"Talent...Excellent!" The examiner said, alternating his gaze between the pillar for espers and Jay.
The reason he was watching Jay so closely was because his use of energy was rather odd.
Normal would be a steady flow, which depending on the power of the esper would cause the speed and amount of veins in the pillar being filled to be different.
As to why that would be normal, it was because all espers had gradually gotten used to their innate abilities, giving them generally good control over their energy.
In contrast, Jay's evaluation had been rather spotty, it was almost as if he didn't know how to control his energy and was doing it purely on instinct, in fact, the examiner was sure that this was the case.
However, even with this, although there was undoubtedly an eye-catching show, Jay did not qualify for an Excellent score.
Then, why had the examiner said that Jay possessed Excellent grade talent when he didn't really qualify?
Simple, because even managing his energy with pure instinct, Jay had come incredibly close to reaching the Excellent standard, and ultimately, at all times remained at the standard of the Outstanding grade.
While he had told all the applicants that the evaluation was going to be entirely dependent of the pillars, there were exceptions where he had to step in because it would be a waste not to take advantage of a stone that had the potential to become a diamond.
"A-alright, thanks~!" Jay said, his gaze somewhat unfocused after giving his best for this evaluation, both physically and mentally.
He then tried to take a few steps away from the pillar, however, he didn't manage to take even one before his body began to fall.
Fortunately for him, James caught him before he hit the ground.
"Thanks for that too..."
With that, they both quickly retreated back to where Sarah and the others were.
Although the applicants kept their attention on the pair for a little longer, it didn't last long before they lost interest and focused on the remaining evaluations.
'Hm...'
Except for a certain person, the same young man who had earlier objected to Jay resting before taking his evaluation, his gaze still focusing on said person, in his eyes an obvious interest, as if he was trying to decipher Jay.
As for his appearance, he was wearing a simple white shirt along with black slacks that went well with his relatively long hair of the same color which was tied back in a small ponytail, if one added to that his height of at least 6'4" plus his slender and handsome physique, it created quite an attractive image.
Although he didn't quite reached James' level, he would certainly give Carl some hard competition!
"!"
However, the next moment, his gaze immediately shifted to focus towards Jay's side due to the fact that he felt a great pressure heading towards him, as to the source of this pressure, it was none other than Sarah, who had clearly noticed the young man's actions.
"Oh, how scary..." Said the young man, his demeanor being in stark contrast to what he had just said.
It was clear that he really wasn't afraid of Sarah, but since he didn't want to draw suspicion on himself or even get into unnecessary trouble with this particular mage, he averted his gaze.
Thus a few minutes passed, with Jay remaining in a state where he could lose consciousness at any moment but somehow being able to endure.
Finally, after those torturous minutes passed, the message Jay was waiting for appeared before him.
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[Emergency Mission: "Dangerous Meddler!" completed.]
[Reward: Full Synchronization.]
Remark: Serves you right!
_____________
The moment Jay's eyes finished reading the contents of the message, he instantly stopped feeling that unpleasant sensation and instead felt as if his entire body quickly warmed up before cooling down in a matter of seconds.
Fortunately for him, everything was back to normal, with 'everything' referring to the control he had over his body, though of course, Jay wasn't so convinced of this.
'I doubt the system put me through this for no reason...' He thought, still not getting up due to wanting to get some rest after being under so much pressure, 'Open, system, question, exactly what did you just synchronize?'
Then, to clear up his doubts, he asked the system a question, which, to his surprise, was answered truthfully.
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Answer: Due to the [Carrier]'s repeated attempts to completely exhaust all the energy reserves of his body, greatly neglecting his safety, the system decided to create a limit for the use that the [Carrier] will be able to give to his body.
For more information, please open the [Energy Usage] status window.
_____________
Upon finishing reading the message, Jay immediately opened the status window, although it was the first time he had done so, the system understood his intentions perfectly.
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[Energy Usage]
Current Energy Expenditure: 5%/hour - Normal-Stable.
Energy Recovery: 5%/hour - Normal-Stable.
Available Energy Quantity (AEQ): 85% - High-Stable.
Available Amount of Energy (Parasitic): 80% High-Stable.
Description: These parameters show the most important aspects about the [Carrier]'s energy usage, it is expected that from now on, using the help of this window, the [Carrier] can be more careful with its actions.
Warning: If the [AEQ] ever drops below 5%, the system reserves the right to take control of the [Carrier]'s body to ensure its survival.
_____________
'...Ah, this... now this is unexpected...' Jay thought, a helpless smile on his face, not convinced if this new function would be beneficial to him.
Unfortunately, he couldn't change this new system function, after all, he knew better than anyone that the system did things its own way, and even if he was the [Carrier], he could only abide by the rules.
Although of course, he wouldn't complain either due to the fact that the culprit of the system creating this new window was himself, who time and time again put himself in danger and wanted to break his limits, not caring too much about the consequences.
As a result, the system had put him in shackles that would most likely stay with him for quite some time.
'Hm, well, I guess I'll just have to figure out better how to use my energy for the time being.'
While he was interested in pushing all of these functions to their limits to test their accuracy, especially the one about the system possessing his body, this was not the time to do so, so he just had to settle for sitting back and waiting for the exam to be over.
"Hey, exactly... what did you just do...?" Sarah suddenly asked softly, quietly enough so that only Jay could hear her.
"What do you mean?"
"...Your energy just completely changed, normally it runs rampant throughout your body, but now it's like it's flowing in an incredibly smooth and controlled way." She said as her gaze focused on Jay's chest, in her eyes a small magic cirble to get a better look inside.
Hearing her words, Jay turned his gaze to see if anyone else had noticed this, but to his luck, only Sarah had focused her attention on him.
"I'll tell you when we're alone." He replied, also whispering, though now more interested in what Sarah had just said.
He could feel how these new parameters changed something in his body, and this was confirmed by the system, but until he tested the specific effects this brought, he would have no way of knowing to what degree his body had changed.
Though of course, that didn't stop him from fantasizing and starting to simulate scenarios in his head.
Seeing Jay again lost in thought, Sarah just let out a sigh and brought her gaze back to the remaining applicants being evaluated, she didn't really cared about them, but with nothing better to do, she would have to endure.
As for James, despite having been close to both Jay and Sarah, due to a certain young pugilist who kept asking him questions about his training, he didn't notice the change in Jay's body.
A few more hours passed, and finally, the evaluations were over.
Unfortunately, although a large number of applicants managed to avoid getting a double average score and thus not be disqualified, the talent test was simply too cruel, destroying the chances of hundreds of applicants.
Thus, the applicant pool, whose numbers on the first day were in the thousands, had now been reduced to less than one ninth, leaving just a little over 900 applicants in the field.
Seeing this, the examiner couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the postulants, but he quickly shook off that feeling and prepared to deliver his final message.
"To everyone here, let me congratulate you, you have proven to rise above the challenges we have set for you and prove that you are truly ready to forge your own destinies."
Although the tone of voice the examiner was using was normal, all the applicants unconsciously became emotional.
Of course, this was understandable, after all, the person who was congratulating them at this moment was a rank (B) mage, and last but not least, because his words meant that they had succeeded in passing the entrance exam of the best educational institution for supers in the world!
"As of this moment, you are all students of the Academy!" Shouted the examiner.
After saying that, he swung his arm horizontally, launching another wave of energy that swept through the bodies of everyone present.
But unlike the first time he did this, this wave of energy was more complex, having several effects imbued in it.
Firstly by eliminating the residue of mana in the body of the postulants, getting rid of the light bracelets on their wrists, secondly by filling them with energy and even healing them slightly, and thirdly, what was undoubtedly the most striking effect, forming small fireballs in front of each of the postulants.
These fireballs had different colors, the vast majority being red, a few silver and a handful being gold.
Then each of these fireballs began to get smaller and smaller, releasing crackling sounds in the process, as if they were not just fireballs and were actually burning something inside.
Slowly, the flames faded, revealing what was inside them.
"They're badges!" Shouted an excited postulant who recognized the object inside his fireball.
With his shout, everyone else present became excited to see that just as he had said, the fireballs contained badges inside.
Obviously, these badges were not normal, they were nothing more nor less than the unmistakable symbol by which a student of the Eitsirc Academy could be identified.
In a matter of seconds, the fireballs dissipated, completely exposing the badges.
Their size was not large at all, barely reaching 5 centimeters in height and 4 in width, as for their design, it was quite simple, having the shape of a shield and 3 spaces of equal size inside, with one space being occupied by a sun, another by a moon and the last space by what appeared to be a miniature mountain.
Of course, these three symbols, which were the logo of the Eitsirc Academy, were not randomly chosen shapes and had a meaning that had to do with the three classes of supers, or rather, their founders.
The sun represented the espers, and especially their founder, alluding to the fact that she was a light of hope for the human race when they were at their darkest moment.
The moon represented the mages, again, emphasizing the founder, who despite staying in darkness almost all her life, at the moment she came out, she managed to shine as brightly as the sun.
Finally, the mountain, representing the pugilists, but most of all the founder and the ideal that all pugilists admired, that no matter what kind of difficulties he encountered on his way, he would remain as firm, persevering and imposing as a mountain.
