I Entered Magic Academy With F-Rank Stats

Chapter 3 - The Worst in Group Seven

Gareth didn’t speak right away when the golden writing on the parchment finally stopped changing.

He read the result once.

Then he read it again, as though the numbers might somehow change if he looked closely enough.

Ryan, still standing in front of the Mirror of Appraisal, finally asked, “Is there a problem?”

“There is.”

Gareth raised the parchment slightly.

“The problem is, I was starting to think the examination was taking so long because the mirror had found something unusual about you. Turns out it just needed extra time to make sure the result was actually this bad.”

Several candidates burst out laughing.

Ryan forced down his irritation.

“How bad are we talking?”

“Strength, two. Agility, two. Intelligence, two. Vitality, three. Nine attribute points in total.”

Gareth read out the numbers without making the slightest effort to soften the blow.

Ryan didn’t know what Blackthorn considered average yet, but the reactions around him told him enough.

Most of the candidates tested before him had total attributes well into the teens.

A few had scored much higher.

Ryan slipped both hands into his pockets.

“So I’m the worst?”

“At the moment, you’re leading by a very comfortable margin.”

Another round of laughter spread through the hall.

Gareth lowered his eyes to the bottom of the parchment.

“Your Physical Attack rating is F-. Your Arcane Attack rating is also F-. And before you ask, F- is the lowest classification Blackthorn uses.”

“At least there’s no F--.”

“If there were, you’d probably have it.”

Ryan clicked his tongue.

Unfortunately, Gareth wasn’t finished.

The corner of the instructor’s mouth even lifted slightly when he noticed an additional note near the bottom.

Ryan immediately became suspicious.

“What now?”

“The Mirror provides comparisons to help candidates understand their abilities more easily.”

Gareth cleared his throat and read the next line with a perfectly serious expression.

“An aggressive adult farm chicken is estimated to possess greater offensive capability than Ryan Volde.”

This time, laughter erupted across almost the entire hall.

Ryan turned and stared at the black mirror behind him.

“Was that artifact designed specifically to insult people?”

“No.”

Gareth folded the parchment.

“I think it’s just very honest.”

He gestured for Ryan to move aside so the examination could continue.

Ryan chose a spot away from the main crowd and ignored the candidates who were still glancing his way with amused smiles.

The next few examinations were uneventful.

Then a young woman with glasses stepped forward.

Dark brown hair fell to her shoulders, and the simple beige coat she wore made her look more like someone on her way to a library than a prospective mage.

The red light swept over her body.

Gareth looked at the result that appeared on his parchment.

For the first time since the testing began, he gave an approving nod.

“Evelyn Ashcroft. Highest total attributes in Group Seven. Not bad.”

Evelyn merely nodded in response.

There was no obvious pride on her face.

Ryan watched her for a moment.

Judging from her appearance, Evelyn clearly wasn’t the type to rely on physical strength.

If she had the highest total score in the group, one of her other attributes had to be far above average.

Once the final candidate had been tested, Gareth put away the parchments and sealed the chamber containing the Mirror of Appraisal.

He then tapped the end of his wand against the floor.

A black tower surrounded by seven stars appeared on the back of every candidate’s hand.

Several people immediately tried to rub it off.

“Don’t bother,” Gareth said. “That’s the Blackthorn Sigil. As long as you’re bound to the academy, the Sigil will serve as your identification, academic record, and personal access to Blackthorn’s system.”

Ryan focused on the symbol on his hand.

The same voice he had heard when he was transported from his apartment echoed inside his mind.

[Blackthorn Sigil successfully activated.]

[Personal profile access available.]

Ryan only had to think of the word profile.

Information immediately arranged itself inside his mind.

﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣

[Ryan Volde's Status]

Name: Ryan Volde

Age: 23

Academy Credits: 0

Merit Marks: 0

Strength: 2

Agility: 2

Intelligence: 2

Vitality: 3

Total Attributes: 9

Physical Attack Rank: F-

Arcane Attack Rank: F-

Estimated Natural Lifespan: 83 years

Remaining Natural Lifespan: 60 years

Talent: Undetected

﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣

Ryan read through the entire panel.

The corner of his mouth twitched.

'Nine points. There really isn't anything here worth bragging about.'

The section about his lifespan, however, made his expression turn more serious.

Almost immediately, another notification appeared.

[Warning: Once official student status has been granted, each death will reduce the remaining natural lifespan by ten years.]

[If the remaining lifespan reaches zero, resurrection will no longer be possible.]

The hall immediately erupted into chaos.

Apparently, every candidate had received the same warning.

A man who looked to be in his forties stepped forward and pointed at the Sigil on his hand.

“I only have eighteen years left. If I die twice, doesn’t that mean I’ll actually die for good?”

“If you’re careless enough to die twice, then yes,” Gareth replied.

“I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“No one is forcing you to pass the entrance exam.”

The man fell silent.

The courage he had shown only moments earlier slowly faded when he realized that failing might be his only way out of Blackthorn.

Evelyn, on the other hand, raised her hand.

“If Blackthorn can reduce a person’s remaining lifespan, does that mean the academy also has a way to increase it?”