Noon.
Sunlight streamed into the meeting room, illuminating the soft-colored walls and the lush greenery on the wide windowsill, adding a sense of vitality to the space.
However—
At this moment, the once-serene Sage Institute meeting room had descended into chaos due to an increasingly heated debate.
"Compared to that examinee from the Knight Institute with zero intelligence and zero mental fortitude, our candidate’s intelligence and mental fortitude seem too high."
"To the point where it’s kind of excessive."
Most of the instructors, after witnessing Lance’s actions, were in shock, questioning their own understanding of the test and struggling to make sense of this complete statistical outlier.
Some furrowed their brows, deep in thought, occasionally glancing up at the replay on the magic screen.
What kind of mindset did this kid even have while taking the exam?
They didn’t understand.Not only did they have to complete their academic review of the test, but they also had to conduct a post-exam analysis and urgently assign manual scores to all examinees.
Clearly, Lance had presented them with a major problem—
How were they supposed to grade him?
"You have to admit, this guy’s legal awareness is ridiculously strong. A normal person wouldn’t immediately go check the legal code in that kind of situation."
"Come on, we’re recruiting magic users here. Magic law, not legal law!"
Another burst of debate erupted, with one instructor even slamming the table.
"He might be better off at the Hetton National Academy of Finance and Law."
"Boo—!"
Just imagining Lance as a judge in the future…
Every instructor in the room had the same thought: I never want to see this guy in a courtroom for the rest of my life.
Documents, charts, and notes lay scattered across the meeting table.
The clock on the wall ticked away relentlessly.
Vice Dean Roan remained silent, jotting down key points from the various perspectives presented, attempting to organize a coherent evaluation of this examinee.
Dean Loren, meanwhile, was currently being scolded over at the Magic Engineering Institute.
So, the responsibility of chairing this meeting had fallen to Roan.
No one from the Sage Institute wanted to be the one to go to the Magic Engineering Institute and face the notoriously temperamental Professor Polao.
Besides—
If Polao found out that the Artificial Shadow Realm Terminal had been broken…
He would be absolutely livid!
But there was no choice. The terminal was still needed for the third round of exams.
Someone had to step up and beg Professor Polao to bring in his engineers and get the repairs done within the next two days.
"Sigh, if I were Loren, I’d just drag this kid Lance to the Magic Engineering Institute myself."
Their dean was simply too kind-hearted.
After silently lamenting the situation, Vice Dean Roan finally tapped the table twice.
It was time to get back on track.
"From the perspective of the Shadow Realm’s core principles, it seems he has offered an alternative interpretation of ‘righteousness and justice.’"
Roan sighed, acknowledging the significance of Lance’s method of passing.
"Using violence to counter violence, using evil to suppress evil—perhaps that, too, is an effective means of doing good."
Shadow Realm research wasn’t just limited to combat-oriented challengers.
The field also involved theologians, historians, and philosophers who frequently contributed their insights.
Scholars analyzing and deciphering the stories of the Shadow Realm provided challengers with valuable intelligence, helping them develop better strategies to clear instances.
Over time, the Sage Institute had incorporated more academic studies into its curriculum.
For instance, the Introduction to the Shadow Realm—a mandatory course for all Sage Institute freshmen—was currently the most widely recognized academic theory on the Shadow Realm.
It proposed that the Shadow Realm was a miraculous divine construct created before the gods vanished, designed to record critical historical events from countless worlds and alternate dimensions. These records were preserved as projections.
When a world evolved to a level where it had the strength to interact with the Shadow Realm, it would become connected to it.
From that point on, the inhabitants of that world could enter the Shadow Realm, reliving historical projections under the guidance of the realm’s core.
For any intelligent being, these historical projections—spanning different worldlines and timelines—were invaluable as educational resources and knowledge archives.
The gods had hoped that by allowing beings to reflect on these vanished histories, they would gain wisdom, learn from past experiences, and use this knowledge to create a more stable and prosperous reality.
Thus, the physical world and the Shadow Realm became two interconnected dimensions—like a body and its shadow.
After Roan’s remarks, the meeting room gradually returned to the atmosphere of a formal academic discussion.
"Analyzing Lance’s approach to this Artificial Shadow Realm exam… this could actually be turned into a journal publication."
"I think he has more talent as a research scholar."
At the roundtable of the Healing Mage group, Professor Theresa gazed at Lance’s profile and spoke softly.
From the moment he submitted his application, she had felt that—though he lacked exceptional talent as a mage—his calm demeanor and refined aura made him seem like a natural-born scholar.
Often, individuals with such qualities—if willing to dedicate themselves to studying—would be highly regarded by academic societies.
After all, post-exam analysis and research in support departments were just as important as frontline combat roles.
"Indeed. He has both wisdom and fortitude, and his sense of morality aligns with both."
Several instructors nodded in agreement.
"In any case—placing him ahead of Huberian Aransal, as the top-ranked candidate, is acceptable, correct?"
Vice Dean Roan tapped his index finger lightly on the table, hesitated slightly, then voiced his conclusion.
Since they couldn’t determine a numerical score, they would at least finalize the ranking order.
This would directly impact the team assignments for the next round of exams.
Upon hearing this, many instructors either nodded or remained silent.
Their reactions were subtle—almost as if they were avoiding the topic altogether.
"Although his clearance time was extremely fast, in terms of the original scoring system, he barely hit any of the designated point categories. According to the Magic Engineering Institute’s algorithm, his score might not actually be that high…"
A hesitant voice came from the Healing Mage group’s table.
Vice Dean Roan turned his gaze—it was Professor Theresa, the same instructor who had overseen Lance’s admissions application.
"Professor Theresa, that’s not really fair, is it?"
However—
From another table, a young instructor leaned back, draping his right arm over his chair as he turned to look at Theresa, cutting her off mid-sentence.
"He should be ranked first. That’s an indisputable fact."
"……"
Theresa pressed her lips together, unable to argue further.
She knew she was being unreasonable.
But she genuinely wanted to help Lance.
Because—
This year, being ranked first in the Sage Institute’s entrance exam was anything but a good thing.
In truth, for the academy, the most troublesome freshman this year wasn’t Frey or Lance—
It was the Duke’s daughter, Huberian.
The vast majority of instructors were unwilling to be associated with her.
The reason Huberian hadn’t held back in the second-round exam was that she feared ranking too low and being assigned a team of deliberately placed "actors" in the third round.
Only by securing the highest ranking possible could she ensure she’d be paired with strong teammates—ones that even her enemies within the academy couldn’t manipulate.
But given the current situation, if Lance were to be placed at the top—
It would conveniently align with many people’s plans, making Lance the perfect tool to drag the Duke’s daughter down in the practical exam.
After all, Lance didn’t seem to have any particularly outstanding combat abilities.
"Flat, I won’t say much, but no matter what, do not overstep the rules. Otherwise, Loren won’t sit idly by."
Roan gave a deep look at the young instructor who had interrupted Theresa earlier, then spoke.
"Of course."
The young instructor, named Flat, stood up and gracefully bowed to Vice Dean Roan.
"As per the established rules, barring any surprises, I should be the one evaluating the top-ranking students. I will do my best to filter out those who are unqualified—for their own safety."
The confident smile on Flat’s lips never wavered.
"……"
Vice Dean Roan silently turned the page of the document in his hands, signaling the end of this discussion.
Lance Wilfort, as a White Mage, had only barely passable talent.
He wasn’t truly suited for the Sage Institute.
For any Shadow Realm above Tier 1, mental acuity alone wasn’t enough—practical combat ability was also essential.
No matter which team he was assigned to, he was highly likely to be eliminated in the third round.
So, in a way, fate itself seemed to be pushing him into the same team as the Duke’s daughter.
And if that happened, no one could be blamed for dragging the other down.
After all, even if they were separated—
Neither of them stood much chance of making it through the entrance exam.