Ascension Of The Failed Mage

"You're now a Tier 2 Mage."

Ciara weakly smiled at Noir's encouraging words.

"Why don't you open your Status Window now?" Noir told her.

"Whew… You don't take breaks do you?" Ciara asked him in disbelief as she panted.

She just finished a grueling session, yet he was giving her another instruction

"Just do it."

"Fine…" Ciara's voice trailed.

She was a bit hesitant to check her progress, but Noir's pleased look gave her a bit of confidence.

"[Open Status Window]. [Allow Access: Noir]"

Allowing the blank-faced man access to her Status Window was just Ciara's way of admitting defeat. He could check it on his own, anyway. A glance at Noir only showed the young girl his smug expression, making her all the more frustrated.

That soon disappeared the moment her Status Window appeared in front of her.

"W-wha—?!"

[STATUS WINDOW]

Name: Ciara de Versace Dunroe

Level: 15

Age: 15

Race: Human (Female)

Title: [Daughter of the Duke of R'Easton]. [Member of High Nobility]. [Survivor]. [P@$%^&*(!!X]. [Rare Bloodline Wielder (Rarest)]

Class: Undetermined

[Magic]

Mana Pool: 3,100/3,100

Mana Proficiency: 1,000

Magic Level: Tier 2

[Magic Type]

Enchantment: 200

Enhancement: 150

Spell: 500

Rune: 150

Bloodline Magic: [Affinity] Status: Unawakened

[See More Information]

Ciara's jaw dropped as she saw what was written before her. It was simply unbelievable!

"T-this is my Status Information?" Ciara asked with disbelief, pointing at the small yellow panel before her.

As she watched it glow, she could not hide her amazement. A spark of excitement was locked within the eyes.

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"Well, it has your name on it, doesn't it? Plus, the fact that your Status Window changed colors proves that you have truly advanced a tier." Noir pointed out calmly, directly contrasting Ciara's lousy tone.

The color of a person's Status Window represented their Tier. The blank color of white was for those of Tier 1. As for Ciara's current color… it was yellow!

She truly was in Tier 2.

"O-oh… amazing!" Ciara exclaimed with a smile on her face.

The pain had really been worth it. Though she still felt sore all over—and the sweat on her body had yet to dry up—Ciara felt so full of vigor and energy.

"I can't believe it…"

It was an indescribable feeling of fulfillment. She wanted to bask in it more, but her wish was—of course—cut short by the killjoy known as Noir.

"You've done enough for today. Better get some rest."

Ciara shot him a slightly pained look, but after considering everything that had transpired—including how long she had spent—she had to agree.

"Yeah… That would be nice." Her voice was weak.

She felt faint and her body could hardly move, after all.

The pain and stiffness Ciara felt were, however, overshadowed by the joy and fulfillment coursing through her at that moment. Also mixed in those emotions was something else…

… A sense of gratitude towards Noir.

"T-thank… You." She mumbled barely audibly.

"What was that?"

"N-Nothing" Ciara quickly responded in embarrassment.

She was a member of High Nobility, and expressing gratitude was something she hardly resorted to. Allowing someone like Noir to receive her thanks—without knowing how he really felt about them—was something Ciara just couldn't handle.

"Let me help you." The young man stretched out his hand to the seated Ciara.

She was a mess in every sense of the word, so she gladly accepted his gesture.

Noir helped her stand, and together they ventured out of the room—both with a sense of achievement.

*

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*

As they left the training room, walked past the hallway, and returned to their apartment, Noir could see Ciara's excited expression. She simply kept smiling to herself, making the man feel a bit awkward.

'I'm not used to having this kind of positivity around me…' His shoulders slumped as he had this thought.

Noir simply couldn't comprehend the pleasure she had from only achieving Tier 2. He smiled at the simplicity.

"By the way… What Tier are you in?" Ciara suddenly asked, snapping him out of his mental notes

"Hmmn? Why do you ask?"

"Well, Galand and Lorna said you used Tier 4-Level Magic, and you're clearly not ordinary. So… I'm just curious."

A moment of silence greeted Ciara's words.

"Y-you don't have to tell me if you don't want to…" She quickly added.

"Then I won't. Thank you for that option" Noir's response was quick.

"F-fine then! It's… whatever." Ciara pretended not to care—a terrible performance, to be honest.

As if the pouty expression she made wasn't enough, Ciara started increasing her pace until she walked ahead of Noir.

Noir gazed at her from behind and smiled a bit.

'What good would come out of telling her my Tier?'

How was she going to accept or understand it, even if she saw his Status Window?

For the average person… that much was impossible!

Noir stared at his Status Information and was once again reminded of the great difference between him and the others.

'Ignorance is bliss…'

*

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*

[Day of The Exams]

The Time had finally come!

The Entrants ventured into the Examination hall, having various expressions on their faces as they moved.

Tension filled the air—as many of the people there hoped to be selected, but were uncertain of their abilities.

Of course, there were some of them who looked fairly confident. A few looked cocky, even.

"Haa… you can do this, girl!" One of the contestants oozed out her inner thoughts.

Ciara had been forcefully awakened by Noir two days prior, and then she trained with him the previous day.

She was not very confident, as she still had a long way to go in her growth, but she had put in the most effort she could during the short period she had been with Noir.

It was finally time to see the results.

Speaking of Noir, she had not seen him since their final training session the previous evening.

He had told her she was ready, even though she had only really trained with him for a day, not counting the Forced Awakening she underwent. Afterward, he simply vanished.

'That man…' She took a deep breath and kept moving.

"New Entrants, Welcome to your Examination venue." The Moderator announced.

He was a middle-aged man who was dressed in a huge cloak.

There was a ragged beard and a bright expression on his face. He looked like he was enjoying himself.

Ciara, as well as the other examinees, were guided to a large arena—much larger than even the banquet hall in her home. The Examiners sat at the top, watching all the examinees who were in the large bare field.

"The rules are simple. There are only a few slots available within the Institute every year, which means we have to select a few candidates among you." The Moderator continued.

"For the first part of the exams, we'll be judging your Magic proficiency in Enchantment. Stones will be passed to every one of you. You have to cast Enchantments on them."

At this point, some examinees had shifty gazes and began to fidget. It was obvious they were nervous.

"You pass if your stones glow, which means you have successfully enchanted the stones. You fail if the stones do not glow. That means you do not have any proficiency in Enchantments. The time limit is 5 minutes." He paused at this point—most likely noticing how uncomfortable young ones looked.

"Any questions?"

It was already clear that a lot of them were not confident in their Enchantment proficiency. Ciara was also nervous as well. She never imagined that they would start thinning them out this early.

"I have a question." One of the examinees raised his voice.

"I speak for most of us when I say the first part of this exercise is too unfair. How do you expect beginners of magic to Enchant a stone perfectly? And failing the ones who can't Enchant, isn't that unfair?"

Once the boy was finished, he smiled slyly.

Many of the examinees started mumbling and grumbling in agreement, expressing their pent-up reservations and emotions.

"Hmmm?" Ciara observed the boy who instigated the whole thing.

From her point of view, it seemed like he would have no problem with the conditions of the exam. He was most likely a high-ranking noble like her, so what could he benefit from causing such a commotion?

"Young man, it seems you have some sort of misunderstanding."

Once the Moderator spoke, everyone else fell silent.

"First of all, the stones that will be given to you possess special properties, making enchantment easier. In essence, the stones will do most of the work for you."

Relieved expressions leaked out.

"Your second misconception is the notion that anyone will be failed just because they aren't able to pass this first exam." The Moderator continued.

"The exams are divided into parts; each examinee's cumulative performance will determine whether they pass or fail."

This appeased the crowd a bit, making them ease up.

"Nevertheless, be warned. The grading system of the Institute is very strict, and we will only admit the best among you. We do not expect you to pass all the tests, but try your best in every single one. Is everything clear?" The Moderator clarified.

"Yes, thank you." The young lad said with a smug expression.

"Now, without further ado, let the first part of the examinations begin!"

Stones suddenly appeared before every examinee—one per person.

The examinees were amazed by the sudden appearance of the stones. However, this was cut short by the immediate realization that their time had started counting.

Everyone snappily took their stones and began concentrating their Mana on them while commencing Enchantment.

'I'm so nervous…' Ciara looked around her.

Out of over a hundred and thirty examinees present in the room, only about 30 managed to light up their stones. She shook her head and decided to concentrate on hers.

"[ENCHANT]" She stated the basic Enchantment, focusing the flow of her mana into the stone.

A bright light suddenly emanated from within it, blinding her eyes instantly.

"Argh!"

Ciara's yelp, and the bright light from her stone, drew the attention of all the examinees. Everyone's squinted eyes turned to her.

The flustered girl was unsure of what was happening, but she knew one thing…

'I've probably overdone it!'

"M-magnificent!" The Moderator let out in an amazed voice.

"E-eh…?" Ciara looked around her and saw the awe that surrounded her.

There were some, however, who looked at her with spite. Some even gritted their teeth.

Then she saw the boy who had spoken previously.

His stone also shone brightly, at least brighter than the rest of the examinees, but it was nothing compared to hers.

"Tch!" His voice was audible enough for her to catch.

"Time Up!" The Moderator broke the awkward mood.

"Number of examinees who pass, 31. Number of examinees who fail—104."

There was a huge hush and mumbling, but there was no time for any complaint or rest. The second part was to commence.

*

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*

The second part was about Magic proficiency in Enhancement, the third was about Magic proficiency in Runes.

Ciara managed to pass every one of them—outstandingly for that matter. Her results dwarfed that of the other examinees, and while she was happy about her progress, she was beginning to get uncomfortable with the gazes she was receiving.

For the Enhancement exams, 78 passed, while 57 failed.

For the Rune exams, 14 passed, while 121 failed.

It was finally time for the main event, the Spell exams.