"Wait, you wrestled the demon to death?" The Instructor exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. "Well, that would explain the state of your armour."
Aahan, feeling embarrassed, began scratching his cheek. While fighting the demon, he ignored the status of his armour, but now that Instructor brought his attention to it, Aahan realised it was barely holding onto his body.
The first thought that crossed Aahan's mind was whether he had to pay for a new suit or repairs. He was worried because he didn't have any money on him. Whatever money he had received from Officer Mehra got lost in the demon realm when they were fighting against Asura.
Thankfully, the Instructor did not mention the suit again and continued the conversation.
"As amusing as it is, you didn't explain how you managed to sever the demon's head?" The Instructor asked, getting awkwardly close to Aahan's face.
"..."
Although Aahan's face didn't show it, he was caught off guard by the Instructor's question. Moreover, some other people who came to deposit demon corpses weren't asked questions like him, which made Aahan wonder if he had done something to irk the Instructor.
'No matter the reason, I need to answer him,' Aahan thought. 'But since Gurudev told me not to tell anyone about my left hand, I can't tell the Instructor the truth...'
The Instructor kept staring at Aahan, waiting for a response. By now, those who had finished their task were also intently listening in on their conversation, making Aahan even more uneasy.
"A blade," Aahan confidently muttered. "The demon was carrying a blade that got knocked out of his hand when he first attacked me."
"A blade... you say, interesting," The Instructor nodded, but Aahan knew he wasn't convinced. "It's quite rare for a low-levelled demon like a Rakshara to use a weapon. That said, it's not unheard of."
The Instructor patted Aahan's shoulder and continued, "You got lucky. If the Rakshara was wielding a blade, it was likely on the verge of evolving, and if it had evolved during your fight, someone else might be carrying your head out of the fissure instead."
Although the Instructor was joking, the thought sent a chill down Aahan's spine.
While Aahan was lost in his thoughts, the Instructor processed his ID and returned it to him with a small bottle with simmering green liquid inside. Looking at the bottle reminded him of Mountain Dew.
"Drink it, you'll feel better."
'Dew or Die, huh?' Aahan smiled while accepting the card and drink.
"I have thrown in a few more points because of your inconvenience. I would have to talk with someone about allowing such demons into the tests."
"Thank you, sir," Aahan replied and went to the side where those who had passed the first round were sitting.
As he looked around, he realised something. Except for him, everyone who had qualified had a weapon by their side. For example, the bow girl he saw before and the burly-looking mace wielder were there.
Besides them, there were four others. Two of them carried a sword, while one of the two girls held a staff. As for the last girl, she was wielding gauntlets that, from a glance, seemed to be made of brass.
Aahan finally realised why the Instructor was asking so many questions to him. After all, he was the only one who had passed the trial without a weapon.
The thing was, Aahan had seen at least a dozen people carrying weapons. As such, they should have been the first twelve people to clear the mission. But they were still stuck inside the fissure.
It could be why the people around him were staring at him like he had done something illegal.
'It won't be the first time or the last,' Aahan smiled.
Well, the looks aside, Aahan didn't dislike a bit of silence. Mainly because he was tired. He was sure he would have felt much worse had it not been for the Asura's tongue as it absorbed the vitality from the fallen Rakshara.
'I need to talk to Gurudev about this,' Aahan thought. 'But it doesn't look like we are done yet.'
His eyes then fell upon the bottled liquid. He had seen the others chug it down in one go, and their wounds were healed immediately. It led Aahan to believe that it was some sort of potion that could cure injuries.
But since the Asura's tongue had already taken care of his injuries, he pocketed the potion, should he need it in the future. Once done, he returned to enjoying the silence, but the peace didn't last long.
"Aahan, right?"
The burly-looking man from before said as he approached Aahan, his hand extended for a shake.
"Um, yeah?" Aahan replied, accepting the handshake. "But how did you know my name?"
"It is written on the scoreboard," The guy laughed while pointing behind him; even his laughter was gruff as the fresh scar on his body. "My name's Dheera, by the way."
Aahan's eyes widened as he did not know anything about a scoreboard. He looked up the list, and there were seven names there. Surprisingly, his name was fourth on the list even though he was sure six others had completed their task before him.
"I'm... fourth on the list?" Aahan mumbled.
"Although clearing time plays a significant role in the final score, it's not all that matters," Dheera explained. "People usually carry weapons in the trials to clear the fissure quickly and get a better score. But in your case, not using a weapon got you a higher score!"
Aahan finally understood why a few participants were throwing dirty looks at him. Even he would be mad if he sat down to eat and someone snatched his food away.
'It is, what it is...'
***
Additonal Infomation:
1. KP refers to Karma points, also called Karmic points, and as mentioned before, it is the currency used inside the Ashrams.