They Called Me Trash? Now I'll Hack Their World-Chapter 39: Trials [5]

Chapter 39: Trials [5]
I woke to pale morning light filtering through the medical wing window.
My body was stiff, sore, but functional. The worst of yesterday’s agony had faded to a persistent ache.
I sat up carefully and saw the clothes from yesterday were gone.
Replaced with a clean set laid out on the chair. Simple grey tunic and dark trousers, similar to what Kyle had given me before.
I dressed slowly, each movement a negotiation with my battered body.
A note sat on top of the folded clothes:
Trial Two begins at 8th bell. to Central Courtyard. Food available in main hall starting 7th bell. - Academy Administration
I checked the window. Sun was maybe an hour past dawn. That gave me time to eat, prepare mentally, figure out what magical aptitude testing even meant.
The medical wing was mostly empty when I left, just a few other candidates in various states of injury, some sleeping, others being tended by healers.
I made my way through the Academy halls, following the flow of other candidates toward what I assumed was the main hall.
The building was massive. Stone walls, high ceilings, windows that let in streams of morning light. Everything felt old but well-maintained, like it had stood for centuries and would stand for centuries more.
The main hall was already crowded with qualified candidates.
Long tables were laden with breakfast food. Bread, fruit, porridge, eggs, meat. More food than I’d seen in one place in months.
I grabbed a plate and filled it, then found a relatively quiet corner to eat.
Kyle spotted me immediately and waved frantically from across the hall. "JIN! Over here!"
I pretended not to see him and focused on my food.
He came over anyway, plate piled high. "Man, you’re up! How are you feeling? You look way less dead than yesterday!"
"Thanks."
"Right?" He sat down across from me, already shoveling food into his mouth. "So Trial Two today! Magical aptitude! I’m kind of nervous. I mean, my magic is... okay, it’s pretty bad. Mira always says—!"
He continued talking while I ate in silence.
Around us, other candidates prepared in their own ways. Some looked confident, others terrified.
Everyone who’d made it through yesterday’s bloodbath, now facing whatever Trial Two would throw at us.
I finished eating and stood. "I’m going outside. Need air."
"Want company?" Kyle asked, mouth full.
"No."
"Cool! I’ll come with you!"
Of course you will.
We headed out to the central courtyard, a large open space surrounded by the Academy’s main buildings. Morning sun painted everything in warm gold. Other candidates gathered in small groups, some practicing, others just waiting nervously.
Kyle immediately started doing stretches, still talking. "So I was thinking, if it’s magical aptitude, they probably test our mana capacity, right? And spell casting? I can do basic stuff, some enhancement magic. What about you?"
"I don’t know," I said honestly.
"You don’t know what magic you can do?"
"Never really tested it."
Kyle stopped stretching and stared at me. "Wait, seriously? You’ve never... how do you not know what magic you can do?"
"Been busy with other things."
"Like what?"
"Surviving."
Kyle opened his mouth to respond, then seemed to actually process what I’d said. His expression shifted, less cheerful, more thoughtful.
"Oh. Right. Family situation?" He scratched his head awkwardly. "Mira mentioned that noble families are always... complicated."
"That’s one word for it."
We stood there in silence for a moment, Kyle unusually quiet, me watching other candidates.
Then...
Bells tolled across the Academy grounds.
"That’s the signal!"
All across the courtyard, candidates began moving toward the designated area, a massive field behind the main building, marked with glowing lines that formed intricate patterns.
And me, limping along at the back, barely recovered from yesterday’s near-death experience.
We filed onto the field, instructors directing us into organized rows.
Instructor Aldwin stood on a raised platform at the field’s center, his presence commanding immediate silence.
"Welcome to Trial Two, today we test your magical aptitude, your capacity for mana, your ability to learn and execute magical techniques, and your potential for growth."
He gestured to the glowing patterns on the ground. "You will be tested individually. Each candidate will step into a testing circle where your mana capacity, control, and elemental affinity will be measured. Following that, you will attempt to learn and execute a basic spell under instructor supervision."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Passing requires demonstrating minimum thresholds in all categories," Aldwin continued. "Failure in any single category results in elimination. The testing will proceed alphabetically by family name."
Raith. That puts me toward the end.
"First candidate, Adrian Ashford. Step forward."
Not Adrian Westmore, different person, he moved to the nearest testing circle.
An instructor stood beside the circle, holding what looked like a crystal orb mounted on a brass stand. Next to it sat a shallow basin filled with water that glowed faintly with magical energy.
"Place your hand on the crystal," the instructor directed. "Channel your mana into it."
Adrian complied, his palm pressing against the smooth surface.
The crystal began to glow, soft at first, then brighter. A warm orange light filled the sphere, steady and clear.
"D-rank," the instructor announced, making a notation on her clipboard. "Elemental Affinity: Fire."
She gestured to the basin. "Now demonstrate control. Create a flame above the water. Maintain it for thirty seconds without letting it touch the surface."
Adrian closed his eyes, concentrating. A small flame flickered to life above the basin, hovering maybe six inches up. It wobbled slightly but held steady.
The instructor counted silently, watching.
At thirty seconds: "Acceptable. Next candidate."
Adrian stepped out of the circle, looking relieved. One of his noble friends clapped him on the shoulder as he rejoined their group.
"Alaric Blackwood. Step forward."
Another noble. The process repeated, hand on crystal, glow assessment, affinity test, control demonstration.
"D-rank. Elemental Affinity: Wind."
One by one, candidates were called forward alphabetically.
Some glowed brighter than others. Most showed single elemental affinities, fire, water, earth, wind.
I watched the pattern emerge. The crystal’s glow indicated mana capacity in a way anyone could see, even without Debug Vision. Brighter meant more capacity. The color showed elemental affinity.
Most candidates were D or E rank. A handful of C-ranks scattered throughout, usually nobles from wealthier families who’d had access to better training and mana-enriching resources.
I also noticed the pattern of discrimination too. When nobles tested high, their peers congratulated them loudly. When commoners tested well, there were whispers, suspicious, dismissive.
A commoner girl tested at D-rank and the nobles nearby actually scoffed, as if her capacity was somehow fraudulent just because she wasn’t born into their class.
Then—
"Emma Vale. Step forward."
A girl moved to the testing circle, and I actually paid attention this time.
She was maybe sixteen or seventeen, wearing simple but well-maintained clothes, practical leather vest over a white shirt, dark pants, boots that had seen real travel.
Her brown hair was pulled back in a neat braid, and her expression was composed despite obvious nervousness.
Commoner, clearly. Everything about her presentation screamed "working class trying to look presentable."
She placed her hand on the crystal.
The glow that erupted was immediate and brilliant, pure white light with hints of blue, bright enough that several people shielded their eyes.
The instructor’s expression shifted to surprise.
"B-rank."