The 1-Level Mage Certification Exam

My encounter with Eunbyeol for the certification exam was profoundly meaningful. I couldn't exactly go full madwoman on her like, "Screw the academy! Become my disciple! Learn Reverse Flow! Don't want to? Watch me dance with my blade right here!"

"……."

Though... maybe once wouldn't have hurt?

Still, just getting her phone number was a huge accomplishment in itself.

As I grinned ear-to-ear and chomped into my sandwich, Monica poked my cheek curiously.

"What's got you so happy, kiddo? You've been full of energy since you got back from the academy."

"Hehe, it's a secret."

Monica narrowed her eyes.

"Hmm. Is it because of Eunbyeol?"

"……."

I flinched, and Monica smiled slyly.

"Knew it. There's something about that girl, huh?"

"Hmph! You wouldn't understand, since you don't know those vulgar mages who only care about sync rates."

Monica gazed up at the ceiling, as if recalling Eunbyeol.

"Sync rate is a measure of strength, sure. But that's old news from 20 or 30 years ago~"

"Is... that so?"

Monica set down her sandwich and continued.

"These days, they look at more than just sync rate—ether control, the utility of your mental core, formula calculation speed, discharge velocity, ether circuits, and even the physical stamina to sustain spells."

"It's gotten way more complicated."

As I pondered each factor, a question popped into my head.

"Why does the body matter? Mages were always supposed to be these walking corpses, all skin and bones."

Monica pretended to adjust nonexistent glasses and leaned in close.

"Ufufu, it's scientific. Papers have shown significant correlations between muscle density, neural conduction speed, and magic. These days, some mages bulk up because studies prove it increases ether capture and capacity..."

Monica started spewing knowledge like some stereotypical otaku.

To sum it up: in this era of advancing magic sports, the hot topic was the link between physical prowess and magical ability.

"Th-that's fascinating."

"That's why American mages double as roiders—big, burly kids everywhere."

"Not my thing."

"Hmph, more muscle means more ether ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠intake, so it's essential for battle mages."

"Then I won't be a battle mage."

Monica burst out laughing at my words.

"Fair enough~ Women lack the absolute muscle mass anyway, so it's inefficient. Better to develop your nervous system. It makes a real difference in casting speed."

"How much of a difference? A few seconds?"

"About 0.1 to 0.2 seconds?"

"...That's trash efficiency."

"Heh~ Watch an S1 league match, and you'll change your tune. Wins and losses swing by tenths of a second there."

"Hmph, like that'll help much hunting abyssal entities in the Abyss."

Then her mention of S1 league jogged my memory of the magic tournament, and I jumped up.

"Right! I wanna enter a tournament too! How long am I gonna keep just training?!"

Monica, picking at bread crumbs, chuckled.

"If you compete, it'll be a frenzy about some genius kid popping up. We haven't found a magic tower or sponsor to protect you yet."

"Hmph! I'll just play weak. I wanna gain tournament experience too."

"Hmm."

"And the more you hide, the more suspicious it gets! Even a supreme master has to show one edge to make it meaningful."

"Power-ranking games—you seem to like 'em more than I do?"

I smirked, lips curling up.

"A killer's basics are all about concealment."

"Hmm, Taehyun! Has Eunha been watching killer manga lately?"

Taehyun, who was cleaning the living room, entered the kitchen with a bright smile.

"Lately, she's been watching an anime called Spy Friend with me."

"Ack! I said it was a secret! I only watched it 'cause it brought back old memories!"

"That's what she says."

My face heated up at Taehyun's words. Pouting, I plopped down in my kiddie chair, feeling Monica's eyes on me, curved like crescent moons.

"Was it fun?"

"It... it was fun..."

"Spy Friend's a blast~ Want me to buy you a doll of the protagonist later?"

"For real?!"

"……."

Monica's beaming grin hit me, and I realized too late I'd been had.

"Ack! Anyway! Will you look into tournaments for me?!"

"Of course. Nubes Academy's got one coming up—the Neo Busan Dynamic Tournament."

"And Eunbyeol's going too?!"

"Yeah, it's a junior 3-grade event perfect for the under-10.5 crowd's debut."

"Tournaments have grades too...? This is all so complicated."

At my complaint, Monica pulled up a chart on her phone.

"Hmm."

"Kids usually start competing at 7 to build experience, then sweep junior tournaments by 13 or 15 and go pro."

"Are the S1 mages strong?"

Monica smiled slyly at my question.

"Monsters at 7-level, or rising stars at 6-level, usually."

"That pink-haired kid, Haryeong?"

"She was an S1 ranker... but always stuck at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠3rd in her prime."

"……."

That monster placed 3rd?

"Terrifying."

"For reference, Korea's KML S1 is mid-tier globally. Haryeong was around 50th worldwide."

"Hmm... Big gap between global and local, huh."

"They tried hosting the national prelims as a global event once—Koreans didn't win once in five years, so they scrapped it."

"That's a shame."

"Now you see why this country stakes everything on mages."

As I nodded, Monica slipped on her jacket—code for training time.

"Off to the training ground?"

"Nah, level exam today."

"Huh...?"

Monica grinned and showed me a poster.

"The poster's so tacky..."

"Nubes Academy's in the Neo Busan Dynamic Tournament next week, so we need your level cert now."

"Next week already? And what do you mean 'get a level'?"!

Loving my panicked face, Monica leaned in laughing.

"Hahaha, no biggie. It's just an extension of what we've been doing. Take the test, get your 1-level cert."

She handed me a metallic card.

The card, inscribed in English, shimmered rainbow hues in response to ether.

"Pass the exam, and you get one like this. 1-level, of course."

The word "exam" brought a twinge of tension.

"Alright, time to let the world know there's a mage named Yu Eunha."

*

The Korean Mage ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Certification Exam, held quarterly, buzzed with blade-sharp tension inside.

Gathered across the vast training ground were 7-year-olds, all here to claim the title of 1-level mage.

Examiner Park Seongwoong sipped warm milk coffee while scanning the chilly interior.

"More kids than usual this year."

Judges Kang Yoonjeong and Kim Byeongho nodded at Seongwoong's words.

"Ever since Isara, it's been like this."

"Her impact raised expectations for the next gen."

"Scary world."

Seongwoong swallowed the bittersweet brew.

"Pushing these kids into the meat grinder just to keep it going."

Silence fell.

"Ahaha, true, but it's also about learning to protect themselves."

"Right~ In case an Abyss bubble pops up, they need to defend their own bodies."

"Plus, mages are hot, promising jobs with great pay."

Seongwoong nodded at Yoonjeong and Byeongho's words.

Beep— A shrill alarm filled the arena, signaling the start.

Seongwoong took his seat at the judges' table in the green magic dueling court.

A tense 7-year-old boy entered.

"Examination begins."

From there, it was routine. Explain the test; kids fired off 1-level Ether Shots.

Seongwoong judged impassively, swift and precise.

Ether flow's unsteady, path wobbles. High sync, but low mental core resolution.

"Pass. But work on your mental core."

One pass, one fail. Typical 50-60% rate.

More middling kids followed.

"Urgh, sniff..."

Some failed their shots and cried; others fled, faces blank.

"Same old this year?"

"A bit worse than last."

"Can't compare to two years ago with Isara."

"Haha, yeah. She passed 1-level standards at 3, right?"

As Seongwoong nodded, a girl with peculiar eyes stood.

Too tall for a 7-year-old 1-level exam. Profile said 10.

Low-level test at her age, dark black eyes like she'd seen it all.

Seongwoong smiled wryly at the emotions in those eyes.

"Ah, 10 years old. Three years late."

"Black hair? Low sync."

"No decolorization? Even 1-level's tough."

"Yeah~ Probably failed the last three years straight."

Ignoring the others, Seongwoong spoke.

"Examinee 51. Eunbyeol from Nubes Academy. 1-Level Certification Exam begins."

"Understood."

Seongwoong outlined concisely.

"Fire the basic spell, Ether Shot. No artifacts. Purely your own power to shape it."

"……."

"Scored on casting stability and speed, shot formation and sustain."

Whistle blew; ether flowed gracefully.

"Ah, as expected, a thread."

"Low sync means threading it thin."

Seongwoong focused. Thread-thin, but ether flowed smoothly—top-tier control.

Right, it's not about quantity.

It might take ages to realize, but this Eunbyeol might get there.

After a bit, a faint, barely cohesive Ether Shot formed.

"……."

Her arm bore bruises and scars—ether backlash wounds.

Trained brutally for a kid... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠meaning...

Far off, a man and woman stared intently. Non-mages, civilians.

Their expectations drove her this far; their sacrifices grew her thus.

Seongwoong spoke with full sincerity.

"Ether control and circuit stability are perfect. Well prepared."

"Huh? M-me?"

"Yes, Eunbyeol. Congratulations. You pass the 1-level certification."

Her large black eyes welled up at his words.

"Th-thank you..."

As he nodded to her bow, the next kid entered the court.

Sky-blue decolorizing hair at 7 years old. Breathing stirred ambient ether.

The overwhelming aura had judges murmuring.

"Whoa. Decolorized hair from ether?"

"That's... seriously high potential."

Of all things, back-to-back.

They even knew each other—eye contact, greeting.

...Life's cruel like that.

Feeling the sting, Seongwoong welcomed the next.

Her profile was as unique as Eunbyeol's.

Unaffiliated?

Seongwoong raised a brow at the 7-year-old.

"Examinee 52. Yu Eunha, unaffiliated. 1-Level Certification Exam begins."