Chapter 206: Basic Tests |
Three days later, Fulan took part in the basic training Zane had mentioned.
In truth, there was nothing particularly special about this basic training. It was simply meant to help newly joined battle mages adapt to the environment and train their ability to resist interference.
Moreover, as long as one passed Zane’s three tests, one could skip the basic training entirely and directly become personnel attached to the Battle Mage Corps.
The mages present were all proud and full of themselves. Zane had only just begun the basic training and had merely given a brief explanation of the precautions to keep in mind when casting during battle when he saw the five well-connected entrants he had brought with him almost raise their hands at the same time and ask to take the tests.
Although he was extremely unwilling, he still followed procedure and led the five mages to the dedicated testing grounds.
Originally, what he had hoped was that he could keep these five connected entrants here for a month or two.
That way, his own life would be easier, and maybe by then these privileged newcomers would leave on their own.
But he also knew that these mages definitely would not enjoy such a dull life. They would surely try every possible way to become formal members.
Still, that did not matter. He knew these tests were far from easy to pass. Perhaps one or two of them might pass one or even two of the tests this time, but it would be very difficult to pass all three in one go.
In practice, around 10% passed within the first month of testing, 40% passed in the second month, and 30% passed in the third month.
As for the remaining 20%, they still had not passed all the tests after three months. Some of them would be made full members at discretion based on how many tests they had passed, while the rest would be expelled from the Battle Mage Corps.
It would be good to let these connected entrants learn a lesson, lest they truly think they were invincible and end up causing him a pile of trouble.
“Why is Captain Zane taking those mages to the testing rooms? I don’t remember our corps recruiting any newcomers recently.”
“Yeah, where did these newcomers come from? Isn’t it not time for the corps’ recruitment exam yet?”
...
As they walked, several mages wearing the Battle Mage Corps’ standard protective gear looked at the group and pointed at them, unable to figure out where these people had come from.
“I heard they were all ‘referred’ in.”
Suddenly, one of the mages spoke up. His voice was not loud, but everyone in the group had spiritual power far beyond that of ordinary people, so naturally they all heard him.
“No wonder. I was wondering why I’d never seen them before. So they were ‘referred’ in.”
“But there are way too few of them. Why didn’t the higher-ups ‘refer’ a few more people in? Our corps is terribly short-handed.”
It seemed these battle mages were not very friendly toward people like them who had gotten in through connections.
Everything they said carried barbs, and the looks they gave them were equally unfriendly.
Fulan raised an eyebrow and ignored them. The other mages traveling with her also swallowed the resentment in their hearts and did not respond.
Walking at the front, Zane nodded in satisfaction, relieved that these “young masters and young ladies” were not the sort to lose their heads the moment they heard a few provocative words.
Before long, Zane led everyone into the testing room. He turned around and pointed at the silver-gray chamber that had already been prepared.
“That is where the tests will take place. Let me explain exactly what these three tests are.”
“The first test is an attack power test. The requirement is for the tester to render three test dummies incapable of movement in succession within three seconds.”
“The second test is an interference resistance test. The requirement is for the tester to cast a designated spell while under interference.”
“The third test is a target test. The requirement is for the tester’s spell to strike a designated target.”
After that, Zane did not explain any further. Instead, he directly led everyone to the site of the first test and asked,
“Who wants to go first?”
The mages looked at one another, and in the end, Dylan was the first to raise his hand.
“I’ll do it.”
Dylan entered the testing chamber, and Zane closed the door from outside. There was a pane of glass outside, allowing those outside to watch the scene within.
Dylan was somewhat nervous. It was only after Zane asked him three times whether he was ready that Dylan finally answered that he was prepared.
“Please note that the three dummies do not appear at the same time. Only after you defeat the previous dummy will the next one appear. Each time a dummy appears, the timer resets.”
Only now did Zane carefully explain the detailed rules, making Dylan even more nervous.
After Zane asked for confirmation once more, he finally pressed the start button.
A dummy draped in tattered cloth dropped from the air and landed directly in front of Dylan.
The cloth covering the dummy could block attacks to a certain extent, preventing testers from damaging the dummy with certain apprentice spells.
The cloth could also repair itself, which was why this material was used for the test.
The moment the dummy landed, Dylan immediately activated the Spell Ring on his hand. With a sweep of his arm toward the dummy, yellow particles scattered through the air.
Though those yellow particles were tiny, their power was completely at odds with their appearance.
The instant they made contact with the dummy, the cloth covering it visibly caved inward.
This was the Alchemy School’s First-Tier Spell, 【Heavy Sand Particles】, which released a large quantity of minuscule particles with tremendous weight to directly injure the enemy.
Because the requirement was to deal sufficient damage to the dummy within three seconds, Dylan had no choice but to activate the Spell Ring on his body to cast quickly.
But that was the only Spell Ring he had...
The second dummy immediately dropped from the ceiling. This time, Dylan instantly judged that there was no longer enough time to cast a First-Tier Spell with sufficient power, so he could only throw a fireball at it.
The fireball struck the dummy, and the force of the explosion flipped it onto the ground. But the countdown did not stop in the slightest and still ticked all the way down to zero before Dylan’s disappointed eyes.
As Fulan watched Dylan’s dejected figure, she also understood the purpose of this test.
In truth, it was meant to test whether a mage had strong offensive burst power. Any mage could stand behind everyone else and cast spells, but not every mage could unleash fast and powerful attacks.
The three dummies descending one after another were meant to test whether a mage had the ability to strike three times in succession. If they did, they were considered qualified.
Of course, if someone truly had money to burn, they could simply bring three First-Tier Spell Rings and, the moment the test started, fire off three instant spells in a row. That would also work. Money was a part of strength too.
But clearly, no one present was that wealthy. Or rather, most of their money had already been spent on protective spells, so they likely had only brought a single offensive Spell Ring.