One morning…
Grinning ear to ear, Samimi and Niubao stepped outside, only to run into a sour-faced Rebecca.
“Hmph, didn’t think you had the brains to hide out every day after realizing you were useless. Just stay holed up with those freaks. I’ll be moving out of this hellhole soon anyway,” Rebecca sneered, her words dripping with sarcasm the moment she saw them.
“You should head back to the Church while you still can. This place isn’t where you belong,” Samimi replied, not angry, but genuinely offering advice.
When one’s power reached a certain level, watching clowns jump around in front of you was like holding a grain beetle between your fingers—you could crush it in one flick. There was no need to get upset.
“So you’re saying I’m not as good as you? If you can survive here, why can’t I?” Rebecca snapped, obviously on edge. Her stress levels had been through the roof lately.
Meanwhile, Samimi and Niubao were picture-perfect examples of chill—eating well, sleeping great, and living with zero anxiety.
And that was exactly why Rebecca found them so irritating.
Why should they live so comfortably while she had to walk on eggshells every day, watching every word, every move? Why should they be so cheerful and carefree while she suffered endlessly? And why was no one bullying them? Since when was the Mage Academy this… friendly?
Rebecca was the kind to suck up to powerful magic factions, pouring tea and fetching water in hopes of earning a scrap of trust or knowledge.
But trust never came. Neither did knowledge. And as for respect—don’t even dream of it. She was nothing more than a glorified servant.
“You’re a cleric. You have your own world. There’s no future for you here. Is it really worth turning yourself into this half-dead mess just to speed up your cultivation a little?” Samimi kept advising gently.
“I’m not going to degrade myself like you. I’ve already made connections. Miss Bémore is back. I’m going to her,” Rebecca declared proudly.
“Bemore…” The moment Samimi heard that name, her expression darkened.
“The Flame Witch who kicked you out of the team. Sure, she’s not from a noble family, but her strength is unmatched among the younger generation of mages. I’ll thrive under her. I won’t be some useless failure like you,” Rebecca sneered, full of herself now.
With that, she stormed off, slamming the door behind her.
Samimi could only shake her head helplessly. She and Niubao headed to the main hall to have breakfast with the heretic mages, completely unbothered by the confrontation.
“Do all you holy types wake up pissed off?” asked Dorm Leader Brayetta.
“She slammed the door so hard I nearly died,” muttered Wolf Girl.
The other two roommates — White Spider and Sleepyhead Arisa — didn’t say a word. Not because they were mute, but because one had social anxiety and the other was just perpetually exhausted.
“Need help with that situation?” Brayetta offered.
“No need. I’ll handle it,” Samimi politely declined.
“Today is Assessment Day,” Brayetta reminded her. “Be careful if you’re heading out.”
“Assessment Day? What’s that?” Samimi sipped her coffee, puzzled.
“You’re studying at the Mage Academy and don’t know what Assessment Day is?” Wolf Girl shot back.
“No one ever told me.” Even the simple-minded Wolf Girl was throwing shade, which made Samimi feel a little wounded.
“What have you even been doing this past week? Don’t tell me you’ve skipped every class?” Brayetta narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
“Those who don’t attend class have no right to question those who do,” Samimi shot back smoothly, silencing the heretics in one blow.
But they were all familiar enough now that a little banter didn’t hurt anyone.
“So what exactly is Assessment Day?” Samimi asked.
“It’s the day when apprentices undergo a formal mana evaluation,” Brayetta explained. “It’s also the time when elemental factions show off their power. A stage for magical prodigies, and a guillotine for delusional mediocrities.”
“I get it now.” Samimi nodded knowingly.
She really got it. This was the classic first-act flex scene you’d find in any fantasy academy setting. The 108th ancient move of cliché fiction: the power test.
“You ‘get it’ again?” Wolf Girl was now beside Niubao, fiddling with her horns.
They were both beastkin, so in this mage academy, it felt like finding a hometown buddy — the bond was real.
“You two don’t plan on participating, do you? Just take the day off,” Samimi stood up and said. “Niubao, let’s go.”
“Old Mi, don’t go sticking your nose in. We heretic mages don’t even qualify to step on the platform,” Brayetta warned.
“I know. I’ll stay far, far away,” Samimi replied as she and Niubao headed out.
She could clearly tell who genuinely cared about her and who faked it.
The heretic mages, labeled outcasts, treated her like family. Meanwhile, her so-called sisters from the Church didn’t even consider her a comrade.
Today, on the road, Samimi and Niubao saw more magic apprentices than they had the entire week prior — combined.
Still, they didn’t stir up trouble. They simply returned to their usual, secluded classroom for the Fundamentals of Magic Theory class.
Even on a day as important as Assessment Day, the old lady mage instructor showed up like clockwork to deliver her lecture.
“So many apprentices…”
For once, Samimi wasn’t sitting still. She stood by the window, peering out instead of taking notes.
In the center of the dense castle cluster lay a massive open field.
There stood a huge, uniquely constructed hexagonal white brick platform.
Each of the six corners had a tall, white pillar, giving it a ritualistic vibe — like some kind of ceremonial arena.
Normally, this white brick platform was deserted. But today, it was swarming with magic apprentices — groups of three to five, surrounding the arena.
This was Assessment Day.
And it had already begun — apprentices were taking turns casting spells on the white platform.
Samimi watched with interest for quite a while, finally grasping the full picture of what the assessment process entailed.
Even though Rose Fantasy Battle — the book this world was based on — was just an average Western fantasy light novel, at least it wasn’t cookie-cutter, AI-generated garbage.
The academy arc didn’t include any “power-detecting crystals” or instant mana readings. There were no shortcuts for the MC to pretend to be weak and then dominate everyone.
In this world, an apprentice’s magical power was hidden — there was no easy way to gauge it.
But if you didn’t show your strength, how could you ever rise through the ranks?
Assessment Day provided the stage.
Here’s how it worked: a Grand Mage would deploy a mana shield, and apprentices would unleash everything they had, trying to break it. They’d continue until their mana was fully exhausted.
This gave the Grand Mage a clear idea of each apprentice’s strength.
Only then would the Grand Mage consider taking them on as a personal disciple to teach higher-level spells.
Now you understand why Assessment Day mattered so much, right?
But this wasn’t the part Samimi was most focused on.
From her high vantage point, she watched one particular faction closely — the group with the most apprentices gathered around the platform.
And within that crowd stood a very familiar figure — that iconic tall, pointed witch’s hat, and the pale white hair spilling from beneath.
Wasn’t that her old teammate?
The White-Haired Witch, Bémore Joshua.