Just like how it had been set up down at F-rank, the E-rank endurance test consisted of an Awakened specializing in close quarters physical combat paired with a support type debuffer who would cast enfeebling magic on the fighter to bring him down below his actual level.

Neither of them were the same two people who had conducted the test when the Earth team had gone through at F-rank, but the close quarters specialist at least was still a C-ranker.

At the start of the test he would start out weakened to the point where an average E-ranker should be able to withstand his blows without too much difficulty. Then, as the seconds passed, the supporter would gradually lighten the strength of the enfeebling debuff until it was completely lifted.

The longer the examinee lasted through the onslaught, the better the score. The only difference between E-rank and F-rank was to what degree the C-ranked physical fighter was weakened at the zeroth second.

A proficient healer was on standby to address any serious injuries and help the participant to quick recovery so they could take the other tests to the best of their ability.

“If I have to do it again, then I want to go first this time,” Michael said and pushed in front of an eager Heath and a resigned Sonja. “The worst part of it is to watch what’s going to happen to me.” Eik didn’t mind going last.

When it became Michael’s turn, his nervous demeanor from the F-rank test had been replaced by something closer to hardened determination. He definitely still looked like he’d rather be anywhere else but the stoic tolerance was a different attitude on him entirely.

The use of defensive equipment like shields and thick armor was not permitted so when he stepped up onto the arena, Michael took a low stance and crossed his arms in front of his body and face begun Healing himself with both hands before the timer had even begun.

The moment he began to receive damage he would already be treating it. While the healing itself wouldn’t do much to alleviate the damage over such a short period, the Galvanic Fortification trait of his Heal ability would provide his body with better surface defense.

The first fist from the weakened C-ranker took him in the shoulder and one hand immediately went up to begin focused Healing there. Next was his face which was covered by the other hand. The leather helmet, which he got as a reward from the rescue mission, that helped focus his healing had also been confiscated before the test began but he had seen the small shield as a greater loss.

In the end his stoic and defensive approach actually allowed him to last longer here than he had managed back at F-rank with a score of eleven seconds compared to the precious eight, even though he’d been further into F-rank then than he currently was in E.

He looked satisfied with himself when he stepped back down.

Sonja was up next and her face was a mask as she got into a ready position. She had nothing that could really be utilized defensively in a situation where she was rule bound to stay still and take the attacks.

Disengage was excellent for avoidance in real combat and had saved her life a number of times already but it was useless now. She went down in nine seconds — less than half the time she had managed to last when she’d challenged the F-rank test at E-rank.

When it was his turn, Heath confidently handed the Captain’s Tower to Eik and took off the heavy plate he’d been wearing since they left Earth. He was quite a bit bigger than the C-ranker who would be beating on him and when he stood tall in front of the fighter, Heath almost looked like the one who was about to start swinging.

He assumed a boxer’s defensive stance, curling in on himself to protect as many vital points as he could without performing any outright evasive moves.

In the first few seconds he didn’t seem to be much bothered by the attacks but after ten seconds he was struggling. The force of each punch was such that he was lifted off the ground outright. Around fourteen seconds his knees buckled and threatened to fail.

In the end he collapsed on the twenty second mark.

Eik high fived Heath as he passed him on the way up the steps to the platform. Managing almost twice the second best time among the E-rankers on their team was truly a testament to Heath’s ability as a tank.

Eik was not looking forward to this. He didn’t dread it exactly — pain and injury was slowly but surely becoming an unpleasant but somewhat tolerable part of his daily life — but he’d really rather be eating or sleeping or just lazing about.

He might well call fighting fun but this was not fighting. It was a one sided beatdown performed to prove a point. And to make some cash, of course. It’s just that… well, he’d really have appreciate it if the one receiving the beating hadn’t been him. Maybe he could persuade Heath to go again? He seemed almost high on pain. The guy was nuts, man.

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A thought struck Eik and he pivoted to go back down the short staircase, leaving the C-ranked fighter and the support specialist confused.

A few onlookers snickered and Eik heard their guessed as to what was happening clearly. It didn’t seem like they were trying to hide it anyway. They assumptions could be summarized into fear, insecurity, cowardice, or a healthy mix of all three.

“Mikla,” he said, beckoning the fracture specialist over. “Hey, I’ve got a bit of a question about the rules.”

“I don’t imagine it would be a problem to ingest poison. You got permission easily, so let’s just assume that the consent carries over until they say otherwise.”

“No, it’s not that. I was already going to do that. This is about a more… direct ability.”

“Your Toxin?” Mikla asked.

“Right,” Eik said with a slow nod. “At D-rank a few things happened that changed what I can do with it.”

“Okay? What are you asking me?” the B-ranker asked.

“I know I’m not allowed to move, but is my ability allowed to move? Like, would a barrier user be allowed to move his barrier around to block the attacks?”

Mikla considered it for a moment before he answered. “Well, yes, they would. Anything that’s manifested as a result of an ability can generally be used to the fullest of its potential, so long as it doesn’t move your body or make it physically impossible to hit you, for example. If you’ve become capable of making your body incorporeal or something like that, then that’s definitely against the rules.”

“Nothing like that. Just something like a barrier.” Eik lifted a finger and let a string of Profound Toxin slither out like a charmed snake. With a thought, the tip widened into a bulb the size of a fingernail and hardened to the maximum. Mikla flicked a finger against it, eliciting a hollow tink almost as if it had been glass.

“Yeah, this is probably fine. They’ll tell you if it’s not anyway.”

“Sweet,” Eik exclaimed and leapt up onto the platform again.

The support specialist cast his enfeebling magic of the fighter as Eik lowered his stance to stabilize himself for the onslaught.

Six rope-like tendrils of luminescent blue extended from Eik’s body. Four from his hips dug rammed forcefully into the tiles of the platform to support him on the ground like a living chair. The last two sprouted from each of his shoulders respectively.

With them he created two thick and extremely mobile shields that he swished through the air in front of him to test the mobility. He hadn’t been able to control the wings very well during the battle with the manticores, but those had been larger and more complicated to get right. This was just stationary slabs of solid toxin attached to tentacles.

“Alright,,” he said calmly, eyes only just peeking over the edges of the twin shields. He popped a single chunk stuffed with a poison blend including just a hint of manticore venom. Despite thorough testing, the initial wave of drowsiness worried him but it faded in seconds as Resistance: Toxin cleansed it, leaving only the effect of Noxious Invigoration. “shall we get down to business, gentlemen?”

The C-ranker huffed and launched himself forward without a word. His first hit, barely at the strength of an average high F-rank Awakened, Eik literally couldn’t feel hit his shield. In fact, it took almost five seconds before the impacts began to connect with enough force to reverberate noticeably through the solid toxin.

“Fifteen!” the judge announced, five seconds from the time Heath managed to stay standing, and Eik gradually began to feel the punches in earnest. As the weakening spell waned and the fighter reached the cusp of E-rank, he started to utilize some footwork that diversified his angles of attack to the point where Eik now had to actively move the blue plates to block.

At thirty seconds, the fighter was well into D-rank and his attacks now rocked the plates good with each impact. Eik was not yet close to going down, but it was only a matter of time.

Frustration was clear on the C-ranker’s face and a nasty grin briefly crossed his lips as he felt his strength pass the threshold to C-rank. Most of the examinees probably went down before ten seconds, so for the examiner it must have been a mix of satisfaction and annoyance that this particular round had dragged to this point.

It had gotten personal for him.

At some point the two barriers cracked and shed under the immense pressure of the punches that now rained down upon them with blinding speed. The examiner didn’t even bother to flicker about to get angles on Eik anymore. The shields were holding up too well and his eyes showed a stubborn determination to prove that he was, in fact, capable of breaking them.

An enormous chunk came off one of them and a spine shivering realization struck Eik. These shields were much sturdier than his body. That they were now breaking was a very bad omen of what he himself was probably about to experience.

“Uh, hey, guy,” he tried. “Hold up for a second.”

The onslaught only grew more violent and Eik had to resist taking an instinctive step back. “Wait, wait!” he repeated, louder.

Another huge fragment broke and Eik realized that the situation was genuinely dangerous. A single hit might not kill him outright, but it wouldn’t be fun. And judging by the fact that nobody had stepped in, he was probably correct to believe that he wouldn’t die.

Abandoning one of the shields, he instead willed the toxin to flow around his body like an exoskeleton. The C-ranker was only going to grow deadlier with each second Eik let him continue, so he redirected what was left of the last shield toward his body as well, reinforcing the body armor further.

As the first direct hit connected, Eik was struck by another displeasing realization. He had forgotten to release the four spindly supportive limbs growing from his hips so instead of being thrown back by the impact to end this thing like he had hoped, they simply cracked.

It took another strike to break them properly and then another to actually send him flying.

The next thing he knew, some guy with a thick ass beard was standing over him, examining him with narrowed eyes, soothing light streaming brightly from his hands.

“Yeah, you’re alright, you’re alright. Up you go!” he said and hauled Eik onto his feet where he wobbled unsteadily for a few seconds, only managing to stay up by hanging onto the man’s shoulders like a newborn chimpanzee.

“Wh-What’s… What’s my score?” he stammered.

“Fifty one seconds!”