NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 58
“What’s the issue today? The connection’s a bit sluggish, and that damned ghost has invaded my Mirror Bug again.”
Didn’t I handle this for sure? Why is it crawling out again?
Luka: “Ebron went for his promotion evaluation.”
Hao: “Oh, really? But this time the connection somehow isn’t cut off.”
Luka: “Check the announcements. They said the connection might be maintained but have a few defects.”
Hao: “So that’s why all these ghosts are swarming in. Five have already come.”
Luka: “I haven’t noticed anything abnormal, and neither have others.”
Hao: “It’s only increasing here. Now it’s completely filling the screen…”
Luka: “Why did you just stop talking?”
Luka: “Did it go?”
How did it come to this, I sighed unconsciously. The heavy atmosphere pressed down on me. Even the surrounding magic seemed to be sinking heavily into the ground.
I cautiously looked up at the opposite side. I saw two people watching me from the high podium. It was the pressure emanating from them. A dense magical energy flowed from them.
They were the examiners conducting my promotion evaluation. And one of them was someone I was very familiar with.
She opened her mouth.
“Ebron, this isn’t a suggestion… it’s a notification…”
Her characteristic drawn-out speech reached my ears. That same soft smile rested on her face. In the past, she had helped me with such a smile.
But now, that smile felt like pressure. I slowly mulled over her words. It wasn’t a suggestion, but a notification. That was right. I had no power to refuse their words.
I should have anticipated this situation. Especially since Professor Ilian had even warned me.
I slowly closed my eyes and recalled what the professor had said. Yeah, it was about two weeks ago.
That day was just like any other.
Every couple of months, Kashian would request new features. This time she wanted a function that allowed a bear to perform air flips for a brief moment.
I combined many spells to accomplish that, and got quite a satisfying result. The little guy could twist in the air no less than five times.
“I heard you got promoted to the second level after a year. How did your evaluation go?”
I asked her while setting the Bear Doll on the floor. My own promotion evaluation was only a week away.
Although I had gathered quite a bit of information during that time, unease still gripped me. The more I knew, the more anxious I became.
The Bear Doll that had settled on the floor began to move naturally. She sent a Mirror Bug into the air. The Bear Doll started jumping around trying to catch that Mirror Bug.
The Mirror Bug fled, capturing the Bear Doll’s image within it. There was a thick magical aura coming from the mirror. She must be planning to post that on the public board.
“Promotion evaluation, huh?”
A flicker of light swirled in her dazed eyes. She seemed to begin staring blankly at something.
It was as if she were recalling past memories. Soon, she tilted her head slightly and continued.
“Well, there were a few people, and when I swung my sword a few times in front of them, they said I passed. And I think they even asked me to join some weird group, but I just ran away ‘cause I was annoyed.”
Her memory seemed hazy as she spoke somewhat incoherently. She whimsically waved her finger, filling it with magic and swirling it in the air.
It looked like a light act, but the sharp energy emitted from her finger sliced through the air, creating a divide in space. Somehow, it felt stronger than the last time.
“You’re amazing.”
“But I failed this time.”
She said with a gloomy expression. She seemed to refer to her promotion to the third level.
It was a well-known rumor among the students that she was challenging the third level. There were few who could grow as quickly as her.
It was astounding. She had entered the university only a year before me. And now she was going for her third-level evaluation.
Though leveling up as a Swordsman is easier compared to other Mages, her speed was remarkably outstanding even among that.
She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. It was the same notice I had received regarding her promotion evaluation. She looked down at it and sighed.
“What did it say? That my path isn’t clear yet? They told me not to come for evaluations for two years.”
“I see, that’s unfortunate.”
I replied slightly tense. I had heard that such things happen frequently during evaluations. It’s not just about failing; the examiners could impose a ban on further evaluations at their discretion.
She drooped down, seemingly no longer wanting to talk. I left her with a farewell and exited the room.
At the stairs, I paused for a moment. Then I took out the notification from my pocket. This strange piece of paper that had pierced its way through the tower space was something automatically delivered to those who met the requirements.
Of course, not everyone who has qualifications passes. In fact, more people fail than pass. Hence, I kept listening to others’ experiences.
Her tale was not much of a reference. Guess I should seek out Jun. He had left a reply to my post on the information board.
I felt for the location of his Mirror Bug. As he had mentioned in his post, he was waiting for me in his room. I slowly made my way there.
As I opened the door, I saw quite a few people bustling around. They were all Jun’s people.
I greeted them with a nod and moved towards the back of the room. Jun was sitting at the table, peering at his Mirror Bug.
“Sorry for being a bit late, but congratulations on the promotion, Jun.”
I said as I sat down facing him. It hadn’t been more than a month since he had risen to the second level. He smiled broadly at my congratulations.
“Thank you, it’s all thanks to you, Ebron.”
“What have I done?”
“Haha! If I hadn’t come to this tower, I’d probably still be down there just getting by day by day. I owe my rise to you, Ebron.”
“What do you mean? I have no power in that.”
I waved my hand dismissively. He merely nodded with a smile on his face. He didn’t seem to believe my words.
Well, he must have grasped Professor Ilian’s personality by now. That must be why he brought it up.
I cleared my throat to alleviate the awkward atmosphere. Then I moved on to the topic I had come here for.
“As I mentioned in my post, I wanted to ask about the promotion evaluation. After all, you are the most recent one to have gone to the second level.”
“Ah, I figured you might have written that. Did you receive a notification too?”
“Yes, luckily.”
“Oh, congratulations!”
He said, smiling. That refreshing laughter carried the ease of someone who had already passed.
“Then I should definitely let you know everything. Let’s see, since you’ve probably researched all the simple stuff, I’ll just tell you about my evaluation.”
He showed me his Mirror Bug. It contained a brief drawing he had arranged. I accepted it and started studying while listening closely to his story.
“The people who came to evaluate me were members staying on the fifth floor. They said they came from the Council of Thrones. They were impressed by what I had done in this tower.”
The Council of Thrones, that was a name I had heard quite a bit. It was a group governing one of the twelve cities of the university. Did they come to see him?
I recalled having heard a hint of interest from various organizations in him. It was something Hwa-ryeong had said.
“It really wasn’t much of an examination. Just showing I met the basic criteria to rise to the second level was enough. I demonstrated a few bursts of magic and showed them the treasure I had. Then we just chatted comfortably.”
He shrugged his shoulders. Every gesture exuded confidence.
“So, temporarily, I was able to join the Council of Thrones. If I wear this temporary badge for a few years, I might get the chance to officially join.”
“Oh, congratulations.”
I sincerely conveyed my congratulations. I had witnessed the struggles he had gone through.
Now that he had seized an opportunity, he wouldn’t let it slip away. I felt a bit excited about how far he might go.
“Oh, it’s no big deal. But still, it’s rare for specific organizations to approach someone. I’ve heard it takes quite a bit of merit to break into the promotion evaluation. That means I’m considered valuable enough.”
He said in a boastful manner mixed with a hint of jest. I nodded in exaggerated agreement.
“Haha, that’s amazing.”
I had heard that selecting people during second-level promotion evaluations was a sort of tradition passed down from the university. It was taboo to provoke the Mages of the first floor. An implicit rule born from past incidents, apparently.
“Ebron will surely have amazing people coming to you too, right?”
“No way. What do I have?”
I shook my head. He just smiled.
We continued to chat about a variety of topics. The atmosphere of the evaluation scene, how many people had attended, and so forth.
Then, we casually transitioned into light everyday conversations. How much time had passed when my Mirror Bug suddenly vibrated?
The mirror was glowing a bright red. Jun’s eyes widened at that. I hurriedly rose from my seat.
“What’s going on?”
“We need to check it out first. It’s the professor calling.”
“Ah, then I can’t hold you back. Hurry up.”
I slightly bowed my head to him and exited the room. Then, I quickly made my way up the stairs. Upon reaching the top floor, the first thing that caught my eye was the professor at the table.
I rushed towards her. The professor was puffing one cheek, her expression filled with dissatisfaction.
She looked unwell for some unknown reason. I slightly tensed my body and bowed my head in front of her.
“Did you call for me?”
She began to stare at me intently. With her gaze, the magic flickered. Was she about to strike? I subtly surrounded my body with magic in case something happened.
But the movement of the magic was brief. Once she calmed it down, she looked at me and spoke.
“So, you’re going for the promotion evaluation?”
“Yes, I received a notification.”
She clicked her tongue briefly. She began to inspect me from top to bottom. How many seconds passed? She slowly shook her head.
“Alright, go and have a tough time. I did leave a warning, so you’ll be on your toes there.”
That was a strange statement. I couldn’t understand what kind of warning she meant. She proceeded with her speech without worrying about my reaction.
“You brought this upon yourself, so take care of the rest. Now go.”
“Yes, understood.”
I replied in a daze. What on earth was she talking about? It was definitely about the promotion evaluation.
At that moment, I did not fully grasp the meaning behind the professor’s words. I should have listened more closely.
Opening my eyes again.
“Have you gathered your thoughts?”
The young man sitting next to the familiar woman, Maira, smiled. The shape of that smile was quite familiar. It resembled those of Hongryeong or Hwa-ryeong.
He was from Arcana General Meeting. Was it the eighth floor he mentioned? He was far too high-ranking to be in charge of a simple second-level evaluation. Maira beside him was even more so.
“What we want is just one thing. We’ve become interested in that fun object you created, Ebron.”
He said. His smooth words acted as an irresistible pressure on me.
Suddenly, Hwa-ryeong’s whisper brushed past my ear. Did she know that such a situation would come about?