Adrian almost found it funny that Tech Core still managed to adapt to him killing a human, before accepting and proceeding to store the body in his [Inventory].
He glanced at his status screen:
"Almost late. Guess I’m done here."
He’d learned the gun’s limits — its devastating power, but he needed defenses to survive ambushes .
’Fabian’s behind it,’ the Mage’s fear had confirmed his hunch.
’That was bold of him to do, but I’ll deal with him later... For now, I have to worry about the examination... that would be my chance.’
Adrian turned, following his map’s compass toward the outpost, as if he didn’t just kill someone for the first time.
Three days passed in a blur and soon the day for the Academy Examination had finally arrived.
Adrian had shared his plan to take the Academy Examination with Eli and Mara and their faces had lit up with pride.
Even though they felt emotional that he would be leaving, they had expected such day to come one day.
They had reacted very well to the news, showering him with encouragements and confidence.
In these three days, Adrian had also spent hours sketching ideas for protective gear, but nothing clicked.
Armor was an option, but he disliked its bulk, and crafting it without magical enhancements felt pointless.
Enchantment, the art of infusing gear with magical properties, was a rare trade, like alchemy, practiced by a select few.
Enchanters catered to knights, embedding weapons or armor with effects like flame resistance, enhanced strength, or self-repair.
The quality of the metal and raw materials — like mana crystals and rare ores — determined the enchantment’s power.
A well-enchanted blade could cleave stone; a breastplate could deflect spells. But enchantment required years of study and knowledge Adrian lacked for now.
His magical engineering was different. Where enchanters wove magic directly into objects, Adrian used designed devices that channeled mana through mechanical systems — like the Mana-Powered Arc Gun’s crystal matrix or the Communicator’s encrypted signals.
He’d been saving TP to unlock [Basic Enchantment] from the System Store, he had still not gotten any new points.
’I need more inventions,’ he thought in frustration. ’Leveling up’s my best bet.’
He pulled up his status interface to check his progress:
[TECHCORE SYSTEM – STATUS PANEL]
Name: Adrian | Age: 10
System Level: 9 | EXP: 14800 / 15120 | TP: 3500
[Inventions Created: 31]
[Knowledge Acquired: Fundamentals of Ballistics, Magic Theory (2)]
[Skills: Analyze (9), Intermediate Forging Technique (2), Inventory, Intermediate Shooting Technique (1), Superpublish, Blueprint Ascension, Lore Grasp, Mapping]
Adrian’s eyes lingered on the EXP. ’So close to Level 10,’ he thought, a spark of excitement rising. ’Just a bit more, maybe a day or two.’
He had a gut feeling Level 10 would unlock something big and he desperately anticipated the moment.
Reality snapped back as the carriage rattled along the road to Zarion’s capital, Vaeloria. Adrian wasn’t alone — five other kids from Tulia, all hoping to pass the examination, shared the cramped space.
They’d set off the previous day, and the long journey had been boredom for Adrian. The other five kids had spent most of their time discussing about how excited they were to learn in the Academy.
None of them tried talking to Adrian, as they held great respect for him and saw him in a whole different league compared to them.
Stepping out, Adrian’s breath caught.
Vaeloria was a marvel, dwarfing Tulia’s modest town.
Despite the medieval setting, the city’s organization was striking. Guards patrolled in neat formations, and signs guided crowds with clear directions.
’This place makes Tulia look like a hamlet,’ Adrian thought, awed but focused.
The group was escorted to the Royal Zarion Academy, its grand gates towering like a fortress. Carved from white stone, the gates shimmered with protective wards, flanked by statues of robed mages and armored knights.
Beyond them, a sprawling courtyard teemed with nearly a thousand kids, ages ten to fourteen, their voices a chaotic hum.
Banners in red, blue, green, and gold — representing the four dukedoms of Borin, Varyn, Thalren, and Miralith — fluttered above, and officials in crisp robes sorted the crowd by region.
Adrian’s group joined the Borin section, marked by blue banners, where dozens of kids already waited, some gripping practice swords.
After several minutes of waiting in boredom; A tall woman in a silver robe stepped onto a raised platform, her 7-Star mana aura silencing the crowd.
"Welcome, aspirants, to the Royal Zarion Academy Examination," she announced, her voice amplified by air magic.
"You stand here to prove your worth — be it through magic, might, or mind. The trials will test your skill, resolve, and ingenuity. Those who pass will join Zarion’s elite. Prepare yourselves."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd, excitement and nerves clashing. Adrian’s hand twitched, the gun’s presence in his [Inventory] a quiet reassurance.
’Knight track, with this gun,’ he thought. ’I’ll blow them away.’
Officials began dividing the Borin group into smaller units, assigning them to testing grounds. Adrian’s unit, about fifty kids, was led through a side gate to a vast arena, its stone walls etched with protective runes.
Training dummies, obstacle courses, and caged beasts lined the edges, hinting at the trials ahead. A stern examiner, a grizzled knight with a scarred face, barked orders.
"Line up! State your track — mage or knight!"
The examiner’s voice echoed through the arena as officials sorted the fifty kids from the Borin group.
"Mages to the left, knights to the right! Move!"
Kids shuffled nervously, some clutching weapons, others standing empty-handed.
The mage track, nineteen kids strong, was led to a separate section of the academy for spell-based trials; while more knight track students were introduced into their group.
That made their number return to the fifty it originally wa, including Adrian, facing the examiner in the arena.
He crossed his arms and said in a sharp tone.
"Listen up! We’re picking only three from this group for the academy. Prove you’re worth it, or go home."
Gasps and murmurs erupted afterwards as expected. The arena buzzed with tension with kids sizing each other up, their dreams hanging on the trials ahead.
"Here’s what the trials are all about..."