"No way. Magic Master, have you forgotten that we were complained about last time for refusing a thirty-year-old student? People outside say we practice age discrimination."

"So what if we do? Shouldn't Mages have age discrimination? Magic is something you definitely can't learn well once you pass a certain age."

"But others don't think the same way. They feel we're robbing a child of their dreams. I really don't want us to end up as tomorrow's front-page headline again. That would affect our funding for next year."

"That thirty-year-old applicant didn't pass in the end, did he? He just wandered around the Magic Academy for a bit."

"So it can be the same this time, right? You can spare a little time for the exam; you can do it while multitasking without wasting too much of your time. If he doesn't pass, he'll leave naturally. Just consider it for the sake of next year's funding, okay? You wouldn't want the funding to be cut, would you?"

A raspy voice fell silent for a moment, then let out a helpless sigh: "Fine, let him in. I'll prepare a test he won't pass."

"That's more like it. You could've done this from the start."

"No, no, wait, let him stand outside for a while. Five minutes. Give me five minutes to think about how to make him naturally fail."

This time, the elf woman sighed: "Do as you please. Just be mindful of your words; don't let him feel like we're intentionally making things difficult for him. We don't want to make the front-page headline, or the second or third page either."

"Alright, I understand."

Listening to the conversation inside the room, Angel's joy gradually faded outside the door, replaced by disappointment. His eyes started to redden.

"Don't worry, Angel. As long as they agree to give you a chance, you will definitely pass. I have faith in you," whispered the demon softly in Angel's ear.

Angel didn't respond but pursed his lips and forced a smile again.

"Alright, just wait a bit longer, then you can go in." The door opened, and the elf woman leading Angel smiled and said to him: "Five minutes, please wait for a moment. The Magic Master needs to make some preparations. After all… uh, you're an older applicant. He needs to handle this seriously. At the Magic Academy, we respect every child's dreams, including yours, of course."

"Thank you." Angel replied with a smile.

Taking a deep breath, the elf woman continued: "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave first. After five minutes, go in by yourself. If you pass the exam, the Magic Master will stamp your form. Then bring the form to me. If you don't pass... well, you don't need to come find me."

"Excuse me, can I ask for your name?"

"My name?" The elf woman was momentarily taken aback.

Angel spoke earnestly: "I need to know your name; otherwise, I won't know how to find you."

"Oh." The elf woman smiled awkwardly and replied, "Just call me Barnes."

"Are you a teacher here?"

"No, I'm not. I'm just part of the staff. Only a Magic Master can be a teacher at the Magic Academy."

"Then… where should I go to find you?" Angel asked eagerly again.

"You can… ask at the counter? Someone will tell you. I move around a lot." Barnes replied even more awkwardly.

Having said that, she nodded to Angel and hurriedly walked away.

The door was open, but Angel didn't move to a position where he could see what was inside the room. Instead, he remained standing quietly and began counting the time. Counting it second by second.

Occasionally, noises came from the room—paper rustling, as if someone was flipping through something.

When he reached three hundred, Angel clenched his teeth, took a step forward, and stood before the door.

A small, messy room came into view, even more chaotic than Angel's own room.

The walls of the room were lined with bookshelves, even partially covering the window, making the entire room exceptionally dark.

A large desk and two chairs filled the space. The desk was stacked with scrolls, and the candle holder's wax hadn't been cleaned in who knows how long. One lone candle burned silently, providing the main source of light in the room.

Beside the desk, there was an experiment table covered with various glass vessels, its surface bearing marks of corrosion from different substances.

Sitting at the desk was a burly, weary-looking Blood Elf clad in a red Mage's robe, his face covered in a thick beard.

That beard, rather than being intentionally cultivated, seemed to be the result of having forgotten to shave for a long time. The Blood Elf Mage appeared disheveled, careless, utterly lacking the elegance typically associated with elves.

He raised his head and glanced at Angel, his long ears twitching slightly.

"You're Angel, right?"

"Yes, that's me." Angel earnestly bowed: "Greetings, Magic Master."

"Hello. Have a seat." The Blood Elf Mage said, pretending to examine the registration form Barnes had handed over.

Angel quietly walked to the desk, chose a chair without clutter, and sat down: "May I ask, how should I address you?"

"Address me?" The Elf Mage froze for a moment: "You want to know my name?"

"Of course. Is that not allowed?"

"Uh… of course it's allowed. I'm Amos, though most people call me Magic Master, except for those who're also Magic Masters like me." Half-closing his eyes, Amos glanced at Angel's registration form again before saying, "What's your name? No, I mean, you're applying to the Magic Academy, but you're already thirty-five years old. If you were to take the exam with the fifteen-year-old kids, it would be unfair to them. Your experiences and magic perception have already surpassed theirs. Yet you lack professional training, which creates a problem—your future growth would actually fall short of theirs. This reasoning, you understand, right?"

"I understand." Angel nodded.

"Therefore, we have higher requirements for older students. You must take a separate exam."

"Yes, that's why I'm sitting here."

"Then let's start with… math. Yes, math first. Magic is an extremely complex discipline requiring a clear mind that can solve various intricate problems. Math is critically important. If your math isn't up to standard, we'll have to give up on you. Believe me, the Magic Academy is eager for excellent applicants. But if you're unfit, we won't waste your future."

With that, Amos pulled out two sheets of paper and placed them before Angel. One was yellowed and old, covered in numbers and symbols. The other was a blank white sheet.

Taking out a pocket watch, Amos gestured to the yellowed paper: "This is the test."

He pointed to the white paper: "This is the answer sheet. You have ten minutes to write the answers. Not a second more. And yes, I know the symbols on the test might be incomprehensible to you, but that can't be helped. Math is like this. If it's too difficult, I suggest you study math for two more years and come back. Of course, the examiner won't necessarily be me then, and the test won't be this one. Alright, let's begin."

"Done." Angel casually laid down his pen and looked at Amos with an expressionless face.

For a moment, the room descended into awkward silence.

Amos stared at him in disbelief.

Was this… even three seconds?

Stretching his neck, Amos saw only one number written on the answer sheet: "1." Yes, "1." His expression grew increasingly complicated.

"Kid, is this your answer? Where's your solution process?"

"This is the answer. As for the solution, I look forward to seeing Magic Master Amos write it out within ten minutes. No, maybe we can extend it to an hour. If you can do it, I'll accept my failure."

Looking at Angel's calm demeanor, Amos involuntarily twitched his mouth.

"What are you doing?" The demon whispered in Angel's mind.

"I've seen this problem before. The solution takes up an entire book. I can write it out, but it's impossible to do so in ten minutes. And I don't believe he can solve it in an hour. Not even in a day; there's no such magic."

"Wow! You've grown bolder, Angel. You're not the same as before."

"Of course. I've taken the risk. Magic is my dream; I can't just let them drive me away like this." Silently answering the demon's question in his mind, Angel smiled again and said to Amos, "Magic Master Amos absolutely wouldn't give exam questions that he himself can't solve, right? If that were the case, tomorrow's headline news is bound to be this."

At this moment, the atmosphere in the room was awkward, extremely awkward.

Looking at Angel, Amos broke out in cold sweat.

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