Kenji looked up at the silver-haired beauty, his cheeks turning a vibrant red.

"Uhm...yeah, it's just us."

"Good."

She walked past them, taking a seat while crossing her arms. Yakeru raised an eyebrow at her. It wasn't because he was ungrateful for having a third team member but she joined without giving them time to refuse.

'I guess we don't have a choice though.'

Yakeru looked back at the crowd of boys, steam spewing from their ears and nostrils. The amount of envy and hatred radiating from them was palpable. They stared daggers at him and Kenji as he awkwardly looked away.

'Great! Now she's made us a target!' he said, sweat droplets forming on his face.

Kenji turned to the young woman as nervous laughter escaped him.

"Hehe...we would've had to fight the examiners by ourselves if it weren't for you. Thanks."

"I only joined cuz you two seemed the least annoying out of everyone here."

The boys stared at her in disbelief. Kenji didn't know how to respond so Yakeru responded for him.

"Oh...thanks, I guess...? May I ask you're name?"

"Fuyumi."

"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Yakeru and this is Ken-"

"I don't remember asking for yours."

Her cold words wounded him as he was cut off. For a moment he contemplated kicking her off the team but it wasn't like they had many options to choose from.

'Well, she sure is friendly...' Kenji sarcastically remarked in his head.

They sat beside her as she avoided eye contact with them. The other examinees calmed themselves after the two boys 'stole' their most valuable potential ally though Yakeru sensed their personal feelings played a bigger role in why she was so sought after. Eventually, everyone took their seats with their new teams.

"Alright, it seems like everyone's good to go. If that's the case, we can get started. So who would like to enter the arena first?"

Someone from the crowd shot to their feet, hand raised high.

"We volunteer!"

The examiner smiled. "Then come on down, let's see whatcha got."

Upon entering the arena, the examiner grabbed his staff and entered with them.

"I'll be your first opponent. Ready?"

The examinees drew their weapons.

"Begin!"

They charged forward as the examiner raised his staff. Their eyes widened as a radiant projectile was launched in their direction. Shoving past his teammates, an examinee infused his radiance into his shield.

Since the body can only take so much, radiance is best used with a conduit. By infusing your weapon you could reinforce it to increase its durability and striking power.

The projectile slammed into the shield instantly forming a smoke screen. The examiner looked to see two other assailants emerging from the smoke, flanking his sides.

"Now!"

"Right!"

Winding up, they both leaped towards the examiner only to strike a radiant dome.

"What the?!"

Before they could react, the examiner struck the ground with the bottom of their staff. Radiance ripped through the floor causing all three assailants to be flung backward. Those using conduits like wands and staffs weren't as fast as those using melee weapons. As such, they're forced to rely on strong defenses and ranged attacks. Although

Yakeru watched in awe as although the examiner held back, he still casually swatted away his enemies.

'It's so cool to see actual rangers in action!'

The conjurer watched as the examinees squirmed on the floor.

"Although your coordination was good, you crumble when your attacks have no effect. D rank for both of you. And you." he pointed toward the shield welding examinee. "Your control over radiance allowed you to absorb the impact. By protecting your team, you enabled them to advance, but you failed to follow up with anything else. As a tank, you should always be on the front lines to defend your allies. C-rank."

The examinees walked off as the examiner turned to the crowd.

"Who's next?"

A group of examinees began making their way down as another examiner entered the arena, replacing the previous one. Everyone watched as the examinees drew their weapons. One held out his staff while the others stood to his flanks. Another unwinded a whip while the other pulled out a flail. The examiner placed a hand on the hilt of his longsword.

Yakeru analyzed the situation. Since the three possessed long range capabilities that'd put the swordsman at a disadvantage.

"Begin!"

The examinees swung their whip and flail as the ranger rushed forward. Powerful snaps popped the air from the whip as the examiner weaved his way around the barrage. Glancing over, the flail cut through the air, aimed for his midsection. In one fluid motion, he unsheathed his sword, swiping it away. Metallic grinding assaulted their ears as he closed the distance, forcing the staff user to conjure a barrier. Slicing through the air, the examiner fired an arc of radiance, smashing through the barrier they'd just conjured. As he approached, he was met with a beam of energy that would've annihilated his top half had he not dodged it.

"Holy!"

The flail user tackled his teammate out of the beam's path as it roared past them.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Dude, what are you doing?! Just put up another barr-!"

Before he could finish, the examiner appeared behind the staff user as they were distracted.

"Too late."

He struck him over the head with his hilt causing him to hunch over. Dropping his staff, he cupped the back of his head as a lump began to form. Before the others could retaliate a radiant arc slammed into them, sending them both flying. Yakeru's mouth hung open at what just transpired.

'They didn't stand a chance.'

The examiner sheathed his sword as they continued squirming on the ground.

"You guys started off strong."

He turned to the staff user, the pain still surging through the back of his head.

"But as soon as you took matters into your own hands your team felt apart. What you should've done was protect your team members with another barrier while they handled the heavy lifting. A ranger is worse than useless when their reckless actions endangers the lives of their party members. F-rank."

The staff user clenched his fist in frustration. The mere mention of 'F-rank' spawned mutters and snickers in the audience.

"Dang, I'd hate to be that guy."

"I guess that's to be expected doing something reckless like that."

The examiner turned to the whip user.

"As for you, your synergy was good overall but you need to work on your recovery. In a real fight, monsters won't relent so you need to make sure you can recover quickly to get back in the fight. D-rank. And you."

Finally, he looked over at the flail user.

"The ability to work under pressure is essential out on the field. The fact that you didn't hesitate to push your teammate out of the way speaks volumes. Although you were only able to keep me on my toes for a short while I think you could manage with the right team. C-rank."

The examinee elbowed the air, clearly proud of himself. They left the arena, the staff user hanging his head low as a few audience members snicker.

"Who's next?"

Yakeru lightly elbowed Kenji. "Hey, I think I have a plan. As long as you can protect Fuyumi and I, we can-"

Fuyumi stood to her feet. "Come on," she ordered.

'We don't even have a strategy!' Yakeru stared at her, stunned.

With no choice, they tailed her into the arena. The examiner studied them as they entered, more specifically Fuyumi. After entering the arena, he felt a significant change in the atmosphere. The air seemed to drop in temperature and her icy glare made him shudder. He reflexively placed an unstable hand on his hilt though before he could protect himself his colleague placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'll take them."

"O-Oh...okay, if you're certain."

Leaving him alone with the examinees he turned to face them. They stared each other down as she drew a dagger. Keeping his eyes on them, he spun a polearm around his body in a stylish display of agility then pointed the blade in their direction.

"Ready?" He asked.

'How do we approach this?' Yakeru thought to himself.

He wasn't used to combating polearm users. The man was also a B-rank and he didn't know the capabilities of Kenji or Fuyumi. It didn't help that they didn't have some sort of strategy either.

"Now, begin!"

Wasting no time, the examiner infused his polearm firing a missile. Kenji hurried to raise his staff, conjuring a barrier as the missile smashed into it. The force of the blast shattered the radiant wall, creating a smoke cloud. Yakeru turned to see a blade slicing through the smoke as he barely moved his sword to block it. The force of the attack staggered him as the examiner pivoted, landing a kick to Kenji's chest. He gasped for air as the wind was knocked out of him sending him flying.

Yakeru deflected another strike aimed at his midsection, immediately following up with a counterattack. The ranger sidestepped a diagonal swing and then elbowed him in the side making him skid backward. Pain pulsated through his ribs as the man effortlessly twirled the polearm around his body. Yakeru's eyes struggled to keep up, unsure of which direction the attack would come from. While thrown off, he landed a kick to Yakeru's stomach. Dust filled the air as he tumbled backward.

Before he had a chance to make them yield, movement to his left alerted him before sidestepping a dagger aimed at his throat. Blood trickled down his neck where the blade had grazed him.

'Who just-!'

His thought was interrupted by a well-placed kick to his chest. He leaped back, grasping his chest before Fuyumi emerged from the smoke, advancing toward him. A sharp boom echoed throughout the arena as their blades collided.

'She's pushing me back?'

Her dagger penetrated the ground as he redirected it. He spun low, attempting to sweep the disarmed examinee only for her to flip over him. While in midair, she unsheathed a second dagger. The light reflecting off her blade produced an arc as she swiped him across the face. Blood ran down his cheek as his eyes were now widened.

'Another one?!'

Upon landing, she wasted no time and leaped toward him once more. Sweat formed on his forehead as he hurriedly fired multiple rounds of radiance in hopes of keeping her at bay. Yakeru, Kenji, and the whole audience watched with their jaws on the floor when she weaved through the missile barrage, closing the distance. The crowd was on the edge of their seats.

"Dude, look at her go!"

"Is she actually matching a B-rank right now?!"

Infusing her dagger she swiped at the air, launching multiple projectiles of her own as he was forced to disengage. As he evaded he glanced over his shoulder to see that she'd appeared behind him. Her cold glare almost froze him in place.

He'd been battling against horrific-looking creatures you'd see in nightmares for four years. He'd already gotten used to it by now. And yet, 'Why do I feel...nervous?'

Adrenaline flooded his veins, forcing his body into overdrive. The sound of metallic bangs pierced the ears of those in the vicinity as the two exchanged deadly blows. People in the crowd glanced at each other nervously as it no longer seemed like an examination. Her two allies were still too in shock to intervene.

Fuyumi slid under his polearm as he slashed where her chest used to be. Lunging forward, she swiped her blade toward his head before he deflected.

As they continued, he couldn't help but notice something was different about her. Her strikes were beginning to lag and her subtle panting made it clear she was exhausted. Dodging another attack, he slammed his foot into her stomach. The impact knocked the wind out of her and she stumbled backward trying to catch her breath.

'That's my cue!'

Before she could block, the polearm's shaft smashed into her side sending her flying across the arena. Everyone was still in shock after the dust settled. The examiner leaned against his polearm for several seconds to catch his breath.

"Well...I must admit...I wasn't expecting to come across someone as talented as you. Although you had me on the ropes, you've over-exerted yourself. Against an opponent able to outlast you, you'd be in trouble. Nonetheless, I think you're more than worthy of a B-ranking."

The audience muttered amongst each other.

"B-rank?!"

"I don't don't think anyone would last very long against her."

The examiner turned to face Yakeru, whose face clearly showed that he was still trying to process what had happened.

"You. I got the sense you weren't trying to defeat me, but rather you were focused on survival, which can only get you so far. You waited for gaps and when there weren't any, you were defeated swiftly. In combat, there needs to be a balance between a strong defense and a good offense. But I will say you did good fending me off, even if it was for a short while. Think I'll place you in C-rank. And you."

Kenji hung his head low as the examiner glared at him.

"You couldn't support your teammate as he struggled. In a real life or death situation, you would've crumbled under the pressure."

"I know..." he mumbled under his breath.

"But that's not to say you didn't at least try. Plus you already have a good handle on radiance. In time you could be a strong asset, but I'll still have to give you an E-rank."

Kenji's eyes widened as his face lit up in an instant.

"An E-rank?!"

The examiner raised an eyebrow as Kenji radiated joy.

"Yes. Is there an issue with my assessment?"

He shook his head, ecstatic.

"No, not at all!"

"Good. Now go, we have other examinees waiting."

Fuyumi grabbed her daggers and followed Yakeru and Kenji out the door. The examiner, still breathing heavily, joined his colleague on the sideline as more examinees began to enter the arena.

"Ready? Begin!"

The group of examinees rushed the examiner. Amidst the constant roaring of energy blasts and metal clanking, the previous examiner took a seat. His colleague watched as he gulped down a water bottle he had placed there earlier in just a few seconds.

"Interesting."

Setting down the empty bottle, he used his sleeve to wipe his mouth.

"Yeah, that kid seemed a little too excited to be placed in E-rank."

"Well yeah, but I was talking about the girl. When was the last time an examinee was given a B rank?"

"I don't know, but I do know one thing..."

Her cold glare crept its way back into his mind.

"That girl is dangerous."