In the central plaza of Silvermoon City, a black Arcane Spire radiating an eerie, ghostly light towered over everything.
This was the Arcane Spire of Gareth, a Tier-Two Mage.
Gareth was only a low-ranking Mage, but even so, he still held a noble status on the Aurelia Continent.
"Everyone stay in line! Anyone who fails the test must leave immediately!"
Even the Silvermoon City guard had been dispatched to serve as security today—after all, it was the day Gareth was recruiting apprentices.
Mages were beings who could rival the gods in ancient legend, standing above all other professions.
To become a Mage was every commoner's dream across the Aurelia Continent.
And today, they had a real chance to make that dream come true.
Even the once lofty and aloof nobles were now obediently queuing in the plaza outside the Arcane Spire, waiting for the test alongside their children.
Likewise, commoners also had the right to participate in this Mage aptitude test.
This was one of the rare moments of fairness on the Aurelia Continent.
As long as you were under the age of twelve and a legal citizen of Silvermoon City, you were eligible to take the Arcane Spire's apprentice test.
Logan stood in the long line.
His small, thin frame was completely unremarkable in the crowd, but the way he looked toward the distant Arcane Spire was full of unshakable determination.
His mother was gravely ill, and their family was drowning in debt.
If he couldn't become a Mage's apprentice, his younger sister would be forcibly sent to the Church of the Radiant God and turned into nothing more than a tool to provide faith to the gods.
Logan absolutely could not accept that fate—so he had to pass the Arcane Spire's test no matter what!
But no one believed that a skinny little boy from the slums could possibly pass the Arcane Spire's assessment.
People around him cast strange and skeptical looks his way.
A few individuals ahead of him didn't even bother hiding the disgust on their faces.
If it weren't for the fear of Mage Gareth's authority, they likely would've already forced Logan out of the line.
In their eyes, a lowborn wretch like Logan had no right to stand in the same line as them.
Yet, despite their self-proclaimed nobility, one after another, they failed and left the plaza in defeat.
"No, please—let me try again! I messed up that time! I know I can do it if I try again!"
Cries of desperation came from ahead, but the guards remained merciless, dragging the unqualified out of the plaza without a second thought.
This only made the rest of the line even more anxious.
From morning till now, over a hundred people had been tested, and only two had shown enough magical aptitude to sense the Mana Element.
And being able to sense the Mana Element was only the first step of the Arcane Spire's test.
It was clear how hard it was to actually become a true Mage's apprentice.
In the tense waiting, it was finally Logan's turn.
His thin frame stepped up onto the raised platform, drawing scornful looks from the surrounding crowd. Only Mage Gareth's expression remained unchanged.
"Place your hand on the crystal orb," Gareth said calmly to Logan.
Hearing his words, Logan nervously and awkwardly reached out and slowly placed his hand on the cloudy crystal orb.
In that instant, Logan felt something strange—at the same time, a faint glow appeared within the crystal orb.
"It lit up... It lit up! It actually lit up!"
The person standing behind Logan exclaimed in shock the moment he saw the scene unfold.
This was the third time the crystal orb had emitted light today.
Though the glow was as faint as a firefly, it was enough for Logan to pass the test.
"Impossible! He's just a lowborn wretch! How could he possibly have magical talent? This isn't fair!"
The noblemen below stared at Logan with bloodshot, jealous eyes.
They simply couldn't comprehend why such a precious gift would appear in a slum rat like him.
Logan's face flushed red.
He had really succeeded! It was only the first step, but it gave him a glimpse of hope.
"What a pity. You do have magical talent, but it's too weak. Still, since you can sense mana, go wait over there."
Mage Gareth's words took Logan from despair to joy.
He caught the implication behind Gareth's tone—his talent was very weak.
But no matter what, he wasn't going to give up.
And just as Logan turned to walk toward the other side of the platform, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his ear.
[Mana detected. Binding Magic Aptitude System…]
[Magic Aptitude System successfully bound.]
[User: Logan]
[Talent: 0.2]
[Mana Element Affinity: 0.3]
[Mana: 0]
[Modification Points: 0]
…
As the voice rang out, a semi-transparent system interface appeared in front of Logan's eyes.
He was overwhelmed with excitement. It was here. It was finally here!
He had been in this damned world for over half a year, and now his golden finger had finally arrived!
It was just that the stats on the system panel were pitiful to look at—everything was in the decimals.
No wonder Mage Gareth had made that expression earlier.
Standing beside the other two who had also passed the magical aptitude test, Logan couldn't wait to start studying the system.
As its name implied, the Magic Aptitude System was a system that could alter one's magical talent.
By studying and researching magic, one could obtain Modification Points.
These points could then be used to raise one's magical talent or increase their Mana Element Affinity.
Magical talent determined a Mage's potential ceiling, while Mana Element Affinity was the key to how powerful a Mage's spellcasting would be.
The higher one's Mana Element Affinity, the more easily they could sense the Mana Elements and quickly master lower-tier spells—an ability of critical importance to any Mage.
And meditation was one of the methods used to sense Mana Elements.
While Logan pondered over the system panel, the magical aptitude test was coming to an end.
Out of the hundreds tested, only three—including Logan—had passed the initial assessment.
"You three, come with me."
Gareth gave the three of them a glance, then turned to walk toward the Arcane Spire.
The three hurried after him.
Once they entered the Arcane Spire, the mana barrier behind them fully closed.
Logan took in his surroundings. The entire Arcane Spire was black in color, exuding a sense of oppression and mystery.
He'd heard before that an Arcane Spire was a structure essential to every Mage.
It helped Mages concentrate Mana Elements and construct spell formations, and also served as a Mage's place of residence.
More importantly, it was a Mage's most powerful weapon.
By engraving special magical sigils on the Arcane Spire, a Mage could cast advanced spells that exceeded their own level.
Every Mage's Arcane Spire was different from the next.
It was said that the legendary Mage Merlin Eldrin, whose power rivaled that of the gods, had created a floating city as his Arcane Spire.
This showed just how vast the differences between Arcane Spires could be.
Gareth led Logan and the other two into a spacious room on the first floor of the Arcane Spire.
It resembled a classroom from Logan's previous life, with various magical instruments placed along the walls.
In the center of the room was a strange slab that shimmered faintly with starlight.
"Next, I will teach you how to meditate. Only those who succeed in meditation can stay here. You have seven days."
The middle-aged Mage clearly didn't care to waste words.
As soon as he finished speaking, he began teaching them the basics of meditation.
Logan sat cross-legged on the floor, following the Mage's instructions.
He fixed his gaze on the stone tablet ahead, and once again, that strange sensation stirred in his heart.
The feeling came quickly and disappeared just as fast, fading completely in just a few moments.
The two boys sitting next to Logan glanced at him with a hint of mockery in their eyes.
They didn't believe that someone like Logan—who had barely passed the test—could possibly succeed at meditation.
Just then, the system activated once more.
[Low-tier Meditation Tablet detected.]
[Host has comprehended the Meditation Tablet: +2 Modification Points.]
[Modification Points: 2]
[Host may freely allocate Modification Points.]
…
Seeing the numbers change on the system panel, Logan was overjoyed.
He immediately assigned all the points to his talent stat.
Gareth had said it himself—talent was the key to meditation.
[Talent: 2.2]
As the panel updated, Logan looked back at the Meditation Tablet—and what he saw was completely different from before.
The stars on the stone slab seemed to come alive.
What lay before him no longer appeared to be a slab of stone, but a vast and boundless starry sky.
At that moment, he also sensed, for the very first time, a wisp of Mana Element.
Though it vanished in an instant like a reflection on water or a flower in a mirror, Logan knew—sooner or later, the Mana Element that filled the void would come rushing to him.
Gareth, who stood off to the side observing the three boys, now looked at Logan with a changed expression.
Among the three, Logan had the weakest potential.
Yet to his surprise, Logan was the first to touch the threshold of meditation—a result he had never expected.
This made him raise his expectations for the other two as well.
Unfortunately, it was clear they were destined to disappoint him.