In the middle of the training field, a platform was built. Around it stood clerks behind counters, writing down the career choices of every young adult of Ferston.
Right after arriving, Adam went to the counter and tried registering as a mage to be.
"Hello, what's your name?" Asked a young lady in a clerk uniform.
"My name is Adam Axigna."
"What are your plans, do intend on becoming a fighter?" She asked.
"I intend on becoming a fighter, a mage, in fact." Adam answered.
"A mage? Good for you, just don't go around talking about it before you become one. It's a very ambitious goal, and it's most likely you didn't succeed, save yourself the embarrassment." The clerk in an instructive tone.
"Now, before you leave, please answer a few questions, The questions come from the mayor's office and their purpose is to find out the current trends among young adults."
"Ok, go on." Answered Adam.
"If you don't manage to become a warrior," The girl looked at him and added: "Or a mage, which profession would you pursue, do you have qualifications for it?" She asked.
"Ehh... maybe a carpenter? I have done some things from wood with my uncle, so I have some experience."
"Okay, so a little practical experience, no qualifications. Next, this is a deep one, so think it through. If for example, a weather disaster of massive proportions struck the town, would you be ready to immediately leave and head to the place in which you would be safer, without thinking of other people who may stay behind? Would you be able to leave the history behind and go into the world?" The clerk questioned.
"......"
"I'm not sure for the first part, it probably depends on who stays behind. For the second part though, I can say yes with certainty. That's actually part of my plan for the future, to go on an adventure and explore the world." Answered Adam.
"Well, thanks for your trouble, you are free to go. 'Your first adventure awaits you further on the field, where the briefing will commerce.'" The girl smirked.
Adam smiled back at her, said his goodbyes and left.
Walking towards the briefing site, Adam saw Ethan, the son of Derek's colleague, and Adam's friend. They learned how to hunt at the same time, so they were sent on their first 'solo' hunts together.
Ethan, actually Ethan Venator was 180 cm tall and had short and curly red hair and blue eyes. He was of the bulkier build, it's enough to say that he was two times heavier than Adam, despite being shorter. All that additional mass came from muscles. He was obsessed with strength. Although both Adam and Ethan were trained hunters, only Adam considered having become an archer, Ethan always wanted to be a close combat fighter, something that made him weirdly excited. As both of them wanted to be warriors from a young age, they always planned to train together in the future.
"Oh, at last, you came Adam!" Shouted Ethan as soon as he noticed him.
"Ehhh, fuck off? I am not late. I am... I have arrived maturely."
"Huh? Bullshit, do you have the mana necessary? I have! The legend of a spearman from ferston is going to be heard far and wide! Even the Emperor will know my name!" Quick riposte was followed by Ethan's praises of himself.
"Yeah, actually, I think I have a chance at becoming a mage.'' Said Adam.
"Seriously?" Ethen stopped in his tracks stupefied. "You aren't joking right?"
"No, I believe in my chances, that is if I get something or someone to guide me a bit." Adam answered calmly.
"Wow, that's great!" Ethan exclaimed enthusiastically.
"We will talk later, the chief guard is coming." Stated Adam.
Adam found himself in a nice spot in the shade of a tree and waited for the speech to start.
After waiting for several minutes Adam was startled by a sudden commotion, chief guard, Edgar Steelarm had come.
Edgar didn't look like your normal guard, even among those who are higher than him in rank, he stood out. As a mage, being a guard was a rarity, especially a low-rank one. Although being a chef guard was the highest post in Ferston, In larger towns and cities there were people with a lot more authority. No one knows why an esteemed mage became guard chef in Ferston, and no one will investigate it, it would be terrible to lose only one mage in the town apart from the mayor.
To put the rarity of mages into context, for 7000 Ferston inhabitants, there were only two mages, and Ferston, which can be classified as a soon-to-be small city because of a dungeon, was exceptionally full of mages amongst other towns. In normal villages mages were non-existent and in a better-off town, statistically, there was one mage per 15000 inhabitants.
Anyway, Edgar could be easily identified amongst other guards because of his robe. He wore a light grey robe on top of the guards' standard light armour. Leather armour was made from some sort of grey hide, sheltering the wearer from cold and minor hits. Light-grey robe, which lay on top of Edgar's shoulders implied his element affiliation. Light-grey represented mages specializing in metal magic. He had a sharp, triangular face, light brown hair, and not a single hair on his face.
"Welcome young aspirants! Today is the start of your mandatory training week in which we will prepare you for adult life, from today onwards to the next Wednesday you all will try your hardest to improve yourself and gain as much as possible from lessons and practical exercises. Guards in cooperation with the mayor created basic training for each close combat category. Training with representatives of each field will begin in an hour and will last until midnight. Tomorrow, the training will also be hosted here and will consist of exercises and training regimes. After tomorrow, instructors will guide you to the outskirts of the forest, where you will gain practical experience, as that's the most important part of combat. Of course, you don't have to worry about encountering beasts you can't handle, those terrains have been cleared from the major predators by the guards in the last few weeks. Remember to do your best, as in the end, it's you who will decide your life or death."
After the speech, most people have gone home to prepare for training, with the rest already starting. But before Adam would start doing his own, he had something to do.
"Chief guard Edgar, please wait!" Shouted Adam as he ran towards the man.
"What is it, boy?" Replied Edgar while going down the platform.
"Could you please help me? I believe I have a chance at becoming a mage, but I don't know anything about how to." Pleaded Adam.
"Hmm... I suppose I could advise you a bit, potential mages are rare. Hmmmm... Let's do it like that, you will owe me, or my son if you become a mage and I will tell you the basics of the trade, nothing too serious but still, how about that?"
"Yes, please!" As Adam said these words, his face gained colour and he stared at chef guard Edgar in anticipation.