Looking up, Ron observed a red-haired elf with ember eyes and pointy ears in the branch of a tree. She held a long bow that appeared to be a magical weapon. Glancing at her arm, Ron noticed more than three second-class bands hanging around it.
"Alexia," he muttered, realizing she's one of the people he wanted to avoid meeting in this test.
Alexia matched Adam's strength at nearly 40% of the third-class level, prompting Ron to avoid her as she could be a bit of trouble for him.
"I should get out of there," Ron murmured, attempting to run past her.
Seeing her opponent flee, Alexia aimed her bow. An aura of fire enveloped the bow, shaping into an arrow.
{PISSH}
The arrow shot out swiftly, akin to a laser, making it nearly impossible for Ron to dodge. He hesitated to use a mud wall, fearing it might not be sufficient to block the incoming attack.
{BOOM}
The arrow struck Ron's right side, generating such force that shockwaves rippled through the area, flinging Ron several meters away.
"That hurts," Ron murmured, feeling nauseous. The impact was intense, even though he was pretty strong physically.
"She's crazy, hunting others even though she has more than three bands."
Feeling sick, Ron pushed forward, striving to put as much distance between him and Alexia as possible. As he glanced back, he saw Alexia still aiming her bow at him, unleashing arrows even more potent than before. The air around the arrow heated up due to the intense pressure emitting from it.
"Give me a break," murmured Ron as he pointed his fingers in the shape of a gun towards Alexia as she was about to fire her arrow.
{PISSSH}
The arrow shot out at a terrifying speed, which was impossible to see with the naked eye. At the same time, Ron shot out his Hydro Burst with all the ounces of magic he had left.
{BOOM}
The earth quivered upon the collision of their attacks, vaporizing the trees and the surroundings into a thick fog. Alexia boldly stepped into the billowing smoke, arrow at the ready to launch in case Ron tried to attack her. To her dismay, as the mist began to settle, there was no trace of Ron within its concealment.
She gritted her teeth in frustration as the smoke began to clear. Ron, however, was nowhere to be seen. She started scanning the area, trying to locate any sign of movement or presence. The mist hung in the air, adding an eerie atmosphere to the surroundings.
Alexia observed Ron in a fight with second-class participants. He showed more strength than she expected. Curious, she decided to attack him. Even though she studied all the third-class individuals who would be attending the test, she couldn't find anyone that matched Ron's description.
As she was lost in her thoughts, the mud around her feet began to melt, and her leg caught into the ground. As she felt it instantly, she tried to break free from the trap.
Suddenly, a voice echoed from behind Alexia, "You're not getting my band that easily."
Before Alexia could aim her bow at Ron, a sudden punch to her stomach forced her to stumble onto the ground. His hands were enveloped in wind magic, amplifying the impact and speed of his punch. For most people, this blow would have resulted in instant knockout, but Alexia, though in pain, managed to stay conscious.
She stood up again as his eyes shined with fiery red, killing intent emerging for her as she looked at Ron, who was in front of her. Her hands started to cover with Crimson fire shaping like a blade, and the heat around her started to suddenly increase, expanding the air, making a wavering effect around her.
Ron, reflecting on his luck surviving the previous attack, noticed the fire arrows passing through his hydro burst. It had the power to knock him out, but he instantly used his decay magic to mitigate the impact. Gratefully he didn't have to worry about people finding out about using dark magic because of his buff. So he decided to go a bit all out.
Suddenly, Alexia took a step back as she felt something weird from Ron, his power which was previously of a second class now skyrocketed to third class. His purple eyes shined as the wind started gathering around Ron, surrounding his both arms, and his fist got covered with red fire which shaped into a whip. But however it was the killing intent emanating from him which almost brought a chill to Alexia's spine.
"Who are you?" asked Alexia.
"Oh, so the queen speaks," replied Ron with a smirk.
"Which family are you from? You have magic power and skills equal to a third class, so why are you hiding your power?"
"Well, it's my personal matter, don't pry into it," said Ron as he disappeared from his spot.
Suddenly, the red fire whip lashed out towards Alexia. Although she managed to dodge it, the heat from the whip scorched nearby trees.
"How?," murmured Alexia, observing how the whip floated around Ron like a snake.
Ron, understanding why Alexia was so surprised, recognized that her main specialty was fire. Despite her knowledge of other magic, she primarily focused on fire, as that was the signature skill of her family.
Without warning, Ron propelled himself towards Alexia from mid-air. His fist surged with wind magic, delivering an explosive punch. Aware that she couldn't dodge in time, Alexia braced herself, blocking the attack with both arms.
{BOOM}
The deafening explosion echoed before, causing panic among the second-class participants in the vicinity who fled in fear for their lives.
Alexia lay on the ground, battered and bloodied, with blood streaming from her nose and mouth.
"How is he so strong???," thought Alexia, preparing for another attack. "I know about most third-class participants, but where did a monster like him come from?" She gazed at Ron, whose eyes were radiating a terrifying amount of magic power.
Ron moved closer, reaching for Alexia. Expecting another fight, she closed her eyes. But surprisingly, Ron just took one of the bands from her wrist. He seemed happy about it, put it on his own arm, and then walked away calmly.
"Wait, what's your name?" Alexia asked in a soft tone.
"Me, I'm Ron. Well, see you later," said Ron, and with that, he instantly disappeared from his spot.
"Ron, huh?" murmured Alexia with a small smile.