“Are you nervous, Mr. Gray?”
Looking at the young girl’s worried expression, Gray took a deep breath and shrugged with feigned nonchalance.
“Me? Nervous? Not a chance.”
The young man pointed at himself, his tone carrying a hint of boastfulness.
“If you threw the fourteen-year-old version of me into that crowd of peers for a magic test, the lightning exploding from that crystal ball would probably scare you half to death, Katy.”
“Eh~ I feel like the credibility of that is a bit low.”
The girl tucked her hands behind her back and playfully tilted her head, clearly not fully believing Gray’s claim.
“Then it seems I’ll have to show you a few tricks when I get the chance. Otherwise, a dignified A-rank like me will be treated like some small fry who only knows how to brag.”
Seeing Gray looking a bit indignant, the girl covered her mouth and let out a light giggle, her eyes curving into crescents.
In truth, she was well aware of this guy’s talent and strength.
After all, it was impossible not to be impressed by a Hero who had charged straight at her with a tachi, trailing sparks and lightning all the way.
This guy was the perfect template for a high-attack, low-defense light-armored warrior.
If not for the elemental resistance of the Abyssal Magic Armor Noctiluca wore being nearly maxed out, she might have actually been soloed by Gray and triggered a Special CG.
The young man’s gaze also shifted toward the crystal ball in the arena, his thoughts involuntarily drifting back to the moment he stunned the crowd during his own test years ago.
Well, there was no point in dwelling on past glories.
It wouldn’t do to let Katy think of him as one of those greasy seniors obsessed with their former peak.
“When it’s your turn, Katy, just follow the guide,” Gray snapped out of his reverie and began to fussily explain the key points of the test.
“When you hear him say ‘start,’ just place both hands on the crystal ball, close your eyes, and clear your mind. It’ll be over in ten seconds at most. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt.”
The testing crystal balls were products of The Church, blessed by the Saint, and enchanted with the Goddess Formula.
They could precisely identify a person’s internal magic adaptability and talent; there was no need to worry about their fairness.
“Um, Mr. Gray!”
As if suddenly thinking of something, Katy beckoned Gray to lean closer, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“If my magic talent is su—per powerful, will the crystal ball go ‘bang’ and explode?”
Facing Katy, whose face practically screamed “I want to be an overpowered heroine,” Gray’s lips twitched.
Obviously, that wasn’t possible.
The girl pursed her lips in disappointment.
It turned out those plots in trashy otherworld novels where the protagonist’s magic is so strong it destroys the testing equipment were all lies.
In that case, she should just try to maintain an average level.
***
The blonde girl followed behind the leading Association employee and entered the testing grounds.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the teenagers around her—some her age, some even younger—mostly pale with nerves, some even breathing deeply in desperation.
Looking up, she could see Gray waving at her, along with other adults who were likely the family and friends of the youngsters behind her.
As Katy stood before the crystal ball, wondering if she should also show some age-appropriate nervousness, the boys and girls on either side lined up.
Some of their extended hands were trembling violently.
It was no wonder.
In this world, testing for an extraordinary magic adaptability meant a literal leap into high society.
As long as they weren’t stubborn like a certain someone in the stands who was dead-set on clearing The 13th Dungeon, reaching the pinnacle of life was practically effortless.
Thinking of this, Katy couldn’t help but look at Gray again.
That guy was staring intently at her, looking even more anxious than when he had been tested.
She let out a soft breath and then calculated which attribute she should mimic.
According to Gray’s explanation, the principle behind this crystal ball was simple: it guided out the latent magic within the human body and displayed a color.
For a former Calamity Pillar like herself, who housed a massive amount of Mana, if she foolishly placed her hands on it without any preparation, the crystal ball would likely turn pitch black in the next second, alarms would blare, and the guards would take her down on the spot.
Therefore, her task was to convert the Mana in her body into a specific attribute and then input it into the crystal ball while preventing the Demon Race aspects from being detected.
So… should she choose common Fire or Water?
The image of a mage holding a staff passed through her mind for half a second before being flatly rejected.
Both of those attributes had poor synergy with that guy’s lightning.
Not to mention, large-scale Fire and Water spells often accidentally hit the front-line melee fighters.
If she accidentally crippled her teammate and then shouted “play around me” during the post-battle review, the only thing she’d be greeted with would likely be her teammate’s fist.
For a more precise attribute…
Wind, Lightning, or maybe just go with Earth for a strong sense of contrast?
Different options slid through Katy’s mind.
Always one to suffer from choice paralysis, she was a bit stumped.
After all, back when she was fixing up the Labyrinth and had to choose which trap to set, she usually answered “I want them all,” since she didn’t have to be the one to trigger them.
But Katy didn’t want to cause trouble, so it was impossible for her to show off some heaven-defying adaptability for multiple elements here.
Around her, testers who were ready placed their palms on their crystal balls one after another, as colors of red, yellow, blue, and green flickered on and off.
She looked up again and met Gray’s worried eyes through the railing.
“Good luck, Katy!”
Reading his lips, the girl returned a smile and placed her hands on the cold crystal ball.
In the stands, Gray was truly sweating for Katy, the cast-iron railing slightly deforming under his grip.
What should he do?
Katy was the last one in this batch to touch the ball.
Although her expression hadn’t changed and her hands weren’t shaking like his had back then, what if she was actually terrified inside?
What if it was the worst-case scenario and she had no magic adaptability?
As he saw lights rising all around him, Gray grit his teeth.
It’s fine.
Even if she has no magic talent, at worst, he’d just take on more commissions, buy her the best equipment, and train her to be a physical-type archer or assassin—
A soft and pure light interrupted his wild thoughts.
It was the color overflowing from the crystal ball in front of Katy.
It wasn’t a blazing red or a deep blue, but a golden hue that represented healing, purification, and the divine.
The gold of the Light Attribute was like flowing honey, gently drifting through the air, framing the blonde girl as if she were a Saint from a Church mural, praying while bathed in the dawn.
The originally noisy venue suddenly fell silent for a moment.
The young testers, the spectating friends and family above, and even the recorders in the field all subconsciously held their breath.
It wasn’t because the light was exceptionally powerful—in fact, Katy had controlled it well, not reaching the eye-blinding level Gray had achieved back then.
It was just that this gentle gold suited the girl’s temperament so perfectly, as if the light were her carriage or her dance partner.
Who would have thought?
Beneath this seemingly divine body lay the famous former Calamity Pillar of the Demon Realm, Noctiluca.
After an unknown amount of time, the girl opened her eyes.
Facing the gaze of the entire crowd, she scratched her cheek somewhat shyly.
Then, Katy looked up, precisely found Gray in the crowd, and happily waved at him.
Gray instinctively replied with a foolish grin.
It was a truly indescribable honor.
The center of everyone’s attention, that angel-like girl, was looking past everyone else to show her unique smile only to him.
Several gazes followed Katy’s line of sight and landed on him.
Gray didn’t bother to distinguish the emotions behind them; he simply straightened his back, letting that long-lost feeling called vanity ferment in his chest.
Look at that.
That’s my future captain, the girl I brought here.
“Light Attribute? It looks like she’ll become a very good priest.”
A saccharine voice suddenly came from right behind his ear.
Gray’s pupils snapped shut, and he instantly broke out of his previous reverie.
Lily had just warned him that an old acquaintance he didn’t want to see might be present today.
Earlier, during the gap before the test began, he had scanned the entire venue.
When he failed to find that familiar figure, he had felt a small sense of relief.
But now, that pink-haired girl was standing right behind him, her gaze alternating between him and Katy.
“Long time no see, Gray.”
The sweet breath brushed against the back of his neck, carrying a perfume scent so thick it was pungent.
“After all this time, you really haven’t improved at all.”
Gray didn’t even need to turn around to guess the kind of mockery hidden within those pink eyes.
“…It really has been a long time, Lobelia. I hope you’ve been well.”
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