The air was filled with several times more Mana than the outside, making Ian’s [Heart of the Platinum Dragon God] somewhat excited.
The closer he got to the tower, the stronger the fluctuations of the [Heart of the Platinum Dragon God] became.
By the time Ian reached the door, the platinum-gold Mana within his body was full to the point of overflowing.
At the end of the path was a closed, heavy stone door three meters high.
No one was in front of the door; only faint Mana fluctuations leaked from the star chart on the door.
Ian stood before the stone door. He had just wanted to knock gently to show politeness.
As Ian reached out, the overflowing Mana within him burst forth directly, and the heavy door was hit head-on as if by an invisible giant hammer.
BOOM————！！！
A deafening explosion tore through the quiet air beneath the tower.
The three-meter-high heavy stone door, along with parts of the doorframe and surrounding splashing rubble, was smashed inward like a giant rock thrown by a catapult!
A wild wind carrying smoke, dust, and out-of-control Mana turbulence instantly filled the space behind the door.
Ian: “Hiss! Not good…”
Ian’s first reaction was actually a bit of pride; he didn’t know he was actually this impressive.
Only then did concern follow.
Behind the door was a wide circular hall. The floor was as smooth as a mirror, and the surrounding walls were embedded with Magic Crystals emitting a soft glow.
Just as the stone door smashed toward a delicate fountain in the center of the hall with the force of ten thousand tons…
A clear blue stream of water, faster than the eye could track, meandered out from the spiral staircase on the side of the hall.
It was incredibly gentle, yet it accurately wrapped around the whistling stone door, easily lifting the two heavy door leaves into the air.
The water stream supported the stone door and steadily returned it to its original position. Other rubble also flew back into place like time reversing.
In an instant, the door-smashing Incident caused by Ian’s out-of-control Mana seemed as if it had never happened.
The difference was that before Ian was outside the door, and now he was inside.
***
On the spiral staircase, the sound of steady footsteps brought Ian back from his surprise.
An old woman dressed in deep blue mage robes slowly walked down.
She looked to be about sixty years old. Her gray-white hair was meticulously tied in a bun at the back of her head. Her expression was serious, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were etched with the wind, frost, and wisdom of the years. Her deep blue eyes were like an ancient well—calm and waveless, yet seemingly able to see through everything.
She didn’t hold a staff; only a wisp of water vapor still lingered around her fingertips.
Master Marguerite’s gaze swept over the door, which now had a few more cracked ‘decorations,’ and landed on the frozen Ian.
That gaze was not sharp, but it made Ian feel an invisible pressure, as if even the active Mana around him shrank back.
“It seems. Duke of Connalt, this time you have sent me not a student, but a humanoid battering ram.”
Her voice was steady, revealing no joy or anger, but carrying the indifference of someone who had long held a high position.
Ian only then realized his recommendation letter had gone somewhere at some point.
“I am very sorry, Master Marguerite, I was a bit unable to control my Mana…”
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Marguerite.
“Ian, is it? This isn’t just ‘a bit’…”
After reading the recommendation letter, her gaze returned to Ian’s face. There was still no emotion in those deep blue eyes.
“Ahaha…”
Ian scratched his head in embarrassment. He knew his impression on this ‘Stargazer’ probably wasn’t very good.
It was normal; who wouldn’t be annoyed when someone just arrived and tore down their front door?
“Hmph, to possess such an amount of Mana at this age is so-so. Come here…”
After all, he was introduced by Duke Frederick. Although she didn’t quite like this ‘Young Master’ who couldn’t even control his Mana, she still had to give face.
Hearing Marguerite’s words, Ian broke away from his embarrassment and obediently came before the Master.
“Come, put your hand on—”
Before Marguerite could finish, the blue crystal ball she had just taken out crumbled into sand right in her hand.
Ian: “…”
Marguerite was somewhat surprised. She looked at the somewhat bewildered Ian and then at the Mana Testing Crystal that had turned to sand in her hand.
“Not bad. It seems I misjudged. Use this one, this one is better—”
Before Marguerite could finish, the new Mana Testing Crystal ball she handed to Ian let out a crisp ‘crack’ sound.
In the next second, the crystal ball Marguerite had just taken out split into two halves.
Ian: “…”
Marguerite: “…”
Looking at the testing crystal that had turned into useless fragments in her hand again, Marguerite fell into silence.
The shattered crystal residue trickled down from between her fingers, making a faint, rustling sound on the smooth stone floor that was clearly audible and somewhat piercing.
The hall was so quiet that only the faint hum from the Magic Crystal walls remained.
***
Looking at the old mage’s expressionless face, Ian was a bit bewildered and didn’t know what expression to make. He wanted to laugh a bit now, but felt it wasn’t right.
Not only did he just tear down her door, but he also broke two of her testing tools that looked very expensive in a row.
Would Master Marguerite make him pay for them?
While Ian was thinking wildly, Marguerite slowly raised her eyes, and her gaze toward Ian changed slightly.
This black-haired young man in front of her indeed seemed to have something special about him; he wasn’t the image of a noble Young Master she had imagined.
She let go of her hand, allowing the last of the crystal sand to fall. Then, she did not take out another crystal ball.
Marguerite adjusted her glasses for the elderly and said:
“Your Mana amount is not bad. Consider it a pass.”
It seemed Duke Frederick had not lied to her; this black-haired youth indeed had the qualifications to inherit her mantle.
Originally, she only planned to give Duke Frederick face and find a random reason to send Ian away.
But looking at it now, this kid might actually meet her requirements and become her student.
With expectation, Marguerite began to become serious, and her gaze toward Ian was filled with hope.
“Next, prepare to conduct the Mana control te… st…”
Before Marguerite could finish, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the ‘battle-damaged’ door behind her. She decided to skip the Mana control test.
“Tch, let’s move on to the next test: Magic skill talent test.”
Ian: “…”
Ian could feel the momentary disdain after Master Marguerite looked away just now.
That didn’t matter; anyway, he was just here for a short-term study of Mana control and some magic skills. He wasn’t trying to become Master Marguerite’s disciple, so if she was disdainful, so be it.
Immediately after, Marguerite, unaware of Ian’s thoughts, directly threw a Magic Skill Book titled [Basic Analysis of Fireball Spells] to Ian.