The Mana Sphere Test
After the exam ended, a female teaching assistant holding the grading sheets tilted her head in confusion. Huh? Nam Doyun, 50 points plus 50 bonus points. Someone actually received bonus points? Was this recorded incorrectly? That eccentric teacher has the strangest hobbies. The moment one minute remains, he suddenly spikes the difficulty under the guise of offering bonus points. The assignments are deliberately impossible for any student to clear. Yet someone earned those points? This had to be a recording error.
Knock, knock. She rapped on the teacher's private office door.
"Come in."
The teacher answered in a cheerful voice. The door creaked open.
"What brings you here?" he asked with a smile as she stepped inside.
"You seem to be in an especially good mood today."
"Ah, I found a rather promising student. But what about you?"
"I was wondering if the bonus points might have been recorded incorrectly."
The teacher glanced at the evaluation sheet and broke into a wide grin.
"It's not a mistake. I recorded it properly."
"......?"
The assistant stared at him blankly. Was there really a student who passed?
"Was there anything else?"
"Ah! No, I'll be going now. Thank you."
She quickly left the office. The teacher understood her reaction perfectly. He despised indecisive personalities, which was why he deliberately raised the difficulty at the one-minute mark to weed out anyone who hadn't entered yet. The test was never meant to be passed in the first place.
Yet one student had cleared the mana barrier that was never intended to be cleared. Passing it required the level of mana control only active hunters possessed—those who had risked their lives in countless battles. Even Cha Jiyun and Radeon, impressive as they were, had only cleared the standard version. He was certain they wouldn't have survived the intensified barrier at the one-minute mark.
So what exactly was that boy? How refined must his mana control be to pass a barrier meant only for veteran hunters? Had he completely mastered mana already? Just who was he? It had been a long time since someone this interesting had appeared.
****
Yeobin and I began walking toward the waiting room together. The mana barrier hadn't detected the mana flowing through my body at all. The mana circulating inside me was fundamentally different from the mana of this world's inhabitants. But I had no idea how to use it. I needed to learn.
"How do you release mana externally?"
"!?"
Yeobin gave me a puzzled look. Everyone in this world learned that from birth, so my ignorance must have seemed strange. Her expression grew increasingly odd. I quickly tried to recover.
"I was just wondering if other people release mana differently than I do."
"Ah, if that's what you mean..." She nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Usually, releasing mana externally requires three steps. First, imagine the form you want to release. Second, fill that form with mana to shape it. Third, continuously distribute mana to maintain the form so it doesn't distort."
"I... see."
"Yes. That's basic theory from any magic textbook."
Before I knew it, we had reached the waiting room while talking.
"Let's go in."
"Okay!"
The door creaked open. Every gaze in the waiting room turned toward us. Only one person showed no interest—Cha Jiyun leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, not even glancing our way.
Out of all the students gathered in the auditorium, only ten had made it into this room. Ninety percent had already been eliminated in the first exam.
"Alright, everyone! We'll be moving to the next testing area now."
The proctor inside began leading us to the next venue. The room had pristine white walls and contained nothing else. A young woman wearing a teacher badge spoke from a distance.
"What? Only ten people passed the first exam?"
"Yes, somehow. Haha."
About twenty students from another testing area stood lined up in front of her.
"This is awkward. Testing ten people separately feels inefficient... Well, let's just test everyone together."
"Pardon?"
"It doesn't matter, right? Even if it overlaps with other testing areas."
After saying that, the teacher stepped forward.
"The test is simple. Explaining it would take longer than just showing you."
Blue mana gathered above her hand, forming a sphere. It soon took the shape of a soccer ball, radiating blue light.
"Don't tell me..."
The students looked around with stiff expressions.
"That's right. Anyone who can gather mana into a sphere-like shape passes."
"How many seconds do we need to maintain it?"
"Hmm, I'll judge that on a case-by-case basis."
The teacher scanned the room and called out to one student.
"You there, student?"
"Yes?"
"Would you mind demonstrating first?"
"Ah... Yes, understood."
He was from another testing area.
"Isn't that Russo? The one who's pretty famous for magic."
"He'll probably pull it off easily, right?"
"I heard his dad's a high-ranking mage. He must've received tons of early training."
Russo took a deep breath and began gathering mana above his hand. It gradually formed a spherical shape, eventually reaching the size of a soccer ball.
"What? He's just going to pass?"
"As expected."
Two seconds. Three seconds. But as time passed, his sphere began to lose its shape. One side caved in while the other sagged. After hearing Yeobin's explanation, I understood the situation. The test was evaluating whether we could distribute mana evenly. While mana could create any shape, a sphere was the most difficult. Maintaining uniform mana from the center to the surface was essential. Even the slightest imbalance would cause instant collapse. Sustaining that state for an extended period was the real challenge.
"Fail."
The teacher declared coldly.
"Next student?"
"Tch—"
Many students tried afterward, but none managed to create a perfect sphere.
"Next... Cha Jiyun?"
Eventually, it was Cha Jiyun's turn. Even the previously bored teacher perked up. She must have had high expectations for her.
"......"
Without a word, Cha Jiyun extended her hand. Pale blue mana began forming a sphere above it. The sphere grew steadily larger, perfectly round with no protrusions or indentations, reaching soccer ball size. Up to that point, it was identical to Russo's attempt. Two seconds. Three seconds... But even as time passed, her sphere remained largely intact. Of course, minor distortions appeared occasionally. Even for her, maintaining perfect control at a teacher's level was still too much. Around the ten-second mark, sweat beaded on her forehead as she could no longer sustain the shape. Just as the sphere began to collapse—
"Congratulations on passing."
The teacher smiled.
"Thank you."
She bowed politely.
"Wow, there's a reason everyone talks about Cha Jiyun."
"Her talent is overwhelming."
The students murmured in awe. The teacher watched her with a satisfied smile, her eyes completely different from when she'd observed the previous students.
Next was Radeon, the youngest son of the renowned swordsmanship family. Like Cha Jiyun, his sphere developed some distortions but stayed close to a perfect sphere. Once it exceeded ten seconds, it too began losing shape. At that moment, the teacher smiled and spoke.
"Radeon, you pass as well."
Even so, he hadn't achieved a flawless sphere. Distortions had appeared midway.
"No matter how talented, ten seconds seems to be the limit for students."
The teacher muttered regretfully. Maintaining the sphere required the third step Yeobin had mentioned—continuously redistributing mana—which proved extremely difficult. That was why the teacher compromised by passing anyone who exceeded ten seconds.
Soon after, the teacher called out, "Next. Nam Doyun?"
"Yes."
I stood up. What should I do? I still had no idea how to use the mana inside me. But standing there doing nothing would guarantee failure. My heart pounded relentlessly.
"Doyun?"
The teacher looked at me curiously.
"The test has started. Aren't you going to try?"
It was all or nothing. Following Yeobin's instructions, I first imagined a spherical shape. More specifically, I pictured a sphere forming above my hand. At that moment, a notification sounded.
Do you wish to unlock Nam Doyun's unique 'Mana'? — Y/N
How many seconds would you like to set the duration to?
It was exactly like when I used Copy. I selected Y and set the duration to maximum. Instantly, a sphere formed. But mine was distinctly different. Unlike the previous students' blue spheres, mine was completely transparent and invisible. Its shape matched the soccer ball the teacher had created perfectly.
"Hey, what's he doing? Heh."
"Yeah, why's he just standing there?"
The students began snickering. Could they really not see it? But the teacher silently stared in the direction where I had formed the sphere. She could see it.
Ten seconds. Twenty seconds. Thirty seconds. Time continued to pass, yet my sphere showed no distortion whatsoever. The teacher's expression gradually shifted to one of shock.