The next day, both of them were brought to a testing facility. Serah had gotten her own room to sleep in, and while John was slightly disappointed, he didn’t dare to show it.
John didn’t need much testing due to Karin’s assessment of his abilities, but Serah hadn’t even fought a single barg before, in either world. So, she needed to be tested before anything could be decided for the future.
The room they were in was very similar to the one John had woken up in, but it had a few extra devices spread throughout. One wall was heavily reinforced to handle the spells they were slinging at the targets.
Serah showed a surprising ability to cast spells, hitting stationary targets far better than John could. Unfortunately, she lacked training in anything else.
"You've been practicing much more than you've let on, haven't you?" John asked her, squinting his eyes.
"Uhm... I'm not doing very well, though," Serah replied, looking frustrated. Her spells had plenty of force and focus behind them, but rarely hit anything that moved.
"Of course not; you've only been using stationary targets! Combat is a lot more dynamic, and it takes experience to use your skills optimally. But that's what we're here to teach you!"
She glared at him at first, but seemed to accept that she needed his help. It didn’t stop her from letting out a sigh, though. “How come you’re the one in charge of my training? Don’t they have anyone… more suited?”
“... I’ll admit that I’m not the best when it comes to spellcasting, but I’ve got more experience than most when it comes to fighting, both monsters and people. Ideally, you would learn to dodge and defend before learning to attack, but since we will be fighting in groups at first, it should be fine for now.”
Serah crossed her arms, but thankfully, she had a smile on her lips. Albeit a teasing one. “And how should I get better at hitting the moving targets, oh mighty champion?”
John didn’t hate the teasing but sensed an urge to get her stronger quickly, so he chose to ignore it.
“Speed. Your spells are very powerful but move too slowly to hit anything reliably. You should also practice making them sharper so they can penetrate thick hides, but that can wait for now.”
She seemed to sense his serious tone, simply nodding. “Okay, got it. The easiest way is to reduce the size, right?” She held her arm out, conjuring a small ball of fire, before shooting it forward at the reinforced wall. It traveled much faster than before, but the impact was way less powerful.
“Okay, but doesn’t the power go down too much like that?” she asked, looking back at John.
The fact that she managed to adjust it so quickly was a bit shocking to him. “Uh, yeah. I mean, the power can be increased by increasing the essence you pack into it. But you can also make it more like an arrow, decreasing the resistance. That’s what the penetration comes down to.”
“Oh, so more like this?” Again she pointed at the wall, making a large needle of fire, and then launching it. It flew through the air at the same speed as before, but the wall lost the battle this time. A finger-sized hole remained when the blast had passed, where even her earlier spells had done little damage.
“... Are you messing with me?” John asked incredulously. He could not believe she could do something that complex on the first try.
Serah looked at him with surprise. “No? I would like to, but you’re too serious right now.”
“And you’ve never done that before? You’re telling me your control of essence is so fine you can adjust it on the fly?”
“I’m just doing as you tell me! What’s with the questioning?!” Serah replied, frustrated. “I’m just imagining what you’re saying; isn’t that how spells work?”
John still found it hard to believe. He had never seen such abilities even in the capital of their world. But he wasn’t mad; if anything, it was a pleasant surprise.
“Okay, try adding a spin to the spell as well. That makes it harder to deflect and more accurate over long distances. And if that’s not hard enough, make the center of it way denser than the outside, like an arrow within the arrow. That should make it penetrate even deeper.”
“Trying to challenge me now?” she said, still slightly frustrated, before turning back to the wall. She closed her eyes as she focused this time, and the spell started forming. It looked the same on the outside, but John could tell it was spinning.
It flew forward, slightly slower this time, but the impact was nearly doubled in power. The sound was sharper, and the flames spread out once it hit. The hole had almost doubled in size, and John was sure it would also be much deeper.
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Now he was speechless as he stared at her, jaw dropped. She smiled at him, seemingly basking in the moment. “Next challenge, please.”
“... No, that’s everything I know. That’s already on the same level as the best mages I’ve seen, except for the slight fall in speed. And they have practiced for decades!”
Her expression changed from joy to light concern. “Yeah, in our world. Where they want us to get stronger. You don’t think they made us seem like geniuses on purpose?”
John had to think before he responded. The thought had occurred to him before, but he knew the other candidates were in the same world. And he had still won the tournament where some of them had been included.
“Okay, that might be the case. But!” He pointed at himself. “I’ve also tried learning spellcasting. And even after five years, I can’t do what you just did. But it makes sense, seeing as how you became a breaker by accident. You’re talented. And maybe incredibly so.”
“... I guess we make a good team, then! Or did you become champion by pure effort?”
John chuckled, thinking that wasn’t entirely untrue. “There was plenty of effort involved, for sure. But I can’t deny there’s some talent here as well.”
He walked ahead, putting himself between Serah and the wall. “Now that you have the power down, you need to practice hitting moving targets. Particularly living targets. Try hitting me with those small fireballs.”
She looked at him like he was insane. “Uh, no? What if I hit you?”
John grinned as he stretched his legs, getting ready to move. “Oh, that’s a big if! If you do, I’ll let you ask any question you want, and I’ll answer honestly. And don’t worry, it won’t hurt me more than a punch.”
The reward seemed to perk her up. “Okay, I’ll try. But are you really going to be standing that–”
Before she finished her sentence, a small fireball flew from her hand, taking John completely by surprise. He didn’t have time to dodge to either side, so he was forced to jump straight up. The spell nearly hit him between the legs, but luckily, he managed to avoid it.
Another ball was flying at him as he floated in the air, but he had anticipated it and prepared a spell of his own. A blast of air shot from his right hand, propelling him to the left, letting him avoid the spell once again.
Serah stomped her foot in frustration once he landed on the ground. “Aww, I was so sure I’d hit you! How did you move in the air like that?”
John was too nervous that she would surprise him again to reply right away, but once he saw her put her arms behind her back, he relaxed. “I should have known you’d try something like that. It was an air blast; it’s very useful for moving quickly in close combat. One of the reasons I won the tournament.”
“I see,” she replied, still looking disappointed. “Well, you’ve convinced me that hitting you will be hard, so I’ll stop holding back, okay?”
“That’s good! It’s a great way for both of us to train!” John replied, keeping a close eye on her hands. He wasn’t about to be caught by surprise again.
The training session lasted until Serah was out of essence, unable to cast any more spells. She had gotten clever with her casting, baiting John to dodge into consecutive fireballs and forcing him to use his air blast again, but she could not hit him.
“God, you’re improving quickly!” John said, breathing heavily from the exercise. “You need to be aware of your available essence in the future. Never spend it all! You never know when you might need it.”
Serah seemed more frustrated than tired, standing there with her eyes closed. “I was getting close! Once I started using both arms, you began to struggle!”
John smiled, deciding to let her keep thinking she was close. He turned to the wall to look at the damage, but the small fireballs barely marked it.
A sudden force hit him in the back, followed by loud cheering. “I did it! you owe me an answer!” Serah cheered, jumping in joy.
‘Ugh, she was just pretending to be out of essence? That’s so cheap!’
He stared at her in disbelief, in awe of her audacity. “You really feel like you’ve earned that? Where is your sense of sportsmanship?”
“It’s called strategy, my dear champion,” Serah said, wagging her finger at him. “The one area I definitely have you beat in. The only rule was that I had to hit you, right?”
John knew she was right, but he hated admitting it. Her acting was excellent. The frustration, which had seemed so clear on her face. She even closed her eyes to make him lower his guard further.
“Fine, give me your question then…”
She grinned and shook her head. “Nope, I’m saving it! But I’ll be sure to use it for what it’s worth.”
John sighed, sensing that this would be hanging over him for a while. But he would keep his word, of course. He held his promises in high regard.
A familiar voice sounded out from the speakers in the room, “John and Serah, your equipment has been prepared for assimilation. Please proceed to the storage room on the fourth floor.”
John flinched, hearing the lifeless voice Vera sometimes used for simple tasks. “Vera, can’t you make your other voice a bit nicer?”
“I can, but I’m busy! You try keeping track of 14 floors of complex company management at once! It’s not easy!”
“... Sorry, I’ll stop complaining in the future,” John replied, feeling a bit selfish.
Vera sighed audibly. “No, it’s fine, John. Sorry, there’s just a lot of work right now. The briefing for your first trip to the portal will be ready after you pick up your equipment, then you’ll have some time to do what you want.”
John was very excited to see his equipment, especially his sword. He had tried to get some insight into what the golden enchantment in his core would do, but the only thing he could tell was that it had to do with odds.
‘I’ll just have to see when the time comes! I think I know what I should put it into.’
“Sounds good, Vera! We’ll head right over!”
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