Looking at the four questions answered on his sheets, Apolo stood up. Under the watchful gaze of the still-dazed boy, he left the classroom to hand his answers over to the guard who had given him the exam. Making his way through tables, chairs, and other candidates on the floor, Apolo managed to reach the doors of the grand hall. However, just before he exited, he felt as though someone was staring intensely at his back. Instinctively, Apolo turned around and noticed the stout guy who had shouted for help looking suspiciously at him from a nearby bench near the exit.

—Good luck, kid— the stout guy murmured, covering his mouth with his exam paper.

—Thanks...— Apolo replied, puzzled by why the guy was covering his mouth while speaking.

—If you pass, I hope you'll celebrate heartily from outside...— the stout guy muttered, batting his eyelashes at Apolo.

—Sure, I'm looking forward to becoming a mage...— Apolo responded, not quite understanding what the guy meant by "pass."

Noticing that the stout guy had returned his focus to his exam paper, Apolo pushed open one of the doors of the hall. To his surprise, the guard who had given out the exams was leaning against the wall beside the doors, absentmindedly combing his sparse beard hairs as if contemplating something deeply.

—Completed my form already!— Apolo exclaimed energetically, placing the solved exam paper on the guard's chest. The guard seemed to be lost in thought.

Feeling the papers hit his armor, the guard smiled happily at Apolo, taking the young man's exam paper. After an unusually long few seconds for Apolo, the guard's smile disappeared, and he shouted with delight:

—Oh! You're finished already, lad?

—I suppose so. What's next?— Apolo replied, still startled by the sudden shout. It appeared that after more than 16 hours of continuous work, the guard had been sleepwalking with his eyes open.

—Oh, so impatient! Don't you want to review the exam? I just got back from the bathroom, and there are still 4 minutes left— the guard said, looking at Apolo's answers curiously —You know, from the evil grin on the mage's face when he told me the answers for this exam, it seemed like no one could possibly answer these questions correctly. But it looks like you're a genius, lad.

—Evidently— Apolo replied, quite pleased to receive a compliment from a stranger —Can I proceed to the second part of the registration now?

—Of course, your exam is perfect. These are exactly the same words the mage told me. You're more than approved!— the guard exclaimed with enthusiasm, smiling brightly at Apolo and patting his shoulders in satisfaction —The oral exam takes place on the second floor, in room 4B. Follow the instructions, and good luck, young man.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Understanding that this stage was completed, Apolo climbed the castle stairs and followed the directions on the posters on the walls to find room 4B. Upon finding it, he entered without knocking, taking in the interior: room 4B was much smaller than the previous hall, containing only an elderly mage sleeping at a desk. The mage had hair as white as snow and a long white beard that served as a pillow on the desk. Otherwise, the mage was dressed in a long black tunic, which was the traditional attire of the empire's mages.

Apolo approached the sleeping elder and, without much politeness, shouted to wake him:

—Excuse me! I finished the previous stage, and they told me to come here!

The mage slowly opened his eyes to see Apolo staring at him with impatience, seemingly seeking something from him and not having much patience to wait.

—Did you pass, brat? — the mage asked, his face full of surprise.

—Finished the previous stage, and they told me to come here—Apolo repeated, a little impatient to finish the process and become a mage.

—Ho, ho, ho, you seem to be a genius...— the mage chuckled strangely, pleased to find someone talented enough to answer his questions —What's your name, lad?

—Apolo from the Black Forests.

—Looks like your siblings were stealing your food. You're a rather malnourished colossus, ha, ha, ha...— the mage continued laughing, while his old hand thumped against the desk.

Feeling offended, Apolo wanted to defend himself, but before he could say what he was thinking, the mage uttered the words he had longed to hear during his six long months of travel, causing Apolo to just smile like a fool.

—Well, the oral phase is approved, Apolo. If you were able to answer that it's "bismuth," you clearly have enough experience to become a mage. No need to waste time with irrelevant questions. So: Congratulations on becoming an empire mage, lad!

Upon saying those words, the old mage raised his palm, and fireworks began flooding the room. Then he pulled a card from his sleeve and handed it to Apolo, saying:

—Here you go, lad. Deliver this on the third floor, room 1C.

Apolo looked at the card the mage was giving him with some puzzlement. It was quite small and had two large eyes drawn on it, exactly like the card the minister of magic had given him in a letter. However, before he could ask why the two cards were the same, the mage, eager to get back to sleep, had risen to push him out the door.

Irritated by the shoving, Apolo left the room of his own accord. He stared in astonishment as nearly a hundred people he had filled out the "form" with stood outside the room, queuing to get in. As the crowd noticed him leaving, almost a hundred pairs of eyes fixated on the card Apolo still held in his hand.

Amidst the crowd's bewilderment, disbelieving that Apolo had passed the oral phase, the same stout guy who had looked desperate during the written stage emerged from the back of the line to approach Apolo. Without asking, the stout guy enveloped Apolo in a tight hug, laughing jubilantly:

—Ha, ha, ha! I'm so glad you've become a mage, my brother from another life. You're a good person: I'll never forget it! Ha, ha, ha.

Without waiting to see Apolo's annoyed expression due to the sudden hug from a stranger, the stout guy brazenly barged into the room where the mage was conducting the exams, bypassing the entire line.

Immediately, the people in line reacted, noticing the line-jumping individual. They began to complain and shout loudly. Feeling quite uncomfortable with the stout guy's sweat now on his body, Apolo continued his journey, ignoring the furious people in line, and headed directly to the third floor of the castle, hoping to finally complete the "procedure".