EXAMINER'S POV:
I've examined and evaluated lots of different candidates throughout my years, and have already given extremely high-ranks to examinees that were nothing less than prodigies, geniuses in the art of bind.
Even so, the individual standing before me made me feel something I had never felt before in an exam: genuine fear.
I had my eye on him ever since he entered the arena, but just as I was finalizing Hugo Liech's information, a burst of bind originated from the audience. My eye quickly glanced over, but even as an A-rank adventurer, I wasn't able to keep track of his movements.
Darck, an unknown adventurer that was able to move faster than an A-rank could keep track of...
I drew my sword, ready to go all out against the individual right in front of me. I knew that if I didn't, I would lose.
A massive surge of bind from Darck indicated the beginning of the match. I usually let the participant attack first, but could I really afford to do that this time?
Darck put his wrist forward as his wrist glowed, a bracelet illuminating his surroundings.
A space bracelet! I watched, perplexed, as the individual traced a straight line with his hand in midair, reaching into the chasm he had just created and pulling out a weapon.
A stunning black short sword lay in his right hand, but he was wielding it like a dagger with a reverse grip. Was he an assassin? I'm pretty sure he didn't have a class when I checked his information.
"I'm ready," he echoed, the metallic voice sending shivers down my spine.
I dashed at him, appearing at his side in less than a second. He flinched at my speed, blocking my strike and leaping back. So he was still relatively new? Or was it false hope?
I closed my eyes, collecting bind before releasing it around me. A spiral of water surrounded my weapon as I thrust it ahead of me, sending a massive jet of boiling water right at Darck. Darck didn't move, merely stomping the ground as mist erupted around him, my water instantly evaporating.
Did he... just use ice? So I was up against an advanced binder. Even if the utility and power of advanced elements were superior to regular ones, I knew how to defeat an opponent with ice. Make them trap themselves with their own power.
I sent out small missiles of water, preparing a large-scale spell that I hoped would end the fight.
Darck merely evaded the missiles before launching a counter-attack, realizing what I was doing. He appeared above me, and I was forced to set up a shield to protect myself from the fatal blow.
Darck suddenly froze my shield, using it as a surface to jump over. He landed behind me, dashing right at me with his weapon at the ready.
I turned around and blocked, forcing both of us to engage in close combat without bind. Even without his ice, this guy was fast! He was narrowly dodging my swipes, counter-attacking at the slightest openings.
I swung right for his head, knowing I was too slow. Darck ducked, setting his free hand flat on the ground and briefly channeling bind into the concrete surface. A massive crystal of ice erupted, shooting straight at me.
Just as I evaded it, I finalized the necessities for the large scale attack, jumping back and raising my sword.
"Tidal wave!" I roared, requiring the oral trigger to even stay focused due to the absurd amount of bind it required.
A massive wave of water rose behind me, crashing down right ahead of me and destroying everything in its path. The concrete cracked from the insane pressure of the wave, but Darck merely stood there.
What was he going to do? If the wave got too close I'd have to cancel the attack, there was no way I could let an examinee get seriously injured. Darck put up his hands, defeated, and I immediately calmed the wave, reducing it to a mere puddle.
"I lose," he admitted earnestly. I wondered why he hadn't done anything, but I guessed that it was intentional. He wasn't looking for the highest rank he could achieve, and I feel like what I had gone up against was merely a speck of what he was truly capable of.
This guy was absolutely terrifying.
"Darck, it's clear to me you didn't go all out, and I'm guessing you don't want attention. Considering this, I'll award you B-rank." I announced, writing down the grade on my notes.
He nodded, clearly satisfied with the result. I watched him walk out of the arena, returning his weapon into his space bracelet.
"Just how powerful are you?" I muttered in disbelief.
JAY CADMIUM'S POV:
It's been a while since I last fought inside an arena. The outcome was definitely different though, at least I didn't die.
I was definitely getting better with ice, and I suspected that I'd be able to get a good grasp of it before school started.
That examiner was no joke, I thought, walking away from the stadium and back home. Could I even have stopped that wave even if I had tried? Probably not, I still wasn't familiar with large scale spells, so the most I could've done is probably avoided it.
I checked my identification card as the slots filled themselves from the update of information. How did they manage to do this? Wind magic?
I smiled at what became engraved on the card, putting it back into my pocket and sighing.
"So I'm officially an adventurer now," I muttered in disbelief. A position told in fairytales and stories, but a reality in Auroria.
It had been eight years since I had died back on Earth, but I felt that now, something new was about to begin. A new kind of adventure I never would've expected.
All that was left was to gather a party, but that could wait. For now, I'd spend some more time with my family before heading off. They had only been with their revived son for a week or so.
I checked my identification card again, double-checking the information.
NAME: DARCK
AGE: ?
RANK: B
CLASS: MAGE-ASSASSIN
So my class slot was also filled? Mage-assassin seemed to fit me decently well, so I didn't see a need to complain. I walked through the streets of Eloria, sighing at what lied ahead.
This is really just the beginning of a new adventure.