Dr. Fauci is a veteran of the Parslov City Magicians Association. He has a wide network of contacts and has a lot of face. With this letter of recommendation, Alex can save a lot of trouble.
Sure enough, when the two receptionists saw the signature of the recommendation letter, they immediately became a little more respectful. They invited Alex inside, filled out a lot of forms, sent it upstairs, and stamped a seal. After an hour, it was finally replaced by A small blue notebook was handed over to Alex.
Alex ended up spending thirteen gold pounds to purchase a magical wand from the association. Constructed of laurel wood, it was slightly more than half a meter long and weighed two pounds plus seven taels. It displayed intricate symbols that could increase the speed of casting spells, with an added ability to store defensive magic beneath the third ring. Despite these features, Alex was not entirely satisfied as he could not utilize any defensive magic, rendering this function useless.
The primary rationale for buying this staff rested on its inexpensive price tag; in addition to hastening spellcasting capabilities, it was nearly the most affordable wand accessible in the entire Magic Association. This also presented him with an exciting combat testing prospect that he had long been anticipating - following certification as a magician one can partake in voluntary battles.
Alex, a junior necromancer apprentice, has learned two spells: [Spirituality] and [Bone Spurs]. In order to become an intermediate magic apprentice, one must master four one-ring spells. Although Alex has not yet reached this level, he is unique in that he has access to a cemetery, which allows him to summon more elite skeleton soldiers through his [Spirituality] spell.
However, Alex is uncertain about the combat effectiveness of these soldiers and is excited to test it in the Magician Association's fifth floor test site, which simulates various battle scenes. After listening to the receptionist's instructions and signing a liability waiver, Alex enters the testing venue to participate in a combat strength test in a simulated wild forest terrain.
"Combat Strength Test, Act 1, Scene 3, Wild Forest Terrain; Combat Level, Junior Apprentice..."
Alex entered the testing grounds and heard a monotone voice in his ear. Suddenly, the light around him flickered and he was transported to a winter forest. As he took a few steps forward, he noticed that it was night-time, and the trees were dense. A chilly wind blew on his face.
Alex marvelled at the impressive capabilities of the super-large magic circle, which was able to create such a realistic holographic scene. He could not help but feel that magic truly had unlimited potential and that even with the advanced technology of the 21st century, it would be impossible to achieve a similar effect.
As a necromancer, Alex instinctively summoned a skeleton soldier from the cemetery to stand guard in front of him using spiritism. The sight of the tall skeleton standing in front of him brought Alex a sense of relief, but as he looked out into the darkness, he could not shake off the gloomy feeling that the simulated, undulating mountains and gusts of wind evoked.
Alex walked through the dense forest, the darkness making it difficult to see anything beyond a few feet in front of him. To help light his way, he activated the light spell on his staff, the gemstones at the top emitting a white beam that illuminated the area in front of him.
As he walked, he could hear rustling noises coming from the left front, as if something was walking and scratching the ground. Alex immediately tensed, raising his staff, and preparing to cast a spell to shoot bone spur in the direction of the noise. He stood ready, surrounded by skeleton soldiers holding swords and shields.
As Alex waited for an attack, he found himself holding his breath and feeling nervous. However, after a few seconds passed and nothing happened, he began to feel a little relieved.
Suddenly, a black shadow rushed towards him from the other side. Alex quickly avoided the attack by rolling on the ground and flicked his staff to release bone spurs, which pierced the ground where he had just been standing. The black shadow was hit and let out a low roar, revealing itself as a monster with Alex skin, fangs, and claws.
Alex had never encountered this type of monster before. It resembled a troll from the game World of Warcraft, but Alex knew that it was a simulation created by the Magic Association using puppets. At the same time, there was a clashing of metal coming from the front left, where Alex's skeleton soldiers were engaged in hand-to-hand combat with another Alex-skinned monster.
The skeleton soldiers were agile and had strong fighting instincts, using their round shields to block the enemy's attacks, and then cutting them down with their swords. In one instance, a skeleton soldier even managed to cut off the Alex-skinned monster's arm and then used a kick to send the enemy flying before chasing after it and aiming another sword at its neck.
Alex was surprised by the strength and effectiveness of the skeleton soldier, which was almost on par with a junior apprentice knight.
Alex's heart was settled. Originally, he was worried that the skeleton soldiers in the cemetery were silver-like pewter heads. Now it seems that he is worrying for nothing. The skeleton soldiers should not be too strong. Seeing this form, he did not rush to summon the second skeleton soldier, it was just a test. Alex stepped aside and ordered the skeleton soldiers to attack another Alex-skinned monster.
The skeleton soldier charged at the monster with its shield raised, crashing into it like a galloping horse and delivering a muffled 'bang' as it struck. The skeleton's dagger stabbed out from under the shield, piercing the Alex monster in the lower abdomen. With a loud explosion and a cloud of white smoke, the defeated Alex-skinned monster turned into a wooden and iron puppet. The battle was over in just a matter of seconds.
Alex was pleased with the outcome of the test, as the skeleton soldiers summoned from the cemetery proved to be formidable opponents. The Mage Association's combat effectiveness test is no joke.
Typically, junior trainees or junior apprentices are able to withstand being attacked by two puppets for five minutes, and those who can last for ten minutes are considered excellent. Alex, on the other hand, was able to fight back against the puppets, a feat that has only been achieved by a few people in the past decade.
After the battle, the simulated battlefield vanished, revealing a circular field with a diameter of over twenty meters. The receptionist who accompanied Alex stood stunned at the entrance where Alex entered but snapped out of her trance and approached Alex with a more respectful attitude when she noticed him looking at her.