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The last thing Kaelen saw was Pheniyet slowly lowering her hand. In that moment, a heavy pressure surged through his chest. Then, a powerful wave of mana pierced his body, and his consciousness began to blur. His senses dulled, and his world started to fade into darkness.
Suddenly, he found his face pressed against a hard, warm surface. The first thing he sensed was the faintly salty breeze of the sea. Grains of sand clung to his skin as the wind gently tousled his hair. The first sound that reached his ears was the soft, rhythmic murmur of waves crashing against the shore. When he opened his eyes, the light temporarily blinded him, but he was soon able to make out his surroundings clearly.
This place... it was the realm created by Pheniyet.
He took a deep breath, the air was thick with salt and moisture. Beyond the beach stretched an endless blue sea. Waves gently caressed the shore, leaving behind glistening grains of sand as they pulled back. He couldn't even imagine what mysteries might be hidden in the sea's infinite depths.
Before him rose a forest surrounded by thick trees. Broad-leafed trees blocked most of the sky, and shadows shifted as if unseen creatures lurked within. Beyond the trees, a sharp mountain resembling an ancient volcano loomed in the distance. It was likely the center of the exam area assigned to the students.
Kaelen instinctively felt he wasn't alone on the island. Using mana, he could sense the presence of other beings. Numerous mana beasts scattered across the island seemed to be watching him from the shadows. They weren't real—illusions created by magic. Yet even though their powers were greatly diminished, they still posed a threat.
"This place... it's like a mana seed," Kaelen thought. But a smaller version... a more controllable model...
Kaelen quickly stood up, brushing the sand off his shoulders. He took a deep breath and tried to gather himself. Pheniyet's trial questioned everything they knew about mana. Even Kaelen had yet to grasp the full difficulty of this test.
There was a thin line between a hard test and an impossible one.
If you placed many students on an island and expected them to survive while possibly killing each other, that would be a hard test. But if you locked an unbeatable creature inside a volcano and told the students to face it, that would be impossible.
Kaelen remembered the grueling battles of his past life. The fight to survive when he was weak, the effort it took to control mana.
"Whatever... Let's start from the basics. That's exactly what Pheniyet wants from us," he muttered to himself.
The first task was to understand how to control mana. He took a deep breath and felt the dormant mana core in his chest. The energy slowly began to flow through his internal channels. First came a subtle warmth, then a current that spread through his entire body.
The mana core distributed mana throughout his body via those channels. For every student learning to use mana, this was fundamental. The first thing a mage had to learn was to manually open and close their mana channels to control the flow.
Kaelen kept his mana close to his body. This basic technique, one of the first things mages learned, was called "Enn."
With "Enn," a mage could form a thin layer of mana over their body. It served as a type of protection, minimizing physical damage. However, it came with a risk: the mana trace.
Mana leaking from the body left a faint shimmer above the mage's head. Other mages could track this trace easily, and even mana beasts could sense it and attack.
Yet without using "Enn," a mage would be left completely defenseless.
A double-edged sword...
Kaelen could feel the danger surrounding him. If he wasn't careful on this island, he might waste energy in an unnecessary fight. Dealing with unwanted enemies or mana beasts would only waste time—and it was exhausting and tedious.
He focused his thoughts and consciously controlled his mana. First, he activated "Enn" to protect his body, keeping the energy in a tight radius to minimize the trace.
Kaelen knew that surviving on this island would require more than power—it would require intelligence.
Pheniyet's trial couldn't be won with brute strength alone. This place was a test of intellect, strategy, and mana control.
Kaelen began surveying his surroundings more carefully. Before heading into the forest, he needed to evaluate natural resources. If he needed water, he couldn't drink the salty sea. He had to find a source of fresh water. Food was also an issue. Could mana beasts even be eaten? If they were purely magical in nature, they might have no nutritional value at all.
He tried to understand the exam's true purpose. There had to be a goal for all the students here. The big question was: survival, or reaching a specific location? If it was purely survival, they might be forced to fight each other. But if they had to reach a certain place, that meant they'd have to overcome whatever obstacles stood in the way.
A faint excitement stirred within him. This was a real challenge. After a moment, he clenched his fist and smiled confidently.
"Let's see just how hard this test will be."
Kaelen took a deep breath and stepped toward the forest. As he moved toward the unknown, the mana inside him hummed softly.
Pheniyet's trial was only just beginning.
Kaelen activated his "Enn" form. Mana formed a thin layer over his body, covering his skin.
He moved slowly and cautiously into the forest's depths. Each step was deliberate, every movement under conscious control. The forest, as if sensing an intruder, had taken a defensive stance. Massive, thick vines blocked his path first. They twisted from tree to tree like an ancient maze, limiting Kaelen's ability to maneuver. With each step, he could feel the damp, soft soil beneath his feet. Dim light filtered through the leaves above, making the atmosphere even more unsettling.
Kaelen instinctively froze. Something was off. A sudden sensation gripped his body. It was as if his brain had been etched with a warning—it told him he was in danger. His reflexes kicked in, and he tilted his head slightly. Just then, a metallic whistle cut through the air, and two small iron balls embedded themselves in the tree beside him. If he had hesitated even a second, those spheres would've pierced his skull.
He took a deep breath and lifted his head. His eyes caught movement in the shadows among the trees. Black-furred monkeys moved almost invisibly through the branches, their agile bodies gliding from limb to limb. Their red eyes locked onto Kaelen, and with sly smirks, they seemed to mock him.
"I really didn't miss you bastards. Just so you know," Kaelen muttered, sighing.
The monkeys gave laugh-like cries and leapt from branch to branch, quickly disappearing from view. But Kaelen knew they'd be back. Their presence meant something: these creatures were here to hunt mages who couldn't use "Enn" or failed to control it effectively. Pheniyet had deliberately placed them here to gauge the students' magical proficiency.
Kaelen took a deep breath and surveyed the area. For now, there was no further threat. This had only been the first obstacle, and it had made him understand just how harsh this test would be. In his previous life, he had survived three days in this forest. But this time, he planned to endure much longer. For that...
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