Reincarnated With Zero Aptitude For Magic

Chapter 9: Zero aptitude

The pieces of information and data Arion learned from Sarra were quite intriguing and unique.

Currently, the mages aren't just those who venture from one place to another, and rather they were also called wizards or anything based on their profession. For example, if the mage can control fire, then he or she should be called a pyromancer, the same applies to other elemental attributes like cryomancer who controls ice and necromancer that can rise an undead in the soil.

It's just the word mage is a generalized idea or replacement of the word 'adventurers', if it's taken on a usual stereotypic medieval setting.

The Guildhall then shall post quests for these mages to accomplish. They can be found hanging on the chart table as he presumed, and these quest parchments contain the information and the rewards for completion.

While he's at it, he also learned the reason for the aptitude test was for them to verify the strength of the mage, classifying them based on their magic power. He wrote the ranks of the mages in his photographic memory.

Apprentice - Bronze

Spellcaster - Silver

Sorcerer - Gold

Wizard/Witch - Diamond

Magister - Adamantite

The Apprentice is the lowest of them, next to it is the Spellcaster, Sorcerer and Wizard/Witch, and the Magister is the highest rank a mage can receive as they were given emblem made out of minerals corresponding to their rank not for flaunting, but for them to be eligible to accept much tougher quests that give high amounts of rewards.

However, it seems the kingdom is in an economic decline because of unknown forces from the outside and the mage dwindled down to the point the Guildhall resorted mass aptitude test to the citizens. The inhabitants of this kingdom who passed the test and have a result potential of Spellcaster and above will be gladly accepted.

The unknown forces that plaques Althas Kingdom isn't explained by Sarra because Arion hasn't become a mage yet and Sarra was speedrunning the process of aptitude test for him to learn what's actually going on. Before he gets down to business and sees the reason why Azrael reincarnated him in such a world of magic.

Rational reasoning, conceptualizing ideas, reinventing an impression over and over, Arion was fairly amazed when the harpy lady, Sarra, gestured her hands to make a crystallize ball of magic, popping out of nowhere like the compression of mass when applied in the theory of teleportation.

The concept of magic has always restrained his way of thinking and blocked the interconnection between fantasy and science. Even if they have somehow a portion of union between two different notions, he believed there should be at least a true nature behind it.

It's just he's wondering how they can produce elemental attributes of magic at their behest, and how do they do it in the first place.

For instance, the greatest illustration was the guy he saw in the streets who can produce fire on his hands as the emission of fire was clearly visualized as an entity of mind where he formed and utilized the thought by actually thinking it has enough combustible material through the air producing blazes of flames.

In other words, he couldn't fathom how deep its chasm can be. It doesn't make sense either as air may have enough oxygen, but it doesn't have anything to burn its properties, which makes it harder for him how such visualization can form such altered effects.

Well, since Arion was reincarnated, he believes he holds a tremendous amount of magic. After all, he was chosen by the Grim Reaper of the Underworld, Azrael, and of course the other three personalities as well.

"Now please hold this magic crystal." Sarra gave the ball of crystal she created with her bare hands. A crystal is made out of atoms of the same element maintaining the previous atomic property, yet again, he can't understand it because it isn't called magic in the first place just for show.

"Okay, like this?" Arion held the magic crystal just as Sarra instructed her to do. The Mechanical Exoskeleton around her arms retracted, making his skin touch the thing. It suddenly worked automatically that he's amazed himself.

The crystal ball has a really soothing texture of comfort accompanied by a subtle coldness. The three of them, Arion, Lilith, and Sarra were looking keenly at the magical items above his hands.

"Hm... what should I do?" Arion got an awkward feeling.

"What do you mean? Just pour the strongest magic you have in that thing. That way we can numerically record your magic power and give you the rank you deserved." Sarra explained to him just to be clear.

In such an instance of time, Arion began sweating when he just recognized the most important thing he should know, and he realized how the hell can he even control magic in the first place let alone produce it on his hands.

It was really hard for him but in spite of lacking knowledge, he focused a considerable amount of his cognizance through imagining the flow of magic and sending it towards the magic ball of crystal.

Arion did anything he can and tried anything possible. He juggled the magic crystal, tasted the thing, licking its surface, looking at its bonding, and he still can't figure out how does it even work.

"Hm... nothing is pouring, I guess?" Arion crooked a smile without lowering his pride.

"Wait." Sarra grabbed the crystal ball and it glows a dim light while showing numerical values. He didn't see it clearly because she just clarified there's nothing wrong upon touching it.

It's the time Arion got excited upon seeing Sarra getting one out of the two things inside the aptitude test room, which is a mirror a box made out of iron. She seized the mirror and told him to look at his face against it.

"Okay. This is an old-type tester for children, just look at your eyes carefully." Sarra told which made him uncomfortable using such a thing.

"I will do it." Arion's confidence surely has no bounds.

The mirror was a standard object having a wooden frame varnished in a combination hue of brown and chestnut. His blue eyes were being reflected upon it. He's keenly and meticulously gazing at his own eyes, noticing his drifting sweats near his sideburns caused by extreme anxiety.

It was the moment Sarra widened her eyes in fright upon seeing the results at the back of the mirror's frame.

"This is..." Her grimace was conspicuous.

"Hey, are you sure these devices even work? What is my result?" Arion was eager to know.

The silence became the king when the only thing they could hear was the pecking of a bird near the window, along with the result Sarra read from the mirror magic mirror.

"Your result is... zero. It was utterly zero." She said in silence.

"Say what?" Arion's blank face was priceless for those who have seen it, along the thundering realization hit his head much harder than a dump truck could achieve.