Inside a sterile warehouse, soft steps echoed along the recruits' murmurs. Chely looked around with Noel to see if something would catch his eye.
Hmm. Picking something that would complement my skills… what would that even be? My agility and attack are pretty strong. I do lack in the defense department, but my team should make up the difference. So… if I want to be a team player, then I'd hyperinvest in what I'm already good at. However…
While he was in deep thought, Chely tugged his sleeve.
"Having a hard time deciding?" she inquired, not taking her gaze away from the items.
"Yeah… there is a lot of cool stuff here, but whether I need them…" His voice trailed off as he blankly stared at the HE-PL Eviscerator in front of him—A plasma launcher, huh? …Pretty cool, he thought, his eyes then shifted to Chely. "By the way, what did you pick?"
"I chose a Manabeast," she replied.
"A… Manabeast?"
Chely nodded, she opened her palm, and an item from within the void ring materialized. It was a slightly scratched-up sphere the size of a ping pong ball with circuitry and runes.
"It's an artificial life form, and this is its Heart. It's loyal to its Master, but that's if you're deemed its Master."
"Ooh?" Noel looked at the sphere. "So it's sentience?"
"Pretty much. Though it's asleep now," Chely chuckled.
"Is it strong? What does it look like? Why did you pick it?"
"It looks like a wolf and isn't that strong…" Chely paused. "But… don't laugh for what I'm about to say, okay?"
"If it's a cute reason, perhaps; otherwise, I won't," Noel grinned.
Chely's eyes widened, and she crossed her arms as if to hug herself. "I was terribly lonely," she finally said, her tone soft, barely audible. "So… he was my friend."
"Was…?"
"…" Chely looked at him with shaky eyes. "Yeah… The Heart was badly damaged during a mission where he rescued civilians."
"You're not repairing the Heart?" Noel asked softly.
"…"
Chely averted her eyes.
"They told me his memories might not be recoverable. I'm scared it won't be him when he wakes… so I kept him like this."
Noel didn't say a word and pulled Chely into a tight embrace.
"Thank you… for sharing it with me," he softly whispered into her ear. "So… could you tell his name and heroic tales?"
Chely softened as she leaned into the embrace, wrapping her arms around his back.
"His name is LT. Woffie; the other officers in my platoon love him as well."
"I see… LT. Woffie? That's a great name," Noel softly laughed.
"Shut up…" Chely protested, lightly biting his neck.
"Ouch… that'll leave a mark, y'know?" Noel teased.
"And…?" Chely said, distancing herself while crossing her arms.
Noel didn't reply. He simply smiled devilishly like the menace he was.
"???" Looking perplexed, Chely ignored the notion. "Let's continue to look, we don't have all day." She stopped. "And… can I tell you all about Woffie later?"
Noel cheerfully grinned. "Of course! I did ask!" he replied.
..
Two hours later, everyone made their choice. They stood in formation—a hand on their heart, the other pointed straight down. With proper posture like the others, Alum stood behind Rigeld, hands behind his back.
"Now then, I reckon you've all picked out something you like? If not, you can always buy another one. Are there any doubts after trying them out?" Rigeld asked the recruits.
"No! Sir! No!"
"Good. As you might've heard, there's a little event after the selection. Usually, you'll have a mock battle with one of the members of High Command using the new equipment."
The crowd went silent. And as for the wanderers… that one time up against Boail was still carved into their bones—the pure terror of overwhelming power was not only an eye opener, but also reassuring.
"Gulp…"
Some audibly gulped while others thought—Finally. But then, Rigeld's words caught up to them.
—Usually? The word echoed in their minds.
"I can see it in your faces, hahaha. Yes, usually," Rigeld said.
He stepped to the side, and their eyes followed him. But the moment his head turned ever so slightly toward a certain black-haired youth, confusion emerged.
"This is your opponent," he declared. "You will ALL coordinate an assault to take him down."
"…"
The silence couldn't have been louder.
Was this some form of mockery? They were all elite graduates from Howlshock Academy. They took down Greedeaters as a final exam—how would a mage at their level compare to thirty of them and twenty wanderers?
In their minds, it didn't.
"Of course, you can always decide not to participate. But do keep in mind that this is an event other members of High Command will watch," he casually added.
They glared at Alum. Most were indifferent to him. A few were happy that their saint had a partner she loves, but… they couldn't honestly say they didn't resent the special treatment he'd gotten.
Was it because he was a saint's lover? Or was it because he was a wanderer with exceptional talent? Perhaps because he was Princess Luna's close friend?
Either way. Those carrying that resentment were now able to blow off some steam.
…
..
At the newly repaired outdoor training facility, three out of thirteen members of the high command, except Rigeld and Chely, came to witness the rite of passing. Luna was out on a mission; thus, like the other eight members, her generals were there to spectate in her place.
Everyone knew Alum was Rigeld's favorite amongst the wanderers, but they were not sure they could agree with this method.
Chely herself was opposed to the idea when Rigeld declared it, but in the end, it was up to Alum himself.
The wanderers, and especially recruits, changed their minds after hearing that a few members of High Command would be watching.
"…"
"Sigh… why do this, friend?" Boail muttered under his breath, crossing his arms.
"Here I thought I'd be up for the task this year," Letisha remarked.
She brushed her blue hair to the side as she sat down, leaning back on her chair, her cold silver eyes glanced toward Rigeld.
Letisha crossed her arms, "Is this your way of humbling your talent, Boss Man?" she added.
Rigeld smirked. "Oh-hoho, I think you misunderstood. This isn't to humiliate him. I believe you might've underestimated him, Ms. Letisha."
"Hmph, I beg to differ. You simply overestimate the little fellow, that's all," Letisha shrugged. "Even if you didn't intend to humiliate him, it will be a show of such does he fail to deliver," she added dismissively.
"…" Rigeld didn't argue, just crossing his arms.
"Ms. Letisha, I reckon first watch, then judge," Boail sent a stern remark her way.
"Understood~" She glanced at another colleague. "What do you think, Sa'Ar?"
"It'll be interesting. I've seen his report, but… I wonder how he'll put up a fight without any restraint," the gray-haired dragon-kin replied, his golden eyes locked onto Alum with great interest as he did not even glance her way.
"Hm~ You dragons always favor those who look like you," Letisha commented.
""…""
"My my, I apologize for causing such a scene. I was simply looking out for the cadets—I mean, our superior can be a little 'impulsive' at times."
"Either way. It's about to begin," Sa'Ar stated.
"…" Letisha frowned as she leaned back, crossing her arms. "Then see I shall."
..
Down in the arena, thirty elites and twenty wanderers stood prepared. They'd split into balanced teams of five.
Alum silently observed them. Ten teams were about to surround him, cutting off any path for him to breathe. He could tell that their most agile members would surround him first instead of attacking him head-on.
Knowing what they've been taught, they would wait for their teammates to get into position in order to support them, then coordinate an all-out assault, taking turns between the teams based on how their opponents react.
But he also knew that they were at least a little prideful. They wouldn't want to take him down too fast; then, they wouldn't be able to display their abilities. But this also meant that non-battlemages could take their time to chant powerful spells ready to be fired at any point.
How troublesome, Alum frowned.
Realistically, he should have time to cast a few layers of [Abyssal Depth] fast enough without Depth Cutter, but the problem was after that. They'd likely crush the barriers within a few seconds, if even a second.
Even though he said he'd give it his all, it wasn't like he had time to do so. In all honesty, he didn't see a way he could last longer than just a few seconds. Against only the wanderers, he probably could hold them back until he exhausts himself, but against trained elite recruits? Highly unlikely.
—Then again, most of them had chosen some sort of catalyst in different forms, whether it be a dagger, gloves, or rings; their timing should be a little off since they probably aren't used to the gear yet.
Their divine weapons are also restricted this time around—still, they're all trained not to rely too heavily on them. But it still meant that they aren't at full capacity—I could exploit it.
Then—
"Ahem!" Rigeld stood up, clearing his throat. "Very well, it seems that everyone is prepared. The standard rules apply. The moment the shield takes critical damage, you'll be locked in place, counted as downed, and moved to the side—usually. This time around, we've tweaked it a little; you'll have 10 seconds after you've fallen to enact a 'Dying Breath,' for a final stance."
"…"
Everyone looked at Rigeld; he clearly wasn't hiding it well, if at all. Alum was his favorite—Letisha and the others knew just from looking at Alum, but his demeanor, height, and face resembled that of his late son a little at that age.
Regardless of the 'Dying Breath' modifier giving Alum an additional free 10 seconds, it was equally brutal. After all, this benefit applied both ways.
"—Phoenix. Begin the countdown."
The second Rigeld gave command, the arena's barrier locked everyone in place, making them unable to move.
[Affirmative.]
Noel clenched his fist. He looked down at the gloves he'd selected. The description stated it would memorize the user's spell use; the more the user uses the spell, the faster and more efficient it becomes.
However, they weren't merely meant for spell casting—it was also a piece of additional armor. When the user senses danger, it would activate a reinforced mana armor.
Thus, he cast away all his doubt—I'm sorry, Al. This is unfair, but I know how truly capable you are. If it were only us and not the academy graduates, you'd wipe us out.
[Three.]
David glanced at the bracelet that would assist in spell-casting, but he had no intention of showing off or humbling Alum—he couldn't do it to his childhood hero. Therefore, would only do the bare minimum.
[Two.]
Miu wasn't much of a fighter despite her divine weapon being a sword. Ever since she began training at the base, she'd never excelled in direct combat. But among the wanderers? She was the best they had when it came to supportive capabilities.
"…"
This is too cruel… I'm sorry, Alum. But I can't hold the others back either. I'm sorry.
[One.]
My precious boy…
The words echoed in Emely's mind. She never wanted him to be 'special'. It had caused him nothing but problems back in their world. His parents were murdered, leaving an empire behind, as all the greedy relatives wanted to take advantage of him.
Emely still remembered the first words he directed toward her.
"What? Are you also after the inheritance? Take what you want. I do not care. But get in my way; you had better prepare a competent criminal lawyer—you will need it; it will be a bloody scene."
—Those words shouldn't have ever left a seven-year-old's mouth.
She declared to herself that she'd welcome him with warmth. And in the end, he became her pillar instead.
I'm such a useless adult… Emely gritted her teeth—but I will show you how reliable I've become. So that one day… you'll lean on me.
[Initiate Combat.]
Alum took a deep breath. He could hear his own heart; it slowly beat—ba-dump-ba-dump…
I will embrace new colors—I promised. But the old ones never disappeared.
Thus, without a sense of self-preservation, he initiated Operation: Scorched Earth.
In a split moment, Alum mana surged. 20-layers of [Abyssal Depth] were already deployed; in less than a second, he was surrounded.
His head throbbed in agony, it stung all over his body, and he was almost paralyzed from the overwhelming amount of mana being pushed out of him at once—he lost his vision; his eyes shut down on their own.
Still, his mind was clear—
..
Alum had acted as they'd predicted. They've all surrounded him. Mages fired at the barriers while the melee fighters waited for an opportunity—they'd already stripped 5 layers of his defense within 2 seconds.
But then… a massive shadow appeared, covering the arena. The support mages like Viona and Miu acted swiftly, casting barriers over their teams as the combatants rushed back for cover—a massive body of water flooded the battlefield in 20-meter deep water.
They all surfaced with their teams.
"Tsk! The water is too resistant to manipulation!" one exclaimed. "Ugh… you're right, it's heavily resisting an overwrite!" another one added.
"Wind specialists, coordinate!"
However, a little water wasn't going to stop them. Instead of burning a lot of mana trying to vaporize the water with fire or directly manipulating it, Noel and the other wind specialists coordinated an attack.
Winds swirled their blades as they thrust down with an enormous amount of pressure, pushing all the water away from the center. Miu and the other mages erected a massive barrier to keep the water out.
"!?"
Their eyes widened the moment all the water was pushed to the side. A long skeletal structure of a serpent had been formed. Alum was inside the giant construct, becoming the heart. Water had become the flesh, and ice had become its armor.
"…"
Letisha appeared slightly amused at the sight—Alum had lasted far longer than she'd expected. Her eyes subtly darted toward Rigeld, who leaned on his palm.
"Oh-ho? So that's what you came up with," he muttered with a faint smile.
Chely seemed relieved while Sa'Ar took a greater interest in him. Boail noticed how closely the serpent form mimicked his own ascension state.
Hahahaha, I see… I might've been worried for nothing, he thought.
"He's simulated an ascension state?!" Voina was the first one to point it out.
The recruits stared at her and at the beast below.
Now fully constructed, it hissed a loud cry fitting that of a majestic beast.
"—Eeeiiiiikkk!" it shrieked as it looked up at them.
All the while, Alum drifted in a dark abyss. He couldn't see or hear in the traditional sense. He'd sacrificed all that to grasp this state in such a short amount of time. But he was still able to 'see' due to [Static Field].
It was still undeveloped, and he could only sense what was or wasn't there or whether it moved or not. It wasn't perfect, his whole body stung, and it could be difficult to feel the small electrical signal on his skin. But it was more than enough, even with the disturbances, he could vaguely tell.
Now then. My turn.