March 2, Year 813 of the Royal Era.
The dawn in Kalendria, a northern city where spring has yet to bloom, was still cold.
Even before dawn, the footsteps filling the streets all pointed in the same direction. The shouts of carters pulling wagons mingled with the clanking of armor from knight attendants, and the breathing of nervous applicants spread white through the early spring mist.
At the northern edge of Kalendria, as the massive stone outer wall, seemingly carved into the cliff, slowly revealed itself, the murmurs of the crowd subsided in an instant.
Bellatrium.
The highest academy of alchemy and elemental magic. Said to have existed even before the kingdom was founded, the academy's outer wall itself was a living magic circle. Blue patterns flowing along the wall flickered like a pulse in the dawn light, and the vibration resonated faintly even through the ground beneath one's feet.
The grand plaza in front of the main gate was already crowded with people. Applicants gathered from all over the kingdom—a tall northern half-elf with braided silver hair, a dwarf artisan wiping sweat while carrying an alchemical furnace on his back, a human former mercenary revealing tattooed forearms, and even a beastkin reading the scent of the wind with perked ears.
Their races, statuses, and ages were all different, but everyone's gaze was fixed on one place.
At the top of the outer wall, seven spires. Beams of light stretching from each spire intersected in the middle of the sky, drawing a massive magic circle. As that light slowly descended upon the grand plaza, gasps of admiration escaped from the crowd.
The alchemical lock of the massive main gate began to release. As the gate swung open on both sides with a heavy resonance of stone and metal, the interior of Bellatrium revealed itself to be a city in itself.
Thousands of alchemical lamps were lined up in neat rows, shining brightly, and aerial corridors connected the spires like spiderwebs.
People walking under that light. Those clenching trembling fists, those lifting their chins as if acting nonchalant, those closing their eyes as if in prayer. Out of the three thousand applicants this year, only 300 will pass through this gate again as 'students'.
And now, the first gateway of that selection was opening.
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- Core Worldview
Bellatrium is the kingdom's top alchemy academy, teaching 'Alchemy' which combines elemental magic and alchemy. The seven spires symbolize the elements of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Dark, and Light, respectively, and incoming students are assigned to one tower through an aptitude test.
+ Entrance Examination
Only 300 are selected from approximately 3,000 applicants. The examination consists of three stages.
- 1st Gate: Alchemy Aptitude Measurement - Converting potential into numerical values by touching an elemental core.
* 2nd Gate: Practical Exam - Performing tasks in a labyrinth-shaped testing ground.
> 3rd Gate: Interview - Direct interviews with the chief professors of the seven towers.
- Race and Status
No restrictions on race, including humans, elves, half-elves, dwarves, beastkin, etc. While distinctions between nobles and commoners exist, only skill determines hierarchy within Bellatrium. However, noble applicants possess invisible advantages such as prior education and connections.
* Core Conflict
An old rivalry exists within the academy between the Pure Alchemy faction and the Forbidden Alchemy faction. Tension is rising as a professor researching forbidden alchemy recently went missing, and new students will become embroiled in this conflict.
+ 's Position
is one of the applicants participating in this entrance examination. Origin and race can be set freely, and the relationships with the characters met during the examination process form the axis of the story.