Chapter 21: 21. Test In The Lion's Den

However, Blaze remained standing nonchalantly without flinching.

"What?" Cherry asked, completely lost and confused by Evelyn's reaction.

"Don't you know me?" Evelyn suddenly asked with a wrinkled eyebrow.

"Who are you?" Blaze replied with a question. His face was as impassive as ever. His reaction never shifted for a moment.

"Oh! It's an error." Evelyn suddenly smiled, relieving the tension.

"Then you better go take some pills so that you won't make the same error. Otherwise, it might get worse, and you end up calling a beast your parent," Blaze said coldly.

His reply made Evelyn's face contort into a nasty grimace.

"You—"

But a door slammed into her face and cut her shut. The fire started emanating from her palm, painting the surrounding red.

Evelyn was about to use her element and smash the door open, but Cherry quickly held her. "Leave him. Let's go!"

Evelyn had to inhale to hold herself back. She has been through a lot in the past three days.

Blaze was behind the door as he listened to their conversation. When he heard their footsteps receding from his house, he walked from behind his door to his bed.

"Why did you accept her deal?" Aphrodite asked.

"Don't you think it will be strange that I liquefied my mana core without any external aid? Many people have their eyes on me. I need to play my card well, or I might get killed. Worst of all, my forbidden bloodline markings get exposed," Blaze said before voicing what was disturbing him. "Evelyn can use her element, and her element is fire. Her flame is extremely hot from the searing heat I felt from behind the door."

"She is older than you, her power is higher than you, and her fire is the Phoenix flame – a flame from her bloodline. You will contact people like her when you come across people with bloodlines," Aphrodite explained.

"That means Ice Reaper did something to her that weakened and restrained her," Blaze muttered under his breath before he started observing the C-rank mana core.

Blaze removed the cover of the night crystal in his room, and it bathed the room in its warm, white glow. The night crystal is a fist-size, stone that absorbs mana and light during the day and glows at night. If covered, the light automatically turns off. Robin had explained it to Blaze during their time at the Brothel.

However, Blaze was focused on the C-rank mana core. He was trying to see the difference between the C-rank mana stone and the D-rank mana stone. After observing for a while, he noticed the big difference.

While the internal content of the D-rank mana stone looks like a mist, the content of the C-rank looks like a liquid. Their thickness was far apart.

Blaze nodded before climbing into his bed to sleep off. The next day, he woke up early and dressed in his uniform for the test. The place where the students waited for the train was crowded. Blaze walked to his normal spot, not minding anybody. Everybody entered the train when it arrived.

———

When the train reached a place and stopped, everybody alighted. It was the auditorium where the previous entrance test was held. However, today was different. There were many old people dressed lavishly in ancient suits. Some of them were old. The fake smiles made Blaze guess their class – nobles and royals.

When they got inside, the students saw the seats filled with the same class of people they saw outside. Blaze kept turning his head as he looked around until he saw something that made his eyes contract.

Evelyn and Cherry, with some soldiers beside them, were talking to Robin, who was fidgeting badly.

'Tackling the weaker link,' Blaze thought with his heart stuck in his throat. He looked around the filled auditorium as he tried to gauge their strength.

"They are all powerful mages," Aphrodite voiced his worry.

When Blaze was about to sneakily leave the scene and start his escape escapade, the door of the auditorium shut.

'Okay! Here goes the lion's den. I just have to remain calm and escape when the slightest chance reveals itself,' Blaze thought while using all his willpower, trying to prevent his face from turning green.

"All the students should go to their seats!" A voice boomed through the hall.

By this time, all the nobles and spectators were sitting orderly as they waited for the test.

Blaze followed everybody as they walked to a group of seats that were reserved for them. The children of the nobles, whom they saw the other day on the training ground, were already seated. After everybody sat down, a woman with black hair walked to the podium. She was about 40 years from Blaze's estimation.

"As you may all know, I'm Yvonne Hydron, from the Hydron family and the Principal of Dragon Light Academy. Today marks the occasion of the Dragon Light Academy's test. I would like to extend my gratitude to the noble members of various families who have honored us with their presence," Yvonne announced, her voice filled with respect, as she bowed. Avery was positioned in the front row, where the nobles were seated.

Blaze took a second to observe the heightened level of security in place. Guards, equipped with either staff or weapons, diligently patrolled the area, ensuring tight surveillance from left to right.

Meanwhile, Robin and the two princesses have joined the students.

Blaze guesses they haven't discovered the truth, but from the way Robin is uncomfortable, it's just a matter of time.

If the truth comes to light, maybe they might let Robin go as his identity is far from ordinary, but him….

Blaze's eyes kept darting left and right as he tried to spot an opening in the surveillance.

"The test for today will be straightforward and efficient. All the students need to do is release their mana into the tester. If the light bar indicates, then you will have passed. Alright, let's begin by calling out the names of the students," Yvonne explained, her expression adorned with a smile.

The tester was the same as the one they used during the entrance test. However, the bar fitted vertically to the side of the tester was the only difference.

Blaze finally took a moment to observe the true Principal, Yvonne, as opposed to the temporary stand-in, Avery. Yvonne possessed a flawless, smooth complexion, and her teeth glimmered like pearls. Her face had an oval shape and appeared devoid of excess fat. With her narrow eyes and petite nose, she exuded an approachable and tranquil charm.

Blaze's gaze shifted downward, and he couldn't help but admire Yvonne's figure. While not overly curvaceous, she possessed a subtle hourglass shape. Her height of 1.9 meters contributed to a sense of proportion in her overall physique.

After taking a moment to observe her, he started looking for a way to escape.

"Liam Quadragon," the man who had called out the names during the previous test, continued to perform the task of calling out names.

Liam walked up to the stage and straight to the tester in a confident stride. He places his hands on the tester and releases his mana into the inscribed part. Slowly, the vertical bar beside the tester started glowing before it climbed slowly. The color of the bar was red. It climbed until it reached half of the bar before stagnating.

"Passed! Fire element! You have filled half of your liquid core," the man said impassively. All the nobles kept nodding.

The next person's name was called, however, the bar never lit. That was a failure and expulsion for the person.

When the next person came up, he released his mana and the bar lit up. However, the color of the bar was blue.

"Passed! Water element! You have filled half of your liquid core."

"It checks mana level and element affinity," Blaze muttered, making the person next to him stare at him weirdly. But he feigned ignorance.

The test revealed distinct colors corresponding to different elemental affinities: brown for earth, green for wind, white for light, blue for water and ice, red for fire, and purple for lightning. Individuals with dual elements exhibited intertwined colors, reflecting the combination of their respective elemental affinities.

However, Blaze's keen observation revealed something peculiar. The absence of darkness element in the test caught his attention. It triggered a sudden recollection within him: he had awakened a dark element, specifically the energy of death, known as necromancy.

With a rapid glance around, Blaze's thoughts raced as he realized, "I need to find a way to leave this place." He made a conscious effort not to display any overt signs of his internal urgency.

As Blaze's gaze met Evelyn's, she responded with a warm smile, while Robin appeared noticeably restless, fidgeting anxiously.

With no immediate solution in sight, Blaze chose to redirect his attention to the ongoing test. Those who successfully passed the test were permitted to return to their seats, while those who didn't make the cut were instructed to leave. As Robin had predicted, all the noble children effortlessly cleared the test, with the lowest scorer managing to fill twenty percent of their liquid core.

Princess Cherry had filled forty percent of her core. Liam was among the fifteen students with a half-filled liquid core.

As for the children of the civilians, the light bar only glowed a little for the ones that passed the test. The difference was clear to Blaze.

'I only absorb a D-rank core, so mine will be like the children of the civilian,' Blaze thought.

When it was Robin's turn, Blaze was shocked to find out that he had filled forty percent of his liquid core.

"He has liquefied his core before. The D-rank mana core just raised his level," Aphrodite whispered, clarifying Blaze's confusion.

Surveying the surroundings, Blaze observed the lack of surprise among the noble attendees. This only served to affirm his suspicion: there was something extraordinary about Robin's true identity.

After the last person was called, the principal stood up and declared, "Okay, the test is over, and the academy is activating!"

A sudden rumbling sound emerged seemingly out of nowhere, causing a sense of unease to wash over Blaze. Adding to his discomfort, he noticed that they had skipped his turn in the test, intensifying his uneasiness further. Meanwhile, everyone else in the room remained calm and relaxed, in stark contrast to Blaze's growing apprehension. The rumbling sounds and vibrations reverberated through the ground, persisting until it abruptly ceased, returning the atmosphere to an eerie silence.

The atmosphere in the academy changed, but Blaze couldn't pinpoint what had changed.

Yvonne said, "Okay, thank you for coming and the test is—"

"There's one more person," Avery voiced out.

"Who?" Yvonne asked in surprise, as she knew the number of the students admitted.

"Blaze Draven," Avery said and turned to Blaze.

Blaze rose from his seat and approached the tester, becoming the center of attention in the room. However, he maintained a stoic expression.

'I guess my darkness will be revealed,' Blaze placed his hands on the tester and released his mana into the tester.

As Blaze's mind shifted into a hyper-focused state, it began processing information with remarkable efficiency, functioning akin to a well-oiled machine. His keen eyes scanned the room, swiftly assessing the positions of each individual without moving his head or neck, taking note of key details. Thoughts raced through his mind, forming a calculated plan: 'Kidnap the Princess as a hostage. Locate the keys, approximately twenty meters to the left. The door is four meters away. Dispatch the guard within two seconds...'