--- [Alex’s perspective]
“And with that, the second round of this year’s D-rank exam is over! Before we move on to the next round, I’ll do a quick recap of everyone’s scores.” – Leanne
So, we all made it to the final round then.
Well, everyone except for Jade…
She gave her spot to Rin; they must be very close…
“In twelfth place, we have Jade Amor with a score of 1. You did not make the cut. In eleventh place, we have Jesse Equus with a score of 2766. You did not make the cut. In tenth place, we have Eva Lapis with a score of 3767. You did not make the cut. In ninth place, we have Nora Piscis with a score of 4820. You did not make the cut either… You’ve all failed the exam, but you’re welcome to try again next year. Good luck. You may now leave.” – Leanne
Like always, the people who fail have to leave the examination area.
If they don’t go willingly, Leanne will use force…
“See ya later, Rin! Let’s meet up at the bar we talked about when you’re done.” – Jade
Without a single scratch on her body, and clearly much left to show, she peacefully takes off…
“Okay!” – Rin
“Now then, only the winners remain. I’ll finish up the recap before we resume the exam. In eighth place, we have Rin Nox with a score of 4948. In seventh place, we have Lett Lepus with a score of 5195. In sixth place, we have Isabella Gladius with a score of 6510. In fifth place, we have Isaac Lux with a score of 8851. In fourth place, we have Lucas Nix with a score of 11549. In third place, we have Shin Magnum with a score of 14226. In second place, we have Alexander Minima with a score of 38944. And finally, in first place we have Illian Draco with a score of 52144. Congratulations, you’ve all passed the second round!” – Leanne
I wonder what the final round will be…
The first one was a team game, the second was a strength contest.
It’s probably going to be something entirely different, but I don’t know what…
Well, I’ll find out soon enough.
“Let’s not waste any more time, it’s time to explain the rules of the third, and final, round of the D-rank hunter exam…” – Leanne
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Shin looks like he’s still in a lot of pain, I hope he’ll get some more time to recover…
“The third round will without a doubt be the most difficult… To pass this round, you’ll have to prove without a shadow of a doubt that you’re worthy of being D-rank…” – Leanne
Oh?
“I brought with me eight D-rank hunters… Each of you will be paired up against one of them; if you win your fight, you’ll pass. Otherwise, you’ll fail. Some of these guys are people who passed the exam as recently as last year, while others have significantly more experience. Your scores in the previous round will not affect who you’re matched up against, it will be random like always.” – Leanne
“…” – Illian
So he wasted a shadow clone for nothing then…
Shin almost lets out a little chuckle, but just barely manages to hold it back…
“Hold on, they’ll be here in a second.” – Leanne
She flicks her wrist, and a cocoon of rock soars towards us from the horizon.
She makes sure to carefully put it down before letting it disappear.
Eight unknown hunters emerge from within…
“Vincent Fortuna, Noah Anima, Jin Umbra, Hazel Sanitas, Zoe Petra, Volkan Ignis, Lia Ludus, and Iggy Lignum. They will be your opponents.” – Leanne
So we’ll have to defeat actual D-rankers in combat…
That’s no easy task…
They’ve already proven themselves to be worthy of the title, and some of them have even had years of experience afterwards too…
It sounds insane, but this is probably the perfect test.
If we win, there really is no argument to be had if we deserve to rank up or not.
It won’t be shameful for them either…
Since we rank up by defeating them, it just means they lost to a fellow D-ranker.
It’s simple…
It’s brutal…
But it’s perfect.
It’s every man for himself.
Win or lose, we are the only ones who are responsible for the result.
One of the D-rankers walks up to us, he doesn’t look happy…
“This scrawny bunch is who we’re fighting? Come on, you brought up all the way here just for this?” – ???
“Stop complaining, Volkan. You’re getting paid for this… And if they’re so weak, prove it when your turn comes.” – Leanne
“… Fine.” – Volkan
Leanne raises both her arms, and an arena made of stone rises up from the ground.
It’s very similar to the one she made in the first E-rank exam I took.
In fact, I think it might be the exact same one…
“This will be where you’ll fight. There is a bench on each side; one for the exam participants, and one of the D-rankers. Also be aware that I’ve made sure the stone is so hard there’s no chance any of you will break it by any normal means. I’d advice against hitting it directly… Now then, go to your seats.” – Leanne
We hop into the arena, then make our way over to the correct bench.
She makes two more stone wheels, then writes our names on one of them, and their names on the other.
“Without any further ado, let’s figure out who’ll be fighting in the first round!” – Leanne
She spins their wheel first…
“For of the D-rankers, the first one to fight is Zoe Petra!” – Leanne
A woman with a mask covering her face jumps into the arena…
“And the one who will be her opponent is Shin Magnum!” – Leanne
It’s his turn already…
He has barely had any time to recover…
He’s clearly still in a lot of pain from the previous round.
I hope he’s able to overcome it…
“Good luck, Shin. Do your best!” – Alex
“Only if she makes me.” – Shin