Esdras woke up on the day of the Rite of Passage feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. He got dressed and headed to the dining hall for breakfast. Most of the other apprentices are too nervous to eat, but Esdras and his friends, David, Celine, Vivi, and Dylen, manage to eat and rest properly.

As they stood in line, Esdras couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and wonder. He had never seen anything like this before. The anticipation grew as he waited for his number to be called. It was a very fun atmosphere this time.

After breakfast, they are escorted to a great courtyard where they are given number badges and told to stand in line. They are only allowed to respond after their number is called. Those who are called are taken to the stables where a true mage waits with a Pegasus. All the apprentices are separated from one another and given only a bag of rations containing some jerky, cheese, and water.

Finally, his turn came and he was led to the stables where a magnificent Pegasus awaited him. The creature was pure white, with wings that glimmered in the sunlight.

Esdras couldn't believe his eyes at seeing this creature so closely, last time he saw these creatures it was from afar. Their beauty was majestic.

Once he was seated on the Pegasus, the world around him completely transformed. The ground fell away beneath him, and he soared high into the sky, feeling the wind whip through his hair. The sensation of flight was exhilarating, and Esdras let out a whoop of joy.

This was different from riding on the Arrowhawk or taking a plane, this time he was able to feel the air and see for himself what flying was like. At least it was close enough.historical

Only Master mages could fly in the sky freely, just like Master Ashran did recently when he destroyed the orcs army single-handedly. Great mages could levitate and fly for a bit but not much after that.

As for mages, Air elemental mages could use spells like 'Jump' or 'featherfall' to look the part to some extent.

As they continued their flight, Esdras couldn't help but marvel at the incredible sights around him. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, and the clouds below them morphed and shifted in surprising patterns. He also spotted a dazzling array of wildlife, some of which he had never even heard of before.

In the distance, he saw a group of majestic winged creatures soaring through the sky, their feathers shimmering in the sunlight. And below, along the coast, there were schools of brightly colored fish darting in and out of the coral reefs.

After hours of flight they finally approached their destination, the plain of Unworthy Dead, the testing grounds. Unlike the things he saw before, here there were only darker sights.

Dead trees stood tall and lifeless, and the ground was barren and barren. Strange growls and snarls echoed through the air, and Esdras knew that there were monsters lurking below, unseen and hungry.

It was all so surreal yet beautiful that Esdras was left completely breathless. He couldn't wait to explore this colorful world further and see what other wonders it held.

As they flew, Esdras couldn't help but feel like he was on an incredible adventure. From the sky, he could see the world like never before. But suddenly, the mage on the Pegasus dropped him down at a random spot, and Esdras found himself alone in a strange and wonderful world.

They fly on the Pegasus for hours until they happen upon a great dead plain. An unusual swamp covered in various colorful trees and enclosed between high cliffs and great swamps, it was a place swarming with monsters and beasts. Each apprentice is dropped off at random.

Before he was dropped off he was briefed on the rules of the Rite the True mage flying with him, the mage didn't bother to introduce himself and Esdras didn't care to ask either.

There was a tall beacon tower at end of the plains and they had to reach there within one week. This was the only condition for passing and apprentices were permitted to use whatever method they wanted.

Those who die in this test will not be inquired about, the tower was unconcerned about what caused their deaths.

The final category was mages that survived for the seven days but didn't clear the test. These apprentices must fine work with True mages as assistants for life, if not then they would be reduced to servants working in the tower grounds and looking after the new batch of apprentices.

All the apprentices are separated from one another and given only a bag of rations containing some jerky, cheese, and water.

Esdras was dropped off at the edge of the dead plain, and he watches as the other apprentices are dropped off in different areas. He takes a moment to compose himself and then begins to survey his surroundings. He sees a dense forest in the distance and decides to head there, hoping to find some shelter and possibly some food and water.

The forest was eerily silent as Esdras continued to trudge through it. The only sound that could be heard was the crunching of dried leaves beneath his boots. It felt like he had been walking for hours, and the trees only seemed to grow thicker and taller as he progressed.

It was unusual swamp covered in various colorful trees and enclosed between high cliffs and great swamps, it was a place swarming with monsters and beasts. Each apprentice is dropped off at random.

As Esdras lands in a patch of swampy ground, he immediately senses that something is off. The air is thick with the smell of decay, and strange, unnatural noises echo all around him. He takes a deep breath and prepares himself for whatever challenges lay ahead.

Suddenly, a low growl emanated from somewhere behind him. Esdras spun on his heels, already knowing what he was about to face. Before him stood a pack of razor-toothed wolves, their fur as black as midnight, and their eyes gleaming with hunger.

These weren't just any wolves, but Winter Wolves, able to freeze the air around them and create deadly ice spikes. They were equivalent to level 4 apprentices, and one could easily lose his life to them if he was paying attention.

Esdras was happy that he had such luck, as soon as he took his first step he had such a fortuitous encounter. This was a good chance to test a few things first.

Suddenly, a barrier of magic appeared in front of him, shimmering gold in the sunlight.

This was one of the spells woven into his Crimson mage robe, a special reward from Merralah. These were robes of elvish origin, they could not be created by today's magic.

[Mystical shield] was an elven spell which didn't belong to the four elements system.

Two of the wolves slammed headfirst into the shield of light, attempting to tackle him no doubt but the shield actually repelled them both and Esdras only felt a slight force pushing him back.

The wolves changed strategy, they surrendered him and collectively launched ice spikes at him. Esdras didn't do anything, the spiked were repelled by the shield but the light dimmed and started flickering.

Esdras quickly realized that his shield was weakening against the Winter Wolves' ice attacks. He needed to act fast and find a way to defeat them before the shield crumbled completely.

'Oh, no. I am in danger!'

Is probably what normal apprentices would be think in this situation, huh. Anyway...

Before the shield could be broken he waved his hand.

He concentrated on his water magic, drawing moisture from the air and the ground around him. With a flick of his wrist, he directed a stream of water towards the nearest wolf, freezing it solid.

Is the wolves weren't going all out using their ice spikes the atmosphere wouldn't have been cold enough. This was on them.

The other wolves hesitated for a moment, surprised by Esdras's sudden attack. But they quickly regained their composure and lunged at him again.

This time, Esdras used his fire magic to create a wall of flames, blocking their path. And then he caused the fire wall to expand and explode.

The wolves tried to break through the flames, but they couldn't withstand the intense heat. One by one, they fell to the ground, their bodies smoldering and their ice magic dissipating.

Esdras knew he couldn't always depend on his robe to protect him, it was only good enough to block the equivalent of two spells from a True mage. He needed to continue mastering his skills and learn new spells to face tougher opponents.

When the five wolves combined their attacks it was no joke.

[+ 175 EXP]

With a sense of accomplishment, he continued on his journey, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. He was able to learn what the robe could do.

Now, more things to learn about.