Nothing without your parents.
Most of the class tried to control the Carapace, with only a few who weren't that interested. Kevin seemed to be the one who was most intrigued with the mech, trying to power it with his own mana. Kevin was actually quite suited for the robot, since he could constantly convert different kinds of energy into mana, powering the mech. The mech was really strong, stronger than Flynn originally imagined. And unlike the movies Flynn seen, the mechs were practically indestructible. The new instructor even allowed the students to attack the robot however they wanted. With a thin film of mana covering the durable armour, they failed to even scratch the surface. "Could you make something like this?" Flynn asked Drew, who was examining the robot from a distance. "With sufficient materials, I could perhaps create something similar. But without understanding the runes that are carved on the inside of the mech, it would easily collapse after one punch," Drew said, shaking his head. Flynn thought the robot was cool, but he wasn't really that interested.
People began to head towards the auditorium since the class was almost over. Today was the day when they'll be tested for their Element Registration they applied to. The written exam scores were already sent in, so today's test were about their practical skills. "Did your scores pass the lowest requirment?" Brian asked Flynn. "Of course. After all, I'm the one and only genius," Flynn replied. In truth, Flynn was only a couple points higher than the required score. He was really skilled in healing magic, but the written exam also consisted of subjects that he despised. He wasn't really the brightest when it comes to his arithmetic skills, and although he liked to read, his never bothered to remember the exact order of when things happened.
The test was held in the auditorium, and many had already arrived. Although many people applied to the Doctor's Union, only a hundred managed to meet the criteria. Following Josh, Flynn lined up behind the long line. They were tested one at a time, judging by the long line in front of them, they still had to wait for quite a while. There was a large screen on the wall, displaying the grades and names of every applicant. Surely enough, Flynn was at the very bottom. A red line near the middle of the screen separated the list of names. "That must be the expected admissions," thought Flynn. The Doctor's Union only wanted forty students to enter the next round of testing, so more than a half of the applicants were going to be refused.
Looking for Josh's name, he saw it underneath Jasper, who was 27th. "You're basically guaranteed to get the quota," Flynn said to the nervous classmate in front of him. "That's not true, you are much more skillful than I am when it comes to magic," Josh said, recalling the various times Flynn displayed his knowledge and skills in healing magic. "I wish I believe as much in me as you do," said Flynn, pointing at his name at the bottom of the list. "You'll be fine," Josh said, genuinely believing that Flynn would successfully get one of the forty spots. "So what department will you be joining?" asked Flynn, curious about Josh's carreer choice. "Probably Mutation magic, I heard they make a good amount of money," replied Josh.
Mutation magic allows mages to temporarily or permanently reassemble the genetic codes of organisms, which could lead to some crazy mutations. Some skilled Mutation mages are very powerful fighters, able to modify their own body to adapt to different opponents. Others rely on altering other organisms, creating deadly pathogens, powerful beasts, or even GMO crops. The GMO produce allowed humans to solve starvation worldwide, although some refuse to eat food that has been tweeked by magic, believing that it could cause many problems.
After a bit of small talk, Flynn noticed Jasper walking up to the mages who were in charge of the testing. The testing was quite brutal, the healing mages would pull out a rabbit from a cage, then they would slice the hind legs off the pitiful creature. The applicants would then have to choose from different catalysts to treat the wounded animal. The score was determined by the catalyst they chose, increasing if they chose lower level catalyst, and by the fluency and speed of their execution. Choosing the crude silver ring, which was the worst catalyst, within seconds Jasper easily reconnected the cleanly sliced off legs onto the rabbit's body. The examiners placed the rabbit back into the cage, it ran around normally once it was released! Fifty points! Some applicants were astonished by Japser's skill while others were sad because a spot was definitely taken by Jasper, his name rised to the 21st place on the screen. Jasper's written exam wasn't really that good, or else he definitely have a much higher ranking.
More and more people finished the exam, some managing to secure a place while other names fell underneath the red line. Finally, it was Josh's turn. Walking up to the examiners, Flynn could see that his hands were shaking. Josh was now in 50th place, only needing 15 points to qualify for the next round. Playing it safe, Josh chose the tiny cross crafted out of platinum, it also had a blue mana crystal embedded in the middle, further amplifying its effects. Josh shuddered a little when he saw the hind legs get sliced off the innocent rabbit, but he forcefully kept his cool. Without even paying attention to the hind legs that were placed on the table, Josh forcefully sped up the metabolism of the rabbit's leg, allowing a new pair of legs to sprout from the wounds. In about a minute, the hind legs of the rabbit grew back, but the poor animal also passed out. "20 points," one of the examiners said, shaking his head. Although Josh successfully cured the rabbit, he also caused unnecessary pain, and his control of mana even with the help of a powerful catalyst was still bad. In the end, Josh got 37th place, barely qualifying for the next round.
The student in 40th placed let out a sigh of relief, since it was practically impossible for the last guy to take his place. Flynn was rank 100, and he needed 55 points to qualify for the next round. That was impossible since even if he chose the worst catalyst and had a perfect execution, he'll only get 50 points. "I guess you'll have to wait for next season," Jasper, who saw the rankings mocked his best friend. "It's OK, you'll definitely succeed next season," said Josh, who was still happy that he passed. "Nope, I prefer not to," said Flynn, stretching his limbs. Other students looked at him with a weird look, didn't he know that there was no way he could meet the requirements?
Walking up to the examiners, Flynn recognized some familiar faces. "Aren't you the son of Benevolence?" one of the examiners asked. Benevolence was a pseudonym of his father, who was a board member of the Doctor's Union. Nodding, Flynn signaled them to continue on with the exam. Hearing the exchange, the student in 40th place suddenly felt a bit nervous, surely they wouldn't dare to allow him to pull some strings in front of so many people. Slicing off the hind legs of another unfortunate rabbit, the examiner presented Flynn with the catalysts. "So how much additional points does each catalyst have?" Flynn asked, as blood was still dripping from the rabbit's wounds. "The maximum points that you can get if you choose the silver ring would be 50, but we could certainly do you and your father a favor," the examiner whispered, pandering to Flynn.
Smirking, Flynn replied, "No need, I'll be fine on my own." Without taking any catalysts, Flynn walked up to the struggling bunny. Conjuring some mana in his palm, he patted the rabbit. Instantly, the rabbit's hind legs grew back, and it seemed to be in no pain. The shocked examiner released the rabbit back into the cage, where it ran around as if nothing happened. After a breif moment of silence, the examiner announced, "60 points!" This was the first time that any student had successfully cured the rabbit without using any sort of catalyst. As Flynn's name climbed the ranks, it ended up in 37th place, pushing Josh down one place. Some people didn't see what Flynn did, so when they saw his name suddenly qualify for the next round, they were furious.
"Cheater!" they yelled, demanding justice. The uproar caused by the incident alerted other students, forming a large mob of people. "How dare a student cheat under broad daylight?" they said. While examiners tried to explain their reasons while their voices were being drowned by a dozen of hot-blooded teenagers, the main culprit had already snuck back to his classroom, playing video games on his newly bought holophone like it was none of his business.