Arcane Innovator

The cave's damp air, mixed with the faint scent of rot, irritated my nostrils as I looked ahead. 'Hmm, what to do? What to do...' I wondered, carefully weighing out our options.

A short distance ahead, three dark corridors loomed. Each was exactly the same, with no discerning features that could help me figure out the correct path.

Looking back, I saw in the flickering torchlight that others were still trying to collect their bearings, so I took advantage of this to covertly check out each tunnel with my magic sense.

To my relief, I couldn't detect any signs of essence from either of them, which meant we faced no immediate danger.

Yet, on the other hand, that also meant I couldn't tell which one would take us to our destination. 'Wait... what is even our destination?'

This time, the overseer didn't provide us with any details beyond the fact that we would compete against the other teams. There weren't even any convenient stone tablets that would give us some clue on where to go.

Faced with so many unknowns, I was uncertain how to proceed. Luckily, this time around, I wasn't here alone, so I decided to outsource finding the solution to the group. After all, more heads are better than one.

"Any thoughts?" I asked, turning expectantly to the rest of the group.

"..."

At first, there was nothing but blank stares, but just as I started to question my choice of party members, Edwin cleared his throat and said.

"Since there are no markings to differentiate between the paths, I believe it's safe to choose either. Each of them will most likely offer a different challenge in the end."

'Hmm, that's what I'm thinking too,' I nodded in agreement. Still, that didn't really answer my question.

I really hated the idea of leaving things to a game of chance. If only we had time to check each of them in turn... 'Wait!'

My eyes widened as I suddenly realized that the overseer had not mentioned a time limit this time, so the Trial would most likely go on until one of the teams won—whatever we were supposed to win.

And judging by everyone's past performance, I gathered that we probably had more than enough time to do things slowly and carefully.

"Alright, I think we should check out each path in turn," I said, pointing straight ahead. "And I think we should start with the middle one first as it looks like it would take us toward the center of this place. Any objections?"

The others briefly locked eyes but then simply shrugged their shoulders as if saying it was as good a choice as any.

Normally, I wouldn't be this indecisive, but I didn't want the others to feel excluded from the decision process and then later blame me if something went wrong. This way, everyone would have a chance to speak up. Not to mention, it was probably better for morale, too.

"Good, then we move!" I said, to which Edwin nodded in agreement, but Aida looked uncertain. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know, something about this doesn't feel right," she said after a moment. "I've always had a good eye, even on a moonless night, but in there... I can't see anything."

I furrowed my brows as I turned around, peering into one of the tunnels at the pitch-black darkness inside, and couldn't help but think, 'She's right.'

Previously, I didn't pay it much attention, lulled by the fact that my magic sense didn't pick up anything, and I thought that the lack of light would be a quick fix with a little bit of fire magic.

However, when I focused on the rolling darkness inside, I quickly realized it was perhaps a bit too dark. It was almost as if, after a certain point, the light became trapped and couldn't escape.

"We'll proceed with caution, then," I replied, turning toward the ominous entrance. But before I could proceed, I paused, overhearing the unmistakable sound of a cough.

"Hmm?" I turned around only to find the boy, Gil, giving me an apologetic smile while scratching the back of his head.

"Ehm, I know it's not prudent to ask, but before we go in there, I think we should know everyone's abilities. So that, you know, we won't obstruct each other."

'Oh right!' I forgot about that. 'Well... not really.'

I didn't think it was that important since the only one I cared about was Edwin. The rest were just there to make up numbers—for now, that is. I first wanted to observe them for a bit before handing them any responsibilities.

Still, Gil had a point. If we were to work as a party, we had to know what everyone was capable of.

Yet I could see everyone's obvious hesitance to Gil's statement—which was no wonder, as right now, we were in a bit of a conundrum.

On the one hand, we had to work together to see this challenge through. But on the other hand, we also saw each other as competitors in our quest to become the Tower's apprentices.

So, it was not too surprising that everyone was a bit hesitant to share any sensitive info with would-be rivals.

That was why I decided to take the initiative and go first. 'Not that I would tell them much to begin with...'

"A good idea, Gil; I think that as a captain, it's only fair for me to go first... I can sufficiently command the element of Air and a little bit of Fire."

I've already shown an Air spell during the previous Trial, so I reasoned it was safe to disclose it. Also, Air and Fire were somewhat synergetic, so it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for me to be able to command both.

But that also meant I couldn't cast any Water or Earth spells from now on. Luckily, I carried a small water skin for emergencies, so I wouldn't be lacking water any time soon.

After my statement, I couldn't miss the admiring gazes from the three commoners in our group. It made me recall how my parents reacted when I first told them I could command essence, and I reminded myself that magic was still considered a rare and precious thing for most of this world's population.

Gil was the next to break the awkward silence. Which was to be expected since it was his idea, to begin with. "I can handle myself in a fight," he said, flashing a quick grin. "But ehh, I haven't had the opportunity to learn any magic just yet."

Well, that was not too surprising, given he was my last pick. So I turned my hopeful eyes toward the rest of the party.

"I can use a few basic Water spells." Edwin said thoughtfully, "But I'm afraid that my lessons so far were mostly theoretical in nature."

'A water mage! Just what I needed...' All that we were now missing was someone who could use Earth, and we would have all the basic elements covered.

The other girl, Inge, was next to step forward, and I had just realized that it was the first time she had spoken since the selection.

"I grew up on a farm," she said simply. "And I was the strongest and fastest of all my siblings." Her eyes flickered with determination, and I could tell she was ready to prove herself. Sadly, that also meant she, too, had no magic.

Aida was the last one to speak. "My father is an adventurer, and he took me on a few hunts before, so I know my way around the forest and how to track prey."

So, in the end, Edwin and I were the only ones who could cast spells. Which only served as a reminder of how big of an advantage the nobles held over the commoners. Still, I didn't regret my choice of companions.

With everyone's abilities now clear, it was time to form a plan. "Alright, let's stick together for now. Aida, you'll take the lead. Watch for traps or signs of the other teams. Edwin and I will stay in the middle, ready to cast spells if needed. Gil and Inge... you watch our rear for now."

The others nodded in agreement, and we set off down the middle corridor. The cave walls seemed to close in around us as we moved deeper into the darkness, the silence broken only by the sound of our footsteps.

I quickly spoke the words of an incantation, and after a moment, a small flame came to life at the top of my outstretched palm.

"Man, I still can't believe I struck it so lucky..." Gil said after a while.

"What do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, when I saw everyone getting' picked up, I started to get a lil' worried I would be left for scraps, but then I got an invite into the top team!"

"Don't sell yourself so cheaply; you wouldn't be here if you weren't talented," Inge said, pointing around.

"That's true, but don't rest on your laurels just yet; we still haven't won," I added, trying to curb his unbound optimism a little.

However, the next moment, I froze as Aida raised a hand, signaling us to stop. "Hold up," she whispered. "I hear something."