The combat continued, and Matt was able to witness the spectacular loss of every single participant that came on stage.
So far, about four people had gone on stage after him, yet none of them attained victory. One after the other, the contestants lost—though some fared better than others.
Fortunately for him, though, he was able to learn a thing or two from watching these matches.
'I-I see…' Matt thought contemplatively as he witnessed the loss of the fifth person after him.
'These fights are more balanced than I initially thought. It actually operates on fairness.'
Each examinee faced someone who had the same skillset as them. If someone used versatile, or long-range attacks, their opponent would be a combatant with the same ability or its variant.
As such, it was plausible that the examinees had a chance of victory.
'Now I understand why Rose fought me herself. If I was matched up with any of these other officials, the odds of my victory were little to none.'
The way the exam was structured showed how much planning went into it. Matt realized that the Society must have handpicked the right opponents for each candidate before the examination. Since he was an unforeseen addition to the list of candidates, they had to make a last-minute decision on who to pair him up with.
'I see. So that's why she volunteered herself. It all makes sense now.' Matt nodded in understanding as he stared at Rose, who was getting ready to call on the next participant.
"Number 09, step forward!"
The moment Rose said this, Matt's gaze shifted to the person who had that number. His eyes widened as he saw Violet rise to her feet.
'I-it's her turn?!'
Violet had a determined gaze, and her face was more serious than he had ever seen before. Compared to the girl he had gotten to know these past couple of days, she seemed like a completely different person.
It honestly scared Matt a little.
Violet moved past the other examinees, but before she made her way toward the stage, she looked at him.
'W-wha—!'
Their eyes met, and her stern amber eyes pierced his, holding his gaze. Suddenly, a smile formed on her lips, and she mouthed words that he could barely make out.
"Wish me luck." Matt heard, reading her lips, before watching her look away and walk purposefully toward the stage.
His heart raced, and he felt a conflicting sense of worry and excitement. As much as he wanted to see Violet fight, he didn't know what he would do if she got hurt. Regardless, there was only one thing he could do at this point.
"Good luck!" Matt cheered on, hoping she could at least hear him.
*
*
*
Violet braced herself for the moment she had been training for all these months.
With each step she took, her heart raced. She was so nervous that she had to take long, deep breaths to keep herself from freaking out. Doing this always stiffened her facial muscles, so it gave her an utterly serious and stern expression.
In reality though, she was just very anxious.
'Matt is rooting for me, so is Big sis. Shadow and Bee also encouraged me. I can't let any one of them down.' She thought to herself, tightening her fist in resolve.
Speaking of Matt, after witnessing his power once more, Violet felt all the more motivated to try her hardest. The performance of Bee and Shadow also reiterated in her the level she needed to attain in order to stand tall among them.
As the person who brought Matt into all of this, and as a fellow protege under her Big sis, she couldn't let any one of these precious people, who were watching her, down.
'Watch me as I do my best!'
Violet got to the stage, assuming a battle stance immediately. Her opponent was a fellow contractor, and it seemed he was holding what she could only describe as a… stone?
Yes, he was holding a literal rock in his hand and he was smirking confidently. The boy had short hair, and just like her, he wore glasses. He had a polished look—similar to a geek.
Despite all this, though, Violet knew she couldn't underestimate him.
"Tee… are you ready for this?"
Like a magic trick, her stuffed animal suddenly appeared on her shoulder. Its small frame bounced on her, and it threw small punches with its flabby hands in response to her question.
"I always am!" Tee responded in his adorable voice.
Seeing her partner all fired up, Violet smiled. Her anxiety lessened a little, and her chest no longer felt constricted with fear.
With her heart racing in anticipation, and energy coursing through her body, Violet readied herself for confrontation with her opponent.
[YOU MAY BEGIN!]
The two fighters instantly stepped back the moment the battle commenced.
Violet was a contractor, so it was only logical that she kept her distance and allowed her partner to fight. Seeing as her opponent also did the same—also considering the previous match ups before her turn—Violet assumed he had the same Class as her.
'Tee! Let's do this!'
"Umu!"
In a flash, Tee jumped from Violet's shoulder, increasing in size until it was three meters tall. It landed on the arena floor with a thud, placing itself between Violet and her opponent.
"Really? A teddy bear? That's unfortunate. After all…" The boy adjusted his glasses, then he slammed the rock he was holding onto the floor.
"Activate: Grand Marshal!"
The rolling rock suddenly increased in size—becoming an Earth Elemental with a height of at least five meters.
"Eeek!" Tee whimpered the moment it saw this transformation.
Who would have expected such a tiny rock to transform into a rock monster? One that was not only tougher than Tee, but bigger!
Things were already looking very bad for Violet and her partner, and everyone watching could tell. After all, compared to the fluffy blows of a stuffed animal, the Earth Elemental was far stronger.
Faced with this powerful monster, Violet and Tee braced themselves for what would come next.
'I… I can't afford to lose!'