The Spider Queen

(Zrudread University Main Campus)

(Redheart National Stadium- Training Field No.2) 

Mages are in equal parts both feared and admired throughout the universe. 

People cannot help but fear that which they do not understand.

No one knows which species first stumbled upon the arcane but even millions of years later there are countless mysteries that still remain unsolved.

What exactly is mana? 

Why can only a small percentage of cultivators convert their qi into this mysterious energy source?

Magic was fantastic, dangerous and addicting. 

Many who study the arcane would spend a lifetime trying desperately to learn even a fraction of all its secrets.

Professor Malcom smiled as he stared at the dozens of students currently gazing at him with various expressions of nervousness.

The mage department at Zrudread University was not the greatest among the four top university but they received more than sufficient funding to provide a solid education.

Students who graduated from this major would usually travel to Mer University in order to specialise further down their chosen path.

Therefore, the mage professors made sure to teach their students the foundations of magic. 

The first years standing on the field were the latest batch of students.

There were a few talented ones among them, but most were fairly average. The only exception was the tall Mendolesa girl standing imposingly in the back of the crowd.

Professor Malcom's eyes briefly swept over to her position and saw that she was silently munching on some snacks.

Well… she was the apprentice of an archmage, so Professor Malcom quietly turned a blind eye to the breach of discipline.

He waited patiently for the last students to arrive on the field and then cleared his throat before addressing the crowd in a loud voice.

"Welcome students to the final exam for the mage class!" Professor Malcom roared as he raised his arms to the sky.

Dark purple runic circles formed along his arms and an enormous magic circle appeared above his body.

"Quidam frigus effectus!" the elderly wizard roared.

Fireworks burst out from his fingertips and exploded in the sky with a loud bang. 

The sparkles formed the image of a cheerful smile.

Professor Malcom clasped his hands together and stared off into the distance with a cold expression.

The most important aspect of being a mage was of course…

Presentation!

Unfortunately, his students did not seem particularly impressed since he could only hear a few scatterings of applause coming from the corners of the crowd.

Damn it…

Professor Malcom let out a light sigh and felt his mood slowly lower. 

He had been working on that spell for a few days now, but no one seemed to appreciate it.

"Wow that was awesome!" a loud voice came from the back of the crowd. 

Astrid stood on her hindlegs and gave the lecturer a large thumbs up.

Was the normal mage class usually this exciting?

Archmage Hollystorm on a typical day would lock her up in the mage tower library for several hours and then rush her off to the practice field for a sparring session.

He never once tried to do anything flashy with his spells and in fact, he drilled into Astrid's mind that the best spells were the undetected ones.

Astrid's words helped to encourage the elderly professor who resumed his speech with more confidence than before.

"I am pleased to announce that the final exam for first years will begin now," Professor Malcom spoke in a much brighter tone.

"Mages have two separate paths that they can follow so this exam will reflect that."

"For those who wish to follow the path of pure research and exploration of the arcane there will be a three-hour written exam."

"As for the rest… you simply need to come up here and cast a spell that requires four mana circles."

Four mana circles?

Shocked gasps echoed through the stadium as the mage students looked at each other with frightened expressions.

Most students were capable of casting up to three mana circle spells but only a few were confident enough to cast a four mana circle enchantment.

Tension filled the atmosphere as students discussed among themselves whether it was better to take the written exam or try their hand at the practical demonstration.

In the midst of their discussions, a lone figure casually walked through the crowd and approached the raised platform where the professor was standing.

"Just a four mana circle spell, right?" Astrid asked cautiously. 

Professor Malcom nodded in acknowledgement and a wide grin spread across the Mendolesa girl's face.

"Okay… I'll try it now," Astrid declared in a confident tone.

Her figure had already drawn the attention of the students below and now they were completely spellbound by her confident demeaner.

Hmm… which spell should she use?

Astrid closed her eyes and carefully recalled the different four mana circle spells that her mentor had forced her to cast nonstop over the last few weeks.

The Mendolesa girl slowly opened her eyes and a serious expression flashed across her face. 

Although Astrid was a playful person by nature, she still possessed the pride of a mage and her Mendolesa background made her fiercely competitive.

She was not someone who relied on just mere talent alone but tried her best to work hard even though the heavy theory stuff about magic bored her to death.

Astrid may tease her mentor sometimes but deep down she genuinely wanted Archmage Hollystorm to be proud of her.

She was his first and maybe last apprentice, so she had to live up to his great reputation. 

Astrid concentrated and felt her mana heart slowly begin to rotate faster and faster.

A thick layer of mana formed around her body as Astrid moved her palms in a complicated series of movements.

"Formare… spatium… discidium," Astrid mouthed silently as she channelled the arcane through her meridians.

Crack!

The space in front of her body splintered and a large portal appeared. The air vibrated around this mysterious portal and a sense of danger could be felt.

Astrid chanted the spell for a second time and another portal formed on the opposite side of the training field.

She reached into her storage bag and pulled out a shirt. Astrid tossed the red shirt into the portal next to her and it disappeared.

Moments later an identical red shirt fell out of the portal on the opposite side of the training field.

Astrid curled up her claws and cut off the flow of mana running into the spell. The portals gradually faded away and then finally disappeared.

"Pass… PASS!" Professor Malcom stuttered in shock as he hurriedly powered on his wrist communicator and recorded full marks for Astrid's performance.

The construction of two linked portals was one of the most difficult four mana circle spells to cast properly.

Astrid smiled in relief and then nodded politely at the teacher. She walked down the raised platform and waved kindly at the students who cheered her performance.

Now she was basically free for the rest of the day!

Astrid could not shake the feeling that she had forgotten something but figured that if she couldn't remember then it probably wasn't important.

Little did the Mendolesa girl know that poor Archmage Hollystorm was currently flying over with stacks of exam papers that he had gotten from Mer University.

He would arrive shortly to the training field and discover that his apprentice had already gone home!