Nobina had a bad feeling as she left the room. Standing back in the main training area, her mind was questioning whether she was really capable of even getting enough people in general to participate. This was hunting a rogue dragon, after all. The only saving grace was that Nobina could utilize the funds set aside for the dragon hunt. Thanks to her studying the guild’s financials, she knew the limits of how much she could spend. In the worst case, she could push past the allocated funds and go into the emergency funds.

“So, what now?” asked Mimiki, hands behind her head as she stood there waiting.

“We’ll need more than S-ranks anyway to complete the mission,” replied Nobina back, opening the list.

Currently, they had two S-ranks and three A-ranks on the list. It was comparable to the roster that was used to assist with the goblin incident, but the dragon did call for at least four S-ranks and five A-ranks. A few B’s could join as well, but C or lower were more so a liability. At least if the dragon was just a young adult. A full-fledged dragon would require a significantly bigger force to deal with. It made Nobina concerned given she was only a D-rank with a C-rank’s strength, but she was in charge of the hunt. She had a duty to participate and play her part, even if it meant using the Gaze’s full arsenal.

“Do you know where the roster of S-ranks is Mimiki?” asked Nobina.

“Yeah. There’s a few back at the guild. We should perform our search here first though, since most of them don’t have up to date location indicators. We only know when they last visited the guild.”

Nobina nodded her head. She was aware that it was difficult to know where everyone was at any given time. The guild did have a way to alert everyone in the town that there was an emergency, but this wasn’t going to alert any adventurer too far from the town.

“Say Immana,” said Nobina. “Let’s say… I don’t have a team sufficient to deal with the dragon. Is there a point where you help out?”

“Of course,” she smiled. “I fail you immediately and use all my connections to get together an A team to find and slay this dragon. I then get you as a potential servant. It’s a win, win.”

“Uh… servant?” asked Nobina, worried about what she was saying.

“It’s nothing too bad,” she smiled. “You’d just be obligated to do task for me for… ten years seems fair. Then when it’s done, you can do as you please. It’s not too much to ask for the help of a powerful noble, right?”

Nobina had no idea what Immana had planned for her and had no intention of finding out.

“So anyway,” said Nobina turning to the others. Immana gave a chuckle, but Nobina ignored it. “Let’s try to recruit a few people here to help. Some of these people are A-ranks, so perhaps we’ll get lucky, and one is really willing to help us out.”

“Sounds good,” nodded Mimiki.

“Mm…. ok,” smiled Lila. “I’ll be a good chance to see how strong everyone’s gotten.”

With the plan set, Nobina and the two began going around the arena to potentially get assistance with the dragon hunt. Nobina spoke to a few people, but all of them were B’s and lower. By the fifth person she met, she still hadn’t spoken to an A-rank yet.

“Where are all of the A’s,” wondered Nobina, looking around.

There was no obvious indication of what everyone’s rank was. Mimiki and Lila seemed to not be getting any success either, as none of them had anyone follow them. It felt like they’d be unlucky this time around, but Nobina spotted two rather strong-looking adventurers walking into the training grounds. One had long blue and purple robes while having a book on their side. The other had a large two-handed axe on their back and was laughing as he talked with the robed person.

Nobina approached them, both giving pause to their conversation upon seeing Nobina.

“Excuse me,” said Nobina, trying to appear as friendly as possible.

“How can we help you?” asked the person with the book. Getting a closer look, they had short black hair and hazel eyes. They looked a bit younger than Nobina, making her wonder if these were potentially newer adventurers.

“I was wondering if either of you were A-rank adventurers?” smiled Nobina.

“Yeah,” laughed the axe wielder loudly.

The person with the two-handed axe was a foot taller than Nobina, being around seven feet. He was also much wider than Nobina, reminding her of a football player in terms of width. His muscles were no joke either, making Nobina wonder if he could take on Lila in a test of strength.

“Do you need something from us?” he asked.

“I was trying to recruit A ranks and S ranks for a dragon hunt. See…”

Before she could speak, the man with the axe laughed, shaking his head.

“Why would I join a weakling like you! You look like the wind can blow you over.”

Nobina wanted to feel offended, but she doubted herself too much to even disagree. She knew she wasn’t strong, and so far, she hadn’t gotten a chance to improve either physical or ability-wise. Once all of this was done, she was hoping she’d get a chance to train and potentially complete her book. Till then, she had to work with what she got.

“I might look weak, but I have the spirit,” she said confidently.

The axe-wielder looked her in the eye, giving the biggest grin.

“Alright. Then let’s spar. If you can force me to move once, then you win, and I’ll join.”

The man with the book sighed, shaking his head.

“Marve. You’re such a simple-minded person sometimes. Who risks their life for someone just because they prove they can push you?”

Marve laughed, pointing to his chest with his thumb.

“Listen,” he laughed. “If someone isn’t willing to help those who can prove themselves, then who do they help? Besides, she’d have to really be someone worth helping to push me back.”

Nobina began wondering if there was something she was missing that would justify his sheer confidence. There was a chance that they had some skill that would make it impossible, but Nobina had her own skill. This time, she didn’t want to use her Gaze items either. If she was going to prove she was capable of leading this team, then she’d have to at least show she had the strength to do so.

“So,” said Marve, taking his axe and holding it in his hands. “Will you accept my deal?”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Yes,” nodded Nobina, her conviction stronger than ever.

The two made their way to one of the free spots. Nobina was surprised to see a few people gather, but the reason was clear.

“Who is that girl?” asked one of the adventurers. “Why is she fighting Marve the Iron Wall?”

“Beats me,” said the other. “I wonder why Marve is entertaining such a weak-looking person.”

Nobina didn’t like how much doubt people had about her, making her desire to prove herself strong enough grow even more. Marve was reacting to it as well, since his grin only grew as he took his position.

“You got an hour. It might feel like a lot of time, but I want you to use everything you have. This isn’t a one-shot competition. It’s a competition to see if you use everything you have, brain and bronze, to beat me and get me to move.”

Nobina gave a nod. She placed her bags to the side, only having her sword with her.

“And I’m good to use the sword?” she asked.

“Sure,” he nodded. “I’ll just block. Don’t worry too much about defense. Though, I might try to push you away if you aren’t careful ha ha!”

She gave a nod. With both in position, the book person stood as referee.

“Are you two ready?” asked the book person.

“Yes,” replied both of them.

“Begin!” he yelled.

Nobina immediately felt pressure emanating from Marve. It felt as if she was standing before a troll, ready to smash her to bits if she even tried to approach. She could immediately understand why people had so much confidence in Marve as Nobina felt her legs shaking a bit.

“Already too scared Nobina?” he laughed. “This is just a passive ability and my weakest one! The Aura of Strength. If you can’t even get close to me, this match will be over in a flash.”

She took a breath and tried to step forward, sword in hand. However, she wasn’t able to do so. It was as if all her senses were screaming for her to back off. If she tried to approach him, she’d be crushed like an ant. It was a terrifying feeling, but not enough to make Nobina surrender.

“I can do this,” she told herself.

Nobina used every bit of strength she had and managed to take one step. It felt as if the aura wasn’t pushing back, which was a good sign. However, Nobina was already feeling exhausted. It was as if she had completed a single workout with just one step.

“Looking tired,” said Marve, shaking his head. “Imagine if I stepped forward right now. You’ll fall flat on your back and be there for the duration.”

That was a scary thought, leading to Nobina retracting her step. It was a mistake, as she sensed the aura fill the newly formed space.

“Back to step one,” said Nobina, gritting her teeth. She still had two abilities, making her wonder if she could perhaps throw something at him.

“It’s worth a shot,” she told herself. “Summon.”

Nobina summoned one of the books she had. From what she knew, as long as she recalled the book before damage could happen to it, it would be fine. She took the book and pulled back her hand. With one motion, she threw it forward, seeing it fly through the air. Before it could hit the ground, she recalled the book.

“Hm,” smiled Marve.

With that information in her mind, Nobina took a few steps back, going to the edge of the ring. There were no ring-outs, but Nobina knew that she shouldn’t go too far. Else, Marve might do something that would make things significantly harder.

“Let’s do this,” yelled Nobina.

With the courage she could muster, she ran full force towards Marve. When she was close to where the aura was, she made a jump into the air. She had no idea if she’d run straight into a wall, but she wasn’t going to back off. The moment she passed where she knew the aura was, she was grinning as soared through the air with ease.

When Nobina landed, she immediately felt a wave of aura try to push her back, but she somehow managed not to fall onto her back. Instead, she was standing still, about six feet away from Marve compared to ten feet earlier.

“A bit of progress their girl,” he laughed. “But its…”

“My name is Nobina,” she yelled. “I will prove myself if it’s the last thing I do.”

Marve immediately shut himself up, seeing the intensity in her eyes.

“Then by all means ‘Nobina.’ Prove your strength, because a dragon will show you no mercy.”

With him one step forward, Nobina felt the power of Marve’s aura. She was barely able to not fall, but with a second step, Nobina fell on her back. The aura was now fully over her, preventing her from even standing. The only thing she could do was lie there and breathe.

“What will you do now,” said Marve, standing still once again. He was only six feet away from Nobina, yet it felt like she had a large canyon to cross to even touch him.

It felt like a lot of time had passed as Nobina laid there, her brain working overdrive to figure out a way out of the mess. She only had one option, but if she used the sword, her remaining stamina would be gone. It was a serious issue, but Nobina had time and didn’t want to rush it. The worst thing she could do was panic and do something stupid.

“It’s quite sad Nobina,” came Immana’s voice. Nobina could only slightly turn her head to see her standing on the sidelines. She also noticed that the other two adventurers had left, leaving only her, Marve, his friend, and Immana there.

“Are you really just going to waste time just lying around?” questioned Immana. “Marve is right. The dragon won’t wait for you while you lie there and waste time.”

“I’m… trying… to recruit… them,” she spoke, finding it difficult to speak. She was now feeling the aura exert pressure downward on her. It was going to be dangerous if she didn’t deal with it.

“Well, if you want helpful advice, I can give you some. It’ll only cost you a day being my servant. It’s a pretty good deal,” she smiled.

“I… can… do…”

Nobina wasn’t able to finish her sentence. She knew she was reaching the limits of her strength, and either her own fatigue or time would end this. Seeing no other choice, she decided to use her remaining strength to at least get off the ground.

“Pen blade,” she yelled, dropping her sword.

Immediately, a pen formed in her hand. A blade shot out of it, leading to Nobina trying to swing it. To her surprise, her hand was having less and less resistance as she wiggled the blade. It soon became clear that her ability was the key.

Not wasting time, she moved the blade in a swirling motion as she found her hand more and more free. Her own confidence started to build as well, as she felt that overwhelming force slowly fade away. It took about five minutes, but she had cut the aura enough and built enough willpower to stand, now gripping her Pen Blade with two hands.

“I see,” he smiled. “No wonder you are stronger than you look. You do have an ability.”

“It’s one that I fully intended to show you,” she smiled weakly, doing her best to now stand.

“Hm… Then I shall wait for that slash. Or at least, the attempt to slash,” he laughed.

Nobina knew that if she tried to slice the aura and reach him, her remaining strength would be spent, and she’d be on the ground yet again. Her other option was to retreat, but she felt it wasn’t an option.

“Can I really not do this without help?”

Nobina was at a loss. However, a lightbulb went off in her head.

“Wait,” she told herself.

Immediately, Nobina retreated out of the aura, standing right at its edge as it refilled.

“Hm?” said Marve, confused. “Why did you run away? Do you not intend to show me that blade you’ve spend everything to summon?”

“A tactical retreat,” she responded, adjusting her glasses. “My goal was to move you alone to prove my own strength, not my foolishness. However, there is no point in throwing your life away against a dragon. Rather, if there’s no chance to defeat it and the option to retreat and regroup is there, it’s wiser to do so.”

Marve thought about her words and nodded.

“Perhaps you’re right,” he nodded. “The real question is, do you have a plan you can execute in ten minutes to move me yourself?”

Nobina looked at her hands and shook her head.

“I… I don’t possess the power myself. If this is really the metric that you require of me to pass this test, then I would have to admit my defeat. It’s hard to admit, but I’m likely going to be the weakest person in this part.”

Marve’s expression remained neutral as she spoke. He was eyeing her, seeing if she was going to surrender as she said.

“However… This isn’t a single person’s job. My only objective here is to assemble the party and lead it without being a liability. And if that is sufficient enough for you, let me show you the power of our team instead. Lila! Mimiki!”

Moments later, the two appeared next to her, both of them looking ready to strike.

“Took you long enough,” said Mimiki, sounding annoyed. “Honestly, you should have called us from the start.

“I don’t know about that,” said Lila, looking ready to strike. “I probably wouldn’t have helped if she didn’t ignite a fire in me just now. It was honestly worth watching from afar. Now I’m convince you can make her an S-rank Mimiki.”

“S-rank?” asked Marve, looking at them curiously.

“Nobina is far more capable than you know,” said Mimiki. “I haven’t been the best teacher, but I fully intend to guide her to her goal.”

“And I fully intended to give her a partner worth sparring with,” said Lila, giving the biggest grin.

Both of them were ready to strike, making Nobina smile.

“It’s your move Marve. Will you surrender?” asked Nobina.

He gave a laugh, shaking his head.

“Well, I could easily just say you’ve lost this deal and decline…”

A massive grin formed on his face as he looked at the three of them.

“But who would miss the chance to fight another A-rank and S-rank? No one. Come at me and show me you can move Marve the Iron Wall!” he yelled.

All three of them were fired up, making Nobina happy that she had proven to herself at least one thing. She now fully believed she could defeat the dragon together and pass the first test.