Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 135 (Part 1)

Rodin left the reception room and approached the counter. There, he declared himself as the guarantor for Karis and Jena’s identification.

“Are you saying that Platinum Badge holder Rodin is vouching for these individuals?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“None at all. With a Platinum Badge, anything is possible. Please wait a moment.”

The clerk filled out a document and wrote Rodin’s name as the identification guarantor for Karis and Jena.

“Let me confirm one more time. Karis, Jena, is it correct that Platinum Badge holder Rodin is your guarantor?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“As aspiring mercenaries, Karis and Jena must adhere to certain rules…”

Karis and Jena had to listen to a lengthy explanation about what they could and couldn’t do once they became mercenaries.

Even with a Platinum Badge guarantor, the conditions were the same. If Karis or Jena caused trouble within the next three years, Rodin, as their guarantor, would be held responsible.

“Mage Rodin, the identification guarantee has been completed.”

“Thank you.”

Rodin left the mercenary guild first and waited in the carriage. After about ten minutes, Bianca returned.

“Big Brother! I decided to take the mercenary evaluation too.”

“You want to become a mercenary?”

“I don’t know, but I didn’t want to be the only one left out.”

“Alright. Having a mercenary badge isn’t a bad idea.”

Getting a mercenary badge required money—not only for the examination but also for the issuance of the badge itself. In the central continent, one couldn’t become a mercenary without money.

Rodin had received his Platinum Badge for free, but that was only because it was platinum. If he ever lost it and needed a replacement, he’d have to pay the fee as well.

“Yup! I’m definitely going to become one. Apparently, mercenary mages are super rare.”

“They are. When’s your evaluation?”

“Tomorrow at 9 a.m. I’m evaluation number two.”

“Number two? Ah, are special classes evaluated first?”

If the evaluation was tomorrow, many applicants must have already registered. Considering the size of the mercenary guild, the number would be substantial.

Yet Bianca was given evaluation number two. It was clear that special classes, such as mages, were evaluated separately in advance.

“Yeah, they said I’m the second mage applicant.”

“Then we’ll have breakfast and head over tomorrow.”

“Yup.”

The evaluation system on the central continent was quite different from the western continent.

In the western continent, mercenaries were neither well-treated nor common. As a result, it was rare for anyone to even consider becoming one. Evaluations were conducted sporadically whenever applicants appeared.

Rodin had become a mercenary in one such impromptu evaluation. Although it took a few days to receive his mercenary badge, he officially became a mercenary on the spot.

However, the central continent held regular evaluations due to the sheer number of applicants.

In the trade city of Asir alone, hundreds of people applied every month. The Richmond Marquisate saw even more applicants.

To handle such a large volume, evaluations were held on a regular schedule, and there were even preliminary qualification tests beforehand.

“Why did it take so long?”

“They asked me to show them Light, so I did.”

“Ah, I see.”

For mages, the minimum qualification test was casting the Light spell. If someone couldn’t even perform Light, there was no point in proceeding to the full evaluation.

“Larry probably has a minimum requirement too.”

“A minimum requirement?”

“Like how you had to show Light.”

“Oh, I see. I wonder what it’ll be?”

About ten minutes later, Karis returned. Another ten minutes after that, Jena and Larry also showed up.

“The evaluations are tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, Brother. Mine is at 2 p.m., but my number is further down the list. They said it might be past 4 p.m. by the time it’s my turn.”

Karis and Jena had similar schedules. There were simply too many applicants in the swordsman class.

“I heard there was a preliminary test?”

“It wasn’t much. Just cutting a scarecrow. The test itself was simple.”

“Yeah, Brother. The test was easy, but the line was so long that it took forever.”

“Good work, everyone. Let’s find an inn first.”

For someone trained in aura, slicing a scarecrow in one strike was trivial.

However, for someone who had only swung a sword without aura, it was a different story. They needed intense focus and had to deliver all their strength in a single strike.

Many applicants failed simply because they lost focus at the crucial moment.

*

Around 10 p.m., Rodin set down a grayish stone with a glossy surface.

“It’s finally complete.”

Rodin’s face was noticeably brighter than usual. He had finally succeeded in creating a Magic Stone.

In truth, he had created his first Magic Stone five days ago after dinner at the campsite.

However, the entire process was done manually, which was incredibly inefficient. Rodin had already experienced this issue while crafting potions—it required pouring mana continuously over a long period.

Although Magic Stones didn’t require as much time as potions, they still needed three or more days of direct attention. It was tedious and time-consuming.

To resolve this, Rodin had devised a method using a mithril plate.

Properly processed mithril could hold vast amounts of mana. By infusing the plate with mana and configuring it to release a steady flow, Rodin could automate the infusion process into pre-prepared Mana Stones.

With a sufficiently large mithril plate, it would be possible to create multiple Magic Stones simultaneously.

“The key lies in processing mithril.”

Hyung_Otaku2

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