The next morning...I woke up like someone who had just lost a fight with their own bed.
My body felt crushed.It was as if my bones had formed a conspiracy against me.
I prayed silently, hoping today's training would be something like… a group nap session or maybe a class on royal tea-making.
But the reality? The Annual Magic Test.
To determine: Are you a mage… or just a soldier?
I was kinda excited, even though my chances were slim.
I mean, imagine if I could use magic—I might be able to teleport back to bed or at the very least, cast a spell to get rid of these body aches.
So I made my way to the west hall.
Turns out, the one teaching magic was…An elderly woman, long white hair, a shimmering purple robe, and eyes that looked like they could see your ATM balance.
Her name: Master Ilvara.
Master Ilvara looked over all of us and said, "Today, you will be tested. Place your hand on the Mana Crystal. If you possess magical potential, the crystal will respond. If not... you will still serve as a valuable part of the forces—as a soldier."
One by one, people stepped up.
One made the crystal glow blue. Water.
Another turned it red. Fire.
There was even green. Wind.
The tension grew.
Then it was my turn.My hand felt cold.I took a deep breath and placed my palm on the crystal…
...
Nothing.
...
I pressed harder. Maybe I wasn't touching it right?
...
Still nothing.
Silence.
Awkward.
I could hear imaginary crickets in my head.
Ilvara looked at me. She said flatly, "No mana connection. It happens. You will be assigned to the soldier division."
Some people looked at me with sympathy.
Magic meant everything in this world. And me? Just an ordinary human. Again.
I went back to my room. Still sore. And a little mentally shattered.
"So even in an isekai world… I'm still just another office worker. No skills. No cheats. No overpowered abilities."
But then I realized something…
If I didn't have magic… that meant I was free from boring theory lessons and memorizing complicated spells.
And who knows? Maybe there's a different kind of power in this world—One even the mages don't have.
Morning came with the sound of a warhorn loud enough to wake the dead—probably doing a backflip while at it.
***
I woke up. Not from an alarm, but because a muscular soldier barged into my room yelling, "All soldiers! Prepare for physical training!!"
Still half-asleep, I sat on that rock-hard excuse of a bed, my hair resembling a bird's nest. "Physical training? Today too? I just recovered yesterday…" I mumbled, blankly staring into the void.
After changing clothes, I joined the other soldiers on the field. The sky was cloudy, the wind was cool, and the ground still muddy. Perfect. For dying from slipping.
Commander Kael was already standing in the center. With a voice that sounded like the drums of war, he bellowed, "Ten laps around the field! Anyone slow gets 100 push-ups! No exceptions!"
My eyes widened. Ten laps?! I can barely breathe after running three steps!But I had no choice. I started running.
Lap one: Okay, this isn't so bad.
Lap two: Okay, breathing's getting rough.
Lap three: Okay, my heart is negotiating with my bones.
Lap four: SLIP! I fell flat into the mud... and yeah... embarrassing.
Then I saw Arkell—the arrogant genius mage—casually walking past me and saying,"Oh, this is what you call 'soldier strength'? Fascinating."
YOU JERK, I SWEAR I'LL KICK YOU!
But I said nothing. Still face-down in the mud, I cried internally. "When does vacation start…?"
I tried to get up. My legs were shaking. But… someone grabbed my arm.
Kael. He looked at me—expressionless, as always. "Giving up too easily. Get up. You're not done yet."
I looked at him like a dehydrated cat in the desert.
But I got up.
I kept running.
Because for some reason, even though my body was frail and my breath sounded like a dying balloon pump,I didn't want to give up.Because in this world… I don't have any other choice.