Chapter 416 – Got The Job.

“Have you heard?”

“Oh? Did something happen?”

“Yes! Apparently, they are interviewing a new assistant professor!”

“An assistant professor? Is that something to get excited about? Have you been drinking those strange potions again?”

“Perhaps… but that’s not important. What is important is that they took him to that testing ground!”

“By that, you mean?”

“Yes, for the enforcement department!”

“The enforcement department? Now, that’s interesting. I wonder if he will last longer than the last assistant professor then…”

“Haha, I wonder who it is now. They probably tricked another adventurer.”

Students were chatting around with each other as the news spread of a new arrival at the institute. The two silver-badged students soon forwarded the information, and it started spreading like wildfire. The appearance of the armored individual sparked a debate about whether he would truly be able to toughen through his new and dangerous responsibilities.

Back in the magical testing chamber, the panel members exchanged some final words before the last trial. Professor Delauder still wore a skeptical expression, but he grudgingly conceded to the decision of the other two.

“Very well. Let’s proceed to the final trial.”

The elderly man, seemingly the leader of the trio, stood up and gestured for Roland to follow him. The mist-haired woman and scholarly man fell in step as they made their way to a concealed door at the back of the chamber. Roland could sense the intensity of the magical aura emanating from behind that door. He was somewhat aware of what was to come next which lessened his nervousness slightly.

As the door opened, a long corridor revealed itself, adorned with enchantments and wards. The trio walked in silence, leading Roland deeper into the heart of the magical academy. Something felt off about this place; Roland sensed the influence of some type of magic. When they reached what appeared to be the exit, an old-looking door slowly swung open. Roland’s face was hit by a draft, an occurrence that shouldn’t have happened if they were inside the testing chamber.

‘An open space? Is this still inside the Institute?’

Before him stood a wide, open area, filled with trees and greenery. The other mages didn’t stop walking, so he continued after them without posing any questions. Once inside, he noticed another strange phenomenon. He expected this large door to be connected to a wall, but after looking back, he could tell that it was not attached to something that could hold a corridor. It was embedded in a large slab of rock that was not thicker than a meter.

‘Did we go through a teleportation gate? Or was it some other type of dimensional magic?’

Roland was well aware of these types of magic and was almost certain that the institute was filled with it. The first telltale sign was the size of the Institute from outside compared to the inside. Though he hadn’t traversed much of it, there was far too much space here for no spatial magic to be at play. While spatial magic was mostly known for producing dimensional bags for adventurers, it could also be utilized to enlarge other spaces, such as the rooms within this magical academy.

That kind of spatial magic wouldn’t explain what he had just experienced, as it seemed more aligned with the domain of teleportation gates. Enlarging space wouldn’t facilitate the traversal of a corridor into a faraway location; for that to happen, the space would need to be made more compact to hasten the traversal process. This realization likely accounted for the strange feeling he had been feeling while going through that corridor and the large door.

Warp gates existed in this reality, a highly theoretical subject in the world he came from. In this world, they were made real with the help of dimensional magic, and perhaps it would be something he could learn himself. His eyes focused on the slab or rock the door was attached to, and he could see various enchantments over it. This was not something beyond his comprehension, falling within the category of greater and grand runes. Greater and grand runes had a similar relationship as lesser and common runes, functioning similarly but with one being many times more complex.

“Mr. Wayland, welcome to the Enforcement Department’s training grounds. Here, we will evaluate your ability to handle unconventional situations and your proficiency in combat magic.”

The elderly man finally spoke, breaking the silence that had lingered since they entered this enchanting space.

“I’m sure that Professor Arion informed you about this test but, would you like me to refresh your memory?”

“Ah yes, please do.”

“Very well, for the final test, we would have you face a series of challenges. The purpose is to assess your combat abilities against various threats…”

As the old man continued to list the reasons for being here, Roland reflected on the moment Arion informed him about this opportunity. There were various types of assistant professors within the Institute, and the only option available to him was one within the Enforcement Department. In a way, he would be akin to a security officer along with being tied to the Runic Department. He was limited to this due to not having other credentials besides being a Platinum rank Adventurer. While Arion assured him that there was no danger, Roland wasn’t sure if that was the case.

“… and that’s about it, if what Professor Arion said was true, then I’m sure you have nothing to worry about. Well then, we shall be off and observe how you do.”

The old man finished explaining, and soon the trio retreated back through the door they had all come through. To Roland’s surprise, the moment the door closed behind the three mages, it vanished from within the stone slab. It confirmed his previous deduction of it being a teleportation gate. However, now there was no exit through which he could retreat. While he was sure that he would be saved if things went wrong, accidents happened.

‘I hope Arion doesn’t have actual enemies here…’

When he considered that his friend was getting his budget cut, someone who was against him regaining it would profit from him failing this battle trial. Roland took a deep breath, calming his nerves as he faced the open training grounds. The lush environment seemed peaceful, but he knew the challenges ahead would test his magical and combat abilities. The enchantments in the air hinted at the various obstacles he might encounter.

This narrative has been purloined without the author’s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

He started walking forward, exploring the surroundings. The trees and plants were real, not magical constructs. However, one peculiar thing that he noticed was the fake sky above him. Without his various skills, he would have been fooled, but upon further examination, it revealed itself as an intricate illusion. This place resembled a dungeon with wide-open biomes, and considering he was in a very old magical institute, the mages here could have figured out ways of creating dungeon-like areas.