As the bright flare pierced the sky, signaling the commencement of the trial, a surge of anticipation swept through the courtyard.
"Ah..."
The students were shocked by the abrupt start. Some students exchanged determined glances, then racing towards the forest that lay ahead.
Lassim felt a rush of adrenaline course through his veins as he quickly sent his spirit sense into the jade bracelet to see the details.
---First Ranking Trial---
1. N/A
2. N/A
3. N/A
.....
1500. Lassim Vanthar - 0 pts
-------------------------
"Looks like there's 1500 of us at the starting line. Time to show off." Lassim smirked.
With a quick summoning of his halberd from his heart world, bringing forth a fluctuation of lightning and water energy, he set off towards the forest, his senses on high alert.
The cool mountain air filled his lungs as he entered the shadowy embrace of the trees, their branches reaching skyward like gnarled fingers.
The forest teemed with life, each rustle of leaves and chirp of birdsong adding to the symphony of nature that surrounded them. Yet beneath the tranquil façade lay fraught with danger, where predators, maintained by the academy, lurked in the shadows and the slightest misstep could spell disaster.
Lassim's spirit sense hummed with a light energy that spread outwards as he navigated the winding paths. His sense melding to the subtle fluctuations of elemental energy that permeated the air.
He scanned the surroundings for any sign of movement, his eyes sharp and focused as he searched for his first prey.
Suddenly, from behind the trees, a low growl echoed, perking up his ears. He froze in his tracks, his heart pounding in his chest as he located the source of the sound to his left.
Quickly he noticed a pair of amber eyes glinted in a bush, fixed upon him with predatory intent. Before Lassim could react, a massive shape lunged from the underbrush, its tusks charging through the air with lethal precision towards him.
Instincts from his training of the [Fire Halberd] technique took over as Lassim summoned forth his elemental power, a shocking bolt of lightning trailing behind the swing of his halberd, surging forward with a swift fluid motion. The blade barely cut through the earth boar's outer skin, but the lightning element wasn't known for being weak.
The lightning made contact, engulfing the creature in a shocking paralysis, its muscles seizing and twitching in pain with a squeal echoing through the forest as it thrashed and writhed in agony.
With a final seizure jerk, the creature collapsed to the forest floor, its heart stopped, life extinguished by Lassim's elemental energies. The body charred with barely any blood loss considering his blade barely entered through the boar's hide.
Lassim, standing next to the smoky remains, had his mind racing from the short intensity of the encounter.
'This boar could be considered an SI3 rank creature. I'm really unlucky. The highest level in the outer areas of the forest is supposed to be SI4 according to what I overheard those other students say. If it hadn't been for the shocking effects of my lightning element then I'd probably be severely injured just now.' Lassim reflected.
He wasn't out of breath, but it gave him a better idea of where his current strength was at as halfway through the SI1 level. He quickly checked his bracelet again as he also carved out the low-rank elemental source stone from the boar's forehead.
---First Ranking Trial---
1. Lustria Alisone - 18 pts
2. Rygar Wildheart - 17pts
3. Robert Nightshade - 16 pts
.....
467. Lassim Vanthar - 3 pts
-------------------------
"Wow, as expected of Lustria, but man there sure is a lot of powerhouses here." Lassim smiled at the challenge to overcome.
But there was no time to dwell on his small victory, for the forest was alive with the sounds of battle as other students faced their own trials and he was falling behind quickly. He pressed on, his determination unwavering as he rushed deeper into the heart of the forest.
Meanwhile, nearby a young boy with wind elemental twin daggers was facing a crisis.
'Shit... Who knew I'd run into these assholes trying to steal every single one of my kills.' Cried Sirium internally.
Sirium gritted his teeth as he surveyed the scene before him.
A group of students, their faces twisted into sneers, had surrounded him, their eyes glinting with malice. They were armed and ready, their elemental weapons drawn and poised for threaten their fellow student.
Most were wielding elemental bows or long range weapons to kill the elemental beasts before he could slay them, a tactic the group had come up with relatively quickly. They'd known each other and grew up together in the same city, so this was a strategy they'd used before on group hunting missions back home.
Sirium had quickly noticed after the first time his kill was stolen from him that only the person that landed the final blow received all of the points for the kill. This should work against students trying to team up, he thought, as if thinking that they would evenly split the reward points. Yet, with the final blow being the only thing counting, it would be much harder for groups to evenly share the total points.
Instead, this rewarded sneaky and rude behavior among the competitors.
He tightened his grip on his twin daggers, circulating his new wind mana that flowed through his body as his knuckles turning white with exertion.
The weight of the situation pressed down on him, but he refused to back down. He had worked hard to earn his chance at Myriad Spirit Academy, his father seriously promoting him to the recruiter for the sake of his family and he wasn't about to let anyone take that away from him.
"Back off," Sirium growled, his voice laced with determination. "These kills are mine, and I won't hesitate to fight you for them."
The leader of the group, a sneer curling his lips, stepped forward, his gaze cold and calculating. "Oh, look at the little noble boy trying to be a big strong man," he taunted. "You think you can take us on all by yourself?"
Sirium clenched his jaw, his resolve hardening. He may have been outnumbered, but he refused to be intimidated. With a swift motion, he lunged forward, his daggers flashing in the sunlight as he prepared to face his adversaries head-on.
As the clash began, Sirium fought with movements fluid and precise. He parried most of their attacks but one of the fire spirit bow user's arrows struck glanced his shoulder, causing immense burning pain and burning off his right sleeve.
His wind elemental daggers sliced through the air with deadly accuracy in response. With a flash he slashed in a motion that sliced off the fire user's arm. In that moment the bow user suddenly disappeared in a bright flash. Clearly the injury had removed him from the competition quite early as the blood loss would surely endanger his life.
Despite the odds stacked against him, Sirium refused to falter. He was from a family of merchants, but always felt like he was going to be true spirit warrior, born to accomplish a new height of strength for his family, and he would fight until his last breath if that's what it took to emerge victorious in this first test.
As the skirmish continued, Sirium's initial confidence began to wane. Despite his skill and determination, the relentless onslaught of his adversaries was taking its toll. With each clash of blades, he felt the sting of small injuries, the exhaustion creeping into his muscles.
His movements grew sluggish, his breaths coming in ragged gasps as he struggled to keep up with the relentless pace of the fight. Sweat dripped down his brow, stinging his eyes as he strained to maintain his focus.
The leader of the group, sensing Sirium's weakness, pressed the attack with renewed ferocity. His strikes were swift and precise, each blow landing with deadly accuracy.
Sirium fought back with all the strength he could muster, but it wasn't enough. The odds were against him, and he knew it. Desperation gnawed at the edges of his consciousness as he searched for a way out of the increasingly dire situation.
But try as he might, Sirium couldn't find an opening. His foes were too skilled, too determined to see him defeated. With a sinking heart, he realized that he was outmatched, that he had underestimated the strength of his adversaries.
As Sirium found himself overwhelmed by the onslaught, his hope dwindled with each passing moment. His muscles ached with fatigue, and his breath came in ragged gasps as he struggled to fend off the relentless attacks.
Just as he thought he could fight no longer, a sudden flash of lightning split the tree branches overhead, followed by the sound of thunder rolling across the mountain.
Emerging from the tree line with the ferocity of a storm, Lassim charged into the fray, his halberd whirling through the air with deadly precision.
As Lassim ventured deeper into the forest, his keen senses picked up on something unusual—a series of abnormally large and frequent fluctuations of elemental energy emanating from a spot nearby. Intrigued, he followed the source of the disturbance, his curiosity piqued.
As he approached, Lassim's eyes narrowed in concern as he witnessed a group of students surrounding a lone figure, their laughter ringing through the air like a sinister melody. Among them, he recognized Sirium, the young boy with wind elemental twin daggers, being pushed and taunted by his aggressors.
A surge of anger coursed through Lassim's veins as he watched the scene unfold before him.
With a roar, he swung his weapon, arcs of lightning crackled and danced along its length, striking fear into the hearts of Sirium's assailants. They faltered, their resolve shaken by the sight of not only Lightning, but also water elemental energy.
"Twin elemental spirits!", shocked at this revelation of what they were seeing.
"Two elements?!"
"What the fuck?"
"How?"
Lassim fought with anger at the situation, his movements fluid and graceful as he danced through the bullies. His halberd swung with dangerous speed and power, each strike landing with devastating force. Some strikes splitting the ground and causing the attackers to fall in and get stuck, and others to instantly disappear in a flash a light, clearly the elders watching the situation.
In the face of Lassim's onslaught, The bullies hesitated, uncertainty flickering in their eyes as they weighed their options.
For a moment, silence descended upon the clearing, Lassim stood in front of Sirium, broken only by the sound of the his lightning and water infused halberd cackling with power.
With a cry of terror, the remaining few turned and fled, disappearing into the forest in their haste to escape.
Breathless, tired and shaken, Sirium looked up at his savior with gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you," he said, his voice filled with emotion. "I owe you one."
Lassim turned and offered him a reassuring smile, his eyes reflecting the bond of camaraderie that had formed between them in the heat of battle. "It was nothing," he replied modestly.
"We're all from the same Aurora kingdom. I can't stand bullies. I also saw you at the ceremony and my family relies on the Giffard merchants in our city. Making you owe me a favor might help me down the long run," Lassim winked.
As Sirium struggled to his feet, Lassim reached into his pouch and withdrew a health potion, offering it to his wounded comrade. But Sirium shook his head, declining the offer with a determined look in his eyes.
"I have my own methods of healing," he said, his voice steady despite the pain he was in. "But I could use your protection while I meditate and recover."
Nodding in understanding, Lassim stood guard over Sirium as he closed his eyes and focused his mind, drawing on his inner reserves of strength and magic to mend his injuries. He quickly poured a glowing red potion into his mouth, a high grade dragon's vigor potion, worth thousands of source stones.
After a few moments of intense recovery, Sirium opened his eyes, a renewed sense of vigor shining in their depths, his exhaustion gone and all the wounds on his body healed like they never existed.
"Thank you," he said, rising to his feet and giving a knowing nod to Lassim. "I won't forget this. I promise to repay the favor."
Lassim smiled warmly, sure that he'd at least made one new friend at the academy, clasping his shoulder in a gesture of solidarity. "There's no need," he said as he tried to walk off all cool, trying to be impressive. If anyone else had seen his posturing walk, they might have thought he was lame, but Sirium thought he was genuinely pretty cool in that moment after helping him out.
With that, the two young spirit warriors quickly separated into the forest once more to continue their hunts.