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"The Test has begun. Be seated, all. The observation of heirs of ducal or higher status will now commence. Those of lower standing will be escorted to individual testing circuits following the observation," a Royal Mage announced.

Since the Royal Mages had the highest status in the magic system, it was only natural they would administer the Test. People stared at the Royal Mage in awe as the slightly glowing air enveloped his levitating body. His robe, crafted from fine silk and branded with the crest of the Royal Mages, billowed around him, garnering praise from the audience below. His element was air; and only highly skilled mages were able to control the wind to such precision to fly with such stability for such a long period of time.

The crown prince and the second prince sat on the large platform above the seated audience, behind them in sequence were heirs of status down to the ducal rank. Only five heirs sat behind the princes. Rewan watched in anticipation, just one row behind the royals. His eyes glistened with mischief and anxiety as he thought over his plan. The ticking time limit hovered over him grimly as a blindingly bright blue screen.

The Royal Mage descended from flight and settled next to the elemental stone. He reached toward it. As his hand approached the majestic, seemingly clear marble that stretched up to the ceiling, it began glowing a glistening azure, shining with a light so intoxicating people couldn't help but gasp in awe.

"That Royal Mage must have immense capacities for mana," one whispered. The crowd rippled with hushed, impressed dialogue as the Royal Mage withdrew his hand, the stone reverting back to its clear property.

There were two aspects of the Test that determined one's magic affinity: the richness of the stone's color and the brightness of which it glowed. The Royal Mage's color was a bit pale, signaling a normal affinity—whether innate or cultivated over time—to his element of air, but the bright quality of the stone showed his large mana pool and open mana circulation. He must have had a high capacity for mana dispersion or output spells.

"The crown prince of Voraphite: Cesar Voraphite." The Royal Mage announced, shushing the crowd. The crown prince stood from his long stone throne, moving gracefully to the elemental stone.

Although the elemental stone was almost seven meters tall, imposing and intimidating to most, the crown prince's presence seemed to overtake its formidable quality, showing his past as a prince cultivated to be the next King.

The floor's careful engravings, which remained unresponsive when the Royal Mage had used the stone, illuminated with light as soon as he approached, the brightness snaking down the engravings like the flow of lava, leaving the crowd gasping in awe. The flashy display contrasted to the crown prince's regal and frigidly indifferent expression, making people feel as if he truly was a pure, ethereal being, descended from heaven.

"Place your hand on the elemental stone," the Royal Mage stated.

The masses buzzing with excitement immediately quieted, still as a mouse. Tension filled the air.

The crown prince's shapely, long hand lifted. His fingers landed on the stone like the dancing descent of white angel feathers.

The stone shone a crimson red, as red as blood, and lit up almost as much as the Royal Mage's.

"High affinity with fire elements. Relatively high mana capacity and circulation." The Mage announced.

The readings given by the mage were vague—after all, to accurately gauge magic talent took more precise instruments. The exact ranking of affinity and capacity were given around two weeks after the Test.

The crowd rippled with hushed, galvanized murmurs.

"The second prince of Voraphite: Llewyn Voraphite," the mage announced. Rewan's eyes lit with determination as the second prince rose.

He spun his head around to face the black haired beauty next to him. He felt a sense of achievement from finding this girl—he knew she must be the heroine. When they left the royal chambers, that girl, despite being raised as a heir to a dukedom—pressed to maintain a composed noble demeanor—was the epicenter of attention as she cried loudly in the middle of the cave. Her two maids failed to pacify her as she wailed louder and louder.

A unique personality—fulfilled.

Beautiful and someone with high status—fulfilled.

The second prince continued to approach the elemental stone. Rewan discreetly lifted his palms and released a thick and powerful stream of mana from both his palms.

The mana shot in two different directions, as nimble as a snake, gripping the heroine and the second prince.

There was only a brief pause as both of them felt an invisible force on their back before they were sent flying.

The audience gasped as they saw the beautiful girl's body fly upwards like it was released by a catapult, concisely landing right on the second prince's Rewan-induced frozen state.

The two crashed together, falling to the floor in a heap.

Rewan's expression bounced merrily with amusement and anticipation as his hands tightened, releasing another burst of mana. Their heads smashed together, their lips crashing against each other in a passionate encounter.

Rewan immediately turns his attention back to the sizzling screen in front of him.

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Rewan gulped. Did he make a mistake? No. He was sure.

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<Mission 2—create the heroine's first encounter with the second male lead.>

<Attempt 1—success.>

----

The crowd was in an uproar.

The silver-haired second prince, feeling the oppressive force that had held him in place finally lifted, staggered backward, gasping for breath. His lips tingled with the remnants of an uninvited kiss—a kiss stolen by a stranger.

And that stranger, still crumpled on the floor, was now sobbing uncontrollably.

Loud, guttural sobs.

She wailed, curling into an upright fetal position, her arms shaking as they hugged her knees. She didn't care that she was the duke's daughter, a fifteen-year-old who should be composed and dignified, a proper representative of her House. Nor did she care that her maids were frantic in the seats below, unable to rush to her aid. The crowd's eyes bore into her, witnessing this disgrace as she wept on the platform, her elegant dress a stark contrast to her unrefined display of sorrow.

She had stolen the second prince's "innocence," and now, before everyone, she sobbed without shame.

Rewan watched, intrigued. He couldn't help but bark out a laugh.

Rewan's gaze flickered with amusement, a grin tugging at his lips. She truly is... unique, he thought, unbothered by the girl's spectacle, unlike the rest of the judgmental crowd. To him, it was merely confirmation that he had executed his match-making scheme perfectly. These seemingly mismatched souls—one reckless prince and one unpredictable girl—would inevitably collide.

This stupid system's incompetence was laughable compared to his genius. He felt his pride swell.

He nodded inwardly, listening to the wails growing louder and louder like they were the flowing sounds of classical music, while the Royal Mage stood paralyzed by the bizarre scene.

The second prince composed himself as if nothing had happened, his icy gaze lingering momentarily on the Perain House's heir. "Continue," he commanded, meticulously brushing off the areas where the crying girl had touched him.

The Mage forced his eyes away, still reeling from the scandal, and gulped. "Y-yes, your highness."

He coughed, composing himself, and continued. "The second prince of Voraphite: Llewyn Voraphite."

As the prince approached the elemental stone, the guards, no longer hesitant after witnessing the prince's clear disdain, grabbed the sobbing girl by her arms and dragged her away. Her pitiful cries echoed, still undeterred.

As the prince approached the elemental stone, the guards, no longer hesitant after witnessing the prince's clear disdain, grabbed the sobbing girl by her arms and dragged her away. Her pitiful cries echoed, still undeterred.

Rewan's attention was drawn back to the prince. Ever since their first meeting, there was something intriguing about him—his movements, his aura. It was hard to pin down why, but Rewan had a sneaking suspicion that the answer would reveal itself soon enough.

Unlike the crown prince's poised and measured demeanor, Llewyn moved with a hint of wildness, a controlled recklessness that marked him as different. He carried an unearthly charm, as if he were untethered from the world, moving with a regal, effortless air that felt... beyond mortal.

When Llewyn's fingers brushed the elemental stone, the room erupted in light—a brilliant blue that pulsated like a miniature sun. The onlookers gasped in awe as the stone pulsed with raw energy, its light casting a halo around the silver-haired prince, making him seem divine.

Rewan's heart raced. Now, he understood the fascination. This power, this elemental force, was unbeatable. The second prince had a magic talent comparable to no other.

As the blue light bathed him, Rewan's lips curled into a grin of pure joy. How interesting.

----

The sobbing girl clumsily crawled back onto the stage, drawing the crowd's attention again as the glowing second prince stepped away from the elemental stone. Her once dignified appearance was a mess—swollen eyes, slumped posture—like someone who had lost everything.

"He's going to have to take responsibility for me... ah, my first kiss... I can't... no, no..." she muttered under her breath, collapsing into the seat next to Rewan.

But Rewan barely glanced at her. In their world, there was a saying: The bold fox, unblinking in his mischief, steals the feast while the timid watch the scraps vanish. His eyes remained calm, content. To him, the girl was merely a side character in the grander spectacle.

Meanwhile, the Royal Mage, cheeks flushed with excitement, trembled as he announced the results. The second prince had been revealed as a prodigy—a once-in-a-century talent who would shake the foundations of the mage circles. As Llewyn returned to his seat, the Mage's excitement faded, and he glanced over with dull eyes to introduce the next participant.

"Rewan Alsar, heir to the House of Alsar. Step forward and face the Test."

The crowd, still buzzing about the prince, briefly shifted their focus before returning to their murmurs of awe. But Rewan didn't care about their disinterest. He leapt to his feet, his movements so light they almost seemed to defy gravity. Mana crackled around him in gentle waves, a visible testament to his abundant energy. He practically bounced toward the elemental stone, his carefree gait drawing a perplexed frown from the Mage.

An air elemental? the Mage wondered. His mana must be immense to manipulate the atmosphere unconsciously, just by his mood.

Standing before the stone, Rewan felt a flicker of unease. The system had warned him—if he failed Mission 2, he'd lose one of his elements. But that didn't make sense. In this world, no one has more than one element. How could he lose something that was supposedly impossible to have in the first place?

Back in his own world, magic worked differently. They called it "wavebending," something entirely distinct. Was that what the system considered an element here? If he failed, would he lose his wavebending instead?

His curiosity flared as his fingers hovered over the elemental stone. Could I really have more than one element? The thought stirred in his mind, pulling him deeper into his musings.

Finally, his hand made contact with the stone.

In an instant, the cave erupted in a blinding white light. The brilliance swallowed the room whole, causing the crowd to scream—some in awe, others in confusion—struggling to comprehend the overwhelming sight.

But Rewan saw everything clearly. His wavebending protected him, allowing him to watch the elemental stone flicker in and out of visibility. At first, he felt a wave of disappointment—it was only showing his wavebending, a magic foreign to this world.

Then the stone began to change.

First, a violent red bled through the stone, deep and unsettling, like blood boiling just beneath the surface. It simmered with intensity, crackling with latent power. But then, slowly, the red ebbed away, replaced by a rich brown, steady and calm, as solid as the earth beneath him. The transformation was slow, deliberate, as if the stone itself were weighing its decision.

Fire. Earth.

Rewan's eyes widened in disbelief. Two elements.

A grin spread across his face, wider than before.

Fire and Earth.

Dead silence fell over the space. Not a single soul dared disturb the stillness as the two colors—red and brown—shifted and danced across the stone like northern lights. No one in the history of this world had ever possessed more than one element.

They had just witnessed the impossible.

Rewan Alsar stood before them, the Mage who defied their reality.