Limitless Summoner: Rise of the Soul God

The instructor narrowed his eyes, his lips twitching in annoyance. "You were in there for ten and a half hours. You overstayed the trial limit."

Ethan froze. Ten and a half? That couldn't be right. He was aiming for three. Maybe four at most. His focus had been sharp, sure, but he hadn't felt time slip that far. And why hadn't the platform booted him out after five? This was complete and utter bullshit.

The instructor didn't press the issue further, just scribbled something on a glowing clipboard and waved him off. "You passed. Barely. Move on."

Ethan didn't argue. He turned and walked toward the portal for the next test, his mind already turning over what had just happened. Hopefully, more people would just assume what the instructor had assumed and let this small slip-up pass by.

At least the next exam was very straightforward. When Ethan appeared on the other side of the portal, he saw students struggling to hold onto a ball of mana.

There were still some students left behind and taking the test which made Ethan feel better. Now, he wouldn't stand out so much. He quickly hurried over and joined the line.

There were three students doing the demonstration at a time, which was why he was able to catch up even though it looked like he was the last one in the line. The student before him, a short-haired girl, turned to look at him, and Ethan awkwardly explained. "I ended up fainting in the last test."

She simply turned back, having no intention of interacting with him. Ethan did not care and continued to watch the others.

The test seemed simple at first glance—just hold onto the ball of mana. Each orb pulsed with unstable magical energy, flickering erratically like it was fighting to escape the student's grasp. The longer a student held onto the ball of mana, the more erratic it became.

In all honesty, Ethan had never tried doing something like this. Looking at how much difficulty the students were having, he was starting to feel a little nervous.

A boy ahead of him tried brute-forcing it, locking his fingers tight around the orb. It flared once, violently, and burst into smoke, sending him reeling back with a yelp. His hands were burnt. The instructor just sighed and pointed toward the exit, where a healer was already helping some students.

Another one tried to make it smaller, probably thinking that compressing the mana would give him more control. But the moment he tried, the orb cracked with a sharp snap, then exploded into a burst of raw energy, sending the student sprawling backward with a groan. Ethan winced.

A third one tried using only a small amount of mana but he got instantly rejected by the instructor who tapped his shoulder. Apparently, they were required to summon a certain amount of mana, not higher or lower.

Ethan furrowed his brows. This was the third test, the test that the headmaster had mentioned was very important and it seemed extremely difficult. Right in front of his eyes, more than twenty students failed before one student passed, that too just barely. This was going to be trouble.

Ethan's jaw tightened as he watched yet another student get flung back from the pedestal. The orb had surged the moment the girl tried to interact with it, reacting almost violently before shattering into harmless wisps.

She was helped up by a waiting assistant and escorted to the exit, where a small cluster of other failed students now waited in silence for the healing treatment.

One in twenty, he thought grimly. And even that one looked like he almost lost it at the end.

Ethan closed his eyes briefly, running through every memory he had of handling mana. Ahead of him, the short-haired girl stepped up for her turn. She didn't hesitate, simply raised her hands and summoned the required amount of mana—clean, even. The orb responded, pulsing in sync. She held it. It shook. It shimmered. Then it settled.

The instructor called out, "Pass."

She turned without a word and walked back, passing by Ethan briefly. "Okay." Ethan nodded, genuinely impressed by the girl. Not all students here were without talent, it seemed.

Ethan exhaled slowly, letting all thoughts slip away as he approached the pedestal. It was his turn next. He raised his hands and summoned his mana, not too fast, not too slow. An orb was placed on the side as an example of the size of the mana ball.

He tried to make the mana ball as loose as possible without any compression, thinking that it would be easier, but almost immediately, he felt a loss of control. It looked like no compression at all was not a good idea. He rectified this immediately by pulling more mana from his body and applying more pressure.

The mana ball jerked violently in his hands the moment he adjusted, vibrating like it was trying to tear itself free. For a second, Ethan thought he'd lost it. His heart spiked, but in the end, he managed to bring it under control.

It hovered, twitching slightly now and then, but under control. Barely.

A few seconds passed. The instructor raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Then finally, after a long pause, he gave a curt nod. "Pass."

For dramatic effect, Ethan slightly lost control of the thing before letting it fizzle out. This made him fly backward and fall, even getting an injury on his arm. A few mocking laughs sounded, which was exactly what he wanted.

Everything was back on track, and he had finished three tests. With this, his entrance to this academy should be secure—at least, if the headmaster's own words were to be believed.

Anyone who passed the third test was guaranteed consideration. Ethan didn't know how tight the competition was or what the cutoff looked like, but that didn't matter. He'd done just enough. And more importantly, he'd done it without giving anyone a reason to dig deeper.

He sat up slowly, brushing dust off his shoulder while clutching his arm like it hurt more than it actually did. A student nearby snickered. Another muttered something about "overreaching peasants."

Ethan kept his expression tight, a little grimace here, a soft grunt there. Playing the part. Let them underestimate him. That was the whole point. He dragged himself toward the side where other 'barely passed' students were recovering or sulking.

He caught the short-haired girl looking at him again, this time with a hint of disbelief, like she wasn't sure if he was an idiot or just unlucky. Ethan gave her a faint shrug and winced dramatically as he sat down, waiting for his turn to get healed.

The healer worked her magic in a couple of seconds, which made him sigh in amazement. He had yet to merge with the green slime and try out healing. This small trailer only made him all the more curious.

Soon, it was time for the next test. He did not get much rest between the tests, but then they were not overly taxing. He entered the teleportation portal to arrive at the next exam area, only to unexpectedly find himself inside a huge classroom.