They Called Me Trash? Now I'll Hack Their World-Chapter 40: Trials [6]

Chapter 40: Trials [6]
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."
Gasps rippled through the crowd of waiting candidates.
B-rank. Only a handful of candidates had tested that high all morning.
And she was a commoner.
"Elemental Affinity: Light."
More whispers.
Light affinity was rare... usually associated with healing and defensive magic.
The control test had Emma create a sphere of light above the basin. It formed instantly, perfectly stable, and held without the slightest waver for the full thirty seconds.
"Excellent," the instructor said, genuine approval in her voice. "Well done, Miss Vale."
Emma bowed slightly and moved away from the circle, her expression carefully neutral.
But I caught the way some of the nobles were looking at her now, suspicion, resentment, a few with outright hostility.
A commoner with B-rank capacity. That challenged the natural order they believed in.
"Freak," someone muttered nearby.
"Probably cheated somehow," another noble whispered. "Commoners don’t have that kind of capacity naturally."
Emma’s shoulders tensed slightly, but she kept walking, finding a spot at the edge of the field away from the noble clusters.
Kyle leaned over to me. "Did you see that? B-rank! That’s amazing! I didn’t know—" He stopped himself, looking embarrassed. "I mean, that sounded bad. I just meant—"
"I know what you meant," I said.
The testing continued.
"Kyle Stoneheart. Step forward."
Kyle walked to the circle, his usual enthusiasm tempered by visible nervousness. He placed his hand on the crystal.
It glowed, brown-gold, earthy and warm. Not as bright, but steady.
"E-rank," the instructor said. "Elemental Affinity: Earth."
Kyle grinned despite the lower ranking. The control test had him create a small pillar of earth from the ground, it wobbled and wasn’t perfectly formed, but it held for the required thirty seconds.
"Acceptable. Next candidate."
Kyle bounded back to where I stood, looking relieved. "Not great, but I passed! E-rank isn’t terrible, right? I mean, it’s not F-rank!"
"You passed," I confirmed. "That’s what matters."
...
"Marcus Valen. Step forward."
Marcus approached the testing circle with obvious confidence. His expensive armor had been replaced with formal robes that probably cost more than most candidates’ entire wardrobes.
He placed his hand on the crystal.
It glowed bright orange-red, the light strong and steady.
"C-rank," the instructor announced. "Elemental Affinity: Fire."
Marcus smirked, clearly pleased. The control test was easy for him.
"Excellent. Next candidate."
Marcus rejoined his noble friends, accepting their congratulations with casual arrogance.
The testing continued. More names, more varying results.
...
"Jin Raith. Step forward."
My stomach clenched.
This was it.
I walked to the testing circle, aware of every eye on me. The nobles watching with barely concealed contempt.
Marcus smirking. Adrian’s calculating gaze. Kyle giving me an encouraging thumbs up.
The instructor gestured to the crystal. "Place your hand here and channel your mana."
I pressed my palm against the smooth surface.
And focused inward, trying to feel for the energy.
I pushed, trying to force the energy into the crystal like I’d seen others do.
For a long moment, nothing happened.
Then, a faint glow. Barely visible in the morning sunlight.
The instructor leaned closer, squinting. "F-rank."
Laughter rippled through the noble candidates.
"F-rank? Is he even trying?"
"Raith family embarrassment strikes again."
"How did he pass the combat trial with stats that pathetic?"
I kept my expression neutral, ignoring them.
F-rank. Bottom tier.
But still technically passing, the crystal had glowed, even if barely.
"Elemental Affinity test," the instructor said, her tone slightly more gentle. Maybe she felt bad for me.
I placed my hand on the crystal again, and this time tried to push my mana through differently, not forcing it, but letting it flow.
The crystal shifted colors, flickering between grey, blue, and something darker I couldn’t identify. No single color dominated.
The instructor frowned. "Affinity: None detected. Or... multiple weak affinities."
More laughter from the nobles.
"No affinity? What kind of mage has no affinity?"
"The useless kind."
The instructor cleared her throat. "Control test. Create any elemental manifestation above the basin. Hold it for thirty seconds."
I stared at the glowing water.
Any elemental manifestation. Fire, water, earth, wind... I have no idea how to do any of that.
I closed my eyes and tried to focus my mana like I did when editing reality. Pushing energy out, shaping it, forcing it to—
Nothing.
The basin remained unchanged.
Thirty seconds passed in silence.
"Candidate Raith," the instructor said quietly. "You need to demonstrate at least basic—"
"I’m trying."
I focused harder, trying to remember any magical theory from the books I’d read in Father’s study. Mana flow, visualization, elemental resonance.
A tiny flicker appeared above the water. Not fire, not any specific element. Just... energy. Raw and unfocused.
It lasted maybe five seconds before sputtering out.
The instructor sighed. "Insufficient. However..." She looked at her clipboard, then at me. "You passed the combat trial, which demonstrates combat magical application. I’m marking this as borderline passing. You’ll proceed to the final portion."
Relief washed through me.
"Next candidate."
I moved away from the circle, feeling every contemptuous stare following me.
Kyle tried to be encouraging as I rejoined him. "Hey, you passed! That’s what matters!"
"Barely."
"Still counts!"
I watched the remaining candidates test. A few more C-ranks. Several D and E-ranks.
Then silver-haired girl I’d noticed before, her name was called.
"Seraphine Ashcroft."
She approached the circle with fluid grace, expression cold and disinterested.
The crystal erupted in brilliant ice-blue light, so bright it was almost blinding.
"A-rank," the instructor announced, unable to hide her shock. "Elemental Affinity: Ice."
Even my eyes widened.
A-rank?
The control test was almost insulting in its ease for her, she created an intricate ice sculpture above the basin without even seeming to concentrate.
"Perfect score," the instructor said quietly.
Seraphine walked away without acknowledging the murmurs, her expression unchanged.