"Are you nervous?"
The two of us stood in front of a narrow corridor, leading up to the battle area. Sarah was currently donning her battle suit.
"I'm ready."
There was not an ounce of visible nervousness in Sarah's demeanor as she seemed to be the calmest I'd ever seen her.
Perhaps having read my thoughts, she added,
"I'm confident."
"You are...? What gives you so much confidence?"
Sarah briefly glanced at me but didn't answer. Instead, she called out for me.
"Manager."
"Yes?"
"Watch me."
I blinked, unsure of what to say. Then, before I could say anything, she added,
"I won't fail."
"...Of course you won't."
I replied after a brief pause.
Fail? Why would she fail?
There was no way I would let her come here if I thought she was going to fail. This was an important moment for her. An important trial that she needed to overcome. And even then... There was so much more she could improve on.
It had only been a week since I started training her and she had been soaking all my teaching like a sponge. Despite the pain, and the sense of desperation that came from the training, she never wavered and continued to listen to everything that I threw at her.
She was definitely ready for this.
I knew she was.
[May the combatants make their way to the stage]
A mechanical voice echoed in the air. I knew then that it was time for Sarah to finally move, and made eye contact with her for the last time.
"Make sure to leave a lasting impression."
"Don't worry."
Sarah replied with her usual expressionless face.
"I won't let you down."
And with those last words, she slowly made her deeper into the tunnel before finally entering the arena.
***
Multiple individuals occupied a spacious office featuring a large window that afforded them a view of the arena below.
CEO Windsol was amongst the people present.
[May the combatants make their way to the stage]
The arena announcement began and two people began to emerge from either side of the arena. Almost instantly, multiple individuals frowned.
"What's up with that contestant's suit?"
"It looks quite battered up."
Sarah's appearance attracted a lot of negative attention. Mainly because of her battle suit which was of extremely low quality, and people could see it. The fabric was worn and the colors were faded. Despite its modest appearance, the suit clung to her body, showcasing the marks and scratches all over.
But outside of that...
"Wow, she's really pretty."
"Fuck... what sort of genetics does she have?"
"Holy crap."
Everyone in the room, one way or another, was mesmerized by her looks.
"Pay attention."
It was only after the CEO spoke that everyone managed to compose themselves. Unlike the rest of them, he had already seen them so he was more prepared for it.
A man with a patchy beard turned around.
"Who are the combatants on the floor?"
"Sarah Andler from Emblem of the Sun, and Kyle Lermann from Capulan."
"Kyle Lermann...? The name seems familiar."
"As it should be."
The CEO replied, fixing his gaze on the figure beneath the arena. Kyle Lermann was a young man with short blonde hair. His build towered over Sarah's, and his blue eyes seemed to captivate those watching.
"He's from the Lermann family. A family reputable for their swords. As of now, he still hasn't made his name known in the Tier 1 scene. Most of it has to do with the fact that he only just recently entered, but from what I've learned, he can already clear a Green-ranked boss by himself."
"What about the other contestant?"
"She's..."
The CEO struggled to find the right words before eventually sighing.
"From what I know, she started training three years ago under the management of Emblem of the Sun. She's part of a small group called Blue Daisy."
His words seemed to have blown off any form of excitement that had built up in anticipation for the match as everyone's focus turned away from Sarah and toward Kyle.
"How long will she hold out for?"
"Is this match even fair? If it ends too quickly we won't even be able to properly assess their skills."
Many were starting to doubt whether this match was worth watching or not.
Producer Maddison leaned closer to the CEO and whispered,
"What do you think? Do you think this match is worth tuning in for...?"
"Maybe."
The CEO replied softly, his gaze hovering over the many scars and knicks on the young girl's combat suit.
"We might just be in for a pleasant surprise."
He whispered back before raising his hand and muttering.
"Let the match commence."
Ding—!
His words brought a sudden change to the arena floor as the platings shimmered with brilliant light and large rocks started protruding from the ground. The land cracked, and a large orange sun hovered up above in the sky.
[Environment: Savvanah]
[Match is commencing...]
[May the match begin]
The first to act was Kyle Lermann. Despite his imposing stature, he moved with remarkable agility, his figure blurring as he advanced. With a swift extension of his arm, a large broadsword materialized, and he swung it down at Sarah, who stood her ground without flinching.
As the broadsword came down, her hair blew back as her head came rising upwards to face the axe.
Her gaze...
It almost felt empty.
The CEO thought as he blinked his eyes and cocked his head.
'Why isn't she moving?'
It was highly unlikely that she was scared. Emblem of the Sun wouldn't let someone like that stay in the Guild for that long. It had to be something else.
And then... he understood why.
Ba... Thump!
It was almost faint. So much so that not everyone in the room heard it, but... the subtle sound of a heartbeat echoed within the arena grounds. The scene that came right after left everyone in shock.
"U... akh!"
Kyle Lermann. A man who was known to come from a reputable family, suddenly trembled. The broadsword in his hand stopped halfway through its motion as his face twisted on the spot.
Veins protruded down the side of his neck and forehead as his teeth clenched tightly.
It had all happened in a moment, and before anyone even had the time to process what had happened, Sarah made her move.
With a gentle move of her finger, she pressed it against his neck.
Then...
[Contestant Kyle Lermann is unable to continue]
[The match will now come to an end]
[The winner is; Sarah Andler]
The entire meeting room fell silent at that moment.
CEO Windsol blinked his eyes, unable to grasp what had happened as his crossed arms came untangled.
Slowly, his mouth parted open as he managed to utter a few words,
"What did I just...?"
The CEO was having a hard time processing the situation ahead of him. He had to take a deep breath in order to calm his mind.
He looked down. Sarah was still standing in the middle of the arena with a blank look. As if she had done something insignificant.
"What kind of monster..."
And words subconsciously came out of his mouth.
He wasn't very hopeful at first. He had only accepted her for the audition given the fact that she belonged to a big Guild.
In his mind, he had only planned on having her here as a formality.
Yet.
The one he overlooked turned out to be a lot better than he thought. No. Saying she was better than he thought was an understatement.
It wasn't just her presence that seemed to shine and entrap everyone watching, but her skills and just everything about her was...
'Monstrous.'
Yeah.
She was simply monstrous.
A talent any Guild would highly covet.
"She's far from a monster."
A voice abruptly cut the CEO, and he was shocked to find a figure standing next to him. When did he get here? The CEO thought, observing him for a moment. He had introduced himself as Liam Marken not too long ago.
He could still remember.
As the CEO was observing him, Liam's eyes glazed across the arena beneath as they settled over Sarah.
Then, as he turned his head, his gaze met with the CEO who suddenly felt his body tense.
"She's not a monster. At least not yet."
"What...?"
"She trained hard."
Liam replied simply, his eyes never wandering off the figure that stood central to the arena grounds beneath.
"More so than you can imagine. I can't count the many times she threw up after each training session. The times she convulsed on the ground in pain, and forced herself back to train..."
Liam paused and finally looked away from Sarah before muttering,
"And all of this was achieved in a week's time."
"A week...?"
For a brief moment, the CEO felt he could make out what seemed to be a slight curl of Liam's lips.
"That's right."
He nodded.
"A week."
"..."
The CEO wanted to say something, but no words came out of his mouth. He was speechless.
Utterly speechless.
He wasn't the only one. The entire room was silent. The reasoning behind the quietness wasn't Liam's speech which had only been heard by the two of them, but Sarah who was standing beneath.
Even now, she was shining brightly.
The term Star Chaser came from the Stars that were awarded to each member after they advanced a Tier. But it wasn't just that. It was a name that represented what they were.
Beings that shined as brightly as a star, and captivated those watching.
The CEO, who was most clear about this, couldn't help but turn his head toward his Producer to ask,
"How was it, Producer Maddison?"
"..."
"Producer Maddison? Did you hear me? Producer Maddison?"
Only once the CEO shook him did the Producer finally snap out of it as he dazedly looked around himself.
"Uhm? ...Ah? Yes?"
"What do you think about her?"
"Her?"
Producer Maddison blinked. What could he think? He saw what everyone saw. Still. As he stared at the figure that stood in the middle of the arena grounds, his hands started to tingle.
"More."
"Uh...?"
Producer Maddison looked at the CEO, before flinching at the sight of Liam who was standing beside them.
"When did he get here?"
"...I want to know that too."
The CEO replied with a bitter smile. He too had reacted the same way.
"But what do you mean by more?"
"Ah."
Producer Maddison turned to glance at Liam who looked back at him and nodded as if understanding what he was trying to ask for. Only then did the Producer voice out his thoughts.
"I want to see more of her. Send another auditioner."
"You want to..."
"Yes. Can we do that?"
"I... Yes, we can."
In all honesty, he too was curious. He wanted to see more of her. While the first fight was undoubtedly not a fluke, they had only caught a small glimpse of her ability.
They wanted to see more.
"Send a more powerful member. While Kyle was meant to be powerful, he still after all doesn't have much experience and has only started."
The CEO scrolled through the catalog before finally pausing on a certain figure as he tapped on the screen.
"Send Laria."
"Laria? You want her to go?"
"Yes."
There were two candidates that the CEO had his eyes on before the audition. Amongst them was Laria Emerson. A Tier 1 Individual Star Chaser. One projected to be able to make a leap to Tier 2 within the following year.
The CEO turned his attention toward Liam.
"From what I know, she's just reached Tier 1 Orange. Do you think she can handle it?"
"No, problem."
The manager replied in a dry voice.
"She should be able to handle that much."
"I see."
The CEO nodded with a bit of caution.
Laria Emerson was a rookie who had just not so long ago managed to defeat an Orange-Class Boss Monster within an individual-type dungeon, qualifying her to be a Tier-1 Orange-Class Tier 1 Star Chaser.
Sarah on the other hand was... well, it wasn't known. She belonged to a group, and it was hard to quantify her individual strength.
The CEO Malik Windsol suspected she was in the high Orange Class, but he wasn't sure. There was a reason why he wanted to see more.
'How much more will you surprise me...?'
Would Laria be her limit, or...
"She's coming."
A young woman with long, silky orange hair and eyes resembling emeralds emerged from the opposite side of the arena.
Her gaze met with Sarah's who tilted her head at the sight of her.
"Are you supposed to be my next opponent...?"
Her voice rang through the speakers of the room. Audio had not been removed, and so they could hear everything that was going on between the two.
"So a pretty face?"
But instead of replying to her, Laria tilted her head to observe Sarah's face.
"Hmm. I guess this shouldn't be too difficult."
Then, extending her hand, a sword formed beneath the palm of her hand which she slowly closed to grasp it.
The plates beneath the arena ground shimmered, and snow began to fall from above. The same transformation occurred on the ground, where snow started to accumulate.
[Environment: Frost/Tundra]
[Match is commencing...]
[May the match begin]