Dozens of Luminara Magic Academy apprentices surrounded Beth, competing to recruit her. In the end, Beth made her choice.

  Led by a pretty faced female apprentice, Beth followed her into the academy. She ultimately chose to join the Alchemy and Potions Department.

  Watching the two figures walk away, the remaining apprentices were filled with regret and began to complain bitterly.

  "Why would she choose the Alchemy and Potions Department!"

  "It would have been so much better if she had joined our Storm Element Department!"

  "With the talent to light up fifty three concentric rings, she could easily rank in the top twenty in our academy."

  "And yet she went to the Alchemy and Potions Department. What a waste!"

  "We have been standing guard here for so many days. We finally met someone with outstanding talent, and she was snatched away by the Alchemy and Potions Department first!"

  Everyone shook their heads and sighed, their voices full of regret.

  Taking advantage of the chaos and distracted attention, Allen quietly squeezed out of the crowd.

  He took out the letter of recommendation written personally by Augustine from his robe and asked a few of the still complaining apprentices nearby,

  "I am Allen, recommended by Radiant Magic Academy. May I ask where I should go to complete the enrollment procedures?"

  Hearing this, the apprentices slowly turned to look at Allen. The regret on their faces vanished, replaced by clear indifference and disdain.

  "Radiant Magic Academy?"

  A tall, skinny apprentice snorted, his tone laced with mockery."Another one coming through the back door."

  "Your little academy is really something. Luminara Magic Academy gives you a recommendation slot, and you just use it like this, huh?"

  "In the past, everyone your academy recommended was trash. Not a single one worth mentioning."

  "The highest talent among them could only light up thirty five concentric rings. That kind of talent might count as a genius at your Radiant Magic Academy."

  "But at our Luminara Magic Academy, they would not even qualify to take the entry test. And you think they deserve to enroll just by relying on a recommendation letter?"

  The group spoke over one another, their contempt obvious and undisguised.

  Allen looked at them calmly, neither arguing nor getting angry.

  He did not care about such meaningless mockery. He only wanted to finish the enrollment procedures as soon as possible and settle down in the academy.

  At that moment, a wave of dissatisfied noise rose from the surrounding crowd. Many who had failed the talent test began to complain loudly.

  "Thirty five concentric rings of talent, and he can get in just like that?"

  "He does not even qualify for the academy's basic class, does he?"

  "Is this a joke? This is too unfair!"

  "Why does he get to enter just with a recommendation letter? Our talent is no worse than his, yet we cannot even get through the academy gates!"

  "Exactly. Why do we have to reach thirty seven concentric rings to get in, while he can take a shortcut?"

  The clamor grew louder and louder, on the verge of getting out of control, when a composed man from Luminara Magic Academy stepped forward.

  He raised his hand to press down, trying to calm everyone.

  "Everyone, please quiet down."

  "There is no helping this. Radiant Magic Academy is given one direct recommendation slot to send an apprentice into Luminara Magic Academy each year."

  "This rule was set when Luminara Magic Academy was first founded. It is not a special exception."

  "There is no such thing as fair or unfair here. If you also want such a recommendation slot,"

  "Go to Radiant Magic Academy. As long as you can earn the headmaster's approval, you can naturally enroll directly."

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  As he spoke, the man turned his gaze to Allen and said,

  "Perhaps, as long as you know how to flatter the headmaster, this recommendation slot will be yours..."

  The people around them burst into laughter at once. The man's implication could not have been clearer.

  He was openly hinting that Allen had no real ability at all, and that he had only obtained the recommendation slot by flattering and currying favor with Augustine.

  The young mages in the crowd grew even more furious, their faces filled with resentment and indignation.

  Many of them could light up thirty four or thirty five concentric rings. They were only one or two short of meeting Luminara Magic Academy's entry standard.

  Yet they could only stand at the academy gate, without even the right to step inside.

  But this kid in front of them, relying on nothing more than a single recommendation letter and his relationship with the headmaster of Radiant Magic Academy,

  could easily enter this academy that countless mages dreamed of.

  "We refuse to accept this! To hell with the recommendation letter! If he has any real skill, let him test his talent!"

  "That's right! Let him test his talent! If he can really light up more than thirty seven concentric rings, then he is qualified to enter Luminara Magic Academy!"

  "But if his talent is worse than ours, then make him get lost! Do not let him take up a slot here by using the back door and make a fool of himself!"

  Angry shouts rose one after another. The emotions of the crowd were completely ignited, and everyone turned their hostility toward Allen.

  The man who had spoken earlier smiled at the noisy crowd and spread his hands as if helpless.

  "Everyone, I am truly sorry, but the academy has no such precedent."

  "Anyone who holds a recommendation letter from the headmaster of Radiant Magic Academy does not need to test their talent. That is the academy's rule."

  He paused, then glanced meaningfully at Allen and added,"After all, in front of so many people, it is better to leave him a bit of dignity."

  He turned to the Luminara Magic Academy apprentices beside him and asked,

  "Everyone, he came with a recommendation letter. Which department do you think would be suitable for him to join?"

  The Luminara Magic Academy apprentices frowned in unison, their faces full of reluctance and disgust.

  "We in the Runes Department do not want him. Send him to the Construct and Relics Department!"

  The apprentices from the Construct and Relics Department immediately bristled and shot back,

  "Why push him onto us? Our Construct and Relics Department is already full. If he has to go somewhere, send him to the Arcane Array Department!"

  "The Arcane Array Department will not take in this kind of back door trash either. Send him to the Storm Element Department!"

  "The Storm Element Department does not want him. Who would want to take in a nepotism case with no talent and drag down our faction's overall strength!"

  After a round of passing him around, not a single faction was willing to accept Allen. Every face was filled with rejection and disdain.

  Allen stood there, watching them shove responsibility onto one another and avoid him like the plague, and grumbled inwardly, This is way too realistic.

  He had never tested his own talent and did not know how many concentric rings he could light up.

  But he could not possibly be so bad that everyone despised him. Not a single faction was even willing to take him in.

  Just as this awkward standoff continued, the woman who had taken Beth away earlier walked back out of the academy.

  There was a smile on her lips, her face glowing and full of cheer, clearly very satisfied with having recruited a talented apprentice like Beth today.

  When she returned, everyone present turned to look at her at once.

  "Isabella, there is another apprentice who wants to enroll here. You can take him along too!"

  "Let him join your Alchemy and Potions Department!"

  Hearing this, Isabella's eyes lit up, and the smile on her face grew even brighter. Something this good still existed?

  She had just recruited a highly talented apprentice, and now another one appeared. It was truly a double blessing.

  Isabella felt a quiet thrill in her heart, but on her face, she feigned modesty and smiled as she said,"Oh, this is too much."

  "Our Alchemy and Potions Department already has Beth, so…."

  Before she could finish her polite words, the people around her spoke up all at once.

  "He has a recommendation letter. He was recommended by Radiant Magic Academy!"

  "This isn't about you getting a freebie. To be honest, it's just to make you take a small loss."

  "Since you've already recruited a genius today, taking in another useless one won't hurt. Think of it as doing a good deed!"

  Isabella froze for a moment when she heard this. Looking at how everyone around her avoided Allen, and then at Allen himself, standing calmly in place, she immediately understood the reason.

  No wonder no one wanted him. He had entered through the back door with a recommendation letter!

  Judging from the past talent of apprentices recommended by Radiant Magic Academy, Allen's talent was probably nothing special. Once in the academy, he would likely end up at the bottom, a burden on the faction's development.

  Isabella quickly put on a look of difficulty and said,"A recommendation letter, huh… that makes this a little tricky. Our Alchemy and Potions Department isn't recruiting anyone for now…"

  But before her excuse could finish, the surrounding crowd laughed, their voices full of teasing.

  "Isabella, stop making useless excuses!"

  "Today your Alchemy and Potions Department got a huge advantage, recruiting a genius like Beth. Shouldn't you take some responsibility now?"

  "Besides, your department deals with brewing magical potions. Why do you need such high talent? As long as someone can follow the potion recipes, being a little clumsy is fine!"

  "I think this kid is actually perfect for you. At the very least, he can help organize potion recipes. He won't be completely useless!"

  Seeing the crowd insist on pushing Allen onto her, Isabella sighed helplessly, her face full of reluctance.

  She knew that continuing to refuse would only offend the other factions. She had no choice but to reluctantly accept this burden.

  "Fine, then he will join our Alchemy and Potions Department," Isabella said in a dissatisfied tone.

  "This way it won't look like our department is just taking advantage and shirking responsibility. Everyone should be satisfied now, right?"

  Hearing this, the surrounding Luminara Magic Academy apprentices all nodded in agreement, relief spreading across their faces. The troublesome matter had finally been resolved.

  Isabella, still unwilling and resentful, walked up to Allen and took the recommendation letter from his hand.

  After quickly scanning it to confirm everything was in order, she said,"From now on, you are an apprentice in our Alchemy and Potions Department."

  She looked up at Allen and asked,"One thing. When you first entered Radiant Magic Academy, how many concentric rings could you light in the talent test?"

  Allen answered truthfully,"I don't know exactly how many, but I've been told my talent is very high."