Carnos led them to the back of the guild building and towards an enormous backyard that served as the guild training grounds. It comprised many sections, each of which was dedicated to a specific style of training exercise or drill.

As requested, the training grounds were clear and deserted. There were marks of a hasty withdrawal and clean-up, reflecting the urgency that Dasha instilled into the hearts of whomever was training here a few minutes ago. Adam did not know what else to expect other than the fact that he needed to do his best if he were to succeed in his application.

A part of him, however, questioned whether the trouble he was going through was worth it. After all, he still had other choices. None of which sounded promising or great, but maybe boring and bland was better.

That said, turning his back now seemed like a foolish decision. Stubbornness, pride, fear, and a pinch of sunk-cost fallacy pushed him forward.

None of the sections he saw were suited to showcase his psychic power effectively. Sure, it was possible for Adam to use his telekinesis to survive the melee ground, or the archery range, the many obstacles courses, and what looked to be a pit surrounded by large empty cages. The implication that the guild used beasts against trainees as a method of training made Adam shudder. However, the things he could do with his power in those specific situations were limited at best, and unimpressive at worst.

Adam had just started training himself to be more precise and creative with his powers this past month. The best he could do was pull water out from a wet cloth, and he still struggled with completing the process. Therefore, his main strength was with simple manipulations, and brute force.

Despite his reservations and doubts, Adam knew he needed to make a choice of arena. Carnos was kind enough to allow Adam to choose where and how he would demonstrate his powers. However, he did not have all day.

In the end, Adam settled for the simplest and widest section of the training grounds. A place where he was somewhat free to let loose. An open, barren field. It sat directly in the middle of the training grounds, surrounded by stands and fenced off from the other sections.

After informing Carnos and the others of his choice, Adam made his way across the barren ground until he reached the other end of the open field. Turning around, he found the sun staring down on his person with the searing heat of its light. He had sweat rolling down his brow as he felt a slight thirst rise up his throat

Adam looked up, ignoring Carnos and the others as they positioned themselves opposite of him. He watched the clear blue sky above, allowing the sight to calm his heart and steady his mind. It had the same effect as when he went to the park with Baran. Nature had a relaxing effect on him. He didn't really know why, but he assumed it was because of human nature itself.

A majority of people preferred the greenery of sprawling trees, tall grass, and blooming flowers over the dullness of the concrete jungles they called cities. And Adam was one of them. He found solace, comfort, and rest wherever nature showed itself and prospered.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he took a deep breath and relaxed his body. It was time to show what he really was.

He opened his eyes again and saw Carnos standing at least two hundred meters away. Adam had ignored how wide the open field actually was, having been focused mostly on steadying himself for the coming fight.

Adam knew it didn't need to be a fight, but from what he had learned so far about the world, a fight was what these people preferred when dealing with special powers.

Finally steadied and sure, Adam nodded towards Carnos. The branchmaster looked at him indifferently, as if he'd rather be anywhere else but here. However, Adam felt the thoughts of his mind and the emotions that toiled within.

Carnos was taking this seriously. Not only that, but he was curious. For the branchmaster, Adam was either something great, something terrible, or nothing at all. The possibilities were there, and he just needed to know what they were. Once he finally got his answer, he'd know what to do.

Unbeknownst to Adam, Carnos hated the mystery that shrouded the seemingly clueless and ignorant young man. The branchmaster hated being in the new world, leading a branch that dealt with the unknown and the mysterious in numerous ways. Most of which were dangerous, and sometimes fatal. So to encounter a young man like Adam felt like a test.

A test of will.

Carnos theb spoke in a loud voice enhanced by magic that echoed across the field.

"You wish to prove yourself through a duel?" Carnos said, "Have you already forgotten what I said about fighting without being ranked?"

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Adam recovered quickly from his surprise at the fact that Carnos' voice was louder than natural. The reality of magic and spells was sinking into his perception slowly.

"Speak, I will hear your voice the same as you hear mine." Carnos followed up.

Assured, Adam replied, "I do not intend to duel you and neither have I forgotten, Mr. Carnos. Instead, I want you to merely attack me, and I will defend to the best of my ability. It's the best way for me to show you what I am capable of."

Adam felt another spike of emotion from Carnos after he spoke. Excitement and doubt, both at the same time.

"Are you sure about this?" Carnos asked, sounding both concerned and sarcastic.

Adam nodded as he straightened his posture and frowned. He was ready for whatever a rank 6 geomancer was willing to test gum with.

Seeing the determination arise within Adam, Carnos sighed and nodded. "Very well."

To the side of the open field stood Ruk and Dasha. Both were focused on the spectacle that was about to begin, and both had very different feelings for it. Still, they watched with intensity.

And so it began.

Carnos spread out his arms, opened his palms, and summoned his first spell. The ground around the branchmaster cracked and shuddered as a sizable chunk was pulled up into the air. The chunk was a solid piece of soil and rock melded together over the years.

Adam's eyes widened as he watched what was happening. It was as if Carnos was using psychic power. However, that fearful assumption was soon eroded with several magic circles manifested all around the chunk.

Several more magic circles appeared in the air above Carnos, hosting the same design and flickering symbols that constituted their form.

Unable to make sense of what was happening and what was about to happen, Adam focused his mind and mustered his psychic power as if he was about to enter another fight. Technically this was a fight. A duel. But he wasn't going to fight back. He only needed to defend himself and he'd win. Or so he assured himself.

Adam's psychic power flowed forth from his mind. His senses expanded all over the training grounds, enveloping the guild building before encompassing a significant portion of the district. He heard the minds of thousands and felt the ground, the houses, and the trees. With one simple flick of his hand or a mental command, he could move all that fell under his reach. But not today. He waited.

Until Carnos finally struck.

From the magical circles that hovered above Carnos came a wave of metal shards. They came in a stream, a whistling swarm of hundreds that zipped their way towards Adam with frightening speed. If one of these shards struck Adam, he would very likely be severely injured, or die. Luckily for Adam, they weren't as fast as bullets.

Adam waved his hand as the swarm of metal shards made their way across the field. As if slapped by an unseen hand, the metal shards were thrown off course, splintering or stabbing into the ground just shy of Adam's left side.

Surprised for the briefest moment, Carnos quickly recovered. Summoning more magic circles above his head, he sent out another, bigger, and faster wave of metal shards.

Adam frowned as the shards made their way across, only for most to be swept aside by the wave of his hand. Another wave came, and met the same fate. Over and over the shards came, and each was undone by the mere wave of a human hand.

There was no magic involved. No mana used. No trickery or illusion. Adam simply used his mind, and the world followed.

The floating chunk of soil and rock visibly lost its mass and shrunk in size after each unsuccessful wave. Finally, after the seventh wave of metal shards was shattered, the chunk was reduced to nothing but a small ball of floating soil.

What remained of the chunk fell back into the hole in the ground from where it came, not even a shadow of what came out before. The magical circles also disappeared, dissolving into mist before fading away.

Carnos frowned at Adam and received the same in return. As the two stared each other down, Adam felt a flicker from Carnos' mind as if a switch had been flipped inside.

A flash brighter than the sun twinkled in the sky above Carnos. It was so quick that Adam almost failed to notice it, but his senses were focused. And they were screaming. Quickly redirecting his senses towards where the flash appeared, Adam sensed an object screaming through the atmosphere with a mass of a small hill and the speed of a bullet.

It was a meteor heading straight for him. Adam panicked for a moment, caught off-guard by the sudden escalation. When he entered these proving grounds, he expected spells that could hurt but did not kill. He gave Carnos the benefit of a doubt when he sent out waves of metal shards towards him, thinking that none would actually hit him. He did not bother to calculate their trajectories because of it, but he could have.

But now he was faced by an attack so unexpected and dangerous that he began to reconsider the stakes at hand. It either seemed like Carnos wanted to push Adam to his limits, or he was trying to push him away. There was no in-between. And yet, despite his telepathy, he could not deduce which was true.

But. Instead of backing away or running for his life, Adam stood his ground. Fear arose within him, and yet his legs did not shake, nor did his hands tremble as he stretched them out in front of him. He saw the meteor approach. It appeared like a fiery black and red dot against the clear blue sky, a dot that grew larger and larger with each passing second.

Adam mustered his strength, bringing to bear all the power he could, and grabbed.

A resounding boom sounded above their heads as the meteor met an invisible force, slowing it down as it thundered towards the open field. The meteor was the size of a small house and yet it weighed like a tiny hill. It roared as it got close, but it never reached the ground nor the young man it was supposed to crush.

Ruk and Dasha could not believe what they were seeing, and neither could the architect of what was supposed to be Adam’s rejection.

The meteor hovered in the air a few meters above the open field, sizzling from the friction of its rapid descent. It was a charred ball of death that found no unlucky souls to bring to the afterlife. Adam stood a meter away with one hand still stretched and open, staring down on the meteor before him.

After a few seconds of deep breaths, Adam clenched his fist.

And the meteor was crushed instead.