When she heard the examiner announce the topic.
The returning "battle-tested" examinee was already having trouble standing. She grabbed Ram, who looked dependable.
"Don't lose heart. Ram thinks Guidance is pretty simple."
He didn't know many spells, but Guidance was one of them.
"You—you don't know? In the registered spellcaster exam, the simpler the spell in the question, the harder the requirements. They might as well test us on a more complicated spell."
Ram scratched his head, not quite understanding.
Guidance was a very basic spell. It had originally been discovered and used by Clerics, and was considered a kind of blessing that bestowed a little good luck on the person receiving it.
It was said to provide a small boost in anything you did.
It sounded wonderful, but in practice, it was nothing special.
It wasn't that the boost had no effect at all, but it was so slight that it made no real difference. You still couldn't do things you hadn't been able to do before, and you wouldn't do things you were bad at much better.
After the various professions began exchanging spells in the New Era, this simple spell spread rapidly. It was easy to learn, and its effects did sound wonderful, so it became quite popular.
Whenever you had a chance, you could cast Guidance first. Even if it did nothing, it couldn't hurt.
The Phantom Examiner began explaining the specific rules.
"The exam requires you to raise Guidance to at least second ring and adjust its effects. The basic principle of Guidance—'petitioning a deity for a blessing'—must remain unchanged, while additional effects must be added. If raising its ring only strengthens its original effect, it will be considered invalid..."
The examiner went on to explain a long list of details.
To sum it up