Lyra led Evan through the guild halls, the echoes of their footsteps resonating against the stone walls. The training hall’s clamour slowly faded as they approached the rear section of the guild building, where a spacious outdoor area awaited. As they entered the exam area, Evan’s gaze took in the surroundings.
Towering stone walls enclosed the exam area, their ancient surface etched with marks from past trials. Rows of weathered wooden seats formed a makeshift amphitheatre, each seat bearing witness to countless aspiring adventurers’ endeavours. On the arena’s sandy floor was a series of training dummies, magical targets, and testing equipment, each spaced out, marking the exam area.
The air was filled with a mix of anticipation and tension. Four other individuals, like Evan, were already waiting. They stood scattered around the area. Each one eyed the testing grounds and each other, assessing what the exam could hold.
Lyra gestured toward the group. “Evan, these are your fellow examinees for the Adventures exam. You’ll be going through the exam together.”
Evan nodded in acknowledgment. He was surprised that only one out of the group even acknowledged him. A woman with dark brown hair cascaded down her shoulders like a silk curtain, framing a face that radiated strength and determination. Evan couldn’t help but be captivated by her lean, muscular build— a testament to a disciplined and dedicated lifestyle. Considering the delicate magic staff she wielded with grace, it was an unexpected sight.
Evan walked over and stood next to the group as Lyra explained the structure of the exams. “We’ll be testing your speed, strength, defence, vitality, magic ability, and magic reserves. Each of you will take turns demonstrating your skills. Alden and I will be observing and recording your performance. Now, do you all know why we test these particular attributes?”
Lyra crossed her arms, a deep furrow forming on her forehead. “Honestly, why does no one bother to answer?” she snapped, tapping her foot impatiently.
“Fine, I will explain then. We test these as they are the main points we can measure against. Each will be recorded onto the Adventurers card we will issue you after you pass the exam. Yes, you can fail. I have had to fail quite a few people of late. So don’t test me.” Said Lyra as she stared at one of the guys who was talking. HE quickly stopped after being elbowed by the other he was talking to.
“Thank you. Now. Each test will be given a ranking from F to A. These are the levels that we record on your card. As you grow stronger through the use of magic and battles, you will be able to resit these exams and be ranked up. Yes Elara?” said Lyra.
“Is there a rank above A?” Asked Elara quietly.
“Good question. Aiming to become number one, hey. haha.” Laughed Lyra “To answer you. Yes, there are two ranks above A. They are S and R. To be honest. We only have one person recorded to have ever reached S. We have the R level because the person ranked S said their master was stronger than them. So we created the rank R just in case they ever showed up. Now, first up is the speed test. Line up so we can start.”
Evan remembered the last time he had completed this test. It had been when he had finally ranked A. The test was a speed trial. Enchanted runes were set up, and each candidate had to dash from one end to the other as quickly as possible. The faster you ran, the better your chances of ranking higher.
Elara was the first to go. She sprinted through the runes gracefully, leaving a faint trail of magical energy behind. As she cleared the finish marker, Evan could hear the others talking about her.
“…. I bet she would be a firecracker in bed.” Said one of the guys, a hulking beast of a man whose sheer size defied the conventions of stature. Though not exceptionally tall, his frame bore a massiveness that eclipsed any preconceived notions of proportion. The sinewy muscles beneath his skin rippled with power, accentuating the raw, primal force emanating from his every movement.
“Quiet. Don’t let Lyra hear you. She would skin you alive.” Said his companion as he looked around to see if anyone was listening. He had a massive great sword strapped to his back. Although not a tall man, his frame suggested he could wield the sword with little effort.
“Evan, you are up.” Said Lyra.
As Evan prepared for his turn, doubts crept into his mind. “Am I fast enough? This body feels far too different. Can I even do this?” He thought as he shook his head, trying to shake off the uncertainty he felt. He reminded himself that this didn’t determine his overall ranking alone. He still had the chance to redeem himself if he failed this one.
As Lyra waved for him to start, Evan tripped, his boot catching the back of his ankle. Hitting the ground hard, Evan tried to roll out but ended up in a mess on the arena floor.
“Well, that’s one way to make a start.”Laughed Lyra. Evan could hear the others laughing at him as well. “Line back up, and let’s do it right this time.”
“What happened?” Thought Evan as he lined back up. “I know I am still adjusting to the different body, but I have never tripped like that before. Something felt off.”
“Ready?” Said Lyra as she raised her hand again.
Evan nodded. A second later, he was sprinting down the course. The enchanted runes beneath Evan’s feet hummed as he sprinted, the air whistling past his ears. His muscles strained with each powerful stride, the faint scent of magic lingering in the atmosphere. Evan could feel the strain he was putting his body under. “I’ll show them. Laugh at me, will they? They don’t know that I was once considered a strong A-ranked adventurer. ” Thought Evan.
Shaking his head, Evan pushed harder. Every muscle fibre screamed at him, becoming like stabbing pains. “This damn body, Why was Kairos so unfit. How did he ever complete this exam? I feel like a lump of wood trying to make its way up a hill. Wait. Did… Did he ever complete this exam? I bet he brought his card. Gah. Either way, this body is so damn slow. Everything hurts,” Thought Evan. Each step felt like he was trying to destroy the very muscle driving the action. His heart hammered away faster than the sound of a horse’s hooves at full gallop. Evan pushed what little enhancement magic he could. Giving it his all, he crossed the finish marker.
“Hmm, not too bad, Evan. Not great either.” Said Lyra as she looked over the runic tablet in her hand. “Ok, Gromm, your up.”
“… Wow, he actually tried to run it. Hahaha.” Laughed Gromm and his friend as Evan collapsed to the ground. “Don’t hurt yourself there now. You pathetic scum.”
Evan struggled to get his breath back, his heavy breathing loud, as he clutched his chest, the tightness slowly beginning to ease. The other three contestants completed the sprint test. He fought to get his anger under control. Each little side remark pushed him just a little more towards the edge of his restraint. Just as Evan could finally stand without coughing, Lyra approached the group.
“The fastest two were as follows. Gromm, you were the fastest, followed by Elara. Ok. Next up, we have the strength test. Follow me.” Said Lyra as she walked away.
Evan followed last. He didn’t want anyone behind him making their comments about him. Evan knew what the Strength test would hold. as he thought about how he had completed it last time.
The strength test was a row of heavy sandbags that awaited each candidate. The main object was to throw them as far as you could. You had five to throw, and the score was based on the average of all five throws.
Gromm walked up as the first person, effortlessly lifting and tossing the sandbags with a display of raw power. Evan eyed the sandbags, calculating how much strength he could muster without straining Kairos’s recovering body.
“Strength was never my forte. But there’s more to being an adventurer than just physical prowess. I have to get all five the same distance away from myself. It should be quite simple. Ha, who am I kidding? This is going to suck.” Evan thought.
“Evan, you are up.” Said Lyra as Gromm walked back past him. “Don’t trip scum.” Said Gromm in a whisper.
“Don’t let them get to you. Don’t let them get to you.” Thought Evan as he approached the sandbags.
“Human. Do not Shame us. I will help you throw them. You are too weak.” Came Ardentrex’s voice in the back of Evan’s mind.
“Shut up, Ardentrex. You are not helping.” Thought Evan, his anger surging.
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“Just throw them as far as I can. Well, just as far as this body can.” Evan mused. His thoughts jumping all over. Picking up the first sandbag, he strained under the weight. “Shit. I don’t remember them being this heavy.”
“Look at him struggle, Gromm. Haha. What worthless scum he is.” Said Gromm’s Friend.
“Sylas. I don’t want to hear it. One more comment like that, and you’re out.” Lyra stated, glaring at him before turning her attention back to Evan.
Evan pushed the sandbag up and away from himself as hard as possible. Throwing it with everything he had. He felt the dragon slip in a little bit of magic, but it was too late to stop the throw. The sandbag soared through the air, going further than Evan would have been able to. It finally landed at the far end of the arena.
No one said anything as they all stared. Stunned. Evan sighed. “Dammit Ardentrex. This is what I didn’t want to happen.” Thought Evan angrily.
“Ah. Ok. Next… Next one, Evan.” Said Lyra. Disbelief was written across her face.
Evan picked up the next one and repeated his throw. This time, it didn’t go as far. HE quickly repeated the last three throws before stepping away, trying to disappear into the wall.
After everyone had completed their Turn, Lyra walked over and discussed something with Alden.
“Ok. The results for the top two are. Gromm. No surprise there. And Sylas, you had the next best. Evan, we are not counting your first throw. Your other four didn’t go as far, so we are writing it off as a fluke. Ok. Moving on. The next test is the defence test. Everyone who is wearing any armour, magical or not. Needs to be taken off now.”
As Gromm and the last man grumbled, Evan watched as they stripped the chest armour. Gromm was impressive with the armour on, but his muscles were beyond belief. There was not an inch of fat to be found anywhere on this body. Everywhere Evan looked, he could only see finely sculpted muscle, almost like he was carved.
Evan caught Elara staring at this display, her cheeks turning a rosy red before she turned away and walked over to where Lyra was waiting.
“OK. Listen up for the defence test. We are using these enchanted wooden dummies.”, Said Lyra, pointing at where they were set up. “Each of you will have to withstand a barrage of magical attacks and physical strikes from them for as long as possible. No, you can not move. You must remain still. Every 10 seconds, the attacks will get half as strong again. Every 30 seconds, the force will double. Now, who wants to go first? Yes. Kael, You’re up. Show them how it’s done.”
Evan stared at Kael as he walked over. He had a lean and wiry build. He had twin blades hung from his belt. They appeared to be short, dagger-style blades. The hilts of the swords bore intricate engravings. Kael’s eyes scanned his surroundings with a focused intensity, almost like he was expecting to be attacked in the arena.
Stepping between the Five wooden dummies, Kael nodded for the exam to start. The first dummy moving, a wooden sword arced down and struck Kael across the back. But he didn’t move. Move attacks began to land. The next blow struck across his shins. The wooden dummy in front of him cast an Ice attack that left the ground with a light frosting, but Kael still didn’t move.
After what Evan could only guess was about a few minutes, Kael finally collapsed. The Wooden dummies stopped instantly. “Well, I guess that’s a plus.” Thought Evan. “At least they won’t kill me when I give in. I hope I can last long enough to rank better than F. But this body doesn’t give me much hope.”
“Well done, Kael. You lasted quite well. Head over to Alden, and he will fix you up. Gromm. You are up next.”
Evan staggered as Gromm shouldered past him. A low growl came from Gromm’s throat as he stared at Evan.
“If Looks could kill, I would most likely be dead right now. He really has a thing against me.” Thought Evan as he sighed.
Gromm stepped into the space between the dummies and nodded for the test to begin. Evan turned and looked at the others watching. He saw that Alden had patched Kael up already. Kael was discussing something with Alden, but it looked like questions about the text.
“We must make an example out of that human,” Ardentrex stated. “He has made us out to be weak. This can not stand. We must kill him to redeem ourselves. Use your magic and kill him now. It will be harder to detect with the test ongoing.”
“Wha… What. No. No. No. I am not going just to kill him. It’s not that simple. I can’t just go around killing everything you take offence to.”
“Pathetic. I do not know how you managed to defeat me, human.” Replied Ardentrex.
“Evan. Hey Evan. It’s your turn now. everyone else has completed the test.” Said Lyra. As she stared at him.
“Shit. How long were we arguing? We missed everyone else’s turn.” Thought Evan as he stepped into the centre of the test. He could feel the hum of magic around him increase in sound. Each of the dummies moved back into position.
Evan’s guttural grunt reverberated through the air as the initial blow connected, a jolt of searing pain emanating from the point of impact. Before he could fully register the first strike, another blow descended, intensifying the pain. Summoning every ounce of his dwindling magical reserves, Evan strained to create a protective barrier, attempting to absorb the impending onslaught.
The third attack surged through him like lightning, his muscles convulsing in response. With sheer determination, he pushed his body to the absolute limit, desperately clinging to the edge of stillness amid the relentless assault.
“Enough.” Came Ardentrex’s voice rang clearly through Evan’s head. “You do realise that I feel the same pain as you do human. I will not stand here and accept this pain willingly.”
Evan felt the magic rising around him as Ardentrex brought his magical power forward. A pulse of energy rolled away from Evan like a wave washing over everything around him. Each of the Training dummies stopped their attacks immediately, smoke rising from their blackened bodies as, one by one, they fell to the ground.
Evan looked around him, catching the looks of the others. Each one had a mixture of fear and surprise written across their faces. Even Lyra seemed shocked that he had managed to destroy the dummies.
“Who are you?” Came a shaky voice from Elara. The fear was evident on her face.
“No one has managed to destroy those dummies before. They have survived A-ranked adventures attacking them at full force.” Said Lyra as she crouched over one of the blackened frames lying on the ground. “The power it would take to do this. This. Wow.”
“AH, let’s move on to the next test.” Answered Evan, hoping to take their attention away from him. “Dammit Ardentrex. I told you not to do anything. Why won’t you listen.” Thought Evan as he barely managed to control his anger.
“Yes, maybe that’s for the best. Ok. Ahh. Ok, next up is the vitality test.” Replied Lyra, giving Evan a weird look. “Everyone knows what to do. This is the most simple of the tests—a series of endurance exercises. You will run laps, perform push-ups, and endure a sustained magical barrier. The more laps and push-ups you complete, the more the magical barrier part will be offset. Most people can not maintain a sustained barrier for longer than thirty seconds. Now line up, and we will start the running part first.”
Evan pushed hard during the vitality test and the following magic ability test. No surprise that he was at the bottom of the group there. He didn’t know any spells to cast. Not that it would have made any difference, as he still couldn’t use the magic that was in Kairos’s body yet. Even though Ardentrex had told him, he would be able to with time and training.
The last test was a gauge of each person’s magic reserves. They would approach a crystal tablet and place their hand on it individually. The tablet would record how much reserves the person had. Everyone went through it until, finally, it was Evan’s turn.
“Ok, Evan, place your hand here.” Said Lyra, pointing at the table on the table in front of her.
Evan closed his eyes as he felt the warmth of the tablet slowly flow up his arm. His hand tingled, and tiny lighting bolts raced across his skin. Leaving a numbing tingle sensation. As quickly as it started, it was over. Lyra picked up the tablet and froze. She stared at it for a long time.
“Ah. are the numbers ok?” Asked Evan. He was unsure what to make from Lyra’s reaction to whatever was displayed.
“Alden. Can you please have a look at this?” Said Lyra, completely ignoring Evan’s question.
Evan watched as Alden walked to where Lyra was still frozen and stared at the tablet. His eyes widened as he looked up at Evan and then back to the Tablet.
“We will need to consult someone else in the Guild for this. Everyone stay here, and we will be back shortly.” Said Alden as he pulled the still-stunned Lyra behind him. Disappearing through a door on the side of the arena.
Evan stood there, perplexed and surrounded by the lingering tension of uncertainty. The gazes of the other examinees lingered on him, their curiosity evident, mixed with a hint of unease. Elara, the woman with the dark brown hair, approached Evan cautiously.
“What just happened? Your magic reserves must be incredible for them to react like that,” she said, her eyes still wide with amazement.
Evan scratched the back of his head, attempting to downplay the situation. “I have no idea. Maybe the crystal just malfunctioned or something.”
The air thickened with anticipation as the group waited for Lyra and Alden to return. Gromm’s eyes narrowed into a menacing glare as he passed Evan, muttering under his breath, “You think you’re something special, scum? This guild doesn’t need your kind.”
Sylas, the man with the massive greatsword, seemed deep in thought, casting occasional glances in Evan’s direction. The atmosphere was charged with unspoken questions, and Evan couldn’t help but feel the weight of their expectations.
When Lyra and Alden returned, their expressions were a mix of confusion and astonishment. Lyra cleared her throat, her eyes fixed on Evan. “It seems there might be a mistake in the crystal readings. We will have to verify this with the Guild’s magical experts. In the meantime, the exam results are inconclusive for now.”
The tension eased, replaced by a sense of relief among the examinees. Lyra instructed them to await further instructions and left the arena with Alden. As Evan stood there, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something significant had just occurred, something beyond the scope of a routine examination.
Elara approached Evan again, her eyes searching his for answers. “You’re not just a regular adventurer, are you? What’s your story?”
Evan hesitated, grappling with the complexity of his situation. “It’s a long story; I’m still figuring it out myself. But I promise, I’m not here to cause trouble.”
The group continued to exchange speculative glances, but before any more questions could be asked, Lyra and Alden returned with a Guild expert in magical measurements. They ran additional tests and cross-verified the results, confirming the unusual readings in Evan’s magical reserves.
The Guild expert, a middle-aged man with a long, flowing beard, spoke up. “This is unprecedented. The crystal measurements are accurate yet defy our understanding of magical reserves. We’ll need to consult the Guild’s higher authorities to make sense of this.”
Lyra nodded, her usual confidence replaced by a hint of uncertainty. “In the meantime, Evan, consider yourself provisionally passed in the examination. If everyone can return to the reception desk, they will issue you your Guild card with your ranking. Evan, We’ll contact you with further instructions once we have clarity on this matter.”
The other examinees exchanged puzzled glances as they started to enter through the door Lyra had just come from. , Evan couldn’t help but wonder if this would become a problem in the future.