Among the C-rankers were also a few familiar faces. Cecilia, the spear user who had saved Eik, Michael, and Heath from a creepy, gangly monstrosity back during the first wave of the second phase of Earth’s induction into the Unified Mass.

Eik remembered her as a nonchalant, aggressive woman, who enjoyed fighting as much as but more openly than Travis Lockwood. She also wasn’t as chuuni about it as he was. She caught his eyes and gave him a wink that sent shivers down his spine. The last time she did that, she’d ordered him into a battle that would have cost him his life if she hadn’t finished her own portion as quickly as she did.

Thank god he wasn’t in charge of testing her.

Despite his original disappointment, Carl Haness had been one of the first to show up this morning, an intensity mixed into his usually relaxed expression that showed an eagerness to prove himself as capable as he had boasted.

Eik hadn’t exactly expected the man to show up for testing, but he was still a little disappointed to see Andrew Brooks’ face missing in the C-rank group. The man had done some things of questionable morality that Eik would likely never forget but it had been due to his faith in the established, albeit problematic, government in Forest.

Andrew was clearly regretful of his deeds and Eik really wasn’t looking to make enemies meaninglessly. He had enough real enemies already so he would much prefer to make up with the man with whom he had once had a relationship full of kindness and support.

Against the wood wall of the Mission Central building sat Jake, decked out in his usual full armor. His arms were crossed over his chest as his foot tapped aggressively in the grass, his face the incarnation of grumpiness. Eik already knew what the fire slinger was angry about.

He’d been denied the opportunity to test for the alliance tournament because both B-rank contestant had already been selected.

Travis had obviously chosen himself to participate. And then, because the number of B-rankers in Forest was small enough for a relatively clear ranking to already exist, Eik’s sister Olivia had also been selected to go. Yes, Eik’s own push in her favor might also have had something to do with it, but the fact was that she was an extremely powerful Awakened even after being comatose for a many weeks.

Before the seconds phase of the induction into the Unified Mass she had already been pushing A-rank to the point of feeling physically constrained in her body. She would probably have evolved earlier if not for the limitations imposed on power by Earth’s conditions back then. She was more than qualified to participate.

“Everybody,” a voice called but the crowd continued to chatter. “Everybody, if you would please listen for a second.”

Craning his neck, Eik saw Travis’ assistant Jennifer standing on a wooden box, much like she had done when she helped organize the Great Raid. People weren’t noticing her and when Travis stepped up behind her with a hand raised into the air, Eik’s own hands flew up to cover his ears.

A blinding flash of light suddenly dominated the sky as a thunder crack tore through everybody’s ears. A good number of people threw themselves to the ground in shock. When they looked back up and saw Travis’ face, he wore the same half-bored expression that he always did.

“Jen’s talking right now, so you guys listen to what she has to say,” he ordered. Not a soul uttered another word. A needle hitting the ground would probably have been audible if not for the fact that everybody’s ears were ringing.

The assistant cleared her throat. “If you would please clear out to the sides. We’re going to proceed from the bottom up, so if I could get the F-rankers to line up to get a number over here,” she said and gestured to a table behind which a man and a woman sat ready to receive. “The rest of you, please wait over there and line up to get your own numbers in an orderly fashion once they’re done with the F-rankers. E-rankers second, then D-rankers, and finally C-rankers. Thank you.”

She stepped down and the crowd began to file along obediently.

Eik approached the D-rank group and raised his voice. “D-rankers. I’m Eik and I’ll be in charge of your tests. Nice to meet you,” he said as his eyes passed over all of them, stopping briefly on Mushroom Head where he somehow managed to suppress a smirk. “Once you’ve gotten your number, please come over to me back here.”

“You’re our examiner?” Mushroom Head asked snarkily, pushing his way through the relatively small group of D-rankers. He looked exactly like Eik remembered him… Well, with the exception of the fact that his face was not a bloody mess today, of course. “You have got to be kidding me with this crap!”

“I’m not your examiner. I’m just one of the people you will be fighting so your skills can be demonstrated in a setting that simulates what we might experience in the alliance tournament soon. That’s all,” Eik assured him. “And don’t worry. You won’t necessarily fail just because I end up using your ass to plane this arena so perfectly level that you could host a bowling cup on it.”

It was a shitty jab at Mushroom Head and an even worse joke, but it still elicited chuckles from a good chunk of the other D-rankers. At this point, Eik’s role in Forest’s relationship with the Nidafjeld Alliance had become common knowledge. People knew he was important but not necessarily that he was strong.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Eik had already become aware of numerous rumors about himself, most of which were completely untrue, but none of them really acknowledged his personal power. It made sense, given that many of the straightforward demonstrations of his power had been conducted in headquarters, not on Earth.

Yes, he’d dealt a lot of damage to the Lake Serpent, but nobody had really witnessed that directly to tell the story. He’d been moderately helpful against the manticores, but the only people who had seen that didn’t have much interest in spreading the gospel of his name.

And then, of course, he’d killed Rock Fist Bart in combat. None of the parties involved in that stinking mess, including himself, were particularly interested in rumors of that making it any further than it already had.

Overall, Eik really was rather satisfied with his strength going more or less unnoticed. Sure, he enjoyed the spotlight. That couldn’t be denied. One thing he didn’t like, however, was a shithead like Mushroom Head coming at him like this because he thought Eik was a pushover.

A lot of people had heard about Rock Fist Bart’s beef with Eik and thought that that meant he was a nobody. Sure, Eik had a mouth on him but he never actually did anything to set Bart straight, right? Mushroom Head seemed to be one of the people whose minds misconstrued what had been an obvious disparity in power rank to be a general weakness on Eik’s part.

Mushroom Head glared. “This test is a total waste of time then! He’s the type of guy who ambushes and sucker punches someone to get the upper hand!” he barked to his peers. “We can wave goodbye to a fair test if they let him conduct it. He is only allowed to do it because he’s on his knees kissing the feet of the representatives of the alliance every day. He’s a sellout!”

Eik sighed as murmurs began to spread among the group of D-rankers. At least that particular piece of gossip wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before. The voices accusing him of working with the alliance to essentially surrender Earth into slavery under the Nidafjeld Alliance had quieted but were still very present.

When the leaders had witnessed Atla’s power first hand and changed their tune as far as the alliance went, it had had a clear effect on the population. Their settlement was isolated from any other group of humans still living on Earth so the people tended to follow the opinion of their leaders quite obediently. That was how the herd mentality helped maintain safety and security.

“Travis asked me to help him so I said yes, but if that’s how you feel then I suppose you’re welcome to drop out now. I won’t try to stop you,” Eik said, shrugging.

“Like hell I’m going to drop out. I’m going to show everybody here that you’re not worth the fucking dirt you’re stepping on.”

“Alright, alright, dude. Come back once you’ve got your numbers, please, everyone,” Eik said and walked back to Michael who was now sat in a chair and fussing over his supplies, ready to help the injured.

The F-rankers went first. There were so many of them that instead of going one at a time they fought in a tournament style setup divided into four brackets. The winners of each of those brackets would the fight each other in duels and the winners of those would be allowed to go to headquarters for the Championships.

Since F-rank battles didn’t tend to be very environmentally destructive the fights were held at the same time next to each other. High-ranked healers were on standby just in case someone got really hurt to the point where Michael and his colleagues’ treatment wouldn’t be enough to do the job.

Eik didn’t pay much attention to the fights. He remembered looking at the F-rankers who would visit Eik’s Excellent Elixirs and wonder how awesome it must be to have the power they had. How, if they accidentally knocked something off a shelf or dropped something, they were able to react and catch it midair like it was nothing.

They were bonafide superhumans.

Now, however, their slow, feeble movements looked like those of children play fighting on the playground. Knowing that he could now slap to death a person whom could only recently have killed him almost effortlessly in turn was a strange thought. It really put into perspective just how fast he had climbed the ranks.

Some of the faces among the F-ranker had literally been Awakened visiting his store months ago. It was absolutely wild. His life had changed to such an insane degree so quickly that he had barely had the time to sit down and digest it all.

He needed to take a damn break soon.

Eyes wandering lazily, Eik caught the gaze of Robert Barnes. The young man nodded politely. Eik returned the greeting. “That guy’s been staring at you for a while now, you know,” Michael said off-handedly.

“I know. I’ve met him a couple of times. He’s a subordinate to Darius Kerman.”

“That jerk who accused you of a bunch of crap?”

“Yep. Well, one of them,” Eik chuckled. “Considering how he talked when I met him and then seeing him here today, I’m pretty sure Robert’s looking for something else to spend his days doing. I might have to hire him if I start to expand.”

“Well, then I’m sure he’d love that,” Michael laughed.

Eik watched Robert win his first match easily. His weapon of choice was a longsword which he swung with practiced ease. With a small buckler strapped to his forearm, he deflected three arrows from his archer opponent before closing in on her to fell her in two clean strokes.

Michael was there in seconds, Heal glowing in his palm even before he got there.

Robert won his next match as well and even barely inched out a victory in his third match. His fourth, however, he lost to another swordsman. Michael treated his cuts as well, although he had managed to avoid any really bad wounds.

The young swordsman glanced dejectedly at Eik who sent him a grin and a thumbs up to congratulate his effort. It was a consolation few fighters appreciated but Robert’s smile showed that he probably did.

In the end, the winners of the F-rank placements were a swordsman and someone who appeared to manipulate darkness. That one looked pretty cool. Eik would bet his ass that Travis Lockwood was drooling over that particular ability.

Eik sat up straight. It was time for the E-rank tryouts and they had a similar tournament style setting but divided into only two brackets. These matches would be considerably more interesting than the F-ranks.

Looking nervous, an enormous tank of a man stepped onto the field, a gigantic shield with a depiction of a shouting man on the surface strapped to his arm. He fiddled absentmindedly with a heavy, broad shortsword that looked like it could have substituted for the blade of a guillotine.

Heath was the first of the siblings to fight for the right to represent Forest in the Championships.