Following the exhilarating speed test, a brief intermission was announced, giving the candidates a chance to catch their breath. Alex, still slightly panting from his sprint, took this opportunity to step aside and gather his thoughts.
That's when he noticed him – a figure with fiery red hair that stood out even in the diverse crowd of the Hunter's Guild.
'He looks strong, I can feel a strange aura coming from him. The air around him seems to be disturbed… I wonder what rank he is?' Alex pondered. As soon as Alex thought this, he noticed the man looking at him directly.
'Shit, he noticed I was staring at him!' But contrary to his expectations, the man simply gave Alex a thumbs-up, and looked away.
'Phew, he's nicer than he looks,' smiled Alex.
'Hmm… what was that feeling? Was it just my imagination?' the hunter thought as he gave a thumbs-up to the kid that was staring at him earlier.
The final test of the day was announced – an anything-goes fist duel. The announcer, using his loud voice, bellowed, "Alex Walker versus Lena Heartwarmer!"
"Kick his arse, Lena! Show him why you're the number one candidate!" the crowd cheered.
Lena, at eleven years old, was a vision of youthful vigor blended with a cool, confident air. Her blue hair cascaded playfully, framing a face that held hazel eyes sparkling with intelligence and wit. Her slender figure moved with grace and agility, underlined by muscle - a testament to her years of training.
Lena, like Alex, was an orphan. She had been fending for herself and her younger sister since they lost their parents to sickness.
Her sister, only seven years old, was the driving force behind Lena's fierce determination to succeed.
"It's just me and her against the world," Lena said to herself, her thoughts laced with a mix of responsibility and affection. "I have to be strong for both of us," she mumbled.
Ever since her parents passed away, she had been the sole provider for her sister. She first started begging for food at a very young age, but after a while, that was not enough to keep herself and her sister from starving.
She also noticed how the older men would look at her, their eyes showing a hint of desire that the young girl was still unaware of, but she could feel their evil intent.
At first, she did not think much of it, until she was lured into a trap by a seemingly rich noble, but as soon as she followed him with hopes of earning money, the noble tried to take her away by force.
Without going into too much detail, one can imagine what this 'noble' man wanted. By sheer luck and determination, Lena was able to escape his clutches and scream for help.
As soon as some passersby heard her scream, they immediately went to help, and the nobleman disappeared from their sights.
Needless to say, Lena was very untrusting towards nobles since that day; she hated them.
Luckily, one of the passersby who heard her scream was a well-respected Rank 3 Hunter. He softly explained who he was and invited her and her sister to come stay at the Hunter's Guild. Lena had heard about hunters and their guild before, so she did not immediately reject the offer.
She was always enamored by the thought of Hunters; she respected their power. Lena wanted to refuse, but she also knew that she could not survive in this world alone, not while trying to provide for her young sister.
Eventually, she relented as the hunter continued to genuinely show goodwill and followed the hunter to the Hunter's Guild.
The guild provided them with food and even trained them on how to defend themselves, and in return, the girls would attend to simple chores. They would help clean clothes, sharpen weapons, and perform other easy jobs.
Once Lena started training at the Hunter's Guild, the other hunters quickly saw that she was a quick learner, someone with potential.
Thus, the hunters treated her well, kept her and her sister well-fed, and as the years went by, increased the frequency of her training, in hopes that she would one day become a great hunter.
By staying at the Hunter's Guild, she had seen many candidates come and go, some failing to obtain their hunter's badge. If one fails the test, they must wait six months before being able to try again.
This was to prevent people from trying over and over until they get easy fights.
"I need to win, to get my hunter's license. I can't let all those years go to waste," Lena continued, amping herself up.
Even though the hooded boy in front of her seemed just as desperate as she was, she didn't care. She would win, no matter what.
She was awoken from her thoughts by the announcer's voice, telling them it was time to start the fight! She slapped her face with both hands, a loud smack reverberated across the open grounds, startling Alex. "Let's get on with it!"
As they squared off, Alex couldn't help but be impressed by Lena's poise and determination.
"She looks as young as me," Alex's mind pondered for a minute before seeing her blast off from her location and initiating an overhand attack.
The duel began with a flurry of movement, Lena's agility matching Alex's newfound skills. She moved like a seasoned fighter, her attacks and combos a testament to her training. Lena's strikes were precise, her defense solid, and her movements fluid, echoing the grace of a martial artist.
Alex, on the other hand, was moving instinctively. The only real fighting he had ever done was in the dream phase, and the few times he tried to stand up to his bullies. He had never fought a human in this fashion before, but by using his perceptive eyes and quick speed, he was able to keep up with Lena's flurry of attacks. His body almost moving in a robotic fashion.
With each exchange, Lena was starting to feel something was wrong.
'This guy isn't bad, but what's up with him? Something is very off about him. Is he even trained? But how is he able to keep up with me so easily? His legs look like they could break with a simple kick,' Lena thought as she sent a lower kick towards his legs.
Alex jumped, dodging the kick.
Surprised at how easily he just dodged the kick, Lena decided to spin around and throw a roundhouse kick to his face. Alex quickly ducked and threw an uppercut, to which Lena slightly stepped back, just barely missing her chin.
'Phew.. I was worried that my punch would connect. I don't want to accidentally blow her head off. I'm holding back as much as I can without it being too obvious,' Alex thought.
The crowd in the background was cheering at the display they had just witnessed. "Way to go, kids! Keep at it! Come on Lena, you got this, I got 2 silver riding on you!!" someone from the crowd shouted.
As Alex heard that, he couldn't help but take things more seriously. Some hunters were betting on him losing a fight to a girl!
In a moment of heightened intensity, Alex absentmindedly forgot to hold back, and he nearly landed a punch right at her bosom, but pulled back at the last second, stumbling over his own feet. A grim reminder at how childish Alex still was by letting simple words affect him to such an extent.
The crowd erupted in laughter as Lena seized the opportunity to land a firm blow, knocking Alex off balance. Once she noticed his moment of weakness, she quickly jumped on top of Alex, holding down his arms with her knees, and landed one more strike to his head.
Alex feigned that the punch rendered him unconscious for a moment.
Alex quickly woke up, and despite losing, he couldn't help but smile, impressed and amused by Lena's prowess. "Not bad for an eleven-year-old," he quipped, dusting himself off.
"Losers always want to have the last word," Lena shrugged while saying. She tried not to show it, but she was having a great time!
Alex knew that if he really wanted to, he could have won that fight very quickly. He could have kicked the ground and sent dirt into her eyes, and by using his upper body strength, tackled her into the ground. Or he could have used his speed to throw a flurry of punches to knock her out, but he did not want to harm her. After the incident with the toilet, he was paranoid at his own power.
Alex always had a soft spot for girls. No girl ever bullied him before, and he never had any friends to begin with, and he felt that this girl standing in front of him could become someone he could talk with in the future. He liked her attitude, but that was all minor details - in reality, she was really pretty in his eyes!
'Before I fight anyone again, I need to understand my strength better. The arm wrestling proves that I'm much stronger than the average rank 1 hunter, and the speed test proves I'm faster than the fastest candidate here. I will need to spend some time and learn to control my body,' Alex thought.
He also had a strong suspicion that no matter how the fight went, he would still be granted the badge. He could tell that the officers were already impressed by what they saw, especially when he beat Dash in the contest of speed.
Alex's eyes met Lena's, and with a nod of acknowledgment, he and Lena both walked to the middle of the battleground, shook hands, and waited for the announcement of the final results.
At that moment, as their hands met, Lena noticed something striking about Alex. His hands were smooth and surprisingly cold, a stark contrast to her own rough, blistered ones. This touch alone was telling; it seemed to confirm her suspicions that Alex, unlike her, hadn't endured the rigors of extensive training.