"I'm sorry, Chris, but we need this money, too. We live in exciting times, and my wife and I want to take advantage of this opportunity."
"I understand," Chris·Qiu replied as he walked towards his apartment. "I just want to give it a try."
He exchanged some pleasantries and then turned off the holographic projection. This was already the twentieth friend he had borrowed "Arcane Merit" from, but few of them were fools. Ever since the official announcement that most rare resources were about to be discounted, he could feel that something big was going to happen.
(Author's note: To clarify, the timeline at this time is 15 years before Ian returned, that is, before he went to the <KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!> world.)
Chris wants to take this opportunity to collect the merits needed to redeem a bottle of Third Tier "Dragon Potion". Then, he can take advantage of the upcoming changes and become a Arcanist. Unfortunately, no one is willing to lend him the merits, although they don't mind lending him some gold coins.
Chris opened the apartment door, and his robot maid Angela immediately greeted him.
"Angela, can you prepare dinner?"
"Okay, Master. Is there anything in particular you want to eat?"
"I want to eat India dishes today. You know which ones I like best."
Chris took a shower and thoroughly disinfected his body with government-certified antibacterial soap. The borders of the Empire are expanding every day, thus introducing a variety of new germs and bacteria. Although the weak "Battle Aura" in his body makes him His immune system is far superior to that of ordinary people, but as a Zero Tier fighting Qi Martial Artist, he still needs to take protective measures. Not to mention, some terrifying magic bacteria are even enough to kill the most powerful Arcanist among the Empire.
After washing up, Chris began to enjoy his dinner.
"Angela, is there anything you need to remind me about my schedule?"
"Yes. Tomorrow at 8 a. m., you need to take the qualification test for the improved version of the 'Arcane Warlock' profession. At 8:45, it is the qualification test for the new 'Druid' profession. Three days later, that is, at 10 a. m. on May 25, you have also made an appointment for a loan interview at Central Arcane Bank."
"These damn tests again," Chris muttered. He had done all the tests he could, and now, he no longer had any hope of whether he had magic talent. "Have you asked for leave from the company?"
"Already notified."
"Okay." After Chris finished eating, he began his unshakable daily physical training. After several hours of exercise and learning "Gate of Truth Alchemy", he lay down in the virtual network cabin to sleep, which allowed him to get an extremely deep and perfect sleep in just two hours.
At 7 o'clock in the morning, he woke up on time to prepare for the test. Since this is a popular activity mandated by the government, all costs, including transportation, are borne by the government - to be precise, paid for by the people's taxes.
Chris used the space Transit Gate for free. After showing his ID, he was sent directly to the designated test area. He glanced at his watch and found that he had arrived 10 minutes early, so he waited patiently in the lobby.
At 8 o'clock in the morning, a young man in a suit led him into a room, where stood a young woman wearing a magic robe. Chris looked around and saw a variety of sophisticated instruments, but had no idea what they were used for.
"My name is Marjorie Evans," the woman Self introduced.
"Mrs. Evans."
"Just call me ma'am. Okay, Mr. Qiu, do you have any questions before we start?"
"Yes. Can you explain what this test measures?"
"No problem. Gate of Truth Alchemy allows Arcane Warlock to call on various forms of energy - including the tectonic energy of the earth's crust, life force, water energy from the ocean, etc. However, using these energies directly for material transformation or even casting spells cannot bring out their full potential. For example, life force has miraculous effects in healing, while ocean energy is best used to cast water magic. Can you understand?"
"I can understand."
"Very good. Recently, the latest research has discovered many new forms of energy in our surrounding environment. For example, the earth energy from the earth, the fire energy from the sun, the wood energy from the forest, and even the metal energy contained in the technology Creation and the surrounding buildings All of these can be used to perform magic. "Research has also found that some people are born with a very high affinity for a specific energy. In the past, the magic talents of this group of people were often judged as unqualified. The purpose of today's test is to detect whether you belong to this group of people."
"I understand. However, I'm most likely not that kind of Luck," Chris commented with a wry smile.
"How would you know if you don't test it," Marjorie replied with a smile. Then, she guided Chris to test all the instruments one by one, testing his energy affinity. She not only tested all the energies mentioned before, but also re-conducted a basic magic test. Even Cosmic Energy, as well as the negative energy that had just been discovered recently and was about to give birth to a new necromancer sub-class, were also tested.
"How did it turn out?" he asked.
"I'm sorry, but you have a low affinity for all energies."
"Sure enough." In order to prevent disappointment, Chris had already lowered his expectations. But even so, he still felt a sense of loss in his heart. After all, he still retained a faint trace of luck deep in his heart, hoping that he could become one of those Luck children with hidden unique talents.
"It's a pity," Marjorie said. "But please don't be discouraged. Empire develops a new career system every year. Maybe one day in the future, you will be able to find a career that is truly suitable for you."
"Maybe," Chris replied politely, and after thanking him a few times, he left the testing room.
His Druid test was also in this building, just in the area on the other side. With low expectations, he walked towards the 8:45 appointment location. The previous test ended 10 minutes early, which gave him enough time to walk to his next destination.
The tester this time was a slovenly middle-aged man; he looked like a severe insomniac who hadn't slept a wink in ten years. Despite his sloppy appearance, his attitude was very kind and respectful.
"You can call me Mr. Federico, and I will explain the test content to you next. If certain individuals resonate deeply enough with nature and the environment, and their souls are unique enough, they can communicate with Planetary Will and obtain the Blessing given by Planetary Will; this is the path of practice that belongs to Druid."
"Then this test is meaningless to me. Although I also agree with protecting nature, I don't have any special fanaticism or passion for nature."
"Passion can be cultivated slowly," Federico explained. "The real key is whether your soul can resonate with the will of the planet."
Chris immediately abandoned all illusions, because he could fully predict that Druid was definitely an extremely demanding and niche Arcanist sub-profession. As expected, he had no talent in this area at all.
Chris walked out of the building and sighed secretly. 'Well, there is no need to hang your head here. I already have a perfect plan, I just need to strictly implement it, and one day I will succeed.' He has always been self-aware and knows that he is just an ordinary person, not the chosen one. Therefore, he can only rely on redoubled efforts and unremitting dedication to achieve success.
According to his established plan, Chris only needs to work hard for another 62 years before he can save enough to exchange for the bottle of Dragon Potion for Arcane Merit. What's more, with the passage of time and the price reduction of resources, this number of years will continue to shorten.
After cheering himself up, Chris set off for his workplace. As soon as he got on the train, he suddenly received a communication request.
"Cruz? It's been a long time since I heard from you."
"I've been busy trying to adapt to this ever-changing world."
Cruz is an old friend of his. They both grew up together in "Old Era" before Magic Era came. However, Chris lost contact with him a few years ago.
"I understand you. The world is changing so fast that sometimes I feel that I am so old that I have been abandoned by the times. So, why are you suddenly free to contact me today?"
"I heard that you have been raising money everywhere recently. I thought that I might be able to help you."