Chapter 36: Affinity Test

Chapter 36: Affinity Test All the new recruits met outside early in the morning. Not because they wanted to, but because someone came with a bell, ringing it right in their ears until everyone was up and ready. "Let’s move, you lazy asses," a man yelled. Damian wasn’t used to waking up that early, but he managed just fine. He wasn’t the only one looking like a zombie—Curt and Mitra were too. "Any idea how our training’s gonna be?" Damian asked them. "I think they’ll check our affinities first, so we know what techniques to learn. And maybe we’ll get a specific teacher for each affinity, I don’t know," Mitra said. Everyone who awakened mana had an affinity to a certain element. It was smart to learn breathing techniques and skills related to that specific element. Some people had more than one. Having two was actually pretty common. Damian had no idea how that would work out for him, though. He wasn’t like everyone else. His power came from the system, so he didn’t actually awaken his mana like the rest of them. He was a little worried this affinity test would get him in trouble. He hoped not—he had a mission to accomplish. Anyway, all the students gathered inside a building filled with tables. That’s where they had breakfast together. Food was an important part of the training, so every student had access to three or four meals throughout the day. There were plenty of breakfast options too, which was good. Damian grabbed some healthy stuff—fruits, oatmeal, that kind of thing. He wanted to keep his diet clean since it was important for his training overall. The new recruits weren’t the only ones eating. Damian saw a few people with different uniforms—those were the students in their second or third year, maybe even longer. Apparently, there wasn’t a fixed time for how long students stayed there. You had to graduate. Some took longer than others. Some just liked being on the base and used their connections to stay an extra year or two. "I have an affinity with plants. Earth," Mitra said. "What about you two?" She already knew hers. Most people there did—richer families could pay for a test beforehand. A few didn’t know yet. Curt knew. "Lightning." Mitra’s eyes went wide when she heard that. "Really? That’s a rare one, I think. If you work hard, you could become someone really important." Damian instantly brightened up. Curt seemed like a promising recruit, and befriending someone like that was a good idea. Damian was, after all, a spy—blending in as much as possible was exactly what he needed. "What about you, Damian?" Mitra asked, turning her gaze toward him. Damian had no idea what his affinity was. Actually, he had no idea what the test would say—he didn’t even awaken his mana the normal way. "I still don’t know," Damian said. "But I’ll tell you when I get that information." "No problem," Mitra said with a smile. It wasn’t that uncommon for someone to not know their affinity, so they didn’t think too much of it. The breakfast was nice and all, but after it was over, the new recruits followed another officer. This time, they were heading to a specific tower inside the hunter academy. "This tower is where you’ll have your affinity tested," the officer said. "Even those who already know will still have to take the test. We just want to make sure we have the most up-to-date data about you." Everyone had to take the test because anyone could lie. The academy wanted to be certain about each student’s affinity. They had a rigorous process of monitoring, too. Damian already had a feeling someone was always watching him. Anyway, the officer started calling the new recruits in, one by one. The process was quick—just about a minute per student—so it wouldn’t take that long to finish. Damian was really nervous about the test. He tried to hide it, but he couldn’t stand still while waiting for his name to be called. Eventually, it was his turn. "Damian Crawford," the officer said. He slowly moved toward the tower and stepped inside. The first floor was where the affinity test would take place. There was a staircase leading to the upper floors, but Damian had no idea what those floors were used for. All he saw was the first. At the center of the room stood a crystal—a massive mana crystal. Beside it was an older man with a trimmed white beard and long robes, completely different from the type of clothes everyone else wore. Damian recognized the man. It was the librarian. He had seen him before during the academy tour, when they visited the library. "Please, place your hand on the crystal and use your mana," the librarian said, his voice gentle and kind. The test was pretty simple. The crystal would read the user’s mana and designate a specific affinity based on the mana patterns. It looked like a simple test on the surface, but creating that crystal had taken humanity a lot of research and an insane amount of resources. Damian was scared, but he did as the librarian asked. There was no running away from it. He took five steps toward the crystal, placed his hand on it, and poured his mana into it. The crystal’s mechanism caused it to change color based on affinity. Red meant fire, blue was water, and so on. But when Damian touched it, the crystal shifted to an obsidian black. Both the librarian and the officer frowned. "Your affinity is related to body magic," the librarian said. "You’re a battle mage, it seems." "Body magic? You mean like enhancing my body?" Damian asked. "Yes, that’s correct." After the test was done, Damian left the room feeling excited. With that affinity, he wouldn’t have to change his fighting style. In fact, it might even be possible for him to use his demonic skills while inside the academy. But something was bothering him. When the crystal turned obsidian black, both the librarian and the officer had frowned and exchanged glances. "It’s not as simple as body-enhancing magic, I think," Damian thought. If it were that simple, they wouldn’t have reacted like that. Others had definitely taken the test before and gotten the same result. Body-enhancing magic was, after all, one of the most common types. Curt and Mitra were outside waiting for Damian to return from the test. "So, how was it?" Mitra asked. "They said I have a body-enhancing talent. A battle mage, it seems," Damian said. They weren’t too surprised to hear that. It was a pretty common affinity—but there was a catch. Even though it was common, the power level between those who had that affinity varied a lot. Some powerful figures in history had that same affinity, so powerful they carved their names into the books. Others, though, were just average—or worse. Damian knew he’d be one of the great ones. Thanks to his system, he had no doubt he’d make history too. "That’s nice," Mitra said with a smile. "I’ve heard their best teacher has that same affinity, so you’ll have someone incredible to train you." Damian was glad to hear that. If he wanted to rise fast, having a great teacher would help a lot. After all the affinity tests were done, it was time for their first lessons. The teacher Mitra talked about was indeed the best in the entire academy. But at the same time... he was also the most rigorous.