Idle Mage: Humanity's Strongest Backer

Fantasia was set into motion ever since the announcement. It had practically become the talk of the town per se.

It has been a while since the Federation did anything remotely close to a call for arms. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing but some would be lying if they said they weren't worried.

However, compared to those who were overthinking, many people thought that the announcement came at an opportune time.

There were cultivators around who weren't affiliated with any organization, so seeing the announcement caused them to feel a little tempted. After all, it was said that they'll be given access to all sorts of resources, which they badly needed to advance.

All of this happened while Ashton and his friends prepared for the reception.

The venue would of course be the Grotto Heaven, a place that had grown with Ashton during this past year and had been terraformed to make it perfect for a base. West Two worked really hard to transform the entire place, now it is ready to be used.

Time passed by and then, it was D-day.

Today was Nov. 24, the scheduled recruitment for the Mystic Guild.

Ashton could be seen standing in front of a glass mirror. He's at his office where he has a perfect view of his surroundings. Peering down, he could see a long line of people waiting outside.

These range from old to young, men to women, and everything in between.

He won't lie, he's a little shocked by the number of people who wanted to join. He's expecting some but not this many.

Thankfully though, there is a limited amount of slots available for registration. That being said, choosing from so many people might prove to be more difficult than he initially expected.

'Well, it's a good thing I have plans for this specific event.' He mused to himself.

Indeed, had it not been for his thoroughness, this might prove more challenging to pull off. However, since he's ready for this, then everything should turn out fine.

'Let's see if someone interests me today.' Ashton smiled and returned to his seat.

While Ashton continued working in his office, his friends and girlfriend are busy trying to accommodate all who appeared.

There were some employees from the Federation who were helping them with the paperwork and the technical stuff but even still, they feel like their hands were always full.

"...all of you who had passed the 3rd screening, please follow me." Aria yelled.

A few people stood up and followed her to a separate room.

Aria didn't have to look at them to know that they are acting like kids who just entered a magical portal. Admittedly, the interior of the headquarters was a little bizarre, in a good way of course.

Through the changes that happened fairly recently, the entire headquarters experienced a makeover. It looks completely modern, hell it could even be described as futuristic!

And this sight is only available inside the HQ, so of course, some people were bound to be curious.

Sadly, now isn't the time for any of that.

Eventually, they arrived at one of the vacant Rooms. Aria entered followed by the crowd behind her. Once their inside, she began talking:

"Welcome to the Morning Sun Federation's Headquarters. The current president was kind enough to allow us to use this place temporarily for our tests. I'm telling you this to set expectations, this place isn't where the guild will start. We have a proper location for our organization. The reason why this is taking place here is that only those who pass all of the tests will be allowed to take a step there."

"Right, my name is Aria. I am the Chief Artificer of the Mystic Guild. I'm here acting as some sort of an examiner for all of you."

The crowd listened to her words intently, seemingly afraid to miss out on a single syllable.

It's a bit hard to tell if they're doing this because they truly want to listen or because of some kinky shit she rather not know.

"You've passed the screenings we have set up so far, congratulations. However, you're not out of the woods yet."

"The first three screenings were placed to filter out a bad batch. Since you passed that, then that means you have some promise, we just don't know how much. Well, the following test will let us see if you truly have what it takes to be one of us."

"Jerry, your turn."

"Yes, Mistress."

The crowd was stunned and alert. They looked around searching for the source of the voice only to find no one.

"Eyes in front please, all of you." The robotic voice sounded once more

Then, to everyone's amazement, they discovered that the wall in front of them turns out to be a large screen which is now displaying Jerry's avatar.

"Good day to you, Ladies and Gentleman. My name is Jerry, I am the Bulter AI of the Mystic Guild." He said, introducing himself. "Please pay attention because I am about to reveal the contents of your next examination."

The crowd wasn't given any moment to let their guard down, it seems. They weren't even allowed to think too much about this AI that was talking to them right now.

They then saw Jerry swiping his hand and revealing a scene in front of them.

The video was a little bit fuzzy and barely had any visibility. There seems to be some sort of sandstorm happening, which somewhat confused them.m

Then, they heard a low and gritty growl. The surroundings cleared out for a bit and the form what just made that sound was revealed.

"What is that?"

"Some kind of a monster it seems? But it has the same shape as a human."

"That's an Angel. Technically, it's not wrong to call them monsters since they're very dangerous. At least that's what I heard."

"It looks mad, did something happen?"

That's when the video suddenly zoomed out and displayed a horrifying scene that they'll never be able to forget.

As it turns out, there wasn't just a single one on the video. There were more than they could. The worst part is when the video zoomed out enough to reveal that there were still more and this horde was currently bashing on the invisible barrier of Last Bastion.

None of them could believe what they were seeing, that scene was so horrifying that it made their skin crawl.

And then, arguably the most horrifying part of it all, was when the video started zooming in until the perspective changed and displayed them on the screen.

The crowd panicked for a bit, but before they could protest, Jerry cuts them off.

"What you saw, is a real-time display of what the status of the world beyond our walls was like. Don't worry, despite the seemingly horrifying number of invaders outside, they wouldn't get it. They've been trying to for weeks now and they haven't succeeded yet so it's safe to assume that they can't."

"Okay, if that's the case, why show us this?" One of the participants asked.

"I was about to talk about that, actually." Jerry politely replied. "We showed this to you because it has something to do with your next exams."

"Don't tell us..."

"If you're thinking that we are asking you to kill those things, then yes, that is indeed our intention."

"Dude! No way! That's suicide, there's way too many!" One of the participants protested.

"Did we say that we're asking you to kill all?" Jerry tilted his head while asking, causing them to be silent. "Please wait until I'm finished explaining. Then you can ask questions."

"..."

"This will be your final trial." Jerry continued. "Your task is to kill one angel or a demon. If you're going after an angel, do bring back the halo, eyes, and wings as proof. If you're going after a demon, bring back their horns, eyes, and bones. One set for each of you."

"You can either do this as a group or individually, it's up to you."

Jerry waved his hand again, and then a compartment popped up from their seat.

In that compartment, a box could be seen. Then, Jerry continued talking...

"That box contains a badge that you must wear if you decide to participate in this test. It will record your journey as additional proof. Bring it back to us along with the set of your chosen bounty and you'd complete the final task."

"Should you find yourself in grave danger, please do not hesitate to crush the badge. That will release a barrier that could teleport you directly back here. Do note that should you do that, you are also forfeiting from the final trial."

"Of course, if you can collect a set first before crushing the badge, then you'd still be qualified. Please refrain from any form of cheating because we'd also be monitoring your actions in real-time."

"And should you find yourselves a little bold, then feel free to hunt more than one set of the requirements. The excess can be exchanged for resources listed here."

A list of resources appeared on the screen along with their exchange requirements.

"As we said from the announcement, we do not lack resources to help with your growth, however, what you get will ultimately depend on how determined you are."

"That's basically all there is for you to know about the final task. Do you have any questions?"