While Raze was stuck trying to understand what exactly was happening, and what all these sudden shifts in the flow of the story were, Lady Sofia had already started speaking.

"My name is Sofia, captain of the Black Thunder Chapter. I'll be handling your exams today," she said, her eyes calm like an ocean, yet deep as the abyss.

"Whoa, did you hear that? She's a captain!"

"That can't be true. What would a captain be doing in an academy?"

"Well, you can't lie about being a captain. That could get you killed."

Different discussions erupted the moment they realized who she was. What could a captain possibly be doing here in the academy?

"Enough," she spoke, cutting their discussions short. "Recently, the movements of the demon beasts have become more massive, and the war has been happening constantly. You kids do not see that because wizards and knights risk their lives out on the battlefield, ensuring that you sleep well at night.

But there is an issue, the fact that the average graduate from academies around the kingdom is roughly three-star when they graduate. Yes, there are geniuses who reach the fourth and fifth stars, but the average of three stars has become appalling.

There has been a massive wave of incompetent and undertrained mages and battle mages all across the kingdom, and that's due to the excess peace that some of you have enjoyed all your lives. But now that situation is changing, and storm clouds lie ahead. The kingdom cannot afford to throw lives to their deaths.

And that's why the general average has been changed to four stars. To make sure every student that passes through the academy reaches that, we must mold and shape you into the very warriors we want to see." Her words cut through the silence; everyone held their breath as they listened to her.

"And that's why I, along with my chapter, have come to this academy. We will ensure that we assist the Raven Academy in molding you, building the proper foundation.

So, on that note, if you are only capable of one singular one-star spell, leave now. You aren't ready for the academy." Her words cut through the air like a hot knife through butter. They reached everyone's ears, and many faces changed.

"I do not understand how you can stand here today, wanting to become mages, and yet you do not have at least two spells in your arsenal.

The only way to get away with one spell here is if you use a weapon and are capable of channeling your magic through that weapon like a battle mage."

Faces changed when they heard that. The noise erupted like a volcano, calling out how unfair this was. Looks of despair covered the faces of the young adults who had just had their dreams crushed.

One by one, without choice, they started walking away. The people who remained watched as the candidates left, some thanking their stars that they had learned two or more spells, else they would have been like the others.

"Don't celebrate," Sofia's voice cut through again. "This is only the beginning. For the duration of three days, you'll be proving why you are a perfect fit for this academy. No longer will there be any easy tests. Each test will be aimed at reaching a specific goal in mind, and you must pass it to move on," she explained.

By now, the over a thousand candidates had dropped down by a significant amount. And more were still going to drop, as the academy would only take around three hundred to five hundred new students. But with Sofia leading the entrance examination, that number could go even lower.

She pointed at the targets. "Each of you must cast a spell twenty meters away and ensure that your spell does some level of damage to the target. You can't cheat because I will see, and you can't try to be smart about it," she explained.

Then one girl raised her hand. Sofia motioned for her to ask her question. "Captain Sofia, what about those that trained only in healing-type magic and non-violent magic?" she asked, her question immediately causing some murmurs.

"I was getting to that as well. If you are incapable of attack magic, your skills will not be pushed aside. You will have to show us what you can do, which could be healing or purely defensive magic. The reason why I focused on attack is because ninety percent of you learned attacking spells first, that's a fact."

After she said that, her chapter members walked out. Each of them had left their armor and were in simple clothing now.

"Each of my chapter members will be in charge of ensuring that you have what it takes to move on. This part of the test is only to see what you can do and nothing more," she explained.

"Now, if there are no questions, ready yourselves. There's no point in rushing, as everyone will be getting the opportunity to show what they can do."

The first part of the exam truly started, and within a few minutes, candidates began to realize that twenty meters was no joke for casting a spell. Most people used flame arrows and fireballs, but they either lacked the accuracy or the damage needed.

Riker's turn came, and he walked up to the mark. One of the knights from the chapter stood close by, watching him and a few others. Riker took a deep breath and calmed himself. He had trained for this for more than five years, ever since he could use magic.

"Flame Arrow," he called out. The knight thought it was going to be one of the usual, so he didn't pay much attention, but the flame arrow cut through the air and penetrated the target, leaving a deep burn hole close to the center.

The knight looked at it, his brows slightly raised. Others had passed, sure, but no one had left that much damage yet.

"You have passed," he said in a deep tone, giving Riker a nod.

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