[0:02]
"Damn..." In total, the beasts they've slain wasn't enough for them to clear this stage, this was their only chance to attain a higher grade but with only one second left, Lucy and Daichi's facial expression were replaced with disbelief.
As Rentaro fell down to the ground, he recalled the memories of Shota's instructions on Amplification and Enhancement.
'Think of it as working out to build your muscles, we raise our Soul-Energy as high as we can and incorporate that energy into our ultimate technique. In order words, the requirement for clearing this training stage is to create an Ultimate technique.'
'Raising our Soul-Energy huh?'
With a smug smile, he rotated his body instantly, with his newly found strength, he kicked the air so hard, launching himself like a rocket above the beast's head.
'Amplify.' As he thought, he weaved a ball of energy in his right palm. "ARR!" He exclaimed, raising his Soul-Energy to the maximum. A light blue aura exploded out of his body, the ball of energy pulling it all into itself and grew bigger in size.
'Enhance." As he absorbed all that energy into the massive ball of energy, electricity sparked rapidly around it, intensifying each passing second.
With a smile stretched across his face, he aimed the massive ball of concentrated electricity at the beast's neck.
[0:01]
"Soul-Technique: Massive Electric Burst!"
He slammed the immense sphere of crackling electricity with a fierce determination, striking the creature squarely in the neck and driving it into the earth. As the energy burst forth, a blinding explosion erupted, obliterating everything in a three-meter radius, leaving nothing but silence in the heat.
[Team Rentaro has slain the boss of the dungeon!]
[You have gained 10 Soul-Essence!]
[You have levelled up!]
[Electric Burst (level 2>4]
[The time limit has elapsed!]
The system displayed a bunch of notifications as Rentaro fell to the ground.
[You'll be transported back in 0:10..0:09]
"O-ow." Rentaro groaned as his back hit the ground, he got to his feet slowly and faced the beast they took down. He smiled before hearing footsteps approaching quickly from behind him. He turned around only to see Daichi and Lucy approaching him.
"We did it!" He yelled highlighting their accomplishment, but his excitement was withheld as he gazed into Lucy's eyes which showed seriousness.
"Start talking..." She demanded to know how he did what he did, even Daichi became curious on how he was able to move like that.
"Talk about what?" Rentaro replied her, pretending to be oblivious about what she wanted to know.
"Don't play dumb, you know exactly what I want to know, tell me what the hell was that."
[You are being transported back to the real world]
They were all transported back to the hall they were in before the first stage commenced, however there was a significant change. The teams of three that were a total of 670 reduced to 5.
Daichi and Lucy were taken aback by the mass elimination in just the first stage, earlier principal Helen had told them only a total of 90 teams could qualify for the second stage. That was her original assumption to how many teams would make it.
"Only..5 teams made it this far?" Daichi asked, unable to believe how the number trimmed down so greatly, what was more unbelievable was he was part of those who qualified.
"If you are present here, that means you have successfully passed the first stage of the Soul-Hunter Exams." Principal Helen's voice reached out to the remaining participants and they immediately turned their attention to the stage she stood on.
[Mizuko: 35 points]
[Prince George: 35 points]
[Rentaro: 30 points]
[Silver: 30 points]
[Miyuki: 23 points]
[Lucy: 22 points]
[Daichi: 20 points]
[Mei: 19 points]
[Yui: 17 points]
A large holographic panel appeared above principal Helen and displayed the participants with the most significant results in the first stage.
"Congratulations on clearing the first stage." She praised them.
"B-but what happened to the other's who didn't make it back?" A participant from there stammered crowd as he asked.
"D-does that mean.." Another participant stammered.
"No they are not dead, those who failed were simply transported back to their various homes." The principal cleared their doubts.
"I knew it, that city wasn't real was it.." Rentaro spoke his mind loudly. All the participants murmured as they stared at the commoner.
"What do you mean it wasn't real?" Lucy in confusion questioned.
The principal smiled softly, she was surprised that someone actually saw through it after 15 years.
"You are correct." She replied to Rentaro prompting the other participants murmur to increase as they were all shocked.
"That was my ability [Countdown], I created a domain where everything within it is controlled by my imagination for a given time limit depending on it's scale, for this stage it was 50 minutes. The beasts you all fought were real and at the same time they weren't real. I made it so no one would die." Principal Helen explained her ability and how it was utilized in the first stage.
A soft smug streched across Rentaro's face, chuckled, that ability was indeed a powerful one which was able to trick even the eyes Rentaro for sometime.
"How did you figure it out Rentaro?" Lucy asked out of curiosity, it was simply astonishing. Despite being aware of his intelligence, even Mei failed to notice how he could have caught on.
"It was simple actually, I first noticed it when I took down a Class D-rank beast. The beast wasn't bleeding and that's when it hit me, plus no matter the destruction the buildings nearby wasn't affected. Given the stakes of the first stage no one paid attention to their environment" Rentaro explained, the principal smiled as she was impressed at how he quickly broke down the first stage.
"This exams are held like this for the past 3 years to prepare Soul-Users for the dangers of a dungeon, the first stage was all about survival. There is no such thing as survival in a battle unless it's by your own victory.
"The only way to pass this stage was to bring down as many beasts as you can in the given time limit, the higher the rank of the beast, the more points attained. Those of you who passed did just that while those who succumbed to fear, those who realized their difference in power and lost the will to fight lost."
She explained the first stage properly to the participants, it was a test in a test.
"The second stage of the Soul-Hunter's exams will commence at noon, till then you are dismissed. That will be all for today." The principal concluded the exams for the day and all the participants left the hall and headed back home including Daichi, Lucy and Rentaro.
After they had all left, a holographic panel played the events of the first stage Infront of Helen's eyes. The final moments of the first stage was re-played in the panel highlighting Rentaro's skill [Bloodlust Of he Assassin] and also Mizuko.
"Those boys.." Helen spoke softly, watching the movements of Rentaro over and over and trying to understand just what he was.
"He's quite a strange individual isn't he." A voice spoke from behind her. As Helen turned around to confirm who it was she quickly went on her right knee.
"Your highness." It was the princess of the Suzana empire, who was known as one of the greatest Soul-User in the kingdom.
"In all my years of training and experience I have never seen someone like him, who is he?" The princess questioned Helen stepping forward and glancing at the holographic panel.
"He goes by the name Rentaro Mizuno your highness. I believe he belongs to the Elementalist Soul-Type." Helen replied.
"Rentaro Mizuno? That doesn't sound like the name from one of the six great noble families. Plus Elementalist Soul-Type? And he's this strong?" The princess walked away towards the exit of the hallway. "Keep an eye on him."
"As you wish your highness." Helen replied as the princess left the hall closing the doors behind her.