on hard wooden planks, and his consciousness instantly cleared.

Before him lay a deck dozens of feet long, and beneath his feet were massive stone slabs continuously swirling with halos of light and carved with strange patterns.

In the center of the deck stood four massive devices, covered in twisted patterns and emitting halos of light.

Looking past the deck, he could see the boundless, deep blue ocean and the silhouette of the continent illuminated by the morning sun.

The steam train they had ridden earlier now lay across the land like a sleeping Dragon.

"Oh... my god, am I dreaming?!"

"Is this real?! We're actually in the sky?"

"It's too magical, this feeling is amazing!"

"..."

The group of youths gathered their wits, looking at the miraculous scene before them, and couldn't help but let out exclamations, their faces filled with shock and excitement.

"Alright, if you've finished marveling, don't just stand there blocking the way." A crisp voice rang out, drowning out all the commotion; it was Klevin speaking.

At this moment, he stood in front of the crowd, wearing a white robe with a large hood hanging down his back, revealing a face of seventeen or eighteen years old. He looked refined, but his eyes held a hint of condescending indifference.

The moment his voice sounded, Byron felt his vision blur, and the scene before him suddenly turned hazy.

When his vision cleared again, he was already far away from the stone slab he had been standing on, now positioned at the side of the ship's railing.

Seeing this, Byron felt not a shred of fear, but rather an indescribable surge of excitement.

Although he had heard many legends about wizards in his memories, whoever controlled the steam train must also be a wizard.

But he had never seen such strange and powerful power with his own eyes.

Witnessing it now, his inner desire for the supernatural was instantly ignited.

Who wouldn't have a dream in their heart to pursue the supernatural and become supernatural?!

Just as Byron was feeling this yearning, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye: the steam train that had originally been lying on the ground had vanished into thin air.

At the same time, the sailing ship, which had been floating motionless in the sky, began to emit "clack, clack" sounds and slowly started to move.

This sudden change once again drew exclamations from the crowd.

Byron's heart stirred, and he calmly glanced toward the direction of the stone slab out of the corner of his eye.

At this moment, the stone slab that had been shining with a halo had dimmed, and beside Klevin, who stood alone before the slab, appeared a figure wearing a black robe, shrouded in shadows.

With just one glance, Byron recognized this figure as Andrei, whom he had met a few times before.

At this moment, Andrei was holding a small train model, looking exactly like the previous steam train, only much smaller in size.

Connecting this to the steam train that had vanished from the ground...

The truth was self-evident.

Such a massive behemoth had actually turned into such a small trinket; it was truly breathtaking.

Meanwhile, the mechanical sailing ship was rapidly ascending.

In the blink of an eye, it had climbed to an incredible height and was speeding toward the depths of the ocean.

By now, the pier where they had previously stayed had long since disappeared from view.

However, at this moment, Byron clearly saw the "continent" where he had originally been.

It was nothing more than a huge, solitary island standing in the ocean; it was only because of its vast size that people mistook it for a continent.

This perception-shattering change left most of the youths dumbfounded, standing still, staring blankly at the receding island.

"Clap, clap—everyone wake up, hurry up and line up. Precious time shouldn't be wasted. Next, we will conduct the Aptitude assessment; let me see how many surprises you little ones can bring me."

Klevin's voice was full of expectation, and the way he looked at the crowd was like a farmer looking at the crops waiting to be harvested in his field, devoid of any warmth.

It was as if the youths present were not living people, but items waiting to be sorted.

Hearing this, Byron's thoughts churned.

He remembered that before boarding the train, he had already undergone a rudimentary Aptitude test.

It was precisely because he possessed wizard Aptitude that he was able to board that steam train.

However, that Aptitude test was extremely rudimentary, using only an astrolabe, not like this...

Byron looked at those massive devices standing on the deck.

The youths in the field were not stupid either, and they immediately lined up obediently, not daring to be the least bit slack.

Seeing this, Klevin nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, still obedient. I originally thought I would have to use some methods, but now it seems that saves a lot of trouble."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Andrei: "So, shall we begin now?"

Andrei nodded, his voice hoarse: "Begin."

Before his voice had even faded, Andrei walked toward the line, guiding everyone toward a huge crystal ball.

Klevin shrugged his shoulders, also took out a crystal ball, and stood next to the huge crystal ball.

"The first item: Mental Energy test." Klevin said in a flat tone, "Just place your hand on the crystal ball. The stronger the Mental Energy, the brighter the light, and the purer the color."

"I'll give you a friendly reminder: don't take this lightly. This concerns your future. However, if someone insists on courting death, there's nothing I can do."

"If you end up lying on some experimental table participating in unknown experiments later, or are forced to sell your organs, don't blame me."

Once these words were spoken, everyone in the field instantly became nervous, their expressions turning grave, and even their breathing subconsciously lightened.

Subsequently, under Andrei's guidance, the youth at the very front of the line, with a bitter expression, hesitantly placed his hand on the crystal ball.

The moment his fingertips touched the crystal ball, the youth's face suddenly became contorted, veins bulging on his forehead, as if he were enduring extreme pain, and he subconsciously wanted to pull his hand back.

"Do not let go, continue!" Klevin's voice rang out at the right moment, carrying unquestionable authority.

The youth gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain, and continued to press his hand on the crystal ball.

After a few more breaths of time, he finally couldn't hold on any longer and abruptly pulled his hand back.

At the same time, the crystal ball began to bloom with a brilliant and pure light, which broke free from the crystal ball's constraints and coalesced into the number '4.1' in mid-air.

Seeing this scene, both Klevin and Andrei's faces showed joy.

Klevin nodded with a smile: "Not bad, a good start. Alright, next."

Although the youth didn't know what this 4 represented, seeing the smiles on Klevin and Andrei, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, showing a happy expression as he quickly stepped aside.

For the next hundred or so people, the crystal ball bloomed with light to varying degrees; after all, they had all been through a preliminary screening to confirm they possessed wizard Aptitude.

But most people's light had impurities and was very dim, with most hovering between one and two; very few exceeded three, and those above four could be counted on one hand.

Seeing this, Byron wondered to himself: Is high-level wizard Aptitude really this rare? Can such results actually keep Klevin and Andrei smiling?

Soon, it was Byron's turn.

"Next."

Byron steadied himself, stepped forward, and placed his palm firmly against the crystal ball.

Byron felt an indescribable, strange sensation pass from his palm into his body.

And at the same time, his head began to ache violently, causing his face to contort.

Until his head felt like it was going to split in two, and he couldn't hold on any longer, he finally released his palm.

At the same time, the light of the crystal ball began to become brilliant and pure, continuously rising until it reached a limit, at which point it slowly stabilized.

In mid-air, the number "3.7" slowly appeared.

"3.7, not bad." Klevin exclaimed, signaling for Byron to wait on the side.

Before his voice had faded, dozens of gazes instantly turned toward Byron, including jealousy, envy, and happiness.

After all, by now, even the dullest person should understand that the value of Mental Energy directly concerns their future destiny.

Byron ignored these gazes, and after thanking Klevin, he silently stepped aside, letting out a quiet sigh of relief in his heart.

'Not bad, the Aptitude is neither high nor low; it doesn't compare to those Geniuses above four, nor did I become a Trash between one and two, I'm right in the middle.' Byron thought to himself.

'This way, I won't be constantly watched by others, nor will I attract attention due to rapid strength improvement, exposing my secrets.'

Everything was proceeding in an orderly manner, and the Mental Energy test for several hundred people was quickly completed.