My Muscle System in the Mage World

Jack emerged from the crowd with a snicker on his face. He cast a sidelong glance at Henry with a sneer as he made his way to the stage, his posture casual, without even bothering to bow.

The silver-armoured man frowned at Jack's disrespectful demeanour, but he refrained from speaking out, recognizing the authority wielded by the son of the first elder.

"However, if he uses the immunity as well, then don't blame me for disrespecting you, elders. Kid, I might not even have to take action; the other elder might do it."

However, much to the silver-armoured man's disappointment, the first elder intervened.

"I will choose Jack; he will be in my second faction," he announced with a nonchalant expression before returning to his stoic demeanour.

Observing the first elder's unresponsive figure, the silver-armoured man couldn't help but feel even more disappointed.

He proceeded to call out to the other participants, while Jack walked smugly behind the first elder, casting another sneer at Henry.

Henry gritted his teeth in anger, realising that being excluded from his father's faction was tantamount to being disowned by the third elder. This meant that all the privileges and resources Henry had enjoyed while exploiting the weak would now be stripped away from him.

"Damn it, is this karma?" he thought bitterly.

Henry had used his status to manipulate and score more points, leveraging the vulnerability of others for his own gain. That was how he managed to outperform even Jack, who was undoubtedly stronger than him. But now...

With the selection process underway, some students were chosen by the elders, while others were left behind. Nearly eighty percent of this batch weren't selected. Those who made the cut were brimming with energy and excitement, while those who didn't could only despair.

For them, the path of becoming a Wizard had come to an abrupt end.

Meanwhile, those selected by the elders now had promising futures ahead, equipped with precious resources that ordinary Wizards could only dream of obtaining.

Although the ones who weren't chosen could try again next year, their chances of success would only diminish with time.

It was already nighttime, and the biting cold permeated the air with an icy grip.

A student hesitantly rose from her seat, intimidated by the authoritative presence of the elders and the leader. Her eyes avoided contact, and her entire body trembled uncontrollably.

The elders remained silent, their imposing figures casting a heavy weight upon her.

Observing the student's hesitation, the silver-armoured man nodded curtly before delivering his verdict in a cold, unforgiving tone. "You are not selected," he declared.

The man's words struck the student with indignation. Desperation flickered in her eyes as she pleaded, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Please, take me in. I will prove myself in the future," she implored, her hands slightly loosening her dress, revealing her perky curves. Tears welled in her eyes, rendering her appearance pitiful, like a frightened bunny seeking refuge.

However, the leader of the guard's expression turned frosty at her display. "Leave or die," he uttered in an icy tone laced with a hint of killing intent.

The woman's body trembled uncontrollably as her legs gave out, causing her to collapse to the floor in a state of terror.

However, no one felt pity for the woman; instead, some of them snickered with amusement in their eyes, as if they were watching a great show.

In order for individuals to survive the competition and be selected by the elders, there were no naive souls chosen. Naivety often leads to death!

Noah and the elders surveyed the countless students' expressions, all of whom watched with unchanged expressions or with mockery and amusement, which elicited nods of approval from the elders. Even William showed little change in his expression.

This competition also served as a test of mental fortitude, and considering the outcome, the sacrifices of the weaker individuals seemed justified to them.

"Didn't you hear me?" the man voiced again.

"I… I can't move," the girl said, trembling in fear.

"Guard, move her," the captain of the inner guard of the academy commanded. Instantly, two silver-armoured knights approached and seized her by the hair before pulling her to the ground and escorting her away.

The girl cried out in a bone-chilling tone, but everyone seemed to turn a deaf ear to it.

After she left, the man nodded and turned to Noah with a respectful bow.

Noah returned the gesture with a nod of his head as he stood up with a smile.

"Remember that you all will face hardships in the future if you want to progress as wizards. However, remember even more that the village will always be with you and support you in times of need," Noah announced with a warm smile.

"Yes, leader," the students replied in unison, bowing respectfully.

"Good. Then let's disperse. The respective faction leaders will provide you with all the necessary details," Noah said, casually raising his hand.

Soon, everyone dispersed. Those who were selected by the factions followed their respective elders, while those who weren't could only leave with their heads down, filled with despair.

As for what happened to the woman after they left, no one knew, and nobody dared to ask.

…

"Brother Aur, what are you thinking about?"

Aur was slightly disturbed as he looked at the silver-haired girl who was inches away from his face, her bright facial features shining in his crimson eyes.

"Nothing," Aur shook his head as he glanced around at about thirty people who had been recruited by the second elder, including himself.

Most of the people here were from the same class as him, class "1-A". Saying "most" would be an understatement; all the students were, in fact, from his own class.

After all, choosing people below a middle-grade talent was a gamble and almost non-existent, so basically almost anyone below middle-grade talent had little to no chance of being selected.

"Hey, Aur, are you even listening?" the silver-haired girl said with a frown on her face.

Aur's expression turned impassive as he mechanically turned towards her. "Stop bothering me, Sophia."

Seeing this, Sophia froze in place. "Hey, am I bothering you? Can you not be lively like the others?"

Aur just remained silent, much to her dismay, and slowly followed along with the others behind the second elder.

"You..." Sophia was left speechless.