"Welcome to the Chuunibyou Exams!" Rose's voice echoed across the massive auditorium.
The walls had a dense metallic texture, and the floor seemed to be composed of the same material. The ceiling was vast and massive, like those at a cathedral or Victorian mansion. The auditorium could accommodate thousands of people easily.
The size of this hall alone was enough to make any sensible person curious about the size of the entire Chuunibyou Society headquarters.
It was also enough to inform any onlooker about how serious the Chuunibyou Challenge was.
"Some of you may know me already, but for those that don't, my name is Rose, and I'll be serving as the moderator for this edition of the examination!"
Rose was currently standing in the center of the hall, with a stage light centered on her. There were many seats surrounding the main stage of the hall, so the audience could sit and watch from any position they chose.
The ambience of the place felt more like a theater than an examination hall, but the tension in the air made it clear which it was.
The audience consisted of many strange faces—many of whom were merely bored Chuunis who wanted to see the performance of the rookies that would be joining their organization. Team leaders, solo officers, and members of varying hierarchies gathered to watch the event that was to occur.
Rose was currently speaking, so the limelight was on her, however she wasn't the only one on stage.
"So those are the examinees, eh?"
"They're a bit more than last time."
"How many do you think will pass?"
"Who knows? There were eight last time, and only three passed."
"This time, though… It seems we have nine. I wonder…"
"Who has seen that new boy among them? I don't recall him being one of the newbies prepped for the examination."
"Who knows. Let's just watch."
"This should be interesting.
Standing in an orderly row were the nine participants of the exam. It seemed like quite a small number, but considering the Chuunibyou Society's exams usually held once a month, and sometimes special exams were organized for certain people, this number was quite a lot.
The process that often led to an examination was the apprenticeship phase. Chuunibyous would often scout out Exposed, turning them into Enlightened or erasing their memories—depending on the choice of the person.
Once the person chose to walk the path of the Chuunibyou, they would be placed under a caretaker—usually the one who found them—and would undergo training. Once they reached E Class, and became Novices, they would be allowed to take the Chuunibyou Exams.
Thus, these nine were presumed to have gone through basic training. The ones who passed would be given their license, and they would have access to the Society's resources—such as the Bridge, Library, as well as Armory—among other facilities.
Considering the shortage of skilled manpower the Society was experiencing, there was the temptation of passing all nine of them on the go, however, that would be a mistake.
This job… this path, was a very difficult one.
Only the most determined of Chuunibyous would be approved to tread it!
"There is only one thing expected of you in the exams…" Rose continued, her charisma capturing the attention of both onlookers and examinees alike.
All nine of them—seven males, three females—were listening attentively to Rose.
"... Power! That's right, we want to see just how powerful you are!"
The Chuunibyou Exams were pretty straightforward. The Society wasn't interested in written exams, or trickery, or other ridiculous measures used to assess participants in an ordinary examination. No, the goal of the exams was simply to whittle out the weak from the strong.
"In Dungeons, power is everything. With enough power, you can defeat any Outer, and you can restore the Veil which we seek to protect. Certainly, there will be nasty situations, but the more you experience Dungeons and learn from the Library, the better you'll adapt. For now, though, etch this into your brains. For Chuunibyous, power is required!"
The power to save the world—that was all they wanted to see.
"Of course, your level of skill and the ability to control your power will also be considered. However, victory belongs to the victor. That is all."
It was a hard pill to swallow, but that was the reality of the Challenge.
The exam participants also seemed well aware of this, thus none of them broke down or displayed fear. It was clear that all nine of them were pretty much prepared to give it their all.
There was a boy among them who seemed a little out of place. He kept glancing nervously around him, almost as if he was lost, but everyone ignored him. They were more focused on another boy in the group—the one hailed as a genius by everyone who had seen him in action.
This was surely going to be an interesting exam!
*
*
*
The examinees were given tags, and then were told to move closer to sit in an isolated spot meant for exam participants.
According to the rules mentioned by Rose, they would call an examiner based on his tag, and the examiner would be given his opponent. If they were victorious, they passed.
It was that simple.
"Haa… I'm nervous." Matt went over the rules in his head as he awkwardly glanced to his side.
The hardened expressions of his fellow examinees made him stiffen up. Heck, even Violet appeared battle-ready.
'Hoo… hoo… let's keep it together.' He fought the urge to panic or flee, and he decided to quietly wait his turn.
'My tag is number seven. I won't be called upon any time soon.' Matt sighed in relief.
He would take his time to observe the fights, and then he was going to figure out just how to handle things when his own turn arrived. By assessing the difficulties others faced, he would gain a better advantage.
Honestly, he felt bad for the person who would be going in first. They would be the scapegoat of the exams.
"I'll be calling the tag numbers at random, so be prepared."
'... Eh…?!' Matt's heart pounded furiously as he heard the announcement.
"First participant is, Number 07. Please step out immediately."
'... Wha…?!' Matt found himself standing on the stage, his face depicting utter shock.
How could this have happened? Why was he the first participant chosen? It didn't make any sense!
Matt went over the odds in his head, and the numbers just didn't add up. This wasn't fair, and he knew it!
'Rose… it was you, wasn't it? You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?' He wailed internally, feeling all eyes on him.
He was quite literally going to make his first impression right here and now, in front of all these people.
'It's alright. It's fine. I'm Op, remember? Yes, that's right! I'm a Challenger Rank examinee. Whoever my opponent is, they won't be a match for m—"
"Since Participant 07 is a peculiar case, having a Rank of Challenger, the opponent chosen will be left to my discretion."
'NOOOOOOOO!!!!' Matt's thought despondently.
The audience made an uproar, and many surprising gasps emanated from the spectators and examinees alike. Many who had thought Matt was weak were probably reconsidering now, but the boy in question couldn't even care less.
'Please, no… don't make this hard for me!'
Matt looked at Rose helplessly, pleading with her with his eyes so she could go easy on him.
'I'm just a delicate flower in the spring of my youth. I don't even have any experience. Please… don't humiliate meee!' He cried pitifully, inwardly of course.
Matt's gaze met Rose, and he saw her warm smile. She gave him a light nod, and her expression was completely devoid of malice. The desperate young boy instantly got the message.
'S-she understands! Yesss! She knows my plight! Haa… I was scared for a second there.' Matt heaved a sigh of relief.
He regretted ever doubting her. How could he have thought so badly of Rose? No, it was all a misunderstanding. She was probably doing all this for his benefit.
Yes, that was definitely the case.
Once he realized this, Matt's heart lightened in relief, and he felt calm once again.
'Miss Rose really is—'
"The opponent for this examinee will be none other than me!"
"... Eh?"
Matt instantly had a flashback, and he remembered when Rose mentioned she was in the Master's Rank.
"I will take responsibility for this 'special examinee'."
"Eeeeeekkkk!!!"
Matt's hopes went plummeting, and he learned a valuable lesson as he stood before the moderator/opponent.
'I'll never trust this woman agaaaaiiinnnnn!!!'