I present to you... The system! Not really.
Support my main contracted novel and winner of Writing Prompts #26 - The Legendary Mage!
Desolate Mage: A Legend Reborn!
https://www.webnovel.com/book/12013957905760805/Desolate-Mage%3A-A-Legend-Reborn!
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"Now, you'll need to stand in the circular formation, then place your hands on the surface of the statue of the goddess. Once you've done that, you'll be registered with the goddess network permanently. Your information and details can then be accessed from anywhere there is a temple, and can be used to apply for work, hunter or mercenary jobs, education or professions."
They were standing in a large, circular hall with a high dome-like ceiling. The walls were supported by sturdy dark brown wooden pillars, while the ceiling and some sections of the walls were stained glass depicting various motifs and imagery depicting an artist's impression of heaven. Sam wondered how they managed to preserve the glass from cracks; just one stone from the children would leave countless cracks on the precious artwork...
At the far end of the hall, in the eastern direction, towered a 8m high statue of Uropa that appeared to be made of white marble - except that the swirls and veins looked suspiciously well-placed. Near the statue, in the north-east corner, was an area with what looked to be an altar for the priest or priestess to stand and conduct the rituals.
One area of the walls stood out to Sam - there was a square area of blank white wall above where they had walked in from; which the statue was facing directly. Sam couldn't help but feel it looked very out of place compared to the beautiful artwork and paintings filling the area.
Keeping in mind Lucius' reminder to remain serious and reserved, Sam kept her thoughts to herself to minimise her speaking. He told her strictly to stay still and refrain from speaking; after being left utterly speechless at her shockingly bad attempts at acting and speaking like a man.
Along their way to the temple, he was quite impressed at her efforts to keep up the "disguise". When the girls waved at her or called out to her, she just smiled back a dreamy smile at them, or waved back. The worst that had happened was when she just happened to flick her shoulder-length hair back and smile head-on at a girl who was trying to give her a flower - she fainted on the spot and had to be carried away; her face flushed and red.
Overall she had been doing fine - up until those 2 sentences that those hungry for gossip would gladly gobble up.
Lucius was standing at a parent's waiting area as the now disinterested priestess-in-training guided Sam through the assessment. Stella was conducting the tests; on the way here, Marie had spoken with her in hushed tones before leaving on her own; probably to serve the other petitioners.
As Sam placed her hands into 2 openings at the base of Uropa's statue that were meant for a testee's hands to be inserted, Stella walked over to the altar, where there were a collection of buttons on what looked to be a control panel.
She pressed 3 buttons in sequence, buttons labelled as "Affinity", "Talent" and "Capability".
"Affinity refers to your natural inclinations, such as whether for mana manipulation or divine influence; or elemental suitability whether to Fire, Wind or others." Stella ran through the standard explanations as divine power flowed from the statues into the formation beneath Sam's feet. "...whereas talent and capability are your innate or acquired gifts and body's core statistics such as Strength, Vitality, Mana Aptitude and so on. Oh, please stay calm until the mist and lights fade, alright? It will improve the accuracy of the assessment."
While Sam was curiously looking around wondering what light or mist she was talking about, the formation began to radiate pulses of white light; while mist rose up from the ground and clung to her body.
She was a little startled as the mist began to spiral around her body, but she only flinched for a moment before staying stock still. The mist enveloped her starting from her feet up to her head; while the lights shining from the eyes of Uropa's statue bathed her entire body.
The mist soon flowed back into the formation and the lights stopped. Before she could move, a holographic display was projected from the eyes of the statue onto the blank wall of the assessment hall. Another screen with the same words and numbers appeared at the base of the statue for the testee to read.
Height 188cm
Weight 192kg
AFFINITY
Mana affinity 0 / 0
Divine affinity 0 / 0
Elemental affinity: None
TALENTS:
True Luck
CORE STATS
Level: 1
Strength: A
Vitality: A
Agility: A
Dexterity: A
Mental Rating*: A
Resistances Rating*: A
Mana Rating*: N/A
Divine Rating*: N/A
ESSENCE: 01021
[*Combination of various statistics e.g. mana rating can be broken down to mana manipulation, mana pool, mana efficiency and mana amplification. Mental rating can be broken down to perception, thinking speed etc.]
The trio were silent for awhile as they tried to digest what they were reading. Lucius was not surprised at what he saw, but Stella was amazed.
"Con... Congratulations! " Stella spoke with controlled enthusiasm, "You have outstanding scores in all physical areas; you're only the third person in the past 50 years to have a rating of A in all 6 physical categories!" In truth, she was not surprised as Sam and Reeve were both tall, heroic and well-built. She had been far more surprised when she saw that overweight brute Bob Joe similarly acing the tests...
Not paying much attention to Sam's weight that was higher than even Bob's, Stella continued reading down the list. When she saw Sam's mana and divine stats, she was startled, then filled with pity.
She added apologetically, "Ah! I'm so sorry to give you the bad news... According to the tests; well... You have; well... No, no talent for cultivating, whether as a knight, warrior, mage, priest or... Any cultivation path at all..." Stella looked distraught as she imagined how devastated the boy must be feeling, hearing her words.
She attempted to comfort Sam. "I'm so sorry - even if it is disappointing, the goddess' assessment has never been wrong even once in the past many millennia... But maybe there's still some hope to receive a blessing, or to find natural treasures that transform your affinity!" She tried to sound encouraging, but it came out more like a rehearsed spiel that she had recited countless times - probably because she really had said those words umpteen times before.
Sam looked to Lucius - she didn't yet understand the implications; but Lucius did not seem surprised, - he merely nodded and thanked Stella for her help, then brought Sam to leave the temple without speaking further.
As they were leaving off to the distance, Stella began to record the results of the tests and added some notes such as, "Calm, able to accept setbacks easily," and "Very handsome, but unfortunately not straight."
"Ah!" She dropped her pen, and fumbled to catch it before it rolled to the floor. "Dang it!" She hopped a little as the solid pen landed on her right little toe.
She had been so caught up in the boy's non-existent mana and divine talent; that she had forgotten to advise to expend her world essence to raise her level. 1000 essence was just enough to get her to level 2, and receive the accompanying all-round multiplier.
By now, the girl had completely forgotten to tell the duo that there was actually 1 more hidden item under the talents section, strangely printed in incredibly fine print. It had read, "Locked - level 5". But since it was still locked and unknown, it had slipped her mind. It probably didn't matter anyway... Right...?
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Thinking that Lucius was disappointed in her results, Sam quietly followed behind him the entire journey back, her head lowered in self-doubt and worry. She ignored the people "surreptitiously" crowded around, pretending to just be there for other matters but obviously come to take a look at the new boy in town. For the girls, to see their new heart-throb. For the boys, to take a look at the new rival.
As she was mulling over what had happened, she didn't realise that Lucius was walking faster and faster. Little did she know that all Lucius had on his mind was the wish to disappear from the face of earth, or hide in the mountains; away from the embarrassment of the rumours about Samuel.
Breaking through with their pace that was as fast as a grown man's sprint, they soon left the crowds behind and reached the shrine area; far from the rest of the town houses or any other residents.
Shrine priest Francis waved at them as they walked past the main shrine building. He was a kindly old man, who had lost his wife - and his left arm - to the beastmen. His son, in his desire to gain power, wealth and influence to avenge his family; was apparently doing well in the city. He had established himself with a renowned mercenary and hunter troupe, and often sent back money. Though Francis just used the money for the needy, anyway.
Lucius smiled and exchanged some perfunctory greetings with the man, then bowed in greetings and gratefulness before they headed off to their home; shadows painted long by the setting sun, both on the dusty dirt ground - as well as on their hearts.
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"Sam."
"Yes, grandpa?"
Sam had doffed Lucius' old outfit and had laid it out folded carefully in her shelf. She was back in her familiar clothing, the rough shirt and pants tied up by a rope; only now it looked like it fit just right. Francis' son must have been quite a valiant boy; for his old clothes to fit her tall frame.
"Ahem. To skip the word-count filler and theatrics; your scores of A in every category are much lower than your true strength."
"?"
"Do you remember seeing the words "Level: 1""?
"Yes... I do?"
"Good. Everyone starts at level 1 in the divine registry. A baby would likely have a rating of F in every aspect, while an average adult would score C, or B- if he is slightly athletic. So what do you think a rating of A means...?"
"Just a little stronger than a normal person...?"
Lucius nodded. Then he asked, "Do you think you're just a little stronger...?"
Sam hesitated, then slowly shook her head. She had been oblivious at first, but after the encounter with Shanzi and co, she realised that perhaps only Reeve was on par with her. And maybe the 3rd person who aced the scores...
Lucius nodded in approval. "Yes, the level 1 scores only grade you up to A. Whether you're as strong as a blacksmith..." Lucius picked up a branch as thick as his palm, then easily snapped it, "-or whether you're as strong as as dragon..." He threw the broken fragment at a nearby rock. The rock cracked, smashed to pieces, while the branch was pulverised to pulp.
"...your score will still just be an A." Lucius walked up to Sam and put his hand on her arm. "Do you understand now...? You're very, very talented, strong, fast, tough... Maybe even stronger than 5 men."
He paused and looked her in the eye, trying to comfort her, "You're truly talented, alright? Even if you can't use mana or divine power; grandpa will find you an answer, alright...? We'll... We'll find a way, together."
Sam wasn't sure whether it was just a play of the evening lighting, but as they silently walked back to prepare dinner, she felt that grandpa looked very, very old today. His eyes seemed to shimmer, but she couldn't really tell as he coincidentally angled himself so she couldn't see his face directly.
She wondered if she could find her place in this world, where once again, she found out she was not like anyone else.