Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 20 (Part 1)

Today marks the end of the talent assessments and interviews. Alongside the interviews, the majors for the third batch of trainees have all been decided.

Six members of the committee gathered to discuss this matter.

“Has the combined result sheet been released?”

“They’re still organizing it. It should be ready in about 10 minutes.”

Keline answered Chairman Kreate’s question. Chairman Kreate was a 6th-circle mage, and Keline was a high-ranking knight, a tier 5 knight.

“I’ve heard a rough estimate.”

“Oh? How many mages do we have this year?”

Mages, spirit summoners, and familiar summoners. These three are classified as special occupations within the training center, and the committee had a particular interest in them.

While swordsmen provide a constant power, the special occupations serve as variables.

“I briefly spoke with Instructor Serion. Ha, there is only one magic major in the third batch.”

“Oh!”

“Hmm.”

Everyone sighed at the news that there was only one mage. The common thought was that the third batch was a failure.

“But oddly, Instructor Serion seemed to be in a good mood.”

“Really? The talent must be exceptional.”

“We’ll know for sure once we check the comprehensive result sheet, but it doesn’t seem bad. Oh! There is also one spirit summoner.”

“Oh.”

“Oh! A spirit summoner. That’s really fortunate.”

When the topic of a spirit summoner came up, all the members’ faces brightened.

There were no spirit summoners among the first batch of trainees. The second batch had only one. Such a rare talent drew significant attention just by its appearance.

“No familiar summoners, I assume?”

“Well, nobody really expected a familiar summoner.”

“It would have been nice to have at least one.”

In truth, familiar summoners were not highly regarded despite their rarity due to their limited combat abilities.

A hundred beast summoners were far weaker than a hundred spirit summoners of the same level. In terms of combat endurance, spirit summoners were superior.

“Spirit summoners are better in battle.”

“And they have more uses.”

“True, but… I just wish I could see a familiar once before I die. I’ve never seen one.”

Even if a spirit was seriously injured and reverse-summoned, it could be re-summoned within a day or two. In the rare case of severe damage, re-summoning rarely took more than five days.

On the other hand, a beast, if heavily injured and reverse-summoned, could take tens of days to re-summon. In severe cases, it could take more than half a year.

“If we have more spirit summoners, we can overcome the troop disadvantage.”

“Our 13-nation alliance is not short on troops compared to the Ingram Empire.”

“That’s only when the 13-nation alliance mobilizes all its forces. Do you think the Aslan Kingdom or the Randert Kingdom will deploy all their troops?”

Spirits were immune to physical attacks. Therefore, against ordinary soldiers who couldn’t use aura or magic, spirits were nearly invincible. They could be one-sidedly attacked.

In contrast, familiar were tangible beings. They could be cut by a soldier’s sword and harmed by a mage’s magic. No matter how strong the familiar, numbers could overwhelm them.

“So, out of the 52 trainees in the third batch, there’s only one mage and one spirit summoner?”

“Ah, right.”

“This is really bad. How can the third batch succeed with so few special occupations?”

Knock, knock.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. When Commissioner Harbignon opened the door, an instructor stood there holding a file.

“Here is the comprehensive result sheet for the third batch.”

“Have the majors been decided?”

“Yes, they are noted separately.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The instructor had prepared six copies of the comprehensive result sheet, matching the number of committee members.

Keline took the result sheet and returned to his seat. The members naturally each took a copy.

“Hmm?”

“Oh?”

“This is…”

“My goodness. Is this true?”

The instructors had placed the noteworthy parts at the top of the third batch’s result sheet. The committee members’ eyes immediately went to the first line.

The number 108 was at the top of the comprehensive result sheet. Next to it, the number 58, indicating magic talent, was boldly highlighted.

“Amazing. Magic talent of 58.”

“With this level of talent, they would be welcomed in any mage tower.”

“More than welcomed. This score is higher than that of most tower masters in major mage towers.”

In the continent’s top four mage towers, some individuals had a magic talent score above 50. These individuals were classified as core resources of the mage towers, nurtured and protected to eventually become key figures, often elders or tower masters.

In smaller, regional mage towers, a magic talent score of 40 was enough for an elder to rush out and take them as a disciple. A score of 50 often meant being designated as the next tower master.

“Number 108… I remember hearing about their high test scores.”

“Yes, this trainee has a sharp mind. They should do well with magic.”

“This is promising.”

“Look below that. The spirit summoner has a talent score of 42.”

At the mention of a score of 42, the committee members’ eyes moved immediately below number 108.

Next to number 107 was written a spirit summoning talent score of 42. It was a remarkable talent.

“Wow.”

“Incredible.”

“Is the third batch about quality over quantity? The single magic major has a magic talent score of 58, and the spirit summoner has a spirit affinity of 42. This is quite surprising.”

“The instructors wouldn’t have misjudged the talents. Nor would they have falsified the results to deceive us. Haha, this is something.”

Numbers 108 and 107 were the best talents produced by the special training center. In fact, they were likely the highest level in the entire Riyaz Kingdom.

While the hope was to avoid war, if it did occur, such exceptional talents would be sure to distinguish themselves.

The trainees’ status was that of slaves. Naturally, the merits earned by slaves belonged to their owners. Therefore, if numbers 107 and 108 distinguished themselves in war, the committee would gain recognition.

“But is a spirit affinity of 42 really high?”

“Of course. A score in the 40s is definitely high.”

“Spirit summoners have never disclosed their talents, right? How can we be sure that 42 is high?”

“Though it’s never been disclosed, I’ve heard from a contact. It’s similar to mages. Given their lower numbers, it’s even more impressive.”

Mages and knights belonged to organizations where their talents were often publicized. Mages had their towers and kingdom mage corps, knights had their orders and noble houses with a tradition of swordsmanship.

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