As expected, the first round was the Search Exam.
As stated earlier, we were meant to search for certain gems that had been scattered across the room.
'But this is just a vast, empty room!' I thought, in frustration, to myself when the whole thing was explained.
"This here is the gem you will be looking for." Gerund brought out what seemed like a glittering sapphire stone
It pulsated with light, and its warbling tune drew me in.
I would recognize this stuff anywhere. It was a Mana Stone.
"As you may all suspect, this isn't a simple game of treasure hunting. This is also to test your sensitivity to the Mana around you. If you focus enough, you'll be able to deduce or at least sense where the Mana Stones are."
Ah! So it wasn't something unreasonable, after all.
"You have thirty minutes…"
Once again, I stared around me.
It truly was a large, empty hall. There may have been a couple of hiding spots around, however unless you really knew what you were doing, it would be tough finding anything in this vast space. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
In addition, I wasn't exactly the best at Detection Magic—since I had a low Mana Count, sadly.
However… I still wasn't planning on losing!
"… You may begin." Gerund declared.
****************************************
Asa was a quite tenacious and young aspiring Adventurer. She had traveled from a wilderness settlement for a better life in the Adventurer's City.
She realized that it wouldn't be a bed of roses, so she had steeled herself for the challenges ahead.
Honing her skills as an expert ranger—both by using her internal energy and her physical prowess—she was certainly prepared for whatever would encounter on her path to achieving her goals.
As a result, this young lady could rely on her finely honed abilities to pass the test.
'Thirty minutes… if I push myself, I'll be able to get at least ten Mana Stones.' Asa thought to herself, factoring in the time she would need to cool down and also determining that even with her current capabilities it wouldn't be an easy ride.
She was that earnest.
"… You may begin!'
The moment Gerund's voice echoed in her ears, the young lady sprang into action.
Her ears twitched and her Mana resonated with the environment, causing her senses to be heightened beyond measure.
When Gerund showed everyone the Mana Crystal, Asa had stored the frequency in her mind. Conjuring the same image at the moment, the young lady closed her eyes and maintained absolute focus.
'Almost got it… almost…'
And then—just when she was about to nab her prize—someone found their first Mana Core.
"Wohoooo!" The man's voice disturbed Ada, causing her to glare at him… and also at the location where he stood.
'T-that's where I was sensing a Mana Crystal!' Asa's thought wildly.
She couldn't believe it.
As the most skilled Ranger in the room, Asa expected herself to be the first to snag a Mana Crystal, but someone actually beat her to it?
And, not just that, but it was the same location she was about to find one.
'No. No. Don't be distracted. It's just a fluke. Just focus on the examination!'
With that in mind, the Ranger closed her eyes once again and repeated the process of intense concentration.
This time for sure, she was certainly going to snag her prize.
'Yes! Yes! I found one! It's in—!'
"Yipeeee!!!" The same voice from earlier invaded her eardrums.
This caused her to scowl in annoyance. Didn't the man know that he was distracting her—and everyone else—with his unnecessary noise?
The moment she steeled her concentration to return her attention to the Mana Crystal, Asa found out that it had already been discovered… by the very same man who found the first.
So far, everyone was still in search of their first stone and this man had snagged two.
'What? How is this possible?!' She thought to herself.
Asa's blond hair swayed as she violently shook her head in disapproval.
'Stop looking at him! Focus on your task!' The girl chastised herself once more.
Once again, she concentrated. But, the same thing repeated itself.
'What?!'
'H-how?!'
'W-what's going on?!'
She couldn't understand how and why she kept missing her mark and losing to the man whom she had initially written off.
At a point, she got into a personal competition with him, but her losses were too glaring that she had to give up.
'It's already been ten minutes. I haven't gotten a single Mana Crystal!' Asa was now worried—no, frightened.
If she failed this test, that meant she would lose her dream of becoming an Adventurer.
Then, what would have been the point of training for so long?
Asa couldn't let her hard work go down the drain. She also couldn't let the image of the family that depended on her to vanish.
The young lady was that desperate.
'What of the others? How many have they gotten?!'
One of the other Examinees had three. Another had two. One was yet to find any at all. As for the man who was inescapable for Asa… he had gotten seven Mana Stones.
He didn't even seem to be trying, yet he had so many.
Asa couldn't believe her eyes.
It was unbelievable that a rookie like him would achieve such incredible feats, yet she had thought of him as some small fry initially.
As her disposition toward him grew, she stared at him more intensely.
For a moment, the aspiring Adventurer thought she saw the young man fidget, but that was probably her mistake.
'No, what are you doing, Asa! Focus on the task ahead!'
Once again undergoing this mental discipline, the girl decided to try her best.
'I was full of myself. I thought I was appropriately prepared, but I was wrong!'
There was still a lot to learn!
'I'll make sure to do my best and take as much as I can from this experience!'
Silently, Ada thanked the mysterious man for the enriching lesson he taught her through his actions.
'I found one!' Her thoughts sharply rang.
Unconsciously, she expected the voice of the man to soar through the air in excitement again…
'Uh?'
… But it didn't.