After humiliating the budding sprouts with every possible insult, he suddenly shifts the mood to a profound quote to defuse the situation.
"That guy, that thing..."
He must be a real piece of work, twisted to the core.
Yet, heâs also quite clever.
In any case, his damage control seemed to work well, as the atmosphere had considerably lightened. Thanks to this, the class naturally moved on to the next stage.
"Alright, now Iâll call you up one by one to measure your mana. Arjen, how about you?"
"Yes, yes!"
"Youâre the class president of the M3 magic class. Your first answer was very impressive. Come up front and record your classmates' mana levels."
"Thank you!"
As Arjen stepped forward, Yorbi handed over the record sheet she was holding.
Then, she swept aside the cloth beside her, revealing an object that made the children gasp in amazement.
"Ah!"
"Is that a mana measuring device?"
The structure, hidden behind a black curtain, had an unfamiliar shape.
A square stone slab, with all kinds of runes engraved on its surface, and a crystal orb placed atop it.
Behind it, a crystal panel stood like a backdrop.
"None of you have seen this before, right?"
"Yes!"
The class atmosphere had brightened.
The freshmen gazed at the mana measuring device with admiration.
'Well, at this stage, itâs only natural.'
At this time, mana measuring devices were not something that even prestigious families could easily access.
It was said that a certain kingdom in the central region had developed the device, but they strictly controlled the quantity and sold it only in limited numbers.
'If mana can be measured, it opens up various possibilities.'
Being able to quantify things that couldnât be measured before would greatly advance the study of magic. Thatâs why they limit the sales, to keep other groups in check.
In any case, because of this, the places where one could purchase a mana measuring device were extremely limited, so itâs no wonder the academy students looked at it with envy.
Even though they were young, they were all mages.
It was natural for them to want to know the exact value of their mana.
"Alright, Iâll explain how to use it. President, why donât you go first?"
"Yes, yes!"
Arjen nodded, looking gratified that he was given the first opportunity.
"First, place your hand on the crystal orb. After placing your hand, what should you do next?"
"Inject mana?"
"Yes, thatâs right. When you inject mana, a value will appear on the crystal panel. Letâs see. Arjen, try injecting some mana."
"Yes."
After a moment, Arjen injected mana into the crystal orb.
Ding, ding.
An unknown operating sound echoed.
The crystal panel changed immediately after, with various magical formulas appearing in the background, and then a number floated in the center.
"Oh!"
"Wow."
The students gaped in amazement.
If they werenât academy students, any mage brought in would have reacted the same way. In this aspect, mages donât care about age.
Yorbi gave the young mages time to marvel, and when the noise died down, she continued her explanation.
"First, the magical symbols written around the panel might be a bit difficult for you to interpret. And theyâre not necessary when measuring the quality of mana. The important part is the center."
Yorbiâs finger pointed to the number in the center.
"The number written here is the refinement value, indicating the quality of your mana. The levels are divided from 1 to 10. Letâs see..."
Yorbi read the number.
"Arjen is at level 4. The average for last yearâs freshmen was 3, so this is not a low value. In fact, itâs above average, which is excellent. This shows how diligent Arjen has been."
"Ah! Thank you!"
Next, they moved on to measuring the amount of mana.
The method for measuring the amount of mana was the same.
Just pour your mana into the crystal orb.
She explained the principle, but I didnât pay much attention. I already knew it, and the use of various technical terms made my head hurt.
However, the levels indicating the amount of mana were more advanced.
"The levels for the amount of mana are divided into 100 levels. Arjenâs value is 17. Considering the average for last year was 15, this is a bit higher."
Following Arjen, the students one by one measured their mana.
Unlike the Q&A session earlier, everyone was eager to go first, but I stood a step back.
Most values were around 15.
Some students stayed around 10, but generally, that was the level.
Yorbi continued her explanation.
"By the way, academy freshmen are evaluated to have the capabilities of an 8th grade, out of the 10 grades recognized by the royal court. In other words, the values you see now are equivalent to the 8th grade recognized by the royal court."
The royal courtâs recognized grades were one of the standards used by the empire to classify mages.
Originally, to receive a grade, one had to visit a royal court-affiliated measurement facility, but upon entering the academy, one is automatically ranked at 8th grade.
Of course, the rank is not determined solely by the amount and quality of mana.
'Itâs more complicated than that.'
From 6th grade onwards, not only magical capabilities but also other public achievements are required.
'Professor Falun was probably... 4th grade.'
Kalarhen would likely be around the same. Of course, given his nature of loyalty only to Deculan, he wouldnât have received an official rank.
In any case, the measurements continued.
"I need to focus more on my breathing technique."
"I need to improve my refinement process."
Through these values, the students could more clearly identify what they lacked and what they needed to focus on.
Of course, Yorbiâs comments were also interspersed.
Then, suddenly.
"Wow!"
"Unbelievable!"
Amazement erupted among the students watching the mana measurements.
Looking through the crowd, a black-haired male student stood there, exuding an air of arrogance even at a glance.
'He must be from a prestigious family.'
Whether heâs a collateral or direct descendant, I donât know.
But whether collateral or direct, they all have a high nose.
In any case, the boy maintained a calm expression amidst the studentsâ cheers, but his shoulders were visibly raised.
And for good reason.
"Level 6!"
"The average was 3, right?!"
A refinement value of 6.
Given that the average for academy students was 3, 6 is not a low value.
I donât know the exact level of academy students, but compared to those measured so far, it was clearly higher.
I just thought, âThatâs it, then.â
"Student, whatâs your name?"
"Purion."
"Ah, Purion. Indeed, an excellent value. You must be from a prestigious family. Can you tell us your family name?"
"Dinay."
"Oh, Dinay!"
The same family as Dalia. Judging by his hair color, he seems to be a collateral descendant of the Dinay family.
Indeed, a value that makes sense for the Dinay family. Although overshadowed by the Deculan family, they were an outstanding family.
No, the word âoutstandingâ is an understatement.
If it werenât for the Deculan family, the Dinay family would have been considered the top magical family in the eastern continent.
"Then, letâs see your mana amount, shall we?"
Yorbi manipulated the mana measuring device again.
At the same time, the M3 magic class studentsâ gazes focused on one point.
Soon, the value was revealed.
However, compared to the refinement value, this value was a bit lacking.
"Oh."
"Level 20."
"But, 20 is still high. Has anyone exceeded 20 so far? They were only around 10."
A sigh of disappointment.
But it wasnât a sigh of disappointment.
These pure students were just disappointed that the total amount was lower compared to the high refinement value.
For example, even if the value was high, it wouldnât benefit me, but I was curious to see how high it would go.
However, compared to the refinement value, it was low, but it was still in the top tier of the M3 class.
"Hmm, donât be too disappointed. Level 20 is still quite high. Itâs just a bit disappointing compared to a refinement value of 6."
Yorbi summarized the situation.
Purion, too, tried to hide his proud feelings and stepped back.
Yorbi watched his back and, for some reason, wore a meaningful smile.
"Indeed, an excellent value for a prestigious family. But donât be too discouraged if youâre not from a prestigious family. With personal effort, you can catch up."
Her tone was meaningful.
But the students, not noticing this, asked innocently.
"How?"
"By working hard, you can achieve anything. By the way, Iâm not from a prestigious family either. My family didnât have the means to support me. But, still..."
Yorbi placed her hand on the crystal orb.
Soon, the value appeared.
<Refinement Value: Level 10>
<Total Value: Level 82>
"Oh!"
"Level 10! Isnât that the highest value?!"
"82?!"
The highest refinement value. And the total amount was not low either, being close to the maximum value of 100, at 81.
'Hmm.'
Honestly, I donât know if this is high or low.
But if Purion is considered a fairly outstanding collateral descendant of the Dinay family, and if being admitted to the academy means he is indeed outstanding.
Then, by that standard.
'...Itâs a fairly high value.'
Itâs only natural. Even though he looks to be in his mid-20s, the position of an assistant professor at the academy is not something just anyone can achieve.
"When I was a freshman, there were no mana measuring devices, so I canât compare, but anyone can do it with effort, regardless of whether theyâre from a prestigious family or not."
As the studentsâ faces lit up with the thought, "We can do it too."
There was one person who couldnât smile.
"..."
Purion, who was directly compared.
'Tsk.'
I looked at him with a sympathetic expression, and then Damianâs voice was heard.
"Yawn, whatâs going on?"
He was dozing off and stretching, seemingly woken up by the commotion when Purion was measured.
I habituallyâ
"Itâs nothing. Go back to sleep..."
...tried to say, but closed my mouth.
'Ah, right, he canât sleep.'
Itâs still an academy class.
Usually, heâs not very active except during his sleeping time, so I habitually said it, but ultimately, Damian also needs to be measured.
"Itâs a mana measurement."
"Mana measurement? Whatâs that?"
"How much mana you have and how pure it is. Thatâs what it measures."
I explained it in simple terms, knowing he wouldnât understand terms like refinement value or total value.
Then he asked.
"Why measure it?"
"I donât know."
"Is it good to measure it?"
"Sure, itâs good."
Honestly, if he asked why itâs good, I wouldnât have an answer.
'After all...'
I donât know.
Actually, quantifying mana is only necessary for magic scholars.
From the academyâs perspective, itâs a process that must be done to objectively assess the studentsâ levels.
Ultimately, the more mana, the better, whether in total amount or refinement.
And in Damianâs case...
'Heâs an exception.'
His environment is different from the start.
Not only that, his talent is outstanding.
'This guy...'
Even if he always sleeps and neglects magic practice, he would likely far surpass the level of the academy students here.
After all...
'With the full support of the Blando family, his mana amount is naturally high. And the Blando familyâs heritage is known for its purity.'
So, he just needs to keep going as he is.
"Really? Then I want to try it too!"
Damian answered energetically and stood up.
Unfortunately, it was just as the class was getting quiet.
"..."
"..."
The M3 magic class studentsâ gazes were focused on Damian.
First, the students were surprised by two things: how young Damian looked and his hair.
"Is that him?"
"Is... the Blando familyâs young master? Ah, the one next to him is... Aster, right? Thatâs right."
As the murmurs filled the room, Yorbiâs voice was heard.
"Ah, would you like to try it?"
She seemed to be speaking casually, but I knew.
'That guy, that thing...'
Heâs up to something.
But regardless, Damian nodded with a cheerful expression and walked confidently to the crystal orb.
"Should I just pour my mana here?"
He asked me, even though there was an assistant professor next to him.