Aethernea : Soulbound [Book 1]

Episode 140 - Magic Talent

Previously:

Friday, the last day of Muni entrance exams, Special exam. As it turns out, the Spell Replicating exam Kiel chose was not designed to test spell replicating ability, but rather, to test for a special talent that can only be revealed through the process of spell replicating. Kiel is tasked to spell replicate several artifacts, including Clay Mines. Unfortunately, an accident happens while testing his Clay Mines and an explosion occurs. Examiners are thankfully fine but they start arguing with each other. They give Kiel a final artifact, whose enchantment he doesn't need to replicate but to just draw it out. However, Kiel finds that the enchantment is too small and he can't sense it clearly with his mana sense. In this stressful situation, Kiel manages to see a flash of light inside his head for a brief moment, showing him how the enchantment looks like. After he successfully draws out the spell design of the enchantment, examiners get excited and ask Kiel to be their disciple.

* * *

The examiners started to argue with their teeth bared, like starving hounds fighting for a fresh piece of meat. They even started tugging and pushing each other like a bunch of kindergarten kids.

And then it occurred to Kiel that...

What the bloody meep???

...he had absolutely no idea what was going on!

Episode 140 – Magic Talent

Kiel stood gobsmacked and frozen, unable to make sense of the sudden twist.

"Enough! Don't you see you are confusing the poor boy!" The old grandma glowered menacingly, her pipe almost falling out of her mouth. "Act with dignity! We are in the middle of the exams!" She berated, instantly quieting everyone else.

She puffed out a cloud of white smoke, glaring left and right, daring anyone to speak up again. When she settled her gaze on Kiel her eyes turned gentle. "As you might already know, in our university, professors are required to mentor at least one student, providing them with their personal teaching, supervision, and guidance."

Kiel already knew as much. One of the main reasons why all Muni graduates without exception were the leaders of their generation was because of the invaluable one-on-one tutoring of a Muni mentor. Most of the times, if mentors were satisfied by their charges, they would turn them into their disciples and put in more effort than required by Muni into teaching them.

And if they really liked their charges and wanted to continue teaching them in the future, regardless of their mentor/mentee status, mentors would take their charges as their personal disciples. Kiel had even heard many stories about Muni professors being so impressed by a student that they took them on as a succeeding disciple.

Just the title of a personal disciple of a master was enough to raise the status of the student in question, let alone becoming a succeeding disciple. There could be only one succeeding disciple to inherit the master's legacy and it was naturally a very sought-after position. The relationship between a master and his succeeding disciple were often times even closer than kin.

"Just as there is a tough competition between students for the mentorship of esteemed experts in a certain field of study, there is also a tough competition between mentors for recruiting talented students suited for their field of study. That's why it had become our tradition to look for suitable candidates to take under our wings as early as the entrance exams." The gray-eyed granny took out the pipe from her mouth and let out a sigh that turned into a wisp of white smoke.

"My colleagues just got very excited upon seeing your talent in magic. Your weaving is exquisite, mana abundant, and even your mana sense is extraordinarily accurate. As such you are perfectly suited to join our Sapphire Division that specializes in magic theory related professions." The granny glanced back at other professors giving them a death glare.