Chapter 5: Joining the Order
Alexander quickly made his way to the Mages Guild and, after waiting in the long line once more, found himself seated before Balin, the Guild Master. The Dwarf possessed a solemn expression as he sat in his chair and looked the young Elf over. With the utmost seriousness, he inquired, "So, have you made your decision?"
The Elf nodded. A screen once more appeared in front of him:
image [https://imgur.com/2zygknF.png]
With adamant eyes, the young man responded, "I've thought it over, and I'd be happy to join your order."
Balin's face lit up, and he clapped with joy, not expecting this. " Wonderful, wonderful! Welcome, good sir, welcome to the Order of Merlin."
At this point, a very long notification embed:
image [https://imgur.com/P1Gcelu.png]
Alexander smiled and commented, "The Order of Merlin, that's a pretty cool name."
Balin held a finger up to his mouth and snapped, "Shut it, kid! Many of the Gods detest our Order. That's why we have to be so secretive."
The Elf was confused by this and asked, "But why? Sounds to me like we're the good guys."
The Dwarf nodded and clarified, "That's right, kid, but that doesn't mean others liked us. We do our best to look past nationality, class, religion, and even race and species, and that makes people angry. Kingdoms hate each other, people hate each other, and even gods hate each other. Everyone says they want peace, but no one wants to lose or compromise." Balin shook his head and said, "Because we try to get in the way of the fighting, pretty much everyone wants us dead."
Alexander gulped at this and commented, "You could have mentioned that beforehand."
Balin laughed and waved dismissively, "Worry not. As long as you don't blab about your identity recklessly, you'll be fine."
The Elf nodded and asked, "Then how do I know who else is in our order."
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The Dwarf smiled mischievously, "By word of mouth, of course." Pointing to himself, he stated, "If you need any help, you can come to me. If I can't help, I can send you along to my contacts. If they can't help, then they will connect you with their contacts."
Alexander deflated a bit, "Doesn't sound very organized to me."
Balin laughed and responded, "That is the price of survival, lad. Plus, we are not the kind of organization that requires a lot of structure. We are bound by our principles, not the promise of reward or advancement. Unless you need help or guidance, we all tend to just do our own thing."
Alexander didn't mind the sound of this and nodded, "That works for me." leaning forward excitedly, he asked, "So… What now?"
The Dwarf smiled, brought out the two books he promised and a blue crystal, and responded, "First, use the grimoires to acquire an Affinity of Metal and Darkness, then use the Magic Stone to awaken your powers. Given your ridiculous Stats, you will likely have the opportunity to advance your class directly to a Mage or High Mage, but you must choose Magi."
The Elf blinked and asked, "But isn't a High Mage a lot better."
Balin shook his head and explained, "It does offer you greater strength, but it limits your chance to grow. It takes more work, but if you want the best results, start with the basics and work your way up." The Dwarf's eyes flashed as he added, "For example, you can gain 50 extra mana for every Magic Symbol you complete while a Magi. If you skip over that class, you won't gain anything."
Alexander hadn't thought of it this way but nodded, "Sounds good to me." He quickly snatched up the items and activated the two books, triggering a window:
image [https://imgur.com/xMwf4yG.png]
After completing this, the Elf looked up at the Guild Master and asked, "Is there anything else I should do before I change my class?"
Balin considered this and responded, "Not really. Have you put all your skill points into Intelligence?"
Alexander shook his head at this, causing the Dwarf's face to twitch with amazement before he recovered and stated, "Alatar, you're a real monster." He let out a breath and explained, "When you become a Magi, you'll gain 1 Mana for every point of Intelligence you have. When you become a Mage in the future, you will get 2 mana. This is one of the best benefits of starting with a weaker class and evolving it over time."
The Elf nodded and smiled as he responded, "Right, thank you."
He opened his Status Window and, without hesitation, put all of his skill points into Intelligence. After his various stat bonuses took effect, he had just over 2700. Once this was done, he received a notification:
image [https://imgur.com/jXigORZ.png]
After checking this over, he was intrigued that the Fast Thinking skill could accelerate his thinking by 20%, and it was only level 1. He could noticeably feel the difference as it felt like his neurons were supercharged. Smiling, the Elf commented, "Awesome, let's do this."
He took up the blue crystal and acknowledged a window that popped up:
image [https://imgur.com/ETic9wK.png]
With eyes full of excitement, he selected "Yes".
The next moment, the Elf was consumed by a sense of euphoria as though he had only been a manikin his entire life and had now come to life.