Chapter 264: The Evaluation

Helag arrived a bit early today, and the Wizard Array Association was still relatively empty.

“Hello, I’m Helag, here for the evaluation,” he said as he approached the counter.

“Oh, let me check. Mr. Helag…” The staff member ran her finger down a list, searching for his name. “Your evaluation starts at 10 a.m. Please be prepared. The evaluation will last six hours.”

Helag nodded and sat down on a bench in the lobby, waiting for the evaluation to begin.

He already knew that the Wizard Array evaluations were lengthy.

The evaluation required candidates to design and set up a wizard array on the spot, and six hours was actually a tight deadline.

Many wizard array masters could complete the task if given enough time, but doing it within six hours was a challenge that tested their true skill.

Ten minutes before the start time, a staff member in high heels and black stockings walked over.

“Mr. Helag, your evaluation is about to begin. Please follow me.”

Helag followed her into a small side room, where he saw a middle-aged man with a thick beard.

The man glanced at Helag and said, “I’m Israel, your evaluator for this Wizard Array certification. If you’re ready, we can begin.”

Helag nodded. “I’m ready to start.”

The staff member bowed respectfully and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.

Israel walked to the center of the room, where a table held a dry, twisted branch.

“This is a Shadow Branch, which will serve as the medium for your wizard array. But first, you’ll need to pass the design phase of the evaluation. Only if your design is approved will you be allowed to use the Shadow Branch to set up the array,” Israel explained.

The Wizard Array evaluation had two parts. First, the candidate had to design the array based on the given task, selecting the appropriate runes to form the array.

Once the design was complete, the evaluator would review it. If there were no major issues, the candidate could proceed to set up the array.

If the design had flaws, there was no point in setting up the array, as it would only waste materials.

Materials capable of supporting a first-level wizard array were expensive, and while the Wizard Array Association was wealthy, they wouldn’t waste resources unnecessarily.

“I understand,” Helag nodded, having already familiarized himself with the evaluation process.

Israel pulled out several sheets of parchment and said, “Your task is to design a first-level Water Repelling Wizard Array. It must cover a 100-square-meter house. Write your design on the parchment, and once you’re done, I’ll review it. You may begin.”

Helag was stunned for a moment. This was the exact same task that Barren had posted two days ago—the one that had led to him being blocked.

How had the Wizard Array Association ended up using this task as an evaluation? Could it be that they were planning to use the design from the evaluation to complete the task?

Helag knew the tasks were assigned randomly and were often based on real-world scenarios. It seemed like a coincidence, but it was likely that Barren had commissioned the Wizard Array Association to handle the task.

The association, looking for convenience, had simply used it as an evaluation task.

All they had to do was provide the materials, and the candidate would do the work.

Helag picked up the parchment, pretending to be deep in thought.

Israel sat down in a chair behind the table, leisurely reading a book.

After all, Wizard Array evaluations weren’t something that could be completed quickly. Israel had come prepared with a book to pass the six-hour evaluation period.

As a second-level wizard, Israel’s role as an evaluator was to ensure that Helag didn’t cheat.

With Israel watching, it was nearly impossible to cheat.

But Helag was different. While he appeared to be thinking, he was actually giving instructions to Deep Blue.

“Deep Blue, design a first-level Water Repelling Wizard Array that can cover a 100-square-meter house.”

“Task created. Analyzing and compiling data. Estimated time: 10 minutes.”

With the vast amount of knowledge Deep Blue had recorded about wizard arrays, completing this task was a breeze.

Wizard arrays involved numerous runes, and selecting the right combination of runes to solve a specific problem was no easy feat.

It required a deep understanding of runes and a high level of proficiency.

Normally, a wizard just starting to learn about arrays would find it difficult to pass the certification exam.

It usually took years of practice and study to gain enough experience to handle the real-world problems presented in the evaluation.

But with Deep Blue, Helag didn’t have to worry about these issues.

Deep Blue’s powerful data storage and analytical capabilities allowed it to handle many tasks, provided Helag had input enough relevant knowledge.

For most candidates, the design phase alone would take at least three to four hours.

After all, this was the most critical step. Only if the design was flawless could they move on to the setup phase.

But Deep Blue only needed ten minutes.

During those ten minutes, Helag maintained a thoughtful expression.

In truth, he was thinking about how he would approach the task based on his own understanding.

Helag planned to compare his own ideas with Deep Blue’s solution to identify any discrepancies and learn from them.

This was a great learning opportunity.

Israel glanced at Helag but didn’t pay much attention. He took a sip of tea and continued reading his book.

In his mind, Helag wouldn’t finish the design for at least two or three hours.

Ten minutes later.

“Based on the given requirements, the following first-level Water Repelling Wizard Array has been constructed. It can cover a 120-square-meter house.”

Deep Blue presented the design.

Helag immediately reviewed it. The design was simple and clear, with a well-structured array.

After just one look, Helag knew the design met the task’s requirements and even exceeded them, covering an area larger than the 100 square meters specified.

After reviewing the design, Helag couldn’t help but smile wryly.

Deep Blue’s computational abilities were too powerful. The array design had already been optimized to the limit, with no room for improvement.

The structure was extremely concise, with no redundant runes or unnecessary functions.

Deep Blue had used the fewest runes possible to create the most efficient and optimized array design.

Helag had originally planned to compare his own ideas with Deep Blue’s to learn something, but now he realized there was nothing to learn.