Bam!
A door was slammed open by none other than the evolution master who was supervising the second test.
"W-what? What happened? Who is so rude that he dares to slam open my door?" A middle-aged man shouted. His tone was filled with annoyance and anger.
"President!" The evolution master actually shouted even louder.
Yes, the middle-aged man was indeed the current president of the Evolution Association in this city.
"Are you insane?" The middle-aged man gnashed his teeth while glaring at this evolution master. "So, it's you, Fredrick. Aren't you supposed to be supervising the second test today?"
"It's done."
"If you are done, why the hell are you being so rude right now?"
"I found a talented young man… a very talented one at that."
"Should I care? You need talent to become an evolution master. So, just do it according to the usual arrangement."
"What if I told you that this talent got a perfect score and turned in that paper in less than one hour on the first test?"
"Isn't it supposed to be normal? That's what all evolution masters should strive to get."
"That person actually evaluated the participants in the second test with a decimal score, which forced me to give him not only a perfect score but also a bonus point."
"W-What?" The president was finally stunned. It was true that one needed talent to become an evolution master.
However, if they had to pick what kind of talent was needed the most, it would be the sensitivity to magical energy.
"Is there someone like that? Is it a high-grade evolution master who is hiding his identity?" The president couldn't help but become suspicious.
"That was what I wanted to believe as well, but after checking the personal information, it turned out he was just 17 years old."
"17?" The president froze as if his mind was exploding. "Doesn't being 17 years old mean he has just undergone his awakening ceremony? Why would that kind of person come here? There's only a two-day gap between the awakening ceremony and the test?"
"Yes. My neighbor's son just awakened this Friday."
"…" The president fell silent. "The third test?"
"Has just begun."
The president's voice rose again. "You idiot. Why didn't you tell me right away? I almost missed someone like him. I have to see whether he can pass or not!"
"…" Fredrick was speechless. He felt like shouting back, but he couldn't anymore, not because he didn't dare to scream at his superior, but because that superior had already rushed out of the room.
…
The third test was held not far from the second site, considering they were using the same fifty people from the second test.
However, the number of participants had decreased significantly. It started with 200 participants, but the first test cut down half of that number, while the second test reduced the number again to 30.
Instead of one, there were eight evolution masters this time, each having a different element.
The person stepping forward was a man in his late twenties. He had a straight back and a neat appearance, showing his upright personality.
"I am Orlon, a light element evolution master. In front of you are fellow evolution masters, each representing their respective elements, who will be supervising this test alongside me. I'd like to congratulate everyone who has reached this far."
Orlon clapped his hands. "The third test is simple. Pick someone and help him or her evolve, starting from the normal attribute. If you can do it, you will become a 1-Star Bronze Evolution Master. You can continue with an elemental variant to get your second star or the extreme variant to get your third star."
The staff then came to the room and brought more detailed profiles of the fifty people.
"This is the information you need to help them evolve. And now, without further ado, you may choose the person."
Hans glared at Auric while thinking, 'Even if you are good at theory, there's no way you are good at practical. Looking at your age, it looks like you are barely old enough to take this exam. It will be useless if you know a lot but can't help anyone to evolve.'
Hans raised his hand. "Sir. I'd like to help Mr. Krov with his evolution."
A man in his early twenties stepped forward. The man had a bulky figure and a stern face.
At the same time, the water evolution master stepped forward. "So, you are Gray's son. I guess I can look forward to your performance today?"
"Yes, sir." Hans politely bowed to him.
"Hello, Mr. Krov. This is my colleague's son. From what I've seen, he's quite capable so I believe he can help you. Please relax. I'll be on standby in case anything goes wrong."
Krov nodded with a relieved expression. "I see. Thank you very much."
Hans nodded proudly as if he were above Krov.
"Follow me then." The evolution master waved his hand up, signaling them to follow him to the evolution chamber.
It was a similar chamber to the one in Auric's shop. All of them could see what was going on inside from the camera.
Krov sat down on the bed and released his avatar, showing a small figure that was engulfed in flames.
"A flame spirit," Hans muttered while moving in front of him. "Your current condition is not severe. As long as I can get rid of the excess heat, you will be fine. Get ready to evolve."
"Yes, sir!" Krov answered in a solemn tone.
Krov started to close his eyes and moved his power to his chest.
Flame flared up, engulfing the fire spirit behind him. The power of the flame increased drastically as the person's face turned red.
The energy was getting concentrated on the heart, creating a much condensed anchor.
However, this condensed anchor was a little too powerful, causing his body to be unable to withstand it. The face that gradually reddened showed the sign of elemental eruption.
If the evolution continued uncontrolled, he might end up burning the water in his own body and crippling himself.
That was when Hans began channeling his element.
Since his element was water, the moment it flowed into his body and made contact with the fire element, the heat gradually subsided.
The red face returned to normal, and the flaring energy calmed down.
The fire around the spirit mellowed down and ultimately shed the spirit's skin. The spirit then metamorphosed.
A pair of wings emerged from its back, and the spirit's size doubled. The fire energy from the spirit intensified, but thanks to the earlier assistance, it gradually calmed down and became manageable.
Krov gradually opened his eyes while exhaling deeply. "Huu… this is…"
"Congratulations. Your avatar has become a great spirit."
"Oh!" Krov's eyes lit up as he immediately bowed to Hans. "Thank you very much, sir."
"It's nothing to me." Hans waved his hand with a smug smile.
When he exited the room, his gaze immediately shifted to Auric, looking at him with contempt. "This is how a professional does it."
The water evolution master glanced at the file and sneered, "I see. No wonder he's looking at you that way. This young man... This is a test to become an evolution master. Do you think this test is a joke to you? You are only 17 years old. Do you think you have what it takes to help someone evolve?"
Auric blinked a few times as if he couldn't believe his ears. Why would the water evolution master side with Hans? He hadn't even done anything to him.
People couldn't help but be surprised when they heard about Auric's age.
"Is there a reason why someone like me can't take the test?" Auric asked with an innocent face.
"Listen here, you little…" The evolution master pointed at him, his face turning slightly red. "You have just undergone your awakening ceremony this Friday. And do you think you have enough ability to pass the test two days after the ceremony? This is not for you to play around with. You think you can just do the written test and waste everyone's time here?"
'Well, he did make some sense, but it was a bit too much, don't you think?' Auric muttered inwardly.
When he was about to say something back, a deep voice echoed from behind. "Let him do it."
All of them couldn't help but turn around, wondering who dared to interject the evolution master, only to be surprised by the identity of that person.
"P-President?!" All of them couldn't help but gasp.
While the people stared at him, Auric was actually looking at the evolution master who was walking behind him. It was the one from the second site. He realized that this person might be the reason for the president's arrival.
Considering he did something special, he reported the bonus point to him, which piqued his interest.
"Is this your plan as well, Auric?" Lindwurm couldn't help but ask. "By standing out like that, you will pique his interest and let him handle that annoying prick?"
'No, but I guess this is convenient for me.'
"President…" The water evolution master wanted to protest.
"That's enough. Anyone who passes the test is eligible to try. There is no need to make a scene here." The president waved his hand, treating it as if it were no big deal. "Young man. Choose the person you are going to help."
On the one hand, if Auric lacked the ability, the president's action would speed up the process of Auric screwing up. On the other hand, Auric would have no problem if he had the ability to do it.
"Yes. Thank you very much. I'll make my choice now." Auric nodded politely. He skimmed the catalog and found one person. "I will choose Miss Silvia."
"Please come with me." The plant element master called him. Since the president himself had authorized it, there was no need to say anything else.
All three of them entered the evolution chamber.
"Hello, Miss Silvia. I am Auric." Auric offered her his brightest smile.
"A-Ah?!" Silvia was stunned for a second. For a woman who was about to reach twenty, she was at the age where she admired idols or celebrities.
With someone who could be on par with or even greater than a celebrity talking in front of her, her brain froze momentarily.
"Y-Yes. Please take care of me." There was a slight redness on her cheeks.
"You brat. You are trying to help her evolve, not to seduce her!" Lindwurm sighed.
'What are you talking about? I am trying to calm her by utilizing my mother's superior genes.' Auric scoffed inwardly.
The sad part for Lindwurm was that he couldn't refute that statement.
After studying evolution-related topics, Auric got a pretty good grasp of her condition.
Unfortunately, he wasn't as accurate as Lindwurm yet, as he hadn't gained enough experience to reach the same conclusion.
But Auric could tell what was going on by observing the energy emanating from her body.
If he had to put it into writing, Silvia's fire element would be 94-96%. From what he could see, there was an area that had a hard time producing energy.
In the book, it was mentioned that the condition was usually caused by an internal injury. This wound turned out to be similar to bad blood accumulated in one place.
As long as he cleared up that part, she would be able to evolve without any problem.
"Hmph. Other than his face, he basically has nothing. He's just playing around, thinking that he could do anything with a face like that." Hans snorted while rolling his eyes.
When the water evolution master heard that remark as he was standing next to him, he finally realized what was going on.
The original problem was not his age. It was his face.
'You seriously picked on this guy because of his face? Well, if I had that kind of face, I would probably look around for a sugar mommy,' thought the evolution master.
Hans didn't know what the others were thinking. He thought only of the excitement he would feel when Auric failed.
He pulled out his phone while muttering, "I'm going to record everything, so you can see your embarrassed face when you fail."