The moment the assessment for the Search Exam was over, it was time for us to begin the Combat Exam.
Even though I had scaled through the first hurdle pretty easily thanks to my conniving Skills, the second involved actually fighting. It would be difficult to bullshit my way around that.
'I'm not a man of violence…'I thought grimly as I looked around with uncertainty, hoping to see another weakling I could at least look better than.
Unfortunately, there were none.
The Ranger, Asa, looked confident in her ability—and she had proved that she was actually pretty skilled.
The barbarian dude—Gu—who completely flunked his Search Exam, seemed like the kind of guy who would ace an assessment based on power.
The other two—Liebert and Desir—also seemed like they would be fairly good at combat.
'Well, they are more than good. All of them have Levels that are least in the 10s.'
The strongest, Gu, was in Level 15. That meant he was crazy strong for a Rookie. Of course, I couldn't see the details of his abilities and Skills, but his Stats far outclassed mine.
In fact, all of theirs did.
It was already a given that I would be the loser in this round. Still, I refused to give up.
'I was able to somehow trick Lucy, and she's like a beast. Maybe I could do something like that again…'
With that seed of an idea growing in my heart, I looked forward to the second round.
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"For this second round, we have captured monsters that you'll be fighting."
'Eh?'
"Do not worry. The monsters are only E Rank. If you defeat one, then that's one point for you. You'll keep going until you can no longer fight."
'We're fighting monsters?'
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and beads of sweat started forming on my skin.
'Wasn't it supposed to be like a sparring session with instructors or something? Why are we fighting monsters now?'
Of course, I could not voice this opinion out in the open at the risk of seeming like a coward. I simply maintained a façade of calm on the outside, while completely freaking out on the inside.
"We will begin with the one who scored the least in the first exam, then work our way up to the one who scored the highest." I could feel Gerund's gaze rest upon me for a while, causing me to gulp nervously.
The bulky man simply smiled at me, and then looked in Gu's direction.
"We'll start with you." The rest of us took our seats as Gerund brought the barbarian to the center of the stage.
He once again explained the rules of the examination, but he clarified more details.
Apparently, this test wasn't aimed simply at measuring our combat ability, but also to assess our stamina level and overall abilities.
According to Gerund, he was certain all of us could take down E Rank Monsters, but the real test lay in how many we could defeat before running out of steam.
'The goal was for us to understand how to conserve our energy when dealing with multiple enemies. Adaptability and Survival are essential skills of an Adventurer, that could mean life or death in certain situations …' I took mental note as I listened.
Once he was done, Gerund left Gu on the stage, and then a cage was lowered down from the ceiling.
'A cage? The ceiling? How did I not notice that?!'
It had to be the work of Magic… or maybe it wasn't there before.
I was certain I observed the environment earlier, and even used [Insight] to make sure nothing escaped my notice.
Perhaps my Level and Proficiency were too low to detect the cage.
"This is an enchanted Cage, so it won't break easily. You and the monsters you will be fighting will be locked inside this cage. That way, the monster won't attack any of the other contestants." Gerund added.
'Ah, I see… it's like those rings they use for Death Matches. None of the challengers can escape unless one is dead!'
While I hated engaging in violence, watching was a different matter entirely.
I could learn from the moves and tactics used by everyone who would fight before me. That way, when my turn came, I could at least get a passing grade.
'Fighting monsters isn't the same as sparring with a person.' Persons at least possessed a sense of rationality, animals on the other hand, were pure brute force.
The tricks I used against Lucy would probably not be able to cut it when fighting a very dangerous and violent creature…
'… Doesn't that also describe Lucy, though?'
"Focus, Sam!" I whispered, shaking my head to clear my thoughts.
This was my chance to watch how it was done by pros, and also to cross-reference it with the other fight scenes from my devices that I had been memorizing.
Despite the constant fear gnawing at me, I was looking forward to the results.
'This should be fun!'
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Gu took a deep breath and awaited the entrance of the first monster.
There was a metal gate located at the far end of the giant cage he was trapped in. The instructor had said the monsters would emerge from there.
The instructor had also mentioned that they were allowed to use any weapon and ability at their disposal, so Gu wasn't very fazed by the challenge—though he despised being caged in.
'I don't need weapons… my fists will do the job.'
As for Skills, he had a Warrior Skill that was useful in times like this.
While he didn't have any Magic affinity, Gu was confident in his ability to at least take down ten of the monsters that would come at him.
'I need at least that much, considering I didn't get any points from the first Exam.'
Despite what his appearance depicted, Gu was actually quite intelligent.
However, when it came to sensing Mana, he sucked at it.
It was a disability he was born with, but that didn't stop him from becoming stronger through immense effort and sheer force of will.
'I will prove to everyone in my tribe… just how powerful I can be without Magic!'
That was his whole purpose for coming to the Adventurer's City.
Once he climbed up the ranks and made a reputation for himself, he would return to his people and lead them well.
'Lana… just wait for me.' He smiled in anticipation and then focused on the first beast he would be killing.
>GRRRIIIIINNNNGGG<
The metal bars opened, and he glimpsed the silhouette of a monster as it began approaching.
Gu readied himself and prepared to fight with everything he had.
'Let's go!'