I Refused To Be Reincarnated

A firm hand suddenly gripped his shoulder from behind, making him shudder. Alarm bells resounded at maximum strength in his mind, deafening him as his eyes narrowed into azure and emerald slits.

The surrounding mana responded to the threat, swirling and coalescing around his frame. However, Moira's voice resounded in his ears before he could use or channel it to defend himself.

"Fire portal."

The air crackled and distorted under the rapid rise in temperature. Arcing flames danced around them, encasing their bodies like a scalding cocoon.

Three seconds later, it collapsed in a spectacle of fiery tongues, leaving a patch of charred ground behind but no trace of living beings. Adam and Moira were gone.

***

"Huff!"

Gasping in terror, Adam's trembling eyes scanned the surroundings when he reappeared.

Surprisingly, he stood amidst the parted flames of a brazier in the student's village.

'Teleportation?!'

his jaws dropped open in disbelief for a second as he took deep breaths to calm his raging pulse.

Then, he remembered Vikram had used a similar spell during the College entrance ceremony, making him sigh in relief.

"Move to the platform."

Moira's voice suddenly erupted from behind as a soft nudge pushed him off the parted flames.

Reassured about the location and type of spell she had used, he jumped down on a large, circular platform overhung above the village center.

Many tables, forges, and crafting tools lay on it.

"Let this be a lesson to tone down your arrogance."

Moira's voice resounded again as her scarlet and azure satin robes fluttered behind him.

"Gather on the platform. Bring material for the first year's exam with you."

A concerto of surprised gasps resounded as her words reached the academy's every corner.

Quickly, the students rushed to the village's center, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Simultaneously, teachers appeared one after another on the platform. Each of them cursed under their breath upon seeing the troublemaker. Glaring at him, they stepped to a table and slammed different types of wood blocks and ores.

Eyes firm and back straightened in pride, he returned their glare.

'As if a random bunch of mages could scar me.'

However, before the silent face-off could escalate, Moira's voice drew everyone's attention.

"As in the regular exam, you have three hours to craft a functional enchanted item of the first tier. It can be made out of metal, wood, or a mix. We'll only judge the final product's quality. If you fail, you'll lose the privilege of contacting me during your one-year stay. You'll be a normal student scorned by everyone for today's shameful display."

Despite her elegant tone, he saw her upper lip curl upward in a disdainful grimace.

'She has her own vision of the world's workings and can't accept someone trying to break it. Bad news, miss. I won't try. I'll thoroughly shatter your beliefs.'

Her belittling only fueled the inferno of defiance burning in his heart.

His eyes flickering with a dangerous glint, he turned to the table.

"Watch the timer closely."

With this last provocation, he grabbed the materials one by one.

In seventy brief hours, he didn't have time to study their effects or properties. However, he had two things to help.

Subtly, his mana coated his palm. Using his nature affinity for the woods and metal for the ores, he scanned them like he did with the Runebark.

Meanwhile, everyone frowned, wondering why he wasted so much time on the easiest part of the exam.

Soon, the first laughter reverberated.

"He doesn't know any of them?"

"Will he pick his materials at random in the end?"

Even Moira sighed in frustration. She knew this would happen. That's why she ignored his shenanigans and let him realise by himself how impossible it was to succeed in a month, much less three days.

However, hushed whispers gradually drew her attention back to Adam.
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With a focused smirk and ignoring his surroundings, he threw aside the materials with poor mana conductivity or integrity. After five minutes, he kept one glistening ore and a wooden block.

'These two are the best.'

He felt the mana pulsing in response to his scan as if they had a will of their own.

"He selected the worst two!"

"Hahaha!"

The crowd below exploded into laughter as the spectating Nova bit her lips in concern. She came after hearing his angry voice and hated to see others despise him. Yet, she could do nothing to help.

Fortunately, Moira interjected, causing everyone to fall silent and nod in respect.

"I recommend you to change materials. The ore is Astralim, and the wood is Xylonius. They are both brittle and unfit for craftsmanship."

"Did I ask for your opinion? No? Keep watching in silence, then. Thank you."

Without paying attention to her reaction, the wind whipped against his red coat as he blurred into motion.

Standing before the cold furnace, he raised his palm.

BOOM

A condensed lightning storm struck the coal as sizzling sounds and steam rose. The temperature reached a terrifying level as a raging inferno burned in less than a minute.

"Lightning! He has a rare elemental affinity!"

One teacher roared, eyes sparkling and lips cracking into an interested smile. Like the alchemy college teachers, these old dwarves were interested in any student possessing rare affinities.

However, those dismissing teachers would understand how wrong they had been.

Using wind to control the fire's intensity, he threw the ore into a pot before engulfing it in the furnace. Faced with the heat, the brittle metal melted like an ice cube.

Gazing at the molten liquid bubbling, he nodded before rushing to his workbench. Then, he cast the pot contents into empty air, causing everyone to yell in fright.

However, winds suddenly surged to support the dripping metal. Under his control, it swirled, giving it a rough shape as it cooled. A moment later, the dazzling white liquid turned red, then orange.

A calculative light flashing in his eyes, he estimated the temperature of the thick plate to be ideal. Therefore, he placed it on the anvil and began his concerto.

Three dense mana hammers appeared in front of him. In the blink of an eye, a rhythmic clangor resounded as they pounded the hot metal, elongating it with each second crawling by.

Yet, unbeknownst to the teachers and even to the expert Moira, a string of malleable mana replicating specific shapes bloomed inside the metal like a vivid calligraphy.