Chapter 15 The Class Assessment

The grand training hall was packed with first-year students. In the center of the room stood a massive, clear crystal resting on a dark iron pedestal. The air inside the hall felt hot and thick, humming with the raw power of dozens of young nobles trying to impress the teachers.

Rudy stood near the back wall, wearing his new plain black student uniform. He kept his hands in his pockets, his gaze scanning the crowd.

Near the side entrance, a group of low-level servants stood in a straight line, holding water jugs and clean towels. Bella was among them. Her dark eyes were fixed on Rudy, her brow slightly wrinkled with worry.

"Next! Julian of House Frost!" a loud instructor called out, his voice echoing off the high ceiling.

A tall boy with a proud smile stepped up to the crystal. He raised both hands, closed his eyes, and began a loud, poetic incantation. A second later, bright blue sparks of lightning erupted from his palms, slamming directly into the crystal. The glass object glowed a brilliant blue, and a number flashed in the air above it: 750.

The crowd erupted into loud cheers and applause.

"Impressive," the instructor muttered, marking his page. "Excellent mana output, Julian."

Julian smirked, stepping down and passing right by Rudy. "Let's see if the capital's favorite joke can even make the glass glow," he whispered, loud enough for the nearby students to hear.

A wave of snickers traveled through the group.

"Next!" the instructor yelled, looking down at his clipboard with a deep frown. "Rudeus Vance!"

The chatter in the room died down instantly. Every eye in the hall turned toward Rudy as he slowly walked down the center aisle.

Rudy stepped up to the massive crystal. He looked at the clear surface, then down at his own hands. He knew how these primitive measuring tools worked from his reading of the novel. The crystal didn't measure the quality of a person's magic; it only measured how much raw energy was leaking out during a spell. It tracked the waste.

If I use my standard method, Rudy thought, the power will stay completely inside my body. The machine won't feel a thing.

He decided right then to keep his true abilities hidden. He didn't want the headmaster or the palace spies to know what he was capable of doing just yet. Staying low-profile was his best shield.

Rudy reached out his hand and placed his bare palm flat against the cold surface of the crystal.

He looked inward, pulling a tiny drop of fluid energy from his heart. But instead of letting it press against the glass, he compressed it into a microscopic point deep inside his own wrist. He locked it down completely, achieving total energy efficiency. Not a single spark, sound, or heat wave escaped his skin.

The crystal remained perfectly clear. It didn't glow. It didn't flash.

A second later, a large, glowing number appeared in the air above the pedestal: 0.

For a long three seconds, the training hall was completely silent. Then, the entire room erupted into a massive wave of mocking laughter.

"Zero!" Julian shouted, point a finger at him. "He actually got a zero! The rumors were true, he is completely hollow!"

"Why did his family even waste money sending him here?" another noble girl laughed, shaking her head. "A peasant has more mana than that."

The instructor sighed heavily, shaking his head as he marked a zero on his sheet. "Step down, Rudeus. You have no usable magic. Next student!"

Rudy didn't look upset. He didn't stutter or look at the floor in shame. He simply pulled his hand back, a small, calm smile forming on his lips. He knew the truth. Their tools were too primitive to read a modern, hyper-efficient mana structure. To them, he was a fool, but to himself, he was invisible.

He walked back toward the back of the hall. As he approached the servant line, he caught Bella’s eye.

Unlike the other students, Bella wasn't laughing. She had seen him blow up a heavy desk and drop five armored guards without saying a single word. She knew he was hiding something massive.

As Rudy walked past her, she stepped forward slightly, pretending to offer him a cup of water from her tray.

"You did that on purpose," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the loud laughter of the crowd.

Rudy took the cup, taking a slow sip. He looked at her guarded face, his smile widening just a fraction. "I don't know what you mean, Bella. The machine said I am useless."

"You are a terrible liar," she muttered, though her dark eyes were bright with a strange, intense look of relief. "They think you are a joke, Rudeus. They are going to target you now."

"Let them try," Rudy said softly, handing the empty cup back to her. His fingers brushed against hers for a brief second, sending a small wave of warmth through her hands. "It is much easier to move in the dark when everyone thinks you can't even see the light."

He walked back to his spot against the wall, leaving Bella standing by the pillars. She watched him handle the humiliation with absolute calm, her heart beating with a deep, growing confidence in the brother she was finally beginning to understand.