***
Capital of Solaris.
The Great Empire.
The city of Solaris was the center of world civilization, where many knights and wizards placed their hopes for life. Large skyscrapers stood tall and white, as Emperor Altherius IV did not allow anyone to paint their buildings any color other than white.
The civilization in this city was more advanced than the capitals of the other four kingdoms. Status was a distinguishing factor among social communities, shaping their culture and the way they dressed.
Many people tried their luck in the city, most of them from outside Solaris City. However, they were allowed to enter but not become part of the city community. Emperor Altherius IV wanted to preserve the noble blood of the city's residents.
From outside the majestic walls of Solaris City, an old man flew swiftly in his black robe. The city's air authorities stopped him and conducted a detailed inspection of his identity and purpose of arrival.
Helderic showed his Archmage token. He also had business with the Sage Leader to discuss important matters. The white-robed mages flying in the sky trusted him and escorted Helderic inside.
"You may enter, but only with our escort," he stated firmly. Helderic had no objection.
After the protective dome doors opened, Helderic flew with two sky authority mages escorting him to the White Marble Palace. There, not only Emperor Altherius IV resided, but also many others, such as the Prime Minister, Ministers, and leaders from the 7 Knight Halls.
At this moment, Helderic needed to meet Albert, the leader of the Wizards' Hall, directly. Only he might know about the oddities happening to Agares.
Arriving in front of the palace, the two guard wizards began to escort Helderic to Sage Albert's room. The room was located on the fifth floor, one floor above the workspaces of the other seven leaders of the knight halls.
KNOCK!
The door was knocked, someone from inside the room invited the guest to enter. When the door opened, an old man with white beard and bald head was seen enjoying himself with three fair-skinned women in a large pool of milk in the room. They were naked.
"What is it?" Albert asked, still enjoying the attention of the young women.
"Archmage Caer Vireth has arrived. He has business with you, Master Albert," replied the wizard guard, forbidden to look at what Albert was doing.
Helderic did the same. No matter how bad and dirty the scene in front of him was, Albert's first and absolute rule was to forbid anyone from looking directly at his eyes and body.
If they dared to do so, a fatal punishment could befall them.
"Caer Vireth? Is this about the chosen heroes?" Albert asked, Helderic nodding in agreement.
"What's wrong? Isn't it clear that you have to hand over the chosen heroes with the dominant element of light to us?" Albert asked.
"I know about the agreement. However, something is wrong.
"One of our chosen heroes failed to manifest their affinity element in the first trial," Helderic replied.
"HAHA! That's because your elemental balls are old. Don't blame them, gods are never wrong," Albert laughed.
"True, but isn't that strange? No human has ever failed to manifest their affinity in their first trial," Helderic replied.
"Helderic!" Albert snapped, annoyed by the old man's question.
He rose from the milk bath and stepped toward Helderic. The man could feel the strong fluctuations of spiritual energy from Albert; Helderic dared not look directly into Albert's eyes or body.
Albert gently patted Helderic's shoulder, explaining that it was normal for mistakes to occur with magical tools. It was probably due to the age of the element stones in Caer Vireth.
"Then what about the second test?" asked Albert.
"He showed an affinity for light, but—"
"Then it's settled. He has the element of light and is destined to become part of the Solaris community."
"Complete their Job and Stage Tests. Send the selected heroes with light affinity to Solaris immediately!" Albert ordered.
Helderic fell silent. He hadn't gotten the chance to explain about Agares' dominant element percentage, but Albert had already cut him off. In the end, the man could only obey Albert's orders due to his higher status.
"Yes. I will do as you say," Helderic replied.
"Go. I want to enjoy my time with them longer." Albert walked back to the milk pool full of enthusiasm, like an excited child. Helderic had no other choice but to cover up this oddity and let everything appear normal.
Helderic and his wizard guard left. As they walked down the corridor of the White Marble Palace, Helderic accidentally bumped into Princess Karina. Princess Karina was the second child of Emperor Altherius and his first daughter.
"Archmage Helderic?" Karina greeted him, wearing red armor and carrying a legendary sword.
"Greetings, Your Grace Princess Karina," said Helderic.
"Did you just meet that lecherous old man?"
"Sage Albert is not a lecherous man. I did meet him earlier."
"I heard that Caer Vireth has also summoned the chosen heroes. How did it go?" asked Karina, changing the subject.
"Two of our five chosen heroes have an affinity with light, Princess Karina," Helderic replied.
"Wow. That's great. The Knight's Hall Academy must be eager to receive them," Karina said.
"We will send them to Solaris immediately after they complete their Job and Stage Tests."
"I'll be waiting for their arrival," Karina explained, smiling.
She and her knights left Helderic. Helderic also left the White Marble Palace to return to Caer Vireth.
"Even though he thinks this is normal, I'll keep an eye on him," Helderic replied.
"This still feels strange to me."
***
The next day.
Caer Vireth Palace.
As scheduled, Agares and the others arrived at the magic research building of Caer Vireth Palace. They were ready to take the Job and Stage Test that would take place today. They were so impatient to get their own jobs.
The staff at the building escorted Agares and the others to the Job and Stage test room on the third floor. He told them that they had to wait until Archmage Helderic arrived, they didn't mind.
In the Job test room, they saw carvings on the wall showing 7 hero jobs, starting with Saber, Lancer, Warpriest, Assassin, Archer, Priest, and finally Mage.
"Could there be other jobs besides the seven hero jobs?" Agares asked curiously.
Soon, Helderic arrived, opening the door. Every time Helderic saw Agares, he was reminded of the oddity from yesterday. However, he couldn't show it in his demeanor so Agares wouldn't grow suspicious.
"How about it? Are you ready for the Job and Stage Test?" Helderic asked, the five of them nodding.
Helderic formed a hand seal and summoned pillars in the room. The pillars had spheres on top and detection devices underneath. They had to place their hands on the detection devices and let the system assign them a job.
Each person had two chances to choose a job, with one chance to display two job options. When they decided to take their second chance, the two previous job options would be discarded.
For the Stage Test, the results would appear after they chose their desired job. It was quite simple, Agares and the others understood it easily.
"There is a high possibility that you will get one of the seven hero jobs. If you don't know what those jobs are, you can see them here," said Helderic.
He tapped his magic pouch and pulled out a plate, which contained information about the seven hero jobs. Each person received one.
[Hero Job]
[Job: Saber || A renowned swordsman known for the balance between strength, speed, and agility]
[OVR Status on a 100-point scale:]
[STR: 80 || DEF: 75 || AGI: 65 || INT: 30 || DEX: 50 || VIT: 70]
[Hero Job]
[Job: Lancer || A mid-range fighter who uses a spear, excelling in speed and attack range]
[OVR Status on a 100-point scale:]
[STR: 75 || DEF: 60 || AGI: 85 || INT: 25 || DEX: 65 || VIT: 65]
[Hero Job]
[Job: Assassin || A master of ambushes and stealth attacks, excelling in accuracy, stealth, and critical hit rate]
[Overall Status per 100 scale:]
[STR: 70 || DEF: 40 || AGI: 95 || INT: 30 || DEX: 90 || VIT: 50]
[Hero Job]
[Job: Warpriest || A combination of priest and knight, using a mace in combat]
[Overall Status per 100 scale:]
[STR: 65 || DEF: 80 || AGI: 50 || INT: 60 || DEX: 40 || VIT: 75]
[Hero Job]
[Job: Archer || A long-range knight who uses a bow and arrows]
[OVR Status per 100 scale:]
[STR: 60 || DEF: 45 || AGI: 70 || INT: 40 || DEX: 90 || VIT: 55]
[Hero Job]
[Job: Priest || A wizard dedicated to healing, protection, and support magic]
[OVR Status per 100 scale:]
[STR: 30 || DEF: 35 || AGI: 40 || INT: 85 || DEX: 40 || VIT: 50]
[Hero Job]
[Job: Mage || An elemental wizard who relies on powerful spells for long-range attacks and defense]
[OVR Status per 100 scale:]
[STR: 25 || DEF: 30 || AGI: 45 || INT: 100 || DEX: 55 || VIT: 45]
The explanation on the plate was detailed and clear. Livia and the others became very interested, reminding them of a game they had played before. Jonathan was different; he looked confused.
"Hey, do you know what job we should take?" Joe asked.
"I don't know. Choose whatever you think suits you," Agares replied.
"What about you?" Joe asked.
Agares remained silent, still focused on the list on the plate to confirm which job he would choose later.
"Maybe a saber."
"Alright. I'll go with you."