The first formation beneath Elion’s feet awakened as ancient runes spread outward in wide concentric circles, filling the featureless white space with a faint golden light.

The air around him trembled as an overwhelming amount of mana began gathering from every direction, pouring toward the formation in slow, spiralling currents.

The layered voices echoed around him.

[The First Assessment Of The Final Trial Will Now Begin.]

[Mana Affinity and Elemental Compatibility Will Be Measured.]

[Remain Still.]

Elion raised a brow but did as instructed. The surrounding mana brushed against his body, and then everything changed. The formation flared, and a column of blue light rose around him first.

Water.

Before the light could stabilise, another pillar erupted alongside it.

Earth.

Then fire, followed by an illusory construct without clear substance, and then a pillar of blood.

Each affinity appeared one after another, filling the vast white space with intersecting streams of colour. The elemental energies twisted around Elion’s body without clashing, flowing together with an unnatural degree of harmony.

The trial spirit pulsed faintly.

That alone was already impressive.

Most Mages possessed a single natural affinity, while talented individuals might possess two. Three affinities were rare enough to attract the attention of powerful organisations.

Five were absurd.

The formation trembled again, and a faint silver glow emerged beneath the other colours. Time.

The spirit froze; it recognised each affinity primarily because of the color, but the most telling trait for vague concepts and affinities without a well-known color moniker would be a unique color, not usually seen, or the effect of said affinity on the surroundings.

However, before it could chase that train of thought, the formation continued as a cold, pale-blue light spread outward.

Ice.

However, it wasn’t done. The surrounding space distorted faintly again, as thin fractures of translucent light spread through the air.

Spatial Magic.

The spirit’s glow flickered. Before it could process that, the final affinity emerged.

The white space darkened slightly as a deep, intangible pressure settled over the formation. It did not resemble ordinary elemental mana, but rather, it formed an incorporeal form of the boy’s figure.

Soul Magic.

The spirit stared silently. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Nine affinities.

’Nine!’

’And three of them are exceedingly rare.’

Time.

Space.

Soul.

Each one was difficult enough to encounter individually, yet somehow, this boy possessed all three.

’What kind of ridiculous creature is this?’

The formation pulsed once more, and the ancient runes began shining brighter.

[Elemental Compatibility Assessment Complete.]

[Primary Affinities Detected: Water, Earth, Fire, Illusion, Blood.]

[Latent Affinities Detected: Time, Ice, Space, Soul.]

[Overall Affinity Compatibility: Exceptional.]

[Result: Beyond Standard Measurement Parameters.]

The trial spirit remained motionless. It had overseen countless Aspirants across multiple worlds and across an immeasurable span of time.

It had seen geniuses.

It had seen ancient bloodlines awaken.

It had seen heirs raised by powerful powers and monstrous talents born beneath the influence of celestial phenomena.

But this was something else. Even among those extraordinary individuals, possessing such a collection of affinities would have been difficult to explain.

The spirit dimmed slightly.

’Surely, this is the limit.’

What more could this boy have hidden in that mortal body! Surely he didn’t have any more surprises in store!? Even as these thoughts ran through its mind, it couldn’t help the seed of anticipation planted in its heart.

The second formation awakened.

[The Second Assessment Will Now Begin.]

[Mana Capacity, Mana Density, and Mana Core Potential Will Be Measured.]

Elion glanced down calmly as the runes beneath his feet moved around him. The surrounding mana abruptly surged toward him.

A translucent sphere appeared above the formation, growing brighter as the assessment began measuring the depth of his mana core.

At first, the result appeared normal, that is, until the sphere expanded, and it continued growing.

The faint golden orb became larger than Elion’s body, then larger than the formation beneath him. Eventually, it became larger than the entire visible chamber.

The white space trembled violently as the sphere continued expanding beyond the intended boundaries of the assessment.

The spirit stared as the ancient runes flickered and several lines of text appeared in rapid succession.

[Mana Capacity Assessment in Progress.]

[Warning: Standard Parameters Exceeded.]

[Recalibrating.]

[Mana Capacity Assessment in Progress.]

[Warning: Revised Parameters Exceeded.]

[Recalibrating.]

The sphere continued swelling.

The mana contained within it became darker and denser, compressing inward until the glowing surface resembled a miniature star suspended above the formation.

The spirit drifted backward slightly, whether it was from awe or fear, only it knew.

’What is this?’

The runes strained, and hairline fractures began spreading across the outer edges of the formation.

[Warning: Assessment Limit Reached.]

[Warning: Unable to Determine Upper Boundary.]

[Current Mana Core Potential: Unquantifiable.]

[Result: Beyond Standard Measurement Parameters.]

The sphere vanished abruptly, and the formation dimmed. For several seconds, silence filled the white chamber. Elion rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"That was decent, no?" It seemed he had quite a good pool of quality mana, but then again, he had never come across a situation where he had to worry about running out of mana in the middle of battle, so that was understandable, and he mostly almost always used his sword.

The trial spirit could not respond to this shocking turn of events. It did not possess a mouth, but if it did, it might have screamed.

The third formation awakened as the third and next assessment started.

[The Third Assessment Will Now Begin.]

[Comprehension Talent Will Be Measured.]

A series of concentric symbols appeared around Elion.

They floated in the air like fragments of an unfinished spell formation, each one carrying an intricate meaning that ordinary Mages could spend years attempting to understand.

Elion narrowed his eyes slightly.

[Reconstruct the Incomplete Formation.]

[Time Limit: One Hour.]

The symbols moved around him as the assessment began. Elion stared at the formation for several seconds before he raised one hand.

The trial spirit watched curiously as the symbols started moving.

One rune moved to the left at his instruction, while another rotated slightly. A third joined the outer edge of the structure.

Elion moved them casually, his expression thoughtful but otherwise calm. He paused only briefly whenever a more complicated section appeared, and even then, the hesitation rarely lasted longer than a few seconds.

The formation rapidly took shape.

The spirit’s glow flickered.

Less than a minute passed, but Elion lowered his hand. He was done. The reconstructed formation flared brightly.

[Assessment Complete.]

[Time Used: 47 Seconds.]

[Comprehension Talent: Beyond Standard Measurement Parameters.]

Elion blinked.

"That was it?" Honestly, it was easier than he had thought. He didn’t even recognise the symbols, let alone know what to do with them, so he just twiddled with them a bit and followed along with his gut instinct.

The spirit remained silent.

It no longer knew what to think.

The formation Elion had reconstructed was not particularly difficult by its master’s standards, but it had never been intended to be easy. Even the most talented Aspirants usually required at least half an hour to understand its structure, while some failed entirely.

Elion completed it in less than a minute. Worse still, the boy looked faintly disappointed, as though he had expected something more challenging.

The spirit dimmed further.

’There is something wrong with him.’

The final formation awakened, and the white space fell silent.

The ancient runes beneath Elion changed once again, becoming darker and far more intricate than those used during the earlier assessments.

The spirit concentrated deeply on this one. This was the most important test.

[The Final Assessment Will Now Begin.]

[Soul Strength and Fundamental Potential Will Be Measured.]

[Remain Still.]

Elion stood calmly at the centre of the formation as he felt a faint pressure wafting around his body.

At first, nothing happened, and then the runes began glowing. And a translucent image appeared behind Elion.

It was vague and unclear, the faint outline of a soul taking shape beneath the trial’s influence. The spirit floated closer, as the image expanded.

The white chamber disappeared as darkness swallowed everything.

The spirit froze.

It could no longer see the formation, it could no longer see the walls of the chamber, and it could barely even sense the boundaries of the trial itself.

Behind Elion stood an endless abyss. There was no visible beginning and no measurable end to it all.

It stretched outward in every direction, deeper and darker than the void between worlds. Faint lights drifted inside it like distant stars, yet even those lights seemed insignificant compared to the depth surrounding them.

The spirit stared into the darkness. For the first time since its creation, it felt something disturbingly close to fear.

The abyss did not merely represent Elion’s current strength.

It represented potential; A future without a visible ceiling. A path extending so far beyond mortal limits that the trial formations could not begin to comprehend it.

The spirit’s glow shuddered.

’Impossible.’

Such a thing should not exist in a world like this. No, it should not exist in most worlds. This level of potential belonged to those lofty beings who stood far beyond ordinary existence.

Beings comparable to its master.

The spirit immediately rejected the thought and shook its imaginary head.

’Ridiculous!’