"Welcome, everyone. Since there are rookies here, let me introduce you to the virtual training room. Here, you can train as much as you like, facing dangerous anathemas or dueling each other. Whether in the middle of a city or the heart of a jungle, we've got it all covered," the instructor introduced me to a gargantuan machine in the center of the room, which had numerous cables connecting it to multiple pods housing sleeping humans.

"During the promotion test, an instructor—that's me—will send you into an environment of my choosing. Then, you will fight a specified number of anathemas, also of my choosing. If you defeat them, you pass. Simple, right? Just passing is the minimal requirement to advance a rank. Remember, you are also ranked individually, so compete and rise to the top!"

"Hm?" I glanced toward Alice, who was standing next to me. "Did he just say we should battle other Guardians?"

"Ah, it's called a duel. If you duel, you can earn certain points every week. Moreover, dueling is also one method to settle many disputes," Alice explained.

"Why does the Zenith want us to battle each other?"

"Because the matches are broadcasted. It brings joy to the populace, sort of like a tournament, maybe?"

"I see. Can I refuse?" I said, a bit peeved. I have been cast in movies, dramas, and commercials. However, I still have some reservations about being cast as a real guardian of mankind.

"Yes, you don't have to join. But that means your rank will remain at the bottom, and you will also miss out on the bonus points."

"Now, let us begin! I will give each of you a number. Please walk into the sleeping pod," several secretaries distributed numbers. Alice, Sapphire, and Red Flame declined the power duel. My number is seven.

"Huh? You won't take it?"

"This is a promotion to rank F. Promotion into rank D is in a different section. Hehehe."

"Alright! Number 1, please enter the chamber!" a magical girl stepped into the sleeping pod. As the pod closed, her body was scanned by a magitec virtual engine, and we could view her through the massive monitor in the room. Several cameras were positioned in front of the monitor and the instructor.

"Is that from the SnowTV company?" I noticed one of the Shirayuki branch broadcasting companies at the forefront of the enormous screen and near the instructor.

"Yes. This promotion test is broadcast live by several major broadcasting companies. They usually get a lottery spot as we have limited space here. But I guess your family fought tooth and nail for that spot." Felicia explained.

"Number 1 will fight five Fomorian hounds! They are the nasty vanguard anathemas, almost always present in any usurpation. Their small bodies and quick movements are perfect for reconnaissance. Their serrated claws and long, sharp tails have taken countless civilian lives. This is the anathema that every magical girl and guardian must be able to defeat before they can truly call themselves guardians of mankind! Now, let the promotion test begin!"

Through the major screen, an apartment setting appeared. The Red Magical Girl, dressed like a novice adventurer from games, came forward with her sword. Her ponytail swayed along with her head as she scanned her surroundings.

"Hmm? Is there any chance the girl might lose?" I tilted my head. The girl seemed like a novice with her sword, not used to handling it at all. But her enemies were fomorian hounds, which I could defeat even without using astral shift.

"Of course! This promotion test is as real as it gets. There's no staging or fabrication whatsoever. If my data is correct, only one in every six participants passes." Her answer puzzled me further. How would the TV handle the gore, then? Those anathemas are particularly nasty.

My fear was realized instantly. The hounds surrounded the girl, and to my surprise, she charged at them like a bull. She managed to kill one after stabbing it multiple times, but another hound attacked from behind. Using their tails and claws, they encircled her. She killed another two before her shield aura broke, and the anathema chewed her. Particles of light spewed forth from her wounds before she was zapped out. Then, she emerged, nodding her head in sadness, resembling someone who had received a failing mark on a test.

"Well, Number 1 has failed her promotional test. That must have been tough, huh. I remember failing this exam too, hahaha. This is your second attempt. Please continue to train hard, okay? Being a magical girl isn't easy. The fate of humankind rests on your shoulders. Next! Number two, to your pod!"

"I see. The monitor censored the gore and converted it into particles of light. I thought it was edited post-battle when I watched it as a kid."

"We don't need to show such gore to the audience."

"Are you okay with showing a magical girl losing to an anathema?"

"It's fine. It tells the story rather than focusing on the defeat. It resonates better with the masses if the MG fails, then trains hard, and finally succeeds, right?"

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"That's right."

"Number 2 has triumphed! After three consecutive losses, Magical Guardian Green Peace triumphed against fifteen ghouls! His calmness in the face of insurmountable odds, like water on rock, caused the waves of ghouls to break down upon meeting Green Peace's shield. He must have been trying his best, and it paid off!" I wondered whether he was assigned as an instructor or a Master of Ceremony. But if this is how the Guardian Academy operates, then I guess I have to adapt.

The battle continued with Number Three, who failed. Despite the passionate speech from our green commentator, it didn't touch my heart at all. I felt sad and disappointed. How could they lose against those dogs and zombies, of all things, especially with their astral shifts?

"Felicia, why do they lose?"

"If you were there, what would you do, Yuri?"

"Stay silent as I wait inside a room, lure them into a bottleneck, such as a doorway, take them out one by one without fail, and then move to another defensible area."

"Number Four wins on her first try! Although she barely made it with her life, winning is still winning. Congratulations! We have such a brave and talented new recruit this year…" the instructor's voice faded as I stopped paying attention. The battle was not engaging.

"Good. I was not wrong in choosing you. However, you must realize that such battle sense is not innate for everyone. When becoming a magical girl, you feel such strong power within you. This makes you brave and reckless. Tactics such as hiding, ambushing, and camping in defensible areas never cross their minds. Only those who overcome this can advance to the next rank."

"I see."

"Ugh…" Sapphire knelt down, her face red.

"What?"

"Ehe… Sapphire took this test four times. She defeated them with brute force, though," Alice said.

"Number 7. Magical Girl Black Lily. Come forward." My name was finally called, and I walked forward. As I did, the other MGs began to whisper.

"Well, you just arrived here two days ago. If you want to pass, you could take it next month. I feel bad giving this test to those who are not ready."

"Will this test kill me or give me any demerits if I fail?" I asked him as I tilted my head.

"Of course not! Don't joke about such things! This virtual room is as safe as can be. There has never been a single accident, let alone a death, whenever anyone has used this virtual machine. However, due to the realistic experience of a magical girl facing an anathema, the experience can be a bit traumatic. You should start by hitting an inanimate Fomorian hound in the training room."

"No need. I have fought the real thing, in the flesh," I said.

"Ah. You are the emergency contract MG, huh? My condolences that you had to face such terror without training. Do you need a physician or psychiatrist? The experience must have been traumatizing. No? Well then, as expected from a... I mean dark. You really represent courage. Then show us! Show us your courage and enter the pod!" The MC guardians asked me questions before letting me into the pod.

As I lay down, the world flashed white, and my body spun around before landing on a soccer field, surrounded by six Fomorian hounds from every corner. I looked around; this place was bigger than I expected as I saw a door leading outside. However, the hound didn't seem like it would let me go through it.

"This is the worst place to fight them. Why would the instructor choose this place of all places?"

"Well, maybe he wanted to fail you? It would hurt his conscience if he promoted a guardian who's not ready, after all. There are many cocky guardians too. You may have come off as arrogant to him."

I ran to one anathema and drew my javelin. With a practiced motion, I threw it toward one of the anathema. Like an arrow, it flew straight and pierced right into its body. I quickly approached the fallen anathema and picked up my javelin. As the other five converged, I threw my javelin again, killing another one of them.

Anathema are not mere animals, especially the lower-level ones. They don't care if their comrade dies. But in exchange, their behavior was predictable, like robots or preprogrammed characters. The anathema circled me. I moved toward one, and it ran away while another one chased me from my blind spot. As I turned my back on it, it leaped at me, but I had already anticipated the attack—I saw it with the mana eyes I put behind my head. I pierced its body with my naginata and threw the body away.

Thinking my spear was stuck, the other three jumped at me. Instead of using its tail, this one preferred to lunge at me. I performed a sidesweep and bisected all three of them in one go. I had the strength stat to do it. If it had been the old me, I probably would not have been so bold and would have rolled away after bisecting just one of them.

I scanned my surroundings and saw no more enemies. I said, "Log out." The world turned white again, and I awoke in the sleeping pod. Everyone was silent as they watched me walk back to sit beside Alice. Even the passionate instructor was speechless for a while before continuing his speech.

[Quest Completed! - Promotion to F Rank Magical Girl]

[Description: Get promoted to an official magical girl and spread your name to the whole world.]

[Difficulty: Easy]

[Reward: 200 Points]

[Remaining Points: 2256]

"Awesome. Such coordination, such strength! As expected of the magical girl who had firsthand experience in hell itself. Survivor of New Mesa. Truly one of a kind. A flawless no-damage run for her first promotional test! Excellent! She certainly makes it look easy! I look forward to the day when she can share her tactics and knowledge as an instructor! Guys, let's make her our goal! If she can do it, so can we!"

I left the hall only to be met by Issen, Pink Heart, and Serene Night. I felt like I was being targeted, though I had no idea why they had chosen me. Shining Arrow hugged me from behind. "Yay! You are an F-rank now. Let's team up and begin clearing this area of usurpation! Ah, Magical Girl Pink Heart! I am Shining Arrow. Nice to meet you!"

"Good work. Congratulations on your first promotion," Pink Heart congratulated me.

"Come on! Don't waste time with some dogs. Go for harder promotion exams. Tch! What a waste of time," Issen remarked dismissively.

"Do you have something you want to discuss with me?" I asked Pink Heart as she looked at me, appearing uneasy.

"Well, yes. About your death wish. You wish to rebuild New Mesa, right? The request has been sent directly to Zenith. Thanks to your success, they might consider it. But, does it specifically have to be New Mesa? Why not support the other 15 frontier cities? Sorry, but New Mesa has been flattened. It would be more useful to divert our resources to other frontier cities like New Hill or New Lake. Those have 3 REDs (Reality Enforcement Devices) and 5 mana generators. With just four more REDs and 2 more generators, they could be as safe as sanctuary cities."

Her words stung, and I realized how selfish I must have seemed. I quickly bowed and apologized. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me during the death wish quest. I just spoke my mind out loud. Yes, as you said... it would be more efficient to divert the resources to New Hill or New Lake."

"I see. Sorry, but your death wish will definitely be granted. Zenith promised it after all," Pink Heart smiled wryly. Both of us knew it was an empty promise. By the time New Mesa has its turn, it could be thirty or forty years into the future. I then tried to divert the conversation.

"Why was New Mesa attacked anyway? It hasn't been attacked by more than two usurpations monthly in five years. If other frontier cities were attacked like New Mesa, they wouldn't survive."

"Good question. I just received a report that in two weeks, Zenith will personally contact us."

"Eh, they will talk to you directly? What do they look like? I've never seen a Zenith!" Alice jumped in excitedly.

"Well, they look like elves and angels—very pretty," Pink Heart said.

"I want to meet them!"

"Well… that might be a bit hard to arrange…"

"That's above your pay grade. Raise your rank to B or A first, girl." Issen said.

"Ah, yeah… sorry."

"Well, that's how it is. They maintain low-level communication with us. Actually, we're not sure if they even speak or understand our language."

"Alright. Thank you for the information, Miss Magical Girl Pink Heart, and Sir Magical Guardian Issen. We will take our leave now." The gaze from the surroundings hurts. I thought I was not an introvert, as I was an actress and student council member. But apparently, I am.

"Let's take a quest!" Alice said.

"Um… no. I think I'll have to look around first," I denied her request.

"Hey, how about a duel! You're an F rank now, right?" A red Magical Guardian approached me. His brashness was reminiscent of Red Flame. Do all Reds talk like that?