The process of selecting new magic apprentices was actually quite simple.
Anyone with mana surge qualified; anyone without it went home.
That was the foundation for becoming a mage. Whether they had the talent to learn faster and better was a matter for later.
The difficulty lay in the sheer number of people.
Almost everyone wanted to become a magic apprentice, to become a mage.
So the Magic Tower plaza was packed with people: men and women, young and old, every sort imaginable.
Rhode walked past them, carefully sensing the mana surge emanating from their bodies.
He could not afford to be picky now. If someone could be useful, he would put them to use.
Fortunately, eighteen people actually had mana surge!
That felt well above the average rate.
Judging by Rhode's informal sample of the people he usually encountered, even one percent would have been a decent rate for possessing mana surge.
So when those beggars were singled out, they were naturally ecstatic, while everyone else looked dejected. A few children even secretly wiped away tears.
An opportunity this good might not come along once in several centuries, yet they had failed to seize it.
But there was nothing to be done. Someone without a mana bar could not become a mage.
Of course, being selected now did not necessarily mean they would become mages. Even with Rhode's advanced learning method, some people might still fail to master it. But at least it was a good start.
Sally took the chosen people up to the Magic Tower's second floor to register, while everyone else dispersed.
Although the process had been uneventful, everyone knew this selection was profoundly significant.
From this day onward, the prestigious profession of mage, once considered the exclusive domain of nobles, had begun opening its arms