A true A-Rank Mage-Knight, and moreover, one of the elite among them.
Causality Interference—manipulating time itself!
This was the first time Noah had ever seen someone with such an outrageous Ability in person.
Even within Orario, only the gods were said to be capable of interfering with the flow of time.
Come to think of it, to some extent, his own magic also possessed the ability to interfere with time.
In fact, its scope of interference was even broader, reaching across universes—though he couldn't freely utilize it in combat.
"Well, that is all in the past. As the newly appointed Chairwoman of Hagun Academy, if you pass today's exam, I will be looking forward to working with you." Kurono Shinguuji's tone was casual, giving off a remarkably carefree and unrestrained vibe.
However, her underlying personality felt oddly familiar to Noah.
The Chairwoman herself crossing the sea to personally oversee a standard entrance exam? Impossible.
It must be because of Stella's presence.
Not just because of her political status as a princess, but more importantly, Stella was a certified A-Rank Mage-Knight.
According to Noah's prior research, Hagun Academy had never enrolled an A-Rank freshman since its founding.
The only person who had advanced to A-Rank during their studies was Kurono Shinguuji herself during her student days.
Coupled with Hagun Academy's highly disappointing performance in the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival in recent years, they desperately needed a powerful force to reverse their decline.
Stella, hailed globally as the most promising "genius knight," would bring immense prestige and direct advantages to Hagun Academy if she enrolled.
In other words, all of Kurono's expectations for this overseas trip were likely focused solely on Stella.
It might sound harsh, but with just a glance at their stances, Noah knew the other three local candidates had no chance of passing.
Taking the exam would just be a formality.
Judging by the digital roster, he was last and Stella was third.
That meant he had nothing to do until the others finished their tests.
"The World Clock herself is supervising us!"
"I am so nervous…"
"Can I really do this?"
Compared to Noah's calm demeanor and Stella's fiery confidence, the other three candidates were a mess of anxiety.
Even before the exam began, they were sweating profusely, and their muscles were visibly tense.
Noah shook his head and simply retreated to the spectator seats.
Kurono Shinguuji glanced at him but said nothing.
"Very well, let's begin the first test!" Kurono announced, turning to the royal staff in the venue.
The head staff member nodded.
He operated the tablet in his hand, and the next moment, the heavy stone ground of the venue began to deform and mechanically sink.
Everyone was surprised to discover that so many massive, cutting-edge testing devices were hidden seamlessly underground.
Only Noah muttered softly from the bleachers, "That is exactly why I told them not to skimp on the budget. The mechanical startup speed is a full 3.66 seconds slower than my original blueprints."
The staff member proudly explained, "These testing devices were independently developed and manufactured right here in our country, perfectly matching the official League standards. The detailed parameters are here for your review."
Hearing this, Kurono Shinguuji looked somewhat incredulous.
'You have got to be kidding me.'
"Independently developed?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
'The Vermillion Empire actually had such advanced engineering capabilities?'
It was well-known global politics that all cutting-edge technology related to Blazers was strictly monopolized by the League.
Every nation relied heavily on League technology, even the military superpowers of the Great Nation Alliance.
Yet now, a small, struggling country had achieved independent, top-tier development?
Despite her shock, Kurono strictly followed the procedures to inspect the equipment readings.
"Ah its fine. Please lock in the adjustments, we can officially begin the exam."
'Business came first.'
Kurono refocused her attention and began overseeing the physical tests.
"First examinee, step forward."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The first to take the exam was an E-Rank Blazer.
His manifested Device was a curved scimitar.
His Ability was Critical Strike, a power that could double the physical force of his sword swings. In terms of combat mechanics, its effect was simple and straightforward—the higher the user's base stats, the greater the final damage multiplier.
Unfortunately, his magic power, attack power and defense power were all severely capped at E-Rank.
After he poured all his strength into a single desperate strike, the heavy dummy target remained entirely unmoved, feeding the pathetic attack power value back to the main terminal.
Kurono glanced at the digital results and shook her head as expected.
Next came the defense power and magical control tests, which proceeded one after another with similar results.
Final evaluation: E-
"Unfortunate," Kurono muttered.
She decisively marked the examinee with a red cross on her tablet, indicating an immediate elimination.
Hagun Academy had several unique features among the Seven Mage-Knight Academies, such as fully exempting tuition and accommodation fees, and even offering generous stipends based on academic performance.
It could be said there were almost no financial barriers to entry.
As a top-tier institution, however, it maintained a ruthless screening mechanism.
E+
That was the strict cutoff line.
Even among Blazers of the exact same rank, there could be a world of difference in application.
Similar to the hidden stat distinctions in an Orario adventurer's Falna, Blazers were also classified within different sub-tiers.
The simple classification method was upper-tier, mid-tier, and lower-tier.
Hagun Academy's minimum admission standard was E+, meaning a candidate needed at least an upper-tier E-Rank proficiency to even be considered. Beyond that, the tactical quality of the Ability itself was also judged.
If the Ability was too weak or impractical, even with E+ stats, the candidate would not be admitted.
The second candidate was an unremarkable girl.
She was a lightning mage with exceptionally poor mana control. She could only maintain weak flickering discharges, her attack power was low and her defense was practically nonexistent.
According to her medical records, she had awakened during middle school but, due to personal fear, had never been able to properly practice her Ability.
This situation was quite common.
Even Stella had been deemed unfit to become a knight as a child.
Due to her overwhelming monstrous power, her flames would indiscriminately backlash against her, nearly killing her in self-immolation multiple times.
Yet she persevered through sheer effort.
This girl clearly lacked such knightly resolve.
Fortunately, her Ability itself was relatively weak and focusing on a normal career outside of combat would be a much safer path for her.
"Next. Stella Vermillion."
"Yes!"
Seeing the main course finally step up to the plate, Kurono Shinguuji's lips curved into a sharp excited smile.
"Then, let me witness for myself the prowess of the Crimson Princess, hailed as the strongest genius of this generation…"
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