Alaric’s heart skipped a beat while his stomach turned. He hadn’t even been given the chance to prove himself and he was already below expectations.
It wasn’t the first time he was being underestimated and honestly, he shouldn’t have cared… but something about the way this man did it just rubbed him the wrong way.
Before, people would underestimate him not because he didn’t have a guardian but because they didn’t expect some fifteen-year-old to be strong enough with a sword.
It was a natural mistake that almost anyone could make… but now he had a guardian. With his change in appearance, it wouldn’t be shocking for him to even be seventeen. He’d been underestimated completely because of his refusal to show his guardian.
Was having a powerful guardian really the only way to prove one’s worth in this world? Alaric knew the answer to this. It was ‘most of the time’ in other words, ‘yes.’
Nearly everyone relied on their guardians in battle. It was just the way things were. Humans just couldn’t compare to guardians and even when they tried, it took them years of training and Body Tempering Rituals to come close, so yes, one’s strength was determined by their guardian.
The boy sighed in defeat, ‘I just need to get registered. That’s all I need.’
[ Without a guardian, you’re going to need to show that you can pull your weight. You said you’re applying for Vanguard but the Vanguard is always made up of powerhouses with guardians strong enough to hold their own on the frontlines. You should be ready to prove that you won’t hold them back. ] Alia pitched in.
Alaric took in a deep breath, then turned his attention to the other candidates. The cocky boy stepped into the ring, his menacing scorpion following with clicking chitinous footfalls.
Daphne took her place in the ring, “Name?”
“Jace,” the boy spoke with confidence.
“Mind telling me that scorpion’s ability?” Daphne continued.
“Poison,” the boy replied, “But I won’t be using the lethal kind during this battle. Try not to break when we’ve just started.”
Daphne smirked as she gestured to the rack of training swords, “Pick a weapon. I think I can manage a cocky brat.”
Once Jace had a sword in hand and was back in his starting position, a bell rang and the bout was off.
Alaric watched with an indifferent expression as the boy shot forward with the scorpion right beside him. They were fast… both of them.
The scorpion’s tail went sailing so fast that Alaric almost missed the motion. At the same moment, the boy shot ahead of the guardian. As the instructor dodged the sting, the boy attacked her legs.
‘Smart,’ Alaric thought as he watched the instructor parry the boy’s blade with ease.
The scorpion’s tail shot forward almost as soon as it had completed the first attack, leaving almost no time between the two attacks. Three more strikes and Alaric’s blood started to boil. The boy and his guardian were in perfect sync, striking at the same time yet so randomly that it could have thrown even the most seasoned veteran off their tempo.
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Daphne was pushed back, being forced to defend herself against two opponents who worked so well together that it felt like they were cheating.
“The boy is holding his guardian back,” the woman with the phoenix on her shoulder mumbled, her red hair swaying with a lack of interest.
Alaric’s heart sank… He’d just noticed this. No, he was still figuring it out. Alaric had been observing the battle and would have figured this out in the next few seconds.
It was moments like these that he was reminded of the prodigies out there.
At first glance, it appeared as though the cocky boy had everything under control. As though the battle was his for the taking. After all, he had the numbers advantage and his guardian was strong.
One sting from the menacing metallic stinger would be enough to grant him this victory… and yet, he wasn’t going to win.
Alaric knew for a fact that he would lose this fight. Not because his guardian was weak, but because Jace was too weak. His swordsmanship was commendable, several times better than William’s.
But it wasn’t enough to keep up with his guardian’s genius fighting style. In the end, the scorpion couldn’t achieve the deadly combinations that could tip the scales of this battle. The boy would soon fall into a pattern that Daphne would recognize and…
‘WHACK!!!’ went the sound of wood slamming against wood. Jace’s sword went flying out of the ring, clattering on the floor far away. The scorpion stopped moving as well. The tip of a wooden sword rested on the neck of his master bringing the fight to an end.
The two humans were panting, and the boy looked at Daphne with a look of silent rage, but there was nothing he could do about this.
“You’re young. You have the potential to be strong. Among the strongest, in fact. You pass,” Daphne announced, “Copper Rank Adventurer.”
“Copper? That’s the lowest!” the boy raged.
“You’ll get nowhere with an attitude like that,” Daphne flipped him off, “If you want to rise up the ranks, prove your worth. Now scram, Jace. The receptionist will give you your license. You can stay and watch the rest of the exams if you want.”
The scorpion shimmered out of existence as the boy walked out of the ring, a scowl on his face as well as clenched fists. Alaric kept his face neutral despite his racing heartbeat.
The boy had been strong… and yet even he was given the lowest rank. Was it that hard to become an adventurer? Alaric didn’t even have a guardian on his side.
Now he wasn’t so sure if he had what it took to become an adventure. ‘I’ll be lucky to get Copper Rank!’ he cried.
[ Stop panicking. You’re far stronger than that boy. Have you forgotten that you’re Wood Temper Rank? Your strength alone is enough to close the gap. You’ll be fine. ] the guardian tried.
Alaric’s nerves seemed to settle just a little at the words. However, the examination was still going on, and he was yet to see some fascinating individuals.
The next one to be examined was the woman with a phoenix on her shoulders. Daphne stood in the ring with a neutral expression as the woman stepped in.
From the weapon rack, she’d picked a pair of wooden daggers. Her lithe frame was more than enough to translate her fighting style.
After a short moment of silence, the Guild Master yelled out, “Start.”
The woman vanished from her spot, shooting forward with the speed of an arrow as she closed in on Daphne. Daphne, however, simply changed the way she was holding her blade in time to block the first dagger.
She parried with near-perfect precision and in time for the next dagger. Her movements matched the devilishly fast attacks of the lithe woman who was zipping around her very fast.
The phoenix had taken to the air and was circling the pair, watching silently.
“I want to see your guardian in action, too,” Daphne yelled. Almost as soon as she’d said this, the ground around them turned bright and yellow, enveloping them in a circle of smouldering wood.
BOOM!!!
The ring exploded. Wood splinters flew up, and the hot wind blew back. Daphne reeled back, disoriented by what was happening. Smoke swirled around them, creating a fatal opening for the nimble dual-wielder.
In the opening that was created by the explosion, the dagger-wielding woman struck Daphne’s gut and sent her flying out of the ring.
Alaric shot off at a tangent before he could think through his actions, his hands already covered in a green healing glow just in time to catch a flying examiner. She was covered in burns and struggling to breathe.
‘Wasn’t that going too far?’ he thought to himself.
But then again, there weren’t any clear restrictions on how they were to fight. For all he knew, this was still a fair battle and no rule had been broken.