Eliisabet, Custos, and Avic stood before Amon awaiting his decision. They had all been successful with their tasks which surprised Amon significantly. Amon was especially surprised to see how well Avic had done. Given his lack of focus, he had expected him to have trouble getting past just the first task. However, he had done exceptionally well.
"Come on, Old Geezer... Stop looking at us in silence already and say something! You're giving me anxiety here!" Argued Avic.
Calmly, Amon cleared his throat.
"Firstly, I will begin with Custos. As expected, you were the best of the three. You handled yourself masterfully and displayed levels of swordsmanship that I would not expect from an amateur. You have completed your task successfully, beating it in under thirty seconds."
Avic froze as soon as he heard this. It was ridiculous to think that Custos had accomplished his task in less than thirty seconds.
"What?! That's not possible! I know Custos is good but not that good! His task had to be super easy, right..?!"
"No, Avic. His task was to defeat two monsters in a very confined space. In some ways, it was harder than even your task," affirmed Amon.
"Sorry, guys... I promise I wasn't trying to make you feel inferior or anything..!" Laughed Custos awkwardly.
Avic went silent, looking at Custos in disbelief while Eliisabet too, laughed awkwardly. It was hard to digest just how good Custos was.
"Next, is Eliisabet," continued Amon. "Your Hemo Control is improving which is worth mentioning. It seems you have a talent for it. You also managed to defeat the monster you fought which was quite impressive, to say the least. A yari is one of the more difficult weapons to wield but you were able to take notice of the weapon's weakness and compromise. You did quite well. However, you still lack the efficiency and the skills needed to wield a yari in more heated combat. But I'll allow you to continue using that weapon for now due to the promise you displayed. I believe you can do well with it with some experience."
"Thank you, Mister Amon! I promise to do my best to improve!"
Finally, Amon then looked at Avic who had cold sweat running down the side of his face. He knew he had completed his task but this did not quell his nervousness. Amon was known to be very unpredictable when it came to his decisions. Even if Avic had completed his task without much issue, there was always the chance that Amon would find something to criticize and fail him for.
This made Avic quite uneasy. His dreams hung in the balance. Amon's decision could very well determine his future.
"Avic, you're the only one left," began Amon. "You somehow managed to manipulate the Hemo Energy present in the room quite well. Given your previous display, that came as a surprise to me. However, once the monster was summoned, you tried to run away. I believe I told you that when on the battlefield, your enemies won't just disappear simply because you're not ready to fight them. There will be times when running away isn't an option. You must stand and fight even if you don't want to. That is the life of a Sicarius!"
Avic averted his gaze to the floor sadly. Amon was right and he couldn't deny it. Due to this, Avic was certain he would fail. He was sure Amon would believe that he hadn't taken the task seriously.
"Avic, you made a bad choice to run away from your enemy, but you also did exceptionally well, exceeding my expectations."
"What..? I exceeded your expectations..?" Asked Avic as his face brightened.
"You did. Ignoring your mistake, not only was your Hemo Control perfect but you also managed to defeat the monster that was summoned for you to fight. You took my advice on what was needed to use a dagger and implemented it into the fight. If you didn't do that, you never would have won."
Avic almost felt like letting out a squeal of excitement—but he was much too lazy to do so. Instead, he allowed himself to fall to the floor, flat on his back, and take a deep breath of relief.
"That's great, Avic! That means you've gotten Mister Amon's approval to use a dagger!" Celebrated Eliisabet.
"See, Avic? You can do it too. Mister Amon said you exceeded his expectations. If that isn't something, then I don't know what is," supported Custos.
"So this is the feeling of accomplishment? It feels great..!" Exclaimed Avic.
"Now your response is making me wonder if I should congratulate you or sympathize with you..."
Amon then clapped his hands to regain their attention.
"Avic, don't you dare fall asleep now. I'm not finished."
"Hehe! Sleep does sound pretty good right now but I'm feeling motivated for once in my life..! What's the next step, Old Geezer?" Asked Avic, sitting himself up.
"That's what I'm referring to. Your training with me ends here."
Everyone froze as if a cold winter breeze had passed through the room.
"What do you mean our training ends here..? You aren't failing us, are you?!!"
"No, you buffoon. You all accomplished your tasks so why would I fail you?"
"Then do you mean our training ends here for today..?" Inquired Custos.
"No. What I mean is that your training with me ends here for good... well, at least for now."
"Wait, I'm confused!" Argued Avic. "W-why would our training end here? We only started today! Not to mention we've barely learned anything! Remember you said that you'd teach me everything you knew!"
Amon shook his head in denial, "While, it is true that I said that, I can't teach you everything I know while you're still so experienced. Doing that would be like teaching a baby to run before it can even walk. Before I can teach you anything else, you all need experience."
"Experience? Wait, you don't mean..."
"Yes. The three of you shall leave Initium and head into dangerous territory or the Wilderness if you choose to call it that, to understand more about this world. That way, you can all understand what it means to survive and what it takes to become a Sicarius. It will also test your resolves and how far you're willing to go to become Sicarius. Once you have gained this experience, you can return here to learn more."
Silence drifted through the room, accompanied by a sense of apprehension. It was only last night that they were all regular citizens who never believed that they would even try to become Sicarius. Learning that they would have to go out into dangerous territory so soon was quite intimidating.
"Wait, Mister Amon! I believe that this is still too soon! We weren't prepared for this at all! We expected to have a few days of training before venturing into the Wilderness! We're not ready for that as yet!" Pleaded Eliisabet.
"Again, Eliisabet, this is what it means to be a Sicarius. Danger won't always wait for you to be ready and you surely won't always expect it. Taking on these unforeseen circumstances and learning how to handle them is part of your training as well—just without me involved."
"Then are we supposed to just remain in the Wilderness until we're used to it or something..? Because if that's the case, that won't be easy. We'll need food, water, and other resources which can be difficult to come by in the Wilderness," noted Custos.
"Well, as mentioned before, this is also part of your training. However, there are two different sections to your training. Getting through the wilderness is only the first step. The second is heading to the City Of Discite located 150 miles west of Initium. Once you're there, apply for the School Of Sicarius, pass their exams, and become Registered Sicarius!"
Amon then paused as a grin wiped itself across his lips. Lastly, with anticipation hanging in his eyes, he gave them his final words.
"When you return to Initium, you should all be Registered Sicarius, ready to set out on a journey to locate the Three Vials Of Deus in the Nightmare Realm!"