Idle Mage: Humanity's Strongest Backer

The world inside the Blue Marble Grotto Heaven was already vivid yet it still pales in comparison to what Dylan and Fred saw beyond the gates.

The sheer visual phenomenon proved to be a little too astounding for them to digest properly, making them speechless the moment they saw it.

As they took one step inside, they could almost feel every single cell in their body squirming in joy for whatever reason.

The tall buildings, the colors, the boisterous noises, the impressive sights, everything in here was phenomenal to them that it left them gaping.

Because there's too much going on around them, everything seems chaotic, but beneath that was a certain mark of prosperity and peace that not even Fantasia had.

"Oh, shiiiiiit!!!"

Dylan and Fred were alarmed when they suddenly heard a scream nearby. They looked towards it and saw a guy cursing at top of his lungs while holding for dear life as his flying broom streaked through the air.

"Shit! Look out, below!!" The man screamed as the flying broom suddenly dropped its altitude around the same level as where both Dylan and Fred were.

Of course, this alarmed the two so they proceeded to duck but it turns out that they don't have to.

Aria stepped between them and held out her hand. Surprisingly, that was enough for the flying broom to stop cold in its tracks. Its sudden pause wasn't beneficial for the man riding it though since that caused him to be flung away to the opposite side.

"Shit! Ow! Fuck! God damn it!" The man cursed as he bounced on the ground due to his fall.

Dylan and Fred were speechless. They were too caught off guard by the sudden event that they were unable to say anything. They looked at Aria who was now holding the Flying Broom in her hands.

"Are you okay, Erwin?" She asked.

"Peachy!" The man replied, but his pained expression says otherwise. "Sorry, you had to see that. I have no idea why it suddenly started malfunctioning."

"Erwin...of course, it would malfunction because this one isn't yours." Aria sighed exasperatedly.

"Um, what?"

Aria rolled her eyes and said: "You've taken the wrong Flying Broom again. Didn't I say to personalize yours so that you could recognize it?"

"....haha, so uhm, funny story...I Uhm..."

"You forgot, again."

"...yes." Erwin eeked out while scratching his head bashfully. "Sorry, I promise I'd personalize mine as soon as I...figure out where I placed it."

Aria just shook his head and waved Erwin off. The man chuckled nervously before bowing at her. Before he left, he smiled at Dylan and Fred meaningfully.

"Alright, since that distraction is gone, we can now proceed with the tour." Aria stated.

Before that though, she held out the Flying Broom parallel to the ground and patted it a few times. With a slight push of her hand, the broom then flew away, streaking across the sky once more.

"This place is the Residential Zone of the Guild." She said as she continued walking down the road with the two behind her. "As you can guess by the hustle and bustle of this place, this is where our members live."

"The Residential Zone forms a ring around the Guild Property, this makes it easier for everyone to have access to the guild's services no matter where they are."

"We will pass by your homes later, for now though, let's get you acquainted with Guild itself."

The three of them followed the road until they eventually exited the busy area. After passing through another gate, where they saw the Mystic Guild's headquarters.

It was a goddamn castle. That's what the Mystic Guild's Headquarters looked like.

From where they're at, the castle gave off an impression of piercing the sky itself. It's probably the biggest infrastructure they ever laid their eyes on.

It was easy to tell that this place is the focal point. Colorful lights blessed its surroundings, Dylan could swear that he could see some strange figures appearing and disappearing out of nowhere around this place.

The place was awe-inspiring as well, bringing forth a feeling of a need to worship it.

But not even their wildest dreams could've ever prepared them for what they saw inside that castle.

"... Uhm, plot twist?" Fred remarked reflexively.

"Mood." Dylan added.

They gawked as they saw the interior of the castle looking straight out of a sci-fi movie. Everything was modernized from the tiles of the floors to the elevators and wide-screen monitors embedded in the walls.

It's like they entered a mall or an electronic shop. The irony of the guild's exterior to its interior made them feel like crying but have no tears.

"You've gotta get used to this dramatic irony." Aria chuckled after hearing and seeing their reactions. "It applies to pretty much everything within the guild's premises."

Aria continued walking with the two trailing behind her.

The boys looked around them fervently like kids in a candy store. They took in the sights around them, still reeling and marveling at the dramatic irony that the Mystic Guild brought to them.

On their way, Aria told them where the important places were. She always made sure to point out every detail they needed to know so that they won't get lost.

She showed them where the Missions' Board was, a place where they can register for missions to earn Merit Points, which they could then use to purchase things from the guild or use for the unique services the guild offers.

Aria also showed them the Guild Market, where they could buy resources for their cultivation needs. Aside from that, they could also buy weapons here or mundane things such as clothes, groceries, etc.

After that, she showed them the unique services the guild offers to help them become stronger.

First were the cultivation environments. By paying a certain amount of merit points, they could use this service to enter a place that harmonizes with their latent element.

Volcanic zones, waterfalls, grand canyons, mountains, iron keeps, boundless forests, and glacial fields, these are just a few of the presets they could use to mimic an environment to boost their cultivation.

She also brought them to the Gyms, where they discovered what double gravity feels like for the first time as soon as they took one step inside.

Dylan was fine but Fred nearly folded, eventually though he managed to endure the pressure to keep going.

Since it's called the Gym, there was workout equipment here of course. Aria then explained that be it a mage or a knight, training the body will never be a bad decision.

2× gravity is the norm here, but if someone wants to, they could rent a rune which could increase that even further as they worked out here.

Sufficed to say, Dylan was looking forward to visiting this place on his own.

Moving on, Aria introduced them to the Simulation Zone, where they could simulate a real battle against invaders. She also took them to the Healing Hot Springs, a communal bath that everybody in the guild loves.

Then, she introduced them to the more unique services of the guild, such as the Sword Palace, the Stargazing Pagoda, and the Mountain and Sea Realm.

By the end of the tour, Dylan and Fred were having a hard time digesting everything they saw and learned, they were also a little exhausted but their eyes were still shining.

It's obvious that they couldn't wait to try out the things they've seen so far. Unfortunately, they have to wait for a little bit.

They don't even have a single Merit Point to their name, they have to earn some first by doing missions first before they could. Still, this didn't dampen their excitement at all, if anything, it encouraged them even more.

Since Aria finished giving them a tour of the guild, she is now escorting them to their homes. On the way there, she said:

"...you need to pay 5 Merit Points each month to stay in the Residential Zone, no advance payments allowed, and delayed payments will only go as far as three months."

"This means that you have to budget your Merit Points because you won't just be worrying about rent, there's also stuff like food, supplies, clothes, etc."

"Ultimately, what you must do is simple. Do missions to get paid. If you perform well enough, your badge will be upgraded, allowing you access to missions that are more challenging but also pays more. It might get hectic at first but I trust that you'll eventually fall into a routine, just like your seniors did."

"Alright, we're here." She said, pausing in front of an apartment complex.

She then faced them and handed them the keys to their apartments.

"Your rooms are right next to each other. On the 5th floor, rooms 507 and 508. Dylan is at 507 and Fred on 508."

Dylan and Fred accepted their keys and bowed to Aria.

"Thank you for giving us a tour." Dylan said.

"Your welcome, kids." Aria shuffled their hair. "Ah, that reminds me. By 10 am tomorrow, come to the Guild. Your batch will have a special lecture with the Guild Master."

"Alright, that's about. Sleep well, kids. And enjoy your stay here."

And before knew it, Aria had already disappeared from their view.