Hidden Potential

The news of Mahendra's power level spread from teacher to teacher, student to student, and even reached the head of the academy and the king. This shocked everyone, including Liliana who didn't expect Mahendra to be that strong. Moreover, the crystal stone shards turned a fiery red. Even though his power was so extraordinary, Mahendra, who had been silent for a long time, was still confused about whether this was the limit of his power or not. 

"All I brought out was the fire magic of that wolf, but never mind. I wasn't planning on revealing my power anyway." 

Mahendra felt a little uneasy when he realized that his fire magic, which he had acquired from the wolf, had reached such an extraordinary level. However, he didn't care about that because he had never expected what happened next. There were many people cheering for him, all of them showing happy faces as if this was happening to them. 

Yes, they were cheering for him because of this small happiness that felt big. They were not cheering with hateful glares. Mahendra briefly recalled that day, the day he would be sentenced to death. 

"I really didn't expect them to do this for me?"

His bare feet treaded on the pieces of carpet beneath him, Mahendra walked and accidentally stepped on a crystal stone shard, causing it to cut into his skin and bleed. However, the wound didn't cause him any pain instead it slowly healed on its own although a drop of lost blood still left a trace. Something stirred in his heart, he felt happy. 

"Congratulations, there's a genius! I'm so lucky to meet a genius in this place!"

Various congratulations as he grew older made Mahendra smile kindly. Liliana rushed over and hugged him tightly, and the shocked Mahendra didn't know what to say other than to stand still like a statue. 

"Young Master is indeed the most powerful person. I'm glad I didn't recognize you by mistake," Liliana said. 

"Li...Liliana, let go of this...tight hug," pleaded Mahendra who was starting to feel short of breath.

"Ah, sorry Young Master." 

The news received by the king would not be wasted. The king of the Murcia Empire in the Western Region was extremely surprised by the news at the Magic Academy. 

"His strength reached that of a Level 10 High-ranking Magician? And a Fire Magician?"
"That's right, Your Majesty. However, it is possible that his strength exceeds that level."
"Such a talented person does not have to study. I will meet him in person tomorrow."
"Your Majesty, would rather just send someone."
"There is no need. This is a good thing, I don't want to lose that person."

***

On the same day, after testing the level of magic power. The candidates who were determined to have passed had officially become real students of the academy. They had assigned each new student a room and with this, Mahendra and Liliana were separated in different buildings. 

In the boys' dormitory, first floor. It was divided into 20 rooms on the left side and 20 rooms on the right side. The neat building was wooden brown in color and smelled faintly of sweetness. The hallway that looked so expensive looked like it was covered in gold, but perhaps this was just an ordinary floor for residents in the Mageia City. 

Mahendra walked around with intense curiosity, taking in everything. His gaze was hardly distracted by everything around him now. The teacher who had examined him earlier escorted him to his room personally. Perhaps this was a special gesture intended for genius students.

Of the remaining rooms, it seemed that the academy could only place Mahendra into the very last room. Last in line, dorm room no.20. It was the very last one, secluded and a bit gloomy due to the quiet atmosphere. 

"I'm sorry we can only provide this last room for you, but if there are any rooms left, we'll try later."

Mahendra was silent as he was still busy looking around. His admiration for this medieval-looking building made him forget where he was at the moment.

"Hello, Young Master Mahendra?" 

"Oh, sorry. I was not focused enough. Is there anything else that needs attention?"

"There are three other academy students in this room, one is a new student and the other two are your seniors. The uniforms are inside and you will be studying from tomorrow at 6am." 

Mahendra looked dazed, unsure of what to say, but his serious expression made him appear confident. The teacher looked very satisfied as he read Mahendra's current expression. 

"Alright, for everything else you'll understand tomorrow."
"Okay, thank you."

Inside room no.20, from the outside it looked like a very small room with a minimalist door. However, once opened the room was quite spacious. 4 small beds faced each other with a desk located near the trellis window. Mahendra gazed at the window in awe, clearly impressed.

"The prison-like trellis, the small and boring wooden beds are too neat. This room is quite relaxing for me."

The next day. The sky was still dark, with the sun's rays barely peeking over the horizon. Mahendra slept undisturbed, enjoying a peaceful night's rest and he was quite content to be here since he had always been wandering around in obscurity.

There was the sound of a door opening, followed by several steps coming inside slowly. The sound of breathing and heartbeat was steady and calm, Mahendra caught someone's wrist, he woke up with a start. 

"Oh my, oh my! My Junior are awake already, just startled me." 

Three neatly uniformed students looked at Mahendra with curiosity. Mahendra remained silent for a moment before releasing his hand. 

"It's only a few minutes until class starts, so hurry up and get ready." 
"Yes, thank you." 

It seemed that Mahendra was very sensitive, this had been the case ever since he fell into this world. There was no one to calm him down but himself, Mahendra was now increasingly worried that at any time someone would do the same thing as that senior. 

"By the way, your reflexes are impressive. You must have a lot of experience."
"Not really."

The uniform consisted of a brown-collared shirt with matching buttons, paired with finely tailored trousers that fit perfectly, making him appear even taller. A Latin name embroidery on the short cloak with a grid pattern covered the left shoulder, and plain black shoes that seemed ordinary but were actually of high quality.

The first day at the Magic Academy began with a gathering in the auditorium, situated just a short distance from the classroom buildings. 

Suddenly, a dignified figure emerged, clad in a majestic red robe, his golden hair gleaming beneath his crown. With a warm smile, he commanded the attention of the students and teachers, who promptly bowed in respect. However, Mahendra remained still, unaffected by the king's presence. 

"His Majesty, King Charles requests the presence of the Level 10 High-ranking Fire Magician ," the guard announced in a loud voice. As the students realized who the king was referring to, they turned to Mahendra with broad smiles, their eyes fixed intently on him. 

"Me?" Mahendra asked, his tone laced with skepticism, seeking confirmation."