Dean Tungus turned and walked to a dead end in the reception room—a gray brick wall that, by all logic, should have marked the end with nothing beyond.
Yet Dean Tungus softly murmured an incantation, then reached into one of the bricks and retrieved a vial of emerald-green potion housed in a specially crafted glass bottle.
The potion's color was extraordinary—its base a vivid emerald, but within it shimmered countless dazzling specks, breathtaking in their beauty.
Dean Tungus hesitated briefly before carefully uncorking the wooden stopper.
The Elemental Emerald Potion was exceedingly rare and valuable, making each bottle precious. This was precisely why the Aurelian Academy employed such rigorous selection mechanisms—to conserve its use.
Dean Tungus added the drop of blood he had earlier taken from Locke's right index finger into the potion, gently swirled the vial, and silently counted seven breaths before turning to hand it to Locke.
"Drink it immediately. After two hundred breaths, the potion's optimal effectiveness will pass, and the accuracy of the test will significantly diminish."
"Additionally, this vial of Elemental Emerald Potion is worth 5 Magic Stones."
"The cost of this test must be paid by you."
"You don't need to pay now, but once you acquire Magic Stones in the future, you must repay the debt. In the world of wizards, everything must be exchanged at equal value."
"Nothing comes for free."
Without hesitation, Locke took the Elemental Emerald Potion and downed it in one gulp.
Given his current circumstances, there was no reason for Dean Tungus to deceive him.
The next moment, Locke felt an intense coolness in his eyes, as though something was burrowing into them—countless wriggling tendrils, all scrambling toward his vision.
He couldn't suppress a low groan.
Within seconds of consuming the potion, the world before Locke's eyes underwent a drastic transformation.
Dean Tungus' steady voice reached his ears, guiding him through the experience. "Don't panic. Relax."
"The Elemental Emerald Potion enhances fluctuations in your spiritual energy—or, in simpler terms, it makes your spiritual energy more active."
"As a result, for a very brief period, this heightened activity will grant you [Elemental Sight], allowing you to perceive the elements in the air."
"Generally speaking, the more elements you see, and the more vividly they appear, the greater your innate talent as a wizard."
"Of course, this sudden visual shift may be difficult for your body to adjust to at first. Tell me, Locke, what do you see now?"
Locke lifted his head, straining to discern the now-manifested elements before him. His vision was filled with multicolored specks of light, unevenly scattered across his field of view.
"There are many points of light. The most numerous are cyan, followed by golden ones."
"Then there are translucent points, blue ones, red ones, and yellow ones—but these are faint, sparse, flickering in and out of sight."
Dean Tungus nodded, jotting down Locke's observations. "You don't see any patches of light?"
Locke shook his head.
Dean Tungus paused his quill on the paper before continuing, "Do these light points form any particular shape, or perhaps rotate around you?"
Locke still shook his head. In his eyes, the reception room was merely covered with light points of different colors and brightness levels—nothing extraordinary was happening.
Dean Tungus nodded slightly, his eyes betraying a hint of disappointment.
"Based on the current results, you do indeed possess sorcerer talent, and it's not the lowest tier."
"Roughly speaking, you're at the lower end of the intermediate level."
"Sorcerer ranks are divided into seven levels. The lowest-tier Level 1 talents can only see faint halos after taking the Elemental Emerald Potion. Only those with Level 3 talent or above can perceive light points."
"Those light points are actually elemental entities visible after your vision transforms into Spiritual Vision upon consuming the Elemental Emerald Potion," Dean Tungus explained the basics of mysticism. "This world is permeated with four fundamental elements: wind, water, fire, and earth."
"Those who can see light clusters indicate they possess at least Level 4 sorcerer talent, as this represents their ability to perceive highly concentrated gatherings of certain elements."
"Level 5 talents can even observe Elemental Vortices," Dean Tungus continued. "Therefore, your sorcerer talent should be around Level 3."
"Hmm, Level 3 talent is considered decent on Corfu Island. Most apprentices here have talents between Levels 1-2. The majority of promising sorcerer candidates fall within the 3-4 range—mediocre by intermediate standards."
"Those with 6-7 level talent almost certainly become full-fledged sorcerers through effort and time, provided they don't take wrong turns. Level 5 talents also have significant potential to become sorcerers."
"For 3-4 level sorcerers, becoming official is far more challenging—requiring both effort and some luck—with many never achieving it in their lifetime. Those with 1-2 level talent have almost no potential to become official sorcerers, remaining apprentices forever."
"The colors you see represent your innate elemental affinity."
"Wind element particles appear translucent, water is blue, fire is red, and earth is deep yellow. The color you see most is cyan, indicating you're perceiving Composite Elements," Dean Tungus explained softly to Locke. Since confirming Locke's sorcerer talent, his tone had changed dramatically, becoming much more amiable.
Locke asked in confusion, "Dean, what are Composite Elements?"
Dean Tungus explained, "The four great elements are merely fundamental. But these basic elements inherently possess an Intertwined Nature—when two or more fundamental elements intertwine, they form Composite Elements with unique properties."
"For instance, those cyan light points you see most frequently? Those are Wood Elements."
"This means you have the strongest affinity for wood elements, which to some extent indicates your future developmental direction."
"You might have greater advantages learning plant magic, as your soul naturally resonates more harmoniously with wood elements."
Dean Tungus said, "The second most prevalent color you see is gold, representing the Gold Element—a special composite of Earth and Fire Elements. This means you also have some aptitude for Golden Magic and Alchemy."
"According to the Wizard World's experience, every soul will have one primary affinity attribute, one secondary affinity attribute, and then general attributes."
"So, your primary affinity is the Wood Element, your secondary affinity is the Gold Element, and your general attributes are Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth."
Dean Tungus smiled. "Although your wizard aptitude is only slightly below average, your elemental affinities are remarkably good. Your spiritual energy resonates with all four basic elements to some degree, albeit not strongly. This means you can learn almost any kind of magic."
"This will make it easier for you to choose an academy when you eventually leave Aurelian Academy by ship and enter the Wizard World."
"Overall, your magical talents lean toward White Magic. I recommend you consider joining [Four Seasons Garden], [Holly Tower], or [Alchemist's Cottage] in the future. These are renowned White Magic academies in the southeastern region of the Wizard World."
"They would suit you very well."
"Similarly, Verdantia University, Aurelian Academy's direct higher institution, is also an excellent choice. Verdantia is a comprehensive magic academy that undoubtedly has professors specializing in Botany, Alchemy, and Golden Magic."
"Of course, this is assuming you can pass the entrance exams."
"If you fail, all this becomes irrelevant. The wizard ship will arrive at Corfu Island in two years. Before then, you must join my club and study with us."
"If your progress isn't satisfactory, you may have to settle for obscure or niche small wizard organizations as your only options."
Entrance exams?
Locke was about to ask what he meant by "passing"—were there score requirements?
Suddenly, the scene before him inexplicably shifted. The elemental particles around him seemed to scream in alarm, as if frightened away by something.
The Wood and Gold Element particles vanished, replaced by an overwhelming concentration of black particles, followed by a dense cluster of Fire Element particles. The other three basic elements were nearly absent.
Locke frowned. "Dean, is it possible for someone to have a second primary affinity attribute?"
Dean Tungus replied, "Affinity attributes merely reflect the temporary resonance between a person's soul and the elements at a given time."
"As one grows and their environment changes, these can shift. There are even advanced potions specifically designed to enhance your affinity with certain elements."
"So there's no need to dwell on this question too much."
"However, under normal circumstances, a person—a single soul—wouldn't typically possess two primary affinity attributes."
Locke immediately understood. It was likely due to the fusion of his soul with the original host's, which not only boosted his spiritual energy but also granted him wizard aptitude.
At the same time, he had acquired two primary affinity attributes.
Locke asked, "Then, Dean, what do the black elemental specks represent? They feel very negative to me."
Tungus said, "Oh, you also saw a bit of Dark Energy Element, didn't you? This indicates you might have some talent for necromancy or curse magic. But I suppose what you saw wasn't much, so it's not particularly important."
"I'd rather not record it then."
Tungus explained to Locke, "These are talents suited for dark wizards. If you wish to join a White Wizard organization in the future, these minor talents could become unnecessary obstacles."
"Since your primary attribute is Wood Element and your secondary is Gold Element, there's no need to record your low soul affinity with dark elements."
"Conversely, if a student aims to join a dark wizard organization in the future, I'd also advise them not to record their low affinity with light elements."
(End of chapter)