Lyon POV:

I walked down the hallway with the receptionist in silence, pondering over my time in Outer Astril. It had already been a few months since I returned to Efros, but I wanted to go back and check on how Frida was doing.

‘Nia’s looking after her, so there’s no need for me to worry.’

My lips curved into a smile as I placed my hands behind my head. I had decided to take the physical test to find out where my level was at, now that I could finally use Ki on my own.

I noticed a woman walking down the same hallway, whistling. She had her hair tied back in a frizzy bun and wore light armour. Her dark skin was a shade fairer than Nia’s; her facial shape drawing more attention to her large eyes.

“Eh? When did you get back, Oddjob?”

She stopped walking a few meters in front of us, and the receptionist quickly bowed her head before moving back.

“Long time no see, Kiyanna. I’ve been here for a few months now.”

She folded her arms, inspecting me with narrow eyes. A faint smile formed on her face, and her fist tapped against my chest.

“Took you long enough to complete your Ki Center, but... What’s up with the bandages? Going for a new look or something?”

Her gaze rested on the hand wrap that covered my exposed arm, interlocking around the spaces in between my fingers. She raised her hand over her mouth while her eyes curved into half-crescent moons.

“Not really. It’s just a habit now. Let’s talk again later. I need to take the physical test.”

“Why?”

She cocked her head to the side in confusion, only to speak again before I could answer.

“Ohhh.... Yeah, you should totally take it! I’ll definitely let the others know~”

Kiyanna patted me on the shoulder with a pitiful look in her eyes.

‘Was the physical test that hard?’

She continued whistling down the hallway while I pondered over why she would make such an expression. In the end, I couldn’t hide my smile because the harder the test, the better it would be for me.

“...You even know Miss Kiyanna, Lyon?”

Lois looked at me with admiration. I only knew her because I used to work as a blacksmith, so I helped repair their weaponry a few times in the past.

“She’s a good friend. Is this the room for the physical test?”

I pointed to the two large doors in front of us, and Lois nodded her head.

“If you change your mind about taking part in the physical test, you can also pass through the door on the right and head down the hallway to arrive at the aptitude examination site.”

She bowed her head and proceeded to walk back the way we came. I stared at the large doors for a few moments before resting a hand against them.

I was curious.

I wanted to know just where I stood now that I could use Ki in conjunction with the Mark of a Pantheon. I wanted to know how strong I had become.

A wide smile etched itself on my face as I pushed open the doors. I had already decided that before I go back to Outer Astril, I’d become a lot stronger first.

I didn’t have the luxury to wait around because it was my responsibility to make sure that they were all safe.

***

Jyn POV:

‘...Damn it.’

I stared hopelessly at the dozens of applicants remaining. What started off as hundreds had already fallen to such a meagre number simply because they lacked resolve. My gaze shifted to a few more people who scampered away to take the aptitude tests through the door to the left.

‘...I should have sent Percival. The only reason I came is because he personally asked.’

I clicked my tongue in annoyance as I stood in the middle of the large arena. It had already been two hours since the last time someone was brave enough to test themselves against me.

“Isn’t that the Jyn?... You know the famous instructor who teaches the Imperial Army?”

“No way... You’re right... I heard he’s trained many monsters. They say the average person would die if they trained under him!”

“Eeek! I think I’ll stick with the basic aptitude tests...”

“Me too...”

My eyebrows twitched as they gossiped to one another. If it was like this, those baby chicks wouldn’t last long. They’d soon quit after experiencing a real dungeon.

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It was a shame that many of the talented applicants had been given special admission; giving them no reason to attend the testing grounds to evaluate themselves.

I shifted my gaze to the door that opened once more. A boy with messy blond hair stepped inside, and a deep sigh left my mouth. He was only at Irini, so I didn’t expect much from him.

‘Well, let’s get this over with.’

“Everyone, listen up.”

They all stood to attention, frozen in an upright position as I took a step forward. My eyes swept over them, leaving me unmotivated by the fear in most of their faces. I scratched the stubble on my chin before lifting up two fingers.

“You have two options: Challenge me and test yourself, or run away to do the aptitude tests.”

I flicked my two fingers to the door on the left while a yawn left my mouth. I knew once I took a step back, the rest of them would charge through that door as if their very lives depended on it.

‘!’

“Oho?”

My hand rested on my chin, and I observed the boy with messy blond hair enter the arena with confidence. In addition to his loose clothing, he had bandages wrapped around his left arm.

We locked eyes as my lips gradually spread into a wide smile. Behind those deep ocean blue eyes, behind the flame flickering within them, there was a storm... And I wanted to see just how powerful those waves were.

“Your name?”

“Lyon Asphalios.”

There was no hesitation or fear in his voice. He stopped walking a few metres away from me, and I rested my hand on the hilt of my sword.

“Bertram, do your job.”

I glanced at the man who had been sleeping beside the arena. Almost no one noticed his presence, despite being in plain view. He let out a yawn and scratched his messy beard.

“Oh, finally a challenger!”

He jumped up and got into position with his hand raised. The boy didn’t shift into any stance. Instead, he stood there with his fists lightly clenched.

“3!”

There were no changes in his movements.

“2!”

Nothing.

“1!”

I narrowed my eyes at the shadow that dropped over his face, highlighting his lips that curved into a thin smile.

“Begin—”

“!!?”

Bertram’s voice abruptly cut off as the sounds of gasps echoed around the room. My eyes widened; a drop of sweat rolling down my neck while I shifted my gaze to my half-drawn blade.

His fist rested squarely against it as a burst of wind exploded around us. It pushed me a metre or two backwards, leaving a trail of where I once stood along the ground. The corners of my mouth rose in response, and my lips parted.

“Indeed... Clearly, you’re not the average baby chick.”

I watched him get into a familiar stance, and my pupils shook. My mind flicked through the database of applicants, stopping at applicant no. 2001. There was no picture, only a name I ignored, followed by ‘Special Admission’ in bold red writing with a small panther symbol attached to the bottom.

‘Is it really him?’

I observed him, grasping his combat experience with one look. If it really was him, then...

‘!’

His Ki violently erupted, and in terms of quantity and power, it blew past Nagi, Uso, Shin... Monzen? No? Upper Jikki?? What on earth is going on here?

“Offensive.”

His voice appeared by my side while I caught his foot with my hand. The sheer force of his blow crushed the ground below me as a few more drops of sweat ran down my neck. My hand flickered across his body, but the density of his Ki Armour abruptly multiplied by an absurd degree. It was at least a 3x multiplier.

“Defensive.”

My fist sank into his stomach, shattering his Ki Armour and blasting him towards the end of the arena. I scratched the stubble on my chin as I mused to myself.

‘Yep. It’s definitely him~’

The boy rolled back to his feet, unperturbed by the blow. His Ki continued to fluctuate violently, sometimes dropping as low as Nagi and other times spiralling back up to upper Jikki.

“Ghost.”

I twisted my head, avoiding his Ki that snapped the air behind me. My body flickered, dodging the rest of his attempts to hit me as I landed in front of him.

“Pantheon Style: Ghosting Mirage.”

He reappeared behind me as the air ruptured, violently assaulting me from every angle. I blocked it all, only for my eyes to swivel down to a very faint cut on my cheek.

‘...Very impressive.’

“Pantheon Style: Execute.”

I spun around and blocked his fist with my half-drawn sword when I realized the mistake I made. A burst of Ki smashed against the same spot on my chest rapidly as I bent my neck backwards.

The air shifted in a circular arc before bursting apart. I glanced at Bertram, who was visibly sweating from trying to contain the force of that attack, when I heard the boy let out a focused breath.

“Foo...”

The aura around him changed.

His speed, power and precision reached a whole new realm as he constantly kept me on the back foot. It was the result of him zoning in on the battle at hand. He threw away any unnecessary thoughts and moved as best as he could at his current level.

‘He only taught him for 6 months?...’

That’s what made it impressive. The teachings his master had installed in him, he lived and fought by them. In regards to his talent, he had some, but it wasn’t particularly outstanding.

I twisted my neck; his fist sliding past my face while my analysis continued. He tilted his hips, launching a high kick toward my temple. I crouched down, avoiding it before launching my fist right into his solar plexus.

“Heuk!”

‘This…’

I grasped his work ethic through his toned muscles. My eyes examined it all, and I was pleased. The boy was a thinker, but he was capable of trusting his instincts. Instincts he had developed through arduous training, allowing him to rely on them during battle to apply the strategies he came up with on the fly.

The air left his lungs as he spun through the air. He spiralled to the ground, bouncing a few times before he quickly jumped back to his feet.

‘...’

I rubbed the side of my chin that he had managed to clip a second before my attack landed. This boy... Was something else.

He had a tremendous amount of potential that more than made up for his rather lacking talent. He had the mindset to bring it out. All he needed was a lot of time and even more effort.

I was holding back greatly, but to force me to almost draw my sword multiple times was no easy feat.

“Enough! Enough! That’s enough!”

Bertram dashed into the middle of the mostly destroyed arena and held out his hands between the two of us. He was sweating bullets while our brief exchange had cracked his barrier all over the place.

“...What’s your name again?”

I stepped forward as my lips formed a satisfied smile. He had actually managed to cut me without my Ki Armour active.

“Lyon Asphalios.”

‘I’ll burn it into my memory properly this time.’

His eyes glowed, and I observed the state of his body. I thought about mentioning it to him but decided not to. His master would explain it better, anyway.

“You’ll go far as long as you don’t fall onto the wrong path. You are strong.”

I patted his shoulder and noticed the corners of his cheeks rise.

“Thank you for your guidance.”

He bowed his head respectfully and left the room. I turned my attention to the rest of the applican...

‘...’

They had all ran away to take the aptitude tests once the test with Lyon had finished. I clicked my tongue at how shameless they were. They wanted to enter dungeons so eagerly, yet they didn’t have the bravery to stand in front of me?

Ridiculous.

I gazed back at the destroyed arena when I noticed a presence emerge from the shadows beside me.

“Three stances, three chances. They say that each stance you see a Pantheon use brings you one step closer to your death.”

“A rather true saying.”

He folded his arms while I let out a small sigh.

“It was worth coming all the way from Yoran, wasn’t it?”

I cracked a wide smile as I closed my eyes. The youth these days were becoming stronger and stronger. It seemed that we were truly about to enter a new era. However, my role was to accumulate and wait patiently for that time to return.

“Since you’re here, why don’t we spa...”

Zane had vanished into thin air, and I was left alone in the large room with Bertram.

‘...Dammit.’