Diether's thrust came swiftly and tapped the old man's sternum. That's right, it was only a tap as there was no force behind that strike.
But that gesture was more than enough as the kid was dealing with an expert in combat. Being able to touch his body was already a great deal to the old man.
'I see... He used his remaining energy to back his footwork instead of aiming to land a powerful strike on me...'
"Hoho~ That's incredible footwork there..."
The old man said as he patted his clothes. Diether had also retrieved his shinai and bowed in respect. It was Reiji's habit when finishing a duel.
"I was lucky..."
"Very well... I'm impressed. From now on, you can call me grandpa Orga. Hahaha, I think I'm more than five times your age..."
"Grandpa Orga?"
"Yes, that's what most hunters here calls me. I think that you'll easily pass the second examination..."
"Mhmm... I'll do my best."
"Alright... You can tell the lady outside that you've passed. Show her this..."
Orga threw a wooden token to Diether. The young man caught it swiftly and observed the token. It was a simple piece of wood shaped like a flat circle with characters written that says "Pass".
"May I ask what kind of exam will I have to take next?"
"The lady will explain it to you but I know that you can easily pass it so don't worry. You will be joined by a few one-star Hunter in this mission so it will be easier."
"That's good to hear... May I know what rank are you Grandpa Orga?" Diether suddenly asked curiously.
"Hoho... I'm the only three-star Hunter stationed in this village... Although I'm old, once I used my Spiritual Energy in combat, I can be scary..." The old man smiled hinting that he was only playing around when Diether fought him a while ago.
That would make sense since the old man battled only using pure techniques. Anyway, the first exam wasn't really a combat test but for the young kid to show his skills so it was fine.
Diether chatted with him for a while before he decided to leave the room and showed the token to the lady in the counter.
"Eh? Y-you passed? How?-- Oh... Congratulations!"
The lady was surprised at first before she remembered to congratulate him on passing the exam. She had seen much older and looking stronger people but still fails the old man's first exam so she was very curious about this young man's skills.
The two at the lounge were also surprised to see the kid's gesture.
"Did he paid the old man with money?"
"Ah? Would that old man just let anyone pass?"
"Ugh... But it doesn't make sense... I think that this kid would collapse just by a wind blowing on him. Look at those tiny limbs..."
The two were unable to make sense of the situation.
Well, they have nothing much to do so they can only have fun by using the kid as the topic of their conversation.
In the end, they couldn't understand how the kid passed. It was also impossible for the kid to be an Arcanist since he would not be accepted if he was...
While they were thinking about the unusual kid, they heard the front desk lady give further instructions to Diether.
"Alright, you can now take the 2nd examination. We'll just have to find two vacant one-star hunters so they can help you with the mission."
The lady looked at the two hunters at the lounge and thought for a moment.
"Well, if you don't mind. Those two hunters can lead you to the second examination."
"What?!" The two one-star hunters were surprised to hear her but they soon realized that they were the only hunters available at the moment.
They were not new to this task as they had done this before to others and they did it themselves when they had their own examination.
Diether looked at the two as he bowed in respect to the seniors. It wasn't just taught by Reiji but also a simple custom he learned from his parents.
Although he didn't feel right about being grouped with them, he had to respect these seniors and the Association's decision.
***
The group of three was now heading towards the unnamed forest where evil beasts resides.
"I just need to hunt a low-grade evil beast and bring its core to pass the second examination..."
Diether frowned a bit after remembering the instruction for this last exam.
"Are you sure that you don't want to borrow any weapons from the Association? We can still go back..." Kyle asked Diether as he noticed him suddenly frowning.
"That's right... Look at your bamboo sword. Let's not talk about an evil beast, I think that even a normal beast wouldn't budge when hit by that tiny thing."
The other guy called Brian added. He wasn't worried that Diether would get seriously injured since the two of them would watch the kid. They know that they can save him at any time. However, they have never seen anyone fighting an evil beast by only using a bamboo sword if they have other options. It was a suicide...
He should have borrowed a long spear, enchanted crossbow, or any other sharp weapon he can borrow at the association's storage room.
"I'm fine with this. Thanks for your concern, seniors."
"Haha... What?! We are not concerned!"
"That's right... We just couldn't imagine how foolish-"
Brian was about to mock the young man but they suddenly felt an evil presence coming not too far from them. They were already walking for about an hour after entering this forest. They ignored many beast around and it was indeed about time to find an evil or corrupted one...
"Let's see... A three-eyed viper... You're lucky! We easily found a low-grade evil beast..."
"We'll guard the perimeter. It's all yours..."
Brian and Kyle said as they jumped away from him. The young man also realized that they suddenly erased their presence and he was unable to find them even if he looks around. However, he was sure that they were watching him.
They can't interfere with the examination unless they deemed that he could no longer fight or he's in a life-threatening situation.
"Haaa..."
Diether took a deep breath as he prepared himself for the upcoming battle.