All of the students were called out to the sports field. The knights were then called on the field to perform their physical exams as everyone else watched in the bleachers. The physical exam consisted of their stamina and physical body strength. They were tested by how much weight they could lift and how long they could keep the weights lifted. They were called in an order and lifted the required weights and held them for five minutes. After that, they attached 50-lb. weights to their legs and jumped as high as they could when they were told to. If any knight failed to meet the criteria, they were demoted to being squires. Will passed the exam, and around a fifth of the students failed. Next, each student that passed the exam was required to pick out the weapons that they would use. They then picked their swords out of an arrangement of weapons on the field. Will already decided what swords would work best with him and what technique would suit him best. He found exactly what he was looking for. He decided to go with duel single-bladed swords. One was heavier than the other to be used for leverage and to confuse the enemy. The swords he found were dark silver and simple in design.    

  After the Knights concluded the physical exams, a group of instructors carried out an MME tester also commonly called the cube, and was the same one they used for the entrance exams and a huge monitor. They then hooked the cube into the monitor and gave the headmaster a signal that it was set up. The headmaster then called out the squires in alphabetical order, they then walked orderly to the cube and tested their MME ranks. If they scored an A or B Rank then they will become knights. Tim was the sixteenth student called, Surprisingly though, he scored a B - Rank. After that, there were thirty-five other squires tested.

"We will now move on with the knights testing."  The headmaster said with a smile. He was extremely pleased with the results that the squires have produced, in no more than a week.

" Five percent have been promoted, if the knights can copy these results then the upcoming tournament will be a walk in the park." Tim looked at Will when the headmaster said this.  

The instructors then called out students alphabetically, Will was the thirteenth student called. Will slowly walked to the cube, he was glad no one told him to take his cloak back off. He placed his hands on the cube and was shocked. Everyone else couldn't speak. There was complete silence. Then there were roars of over a hundred people.

   " He is an S Rank." "So the S Rank exists." " We have this year's first paladin." Everyone was talking to each other, including the normally stoic instructors.

" We now have our first Paladin. Let's see if we get anymore." The headmaster said as he tried to sit back down but was too excited.

The rest of the exams finished about fifteen minutes after Will took his exam.

 " That concludes this month's exam. We will have another exam next month. Tomorrow will be the day that you receive your first quest. You are required to have a team of three people. No more and no less. I am excited to see how well you will do." The headmaster said as he left to return to his office.

   Later that day Will met up with Tim after the exams to see if he wanted to partner up.

Tim was shocked to see Will. " Do you want to team up?"Will asked Tim.

Tim thought for a moment. " This is perfect. I can get revenge on this freak and do the nation a favor. I also have someone else who owes me a favor. They will also enjoy punishing this freak." "Yes, and I know a person who will be more than happy to join us tomorrow," Tim said with a smile.

 " Alright, let's meet up at the cafeteria before we go to receive our quest," Will said as he left, oblivious of the danger.

     The following morning  Will woke up and dressed like normal. He then ran to the cafeteria to meet up with Tim and this mysterious person. When will arrived Tim was eating the normal slop.

 " So, where is this third person," Will asked as he sat down with his slop.

"I don't know where she is. She should be here soon." Tim said weirdly.

Will was trying to finish his slop as soon as possible. As soon as he went to dispose of his tray he walked back to Tim and nearly had a heart attack. It was the same girl that Will bumped into the other day. She had long, dark brown hair. Her skin was as pale as snow. Her ace was very alluring.

 Will stopped when he returned to the table. "Are we ready to leave yet," Will said flatly while trying to not le this anxiety seep into his voice.

"Yes, we just need to go receive a quest, Will this is Adder, Adder this is Will," Tim said as he got up to dispose of his tray.

 " Where do we go to receive quests? " Will asked as Adder still hasn't said anything.

"We need to go to the outpost." Adder said in a small quiet, voice.

"Okay, Lets head there now," Tim said as he returned and heard what Adder had said.

     They arrived at the outpost about ten minutes later after a very quiet and awkward walk. Will walked through the door first and was met with a long line. When it was their turn they were asked to form a team, Will left the name of the team to Tim and Adder.

" How about Verrad ?"  Adder asked Tim.

 " I think it sounds cool," Tim replied.

They named their group Verrad. Will then told the person who received them their new team name and received a quest. The quest was for them to go a mile into the dark zone and hunt Vermillion Deer. Vermillion Deer are like normal deer except they are masters of Fire magic and are born able to manipulate fire from birth. They hunt other animals and eat anything they can kill or find and are considered vermin.

   Team Verrad was required to kill twenty-five of the Vermillion Deer and return with their cores. Team Verrad then headed to the zone they were told that was best to find Vermillion Deer. They arrived later that day after having to wait at the border for their ID's to be confirmed. The ride on the Academy bus was extremely awkward, no one spoke and Will tried to sleep but was constantly woke up by the jarring of the bus. They then arrived as close to the zone as possible even still they had to walk for fifteen minutes. The Zone they were told to go to was a barren meadow that the Vermillion deer have burned barren. They then proceed to hunt the deer. Will then put the technique that he has been practicing at night into use, also why he kept falling asleep on the bus.

They hunted fifteen on the first day by using Will's and Tim's attacks to distract while the adder attacked from behind. They had amazing teamwork for a group that just recently formed and doesn't communicate. The sun was starting to set and more dangerous monsters would appear at night even though they were technically still on the outsides of the dark zone, so they returned to a hotel near the border. Will was confused when he arrived at his room  How could things get any more awkward. Adder is a drop-dead beauty and I'm too afraid to say anything to her. At least I'm wearing a cloak and she can't see me staring at her. Will thought as he started practicing his sword forms, they were designed to appear to be full of holes but would decimate the opponent when they fell for the "flaws". His technique also was meant to be used to outspeed experienced opponents if they did not fall for the flaws.

   The next day they started hunting like the day before, they used the same tactics and before long they hit their quota, Will felt the hairs on the back of next stand up. He felt as if he was about to die but he didn't know why. Then he felt the wind blow and suddenly he felt nothing but pain. He watched as his upper forearm got dismembered and fly into the air and the person who attacked him was no other than Adder.  Why!!!!! Things were going so well. I have too much to live for. Many thoughts streamed through Wills mind at this moment but the main one was for him to warn Tim.

 "Tim, run" Will screamed at the top of his lungs. He then felt as if a truck hit him in the side. He looked over and the thing that hit him was no other than the backside of Tim's broadsword. I thought we were friends. This was the only thought going through Will's mind and then he felt as if his head would snap and puked blood. Then everything fell into blackness.

  Will awoke to pain. He was tied to a tree and the rest of team Verrad was sitting in front of him. Adder then approached Will and kicked him in the head. Will felt like he would drop dead at any minute. His hood came off, and Adder smiled for the first time. Tim then approached Will and smiled. All Will could do was stare at his left stump. "Well let's have some fun shall we?" Adder asked as she smiled and unsheathed her two short curved daggers and started amputating his right arm. She started with the slicing of skin on his arm from fingertips to his shoulder. She then slowly whittled away at the muscle tissue and bones restarting at his fingertips and ended at his shoulder where she skinned him before. All Will could do was a scream, he felt too much pain to think of anything the only thing Will could focus on was Adder's demonic smile and blood rushing giggles. He wanted this pain to end even if it meant his death.

 " This is what you deserve freak, but before we leave why did you think that I needed help from someone as weak as you, " Tim said as he repeatedly kicked Will in the face until his jaw was long shattered and his teeth and several bone fragments were lodged into the lining of his mouth and on the ground in front of him. Then the rest of Team Adder left while Will was tied to the tree bleeding out.   

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