The first part of the exam went mostly about as expected. They were made to strip, and undergo a variety of exercises and various examinations to ensure they were healthy enough. A few laps around the field as well just to be safe, as well as some in depth close up exams as well, especially regarding the eyes. Apparently the eyes were a good indicator of drug use.
Of course, the moment Gavic Fisto tried to go too far, the combined gazes of Vanessia Thorn and Argux Baxter. This caused him to be checkmated several times over. Granted, that still didn't make Kuroki feel better about this situation. He was getting used to the culture of this world, which on an occasion or two caused him to deal with embarrassment like this. But this time was different. Among the gazes on him as he had to do this, were those judging him. It made him feel rather self conscious about his body, but he was used to that so as bad as it was, and as much as he hated it, it was something he could push through.
It didn't help that there were a bunch of other adventurers watching them either. Lower ranks that wanted to see what they should aim and prepare for, watching them with great interest and a bit of idolization. Then there were higher ranked adventurers as well, wanting to see if any of these new rookies might be worth recruiting. Not everyone here was in a party after all, at least all the time. There were plenty of solo adventurers. So these higher ranks really wanted to see what their juniors were made of. That said, right now they were mostly drinking and chatting. They didn't care about this part at all, which helped. No, they wanted to see the mock battles. That was their main goal and prize, and it was what they truly desired.
Watching the mock battles would be the best way to see who has potential after all.
But the fact that there were people in the distance that he could sense, examining his naked body and determining its value...it's worth. That creeped him out immensely, and rightfully so. Suddenly, a dark feeling festered in his gut.
I should kill them, right here and now, before they have a chance to strike.
Before the thoughts were even over, he was formulating a new spell...when Kaede grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. Almost instantly, the dark feeling of pitch blackness dispersed.
"You okay Kuroki? You had a grim expression there".
"Oh, sorry. The gazes are getting on my nerves" he said as they ran.
"They are rather unpleasant. Lets just hurry this up" she said, as they continued to run around the courtyard with the other E-Rank examinees.
What was I about to do? Was I...about to try and kill someone?
Shaking off that unpleasantness, he continued to run.
That was about the only thing that notably happened during that phase. Perhaps if Gavic Fisto hadn't been restrained, it would have been even more humiliating and terrible. But he had, so they were soon able to finish up and get dressed again.
Once everyone was dressed and geared up, the second part of the exam began.
The first part was really just to make sure they were healthy and not cheating, the second and third parts were the main grading portions. Their equipment had naturally been examined while they were waiting as well to make sure nothing was hidden inside as well. That was apparently unusual, technically within rights if someone suspected something, but as far as they knew never enforced. This just led the examiner to feel scorn from everyone as a result, since obviously singling out Kuroki's party would be against the rules, and basic etiquette.
There were five parties right now taking the E-Rank Exam, and Kuroki's party was up second. Kaede throught it was lucky they were not going first, but Kuroki disagreed.
"Right now, we still have some adrenaline left. But by going second, we have just enough time to relax, without actually recovering any stamina from the tests before. If anything, its the worst position to be in".
"Really?"
"Yeah. This match won't last long enough for us to get any real rest, I am sure of it. Just long enough to cool off our adrenaline and let the fatigue seep in".
It was a rather nasty strategy all things considered. Their original plan had been to try and use this as some cover for an abduction for one of Amyris' enemies, which was largely why they had drawn so much hate. Riza, Amyris, Ellie, Valiance either went after or hated all these people, either father or son, and then there was Sebas, who hated Amyris so much he was more then willing to target his apprentices or anyone that was friends with them. Either one of them had connections to shady business. It was even expected for staff of the Mage's Guild to have connections to smugglers. Apparently, dangerous magical contraband, like Cursed Objects, were occasionally traded in by criminal groups via smugglers, and part of what the Mage's Guild did was deal with such objects. As such, nearly all Mage's Guild staff as well as their upper ranks had to have criminal connections. Because it was better that, then risking some sort of highly dangerous curse, or perhaps an out of control golem, or evil magic that involved human sacrifice to be making the rounds.
It was a necessary evil sort of thing. Though, from what Kuroki heard, the closest analogy he could think of was smugglers basically trading in bioweapons and nukes for protection and profit, so he had to admit arguing against such an arrangement sounded difficult.
That said, it was especially harder for most people, who didn't have magic. Kuroki was around a lot of magic all the time, and could use it himself. Even the other three in his party had some magical abilities. But most people in this world were not really capable of using magic. Sure, anyone should be able to if they really practiced and tried hard enough, but not everyone felt that attached to doing so and focused on other crafts as well. Those with magical abilities tended to either join the Mage's Guild, the Adventurer's Guild, the Royal Institute of Magic, or were highly independent. You wouldn't actually find all that many magic users in the army proper, and while mages sometimes did fight on the battlefield, generally it was the efforts of soldiers and generals that were the key to a battlefield victory. Mages could play a pivotal role as well, but they couldn't go around crushing entire armies. Well, maybe X-Ranked could, but they were generally required to stay near the really dangerous areas.
The Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild was largely here in his position in order to remain on standby in case something came out of the Deep Woods, from that dangerous spot he heard mentioned. Apparently, A-Rank and S-Rank monsters could be found there, and groups of B-Ranks were regular occurrences. And while the Rank system was subjective and not perfect, it was still used because it was just effective enough to be useful for reference. It was better at indicating monster strengths then Adventurer strengths also.
The first party was made of two sword and shield users, an archer, and someone who seemed to use a sling. That last one caught Kuroki off guard, but they actually seemed to be the most skilled member of their party during the mock battle. He repeatedly tried to use it on attacks that would either hit the sword and throw it off target, or hit the examiner's face. That said, he was a bit reckless with some attacks as well, which showed he still had a lot to learn. That said, the sling combat itself was interesting. Kuroki's father had forced him to learn all sorts of weapons, but never a sling. Never staff fighting either, probably because he hated the idea of Kuroki holding anything that reminded him of being a mage.
Eventually, that group finished, and surely enough, it was their turn. They were still fatigued a bit, but the adrenaline was gone...and yet, their condition seemed to shock Gavic Fisto.
Ha. Eat that. All kids in our world always want to stay up more, so naturally we have all at various points in our lives wished for more stamina and faster recovery!
The way the Wish Granting Worked could be odd and obscure at times. But also sometimes, it was easy to figure out. This also got them good marks from the other examiners.
"It seems they are very good at rapidly cooling down and resting. A good trait we don't usually see except for C ranks, maybe some D as well".
"At least, not on the scale they did".
"Indeed".
You hear that Gavic? That is the sound of people demanding a refund on that bribe money.
The group got into position, and Gavic also got into position. Kuroki felt like he was a bit more serious now then he was before. Still, with two others here, especially Baxter, he couldn't be overt about it. Kuroki figured he would probably enhance his strikes at the last moment, during angles they couldn't see.
Anger and rage swirled within Kuroki, as the man looked down at them and gave them the creeps. Kuroki had lived his whole life with people looking down on him, often physically, but then mentally as a result as well. His father, the one who should have lifted him up. His father's scummy friends. His most loyal of students. Not to mention the bullies he had to deal with every day.
When he took a step forward, the darkness returned briefly, but then Riku quickly entered his vision, as he stood in front as the party's main vanguard. The sight of his friend helped to calm him down. However, the fact that Gavic was emitting such a powerful aura to try and intimidate and suppress them was annoying. His armor was among the best Kuroki had seen yet. It was only quarter plate in some areas, half plate in others, his chest piece being quite protective. And yet, what really gave him a bad feeling was the shield Gavic carried. Something about it called out to Kuroki, and seemed to almost...encourage...his darker impulses. He had a feeling that shield was bad news. Not cursed, but...it certianly was not made by someone with good intentions in mind. It was likely made to be used for offense, not just defense, and had a myriad of other tricks at its disposal.
I need to vent some of my stress. Its messing with my head. But then, what to...ah, I see...
"Just to confirm, we are allowed to go all out right?" Kuroki asked.
Gavic just chuckled. "Of course. Not like you will be able to do much, a brat like you".
"I see....heh. How wonderful".
The mood shifted ever so slightly, and even Gavic was taken aback by Kuroki's change. Kuroki then smiled, as if the stress had made him snap instead of relieving it.
"Then that means I can test out all the spells I cannot normally use on you".
Vanessia seemed to go wide eyed, as well as the other E-Rank applicants. Some of them were visibly seen taking positions further away, and motioned to their friends, the other parties, to do the same. One actually told someone to get Ozlo fast. The ones who reacted had seen what Kuroki did during the Goblin conflict, when he unleashed those two large spells: The one that doubled attacks, and the one that rained down ice charged with lightning.
Even Gavic felt alarm bells go off in his head. He might be corrupt and greedy, but he was an adventurer. He could feel that something had shifted to a dangerous level.
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The moment combat began, Ryuu unleashed his aura at full force. This threw Gavic for a loop for a single second, but in that second Riku utilized his combo move, Brilliant Blaze, his combination of Brilliant Flash and Flare Enchant: Incendia. Kaede appeared behind him, looking to go for his neck. All of them were moving fast. Too fast.
Remnants of an array were on each of their backs, and any mage realized it was time magic. The three had been accelerated. The question was when? When they had been doing the exercises and running around, they had all seen his back, and they knew it wasn't then. But they never once saw Kuroki cast the spell, meaning he had somehow stealth cast it. Not only that, but while it was far from masterwork, it was stable enough that it would last for a t least a few minutes. It was well beyond a normal apprentice, and indicated he had a very good teacher, a very high talent, and had put in a lot of hard work for this spell.
Speaking of casting, several ring shapes appeared from Kuroki's hands. It appeared to be some sort of Framework, but it wasn't anything any of them had seen before. Various symbols were visible, but no one recognized any of them. Furthermore, the spell appeared to be taking an entirely new form.
Gavic knocked Ryuu back first, but was grazed still by Riku's Brilliant Blaze. He protected his vital spots from Kaede, and then kicked her backwards as well, so he went after Riku before they recovered so he could go after Kuroki. Riku blocked his first strike, but the strength and power behind it was immense. He actually skid across the ground a bit, but his feet remained planted enough to not fall over.
Meanwhile, Kuroki activated his spell, as several rings of magic appeared around his arms. He thrust one arm forward, and a ring fired at Gavic. Gavic dodged the attack, but then a portal opened behind him. Kuroki then cast ice lances at him, and he dodged, only to get hit from behind as the same spell came out of the portal.
This was a lesser version of Amyris' Offense Duplication. It was called Twinning Portal, and it would cast any spell he cast. It didn't do it for free however, it took 50% more mana for each cast, and it could only emerge from where the portal was currently located. This spell was cast using intense array construction and calculations, but compared to what he used during the Goblin conflict, this was far easier to cast and control. Another limitation, and a major one at that, was that it was limited to just his spells. Offense Duplication would work on allies spells and even normal attacks as well, but Twinning Portal would only duplicate his spells. And they had to come from the mirror. It did allow it to be a remote casting point, which wasn't a negative, but it meant that if one wanted to really prevent someone from charging at them, it might not help so much. So it was a far lesser version, and yet still a rather impressive spell in its own right.
He let loose another ring, and this time seeing what the last one did, Gavic went to cut through it. This time however, it split down the center on its own and coiled around him. He was still able to dodge it enough to get his sword into position and cut through it, but now the other three recovered. He raised one of his arms, and a projectile shot out of a gap in his gauntlet, going after Kuroki. Kuroki sidestepped, seemingly blurred a bit in the process, as he unleashed another three lightning bolts. Twinning Portal unleashed the same, as Riku utilized Brilliant Blaze. Ryuu also went from the front, but Gavic first slashed at his own shadow...or rather at Kaede, who had planned to use both attacks as cover for her own. He got a good strike on her, knocking her back, but felt pain jolt in his leg. At some point, she slammed a dagger into his leg, stabbing it into a major flexibility point and reducing his movement. Kuroki meanwhile formulated a spell, more symbols appearing around him.
"Mirror mirror in the air, tell me in your words so fair. Tell me where to strike him best, so that I may bring this battle to rest. Reveal to me his weakest spots, let me connect those important dots. Reveal to me the path to take, so that victory is what I make. Guidance Timelines!"
Using the mirror he created as a catalyst for his spell, he utilized even more advanced magic. This was a technique that was very hard to control and utilize, since it required prior spells to set it up. If they were disrupted or destroyed, or done in the wrong order, and things would end up failing. Or worse.
The mirror reflected Gavic's image, and let Kuroki see the various openings that would let them strike at him. Riku meanwhile got around his shield and struck at him, only for him to parry the blade and then bash his shield into Riku's face. Ryuu charged from behind, but Gavic twisted around and did some sort of back kick that knocked him back, while Kuroki was busy formulating the spell. He created countless threads, but hardened and sharpened as they layered into needles and were launched at him. Twinned Portal duplicated them, sending dozens of needles forward.
Gavic used his shield to block, and then charged at him with greater speed then before. Kuroki made an ice pillar rise under his feet, getting him away from Gavic as he luanched another spell, having completed the incantation as the pillar went up. Several snakes made of lightning appeared, going downwards to attack and coil around him at fast speeds. Kaede appeared in that moment, managing to finally get a good hit in. Everyone thoguht that last attacked knocked her out of the fight, but she had just enough grit to make this attack, getting a good blow to his shoulder.
Kuroki meanwhile created his icy chains, following up spell with spell. They came and wrapped themselves around Gavic as he bashed Kaede away with his shield, sending her sprawling, but Riku's Brilliant Flash was already at him, forcing him to take the hit. Unfortunately, his armor, training, and experience let him endure it quite well, and he backhanded Riku, knocking him to the ground as he smashed the ice pillar Kuroki had been standing on. He swung his shield around again, and slammed it right into Kuroki, sending him flying and sprawling across the ground.
He went in for more attacks, when Baxter stepped in.
"That is enough. You are using too much force in your attacks, and it is blatantly obvious they cant continue fighting. Still, its also obvious they pass as well".
"What? But I didn't..."
"No, at the end there, they made you get serious. If they make a B-Ranker get serious, it proves they have successfully displayed their talent. Or are you really claiming that combination attack you just did was not you being serious?"
"Tsk".
He had clearly gone all out when he went after Kuroki's group at the end there, in particular with Riku and Kuroki. Both required some potion treatment, which Vanessia was already administering. Normally, examiners would never press an examinee that far unless he was forced to get serious, or even went on the defensive. Either one would automatically result in pass basically.
As such, he knew he couldn't argue back about the ruling. Especially since he had passed the first group, who didn't do as much as they had.
He had been completely routed. The other aspiring E-Rankers also clearly agreed they had passed.
And so, the rest of the mock battles continued, although none got nearly as chaotic as that.
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At the same time, Kuroki's group wasn't the only one taking the E-Rank Exams. So were Reiji and Juno, who had already dealt with the various excercises as well as the mock battle, so they were preparing to leave for camp. There were a few individual F-Rankers, but also two whole parties, for a total of thirteen people. One party of four, one party of three, Juno's party of two, and four individuals.
Unlike Kuroki, no crooked examiner had come this way. This was in part due to the fact that Juno and Reiji had the favor the guards surely, as any attempt as corruption or getting someone unsavory would have had them fully vetted by the guards extensively. Simply put, it was a risk that Cherry Road was unwilling to take, even as eager as they were. It was traces of how actions could influence events, and how support would make a difference.
They were now heading for the carriages that would take them to the campspot. It had to be sufficiently far enough away from the city to serve as a real test after all, so they would take carriages for at least part of the way there. Once they were at a certain point, they would go the rest of the way by foot, with veteran adventurers staying with the carriages. if for some reason there was an attack, and the monsters were far more powerful then they should be, they would step in to deal with the emergency situation.
The carriages the guild provided were quite large and spacious, and there were three in total. The examinees would be in the first and last carriage, while the examiners would join them, and the veteran adventurers would stay in the center, where they could adapt as needed. Furthermore, the carriages were not pulled by normal horses, but KIarins. They were a sort of large fluffy four legged creature. They had black fur with white spots, large flat and fluffy tails, and looked quite wonderful to hug and ride. Juno could only best describe them as being similar to this one creature in a popular show involving the four elements and spirits, the one that had three kids ride something that looked like this but could fly as they traveled across the world to stop an evil empire.
That didn't matter much right now though so Juno pushed it from his mind. Instead, he focused on keeping their gear close so that they had it ready. He had enough arrows to last him awhile, especially if he kept recovering arrows, as well as a few other tricks. Reiji had new shields and better armor, and Juno was wearing some padding under his clothes. They had everything they might need, and so they embarked the carriage.
As they entered, a boy introduced himself to them. He was one of the indepenent adventurers, and a bit unique. He was a mage, but rather then using the staff he had with him, he had a floating orb, as well as a dagger. The examiner had actually shed blood, thinking getting close to a mage was a great way to show their weakness, only for said mage to magically bring a dagger into his hand and cut him. The examiner decided to pass him right then and there, noting "he was already well aware of his weakness, and even set a trap. Well done".
Incidentally, for their examiner, he decided for everyone to do solo battles. It was their choice of course, one could do team or solo battles. In that case, all the solo adventurers would have teamed up together. But he decided to do individual matches for everyone.
His battle with Reiji had been particularly noticable. Both of them were shielders, and in fact they both had a shield on each arm. As a result it became a contest of endurance. The examiner won in the end of course, but admired Reiji for his defense, noting that any ranged combatant in his party would be well protected, especially with his counter strikes should they try to pass him for others behind him.
As for Juno, his battle had pushed him. He often liked to let ranged combatants get one attack off before charging, so Juno decided to triple strike with three arrows at once to make it so he couldn't block them all. That failed, he dodged one and blocked the other two, but Juno used that to scurry up a pillar and then fire down at him. He even chose an angle where the sun would be right in his eyes, decreasing his defensive abilities. In return, he knocked the pillar down, forcing Juno to run from high ground to high ground. It ended when he managed to get a slight cut on the examiner's cheek, praising Juno's acrobatic and climbing abilities, as well as his accurate archery. Although he did note that sometimes that accuracy betrayed him, since it could make it easier to predict his arrows and where he would try to strike.
In any case, the boy seemed to be quite anxious.
"So, my name is Aira. How about you two?"
"Juno".
"Reiji. Its a pleasure to meet you".
"Likewise" the boy said. He looked to be around twelve years old, and was one of the more socialable people here. Although part of that felt like it was his anxiety. He seemed to remain alert at all times.
"So how long have you been an adventurer?" Juno asked.
"Ah...just a week or two now".
A week or two? Is he Starfallen....he doesn't seem like it. Could he just be exceptional then?
Juno had heard of other kids his age, or younger then him, advancing even farther then they had. Apparently in a nearby city, just a few days to a week away depending on how you traveled, there was a fourteen year old boy who was an A-Ranked Adventurer, with the title of Dragon Caller. Apparently he could summon dragons of all kind, and even could summon their power within himself, using draconic attacks and abilities. Supposedly he led a force against a Goblin surge, and that Goblin surge was why the Goblins in their area had acted up as well. They got pushed out by the more powerful Goblins, and other cities in this large region had also been affected.
"Huh. It is the same for us as well. How did you earn the chance to take the E-Rank so fast?"
"Ah...its...the story is a bit embarrassing....but lets just say I had an unpleasant run in with something and managed to survive. Thankfully, my master made sure I was well taught before he let me join the Adventurer's Guild".
"Well taught?"
"Yes. My master only lets apprentices who develop enough skills to be on par with D or C Rank adventurers at least join, since he said that you never know what could happen out there".
In other words, his master cares about and is so protective of his apprentices that he makes it so they will be welll over the skill level necessary to earn F-Rank upon registration. Juno felt bad for whatever hopeless saps picked a fight with this kid. Of course not realizing that he and Reiji had effectively done the same.
Either way, they were heading into the forest, when suddenly Juno felt a shiver run down his spine. It felt like it just got cold for a moment, yet no one else seemed to notice. He looked outside of the carriage, and it felt like the forest was just a bit darker now.
He looked to Reiji, but he didn't seem to notice it either. He then looked to Aira.
"Is there anything weird in this forest?"
"Weird? There are some barrier stones, to keep stronger monsters from getting out...and also, to keep the corruption inside as well. But the corruption is only really an issue deep in, the palce we are going at is a place where E-Rankers set up camp all the time. Concerned?"
"Just...felt like we just entered something strange".
"Are you unusually perceptive? Its possible you sensed the barrier itself then. Or the mana that gets stuck in here".
"Yeah, maybe..."
Juno didn't want to confirm his perceptive abilities so easily to others, so he left it at that answer. He did have to wonder though, was that really what he felt? Or was there something else at work here?
If their enemies were making a move, could it be related to them?
Either way, Juno would find out soon enough. He checked on his bow, making sure it was properly strung and everything. He had a feeling he would be needing it soon.