Idle Mage: Humanity's Strongest Backer-Novel

For most people, the Written Exam was a freebie.

The contents of the Written Exams were things that one should know already, so most people see it as a way to gain a good amount of points which may possibly change the outcome of their final results.

It wouldn't be surprising if many participants gain high scores on this part. The real challenge for them begins at the Practical Exam.

Dylan and Fred arrived at the venue where the written exams were taking place. Since they kept a low profile on the way there, they weren't tired or hurt, unlike some people.

And just as Dylan expected, there was literally no reason for anyone to be in a hurry. The venue was large enough to accommodate all of them and the number of stations available was enough for everyone to take the test in peace.

Dylan would be lying if he said that he wasn't gloating at those idiots who fell at the rhythm of that one dude. After all, they were all hurt or injured for absolutely nothing. Their actions may affect their performance later and they couldn't blame the staff for any of that.

It didn't take long for him and Fred to finish the Written Exams. Like what's mentioned earlier, the contents of the Written Exams were stuff that every participant should already know.

As a matter of fact, Fred finished earlier than he did, and that guy was largely unprepared for the exams so that says something.

Once they were done, they were told that their results will be revealed when they have gone through all the exams. They were then told to follow the yellow arrows that leads to where the Practical Exams were taking place.

On the way there, Dylan noticed that the other participants had already learned their lesson. Nobody was in a rush anymore nor looking for a fight. Everyone just went to the next venue as quietly and as peacefully as they could.

He saw some people nursing their injuries on their way there. Shaking his head at the sight, he chose to just move on with Fred. He's not responsible for their actions anyway.

The Practical Exams are being held at a small building that looks a lot like a Federal Center. There were chairs and consumables outside of the place that participants can use while they wait in line.

Fred told Dylan to reserve a seat for him while he took some snacks for them. Once they were seated, they just needed to wait for their turn.

The waiting line progressed at a swift pace. Once he and Fred were done eating their snacks it was almost their turn.

"Next 20 people please." The man who's working for the guild called out.

Dylan and Fred stood up since they were included in the next batch. They went inside the building and were mildly surprised when they saw that it was bigger than it looks.

They fell into a line and one by one, they were asked to step into a platform that scanned their bodies.

It didn't take long before it was Dylan's turn. He stood on the platform and felt a tingling on his skin creeping up. He then heard a beeping noise which made him look down at the screen display. What he saw somehow surprised him...

[Participant #490]

Name: Dylan Trager

Age: 16

Blood Type: AB

Aptitude:

• Martial Spirit: Trishula

• Physique: Boundless Sea Physique

• Providence: Sea God's Blessing

Participant Rating: A+

'...how?' Dylan was baffled by what he saw printed on the paper. But before he even had the time to think, the staff already told him to move on to the next part of the Practical Exam.

Dylan didn't expect this, what was written on this paper was very different from what he knew all this time.

As far as he knows, his Martial Spirit was a Trident, his Physique was labeled as Water Sprite Physique and his Providence was called Sapphire Illumination. He was repeatedly told that his aptitude was just 'alright', nothing impressive but not disappointing either.

So what the hell is this? Trishula? Boundless Sea? Sea God? What are these? Why was it different?

And what's up with that ranking? Would that affect his practicals?

"Dee, I'm confused. Why the hell is my aptitude different here? Did they make a mistake?"

Fred's voice took him back to the present. And judging from what he said, it seems that he too received a different aptitude description from what he knows.

"Mine's different too." He replied.

"Really? Can I see it? Here, you can look at mine."

They exchanged papers and saw what Fred's results were.

[Participant #491]

Name: Fredrick Rocher

Age: 16

Blood Type: O

Aptitude:

• Martial Spirit: Wind Chasing Dagger

• Physique: Void Shattering Roc Physique

• Providence: Symbol of Freedom

Participant Ranking: A+

'It really is different.' He mused to himself.

From what he can remember, Fred's Martial Spirit was simply Dagger, his Physique was Giant Eagle Physique and his Providence was Sky Beacon. His remarks were the same as Dylan's, not impressive but not disappointing either.

"I doubt that the guild would make a mistake like this." Dylan stated after looking through Fred's results.

"...it did happen to both of us so the chances are minimal yes." Fred sighed, "But, I'm quite upset. Doesn't this mean that our situation could've been better?"

"Yes, but it's not like we could turn back time and correct them." Dylan felt a little bummed too. "Let's just focus on doing well in the exams. We can talk about this later."

They took their respective result papers and went to the testing grounds.

There, they could see five rooms where participants enter. Dylan's hunch was right, the Participant Ranking does indeed affect the practicals.

Since both his and Fred's ranking were A+ their practicals will take place in the furthest room to the right, one that doesn't have many participants waiting in line.

It didn't take long before it was Dylan's turn. He was requested to enter the room without any further instructions. He took a deep breath first and then stepped inside the room.

Dylan felt the world warping around him upon entering. Before he knew it, he found himself standing in the middle of a vast clearing.

He then saw a floating screen of light in front of him, it has words saying:

[Practical Exams for Participant #490.]

: Conditions for passing — Survive the fight against Angels for 15 minutes

: No consumables allowed. Feel free to use any method you know of to survive.

: Bonus Points for eliminating the enemy.

: Say 'I'm Ready!' To begin the assessment.

Dylan's face turned somber when he saw the requirements for passing. He never expected that he'll be facing off against the Angels this early.

He has no prior experience fighting those. All he knows of them were things that he had seen in the media and were told to him by other people.

There were many kinds of angels out there, coming in all manner of shapes and sizes. He had no idea what he was going to face nor how many of them would appear, making this a real conundrum.

Dylan took a deep breath to center himself. He brought out his Trident and warmed up with it first. Once he was satisfied, he threw all caution to the wind and yelled:

"I'm ready!"

He heard a hymn out of nowhere which nearly caused his expression to twist. Then, the clouds parted from there, and three angels appeared.

All three only had a pair of wings, which was a good sign since they were infants. They had small halos hovering above their head and their bodies were filled with a fuck ton of eyes.

'Yep, they're as creepy as I've seen on the tv.' He mused to himself.

Then, he saw one of the angels aiming at him with its bow. Dylan wasted no time, he used his movement technique to dodge and close the distance.

As he was running, Dylan brandished his trident and stabbed it, aiming at the angles. He wasn't close to them yet but he had a skill he could use that was considered ranged.

Sharp projectiles were launched at each stab of his trident. They carried enough force to make the angels dodge them and break their formation.

Dylan continued to harass them, barely giving them time to breathe while he closes the distance.

When he got in a range that's more comfortable for him. He wasted no time and used his most powerful skill...

"Wind becomes Lightning!"

Dylan turned into a streak of light, flying so fast and carrying so much momentum that he directly blew a hole in the angels' bodies. His mana consumption was high but he didn't mind it if it means he could finish this battle as fast as he could.

Each angel received three gaping holes from his barrage of attacks. When he deactivated the skill, Dylan was looking pale but mostly fine.

Beep!

As the angels fade away he received a notice that he had successfully eliminated his enemies, therefore receiving bonus points on top of passing the test.

He felt the world warping around him again and before he knew it, he was in an empty room with a man smiling at him.