In a video game, the term 'role' was often used to describe the job a person would have in a group. Oftentimes in RPGs or MMOs, something called a party would be formed, which was a collection of people, and in order to maximize their efficiency, a person would be given a job to do in the group based on their skills.
In the real world, the Arcane Knights used something similar. This was because many of the current generation of Knights had grown up playing these types of games, and what started off as slang evolved to become typical terms that would be used. A lot of Knights viewed the 'system' that they had as a real-life video game, and it helped blur the lines between fiction and reality.
Most Arcane Knights, when doing quests, would form a party of four. Sometimes the party could be larger or smaller depending on the members and who was involved, but the standard number was always four. This was because there were four roles that were recognized. They were: Attacker, Defender, Support, and Face.
The role of the Attacker was simple. An Attacker was a Knight suited for offense. They were basically DPS. Attackers could either cover large distances with their spells or dish out massive, powerful attacks. It was the job of an Attacker to wipe out whatever threat the group was fighting.
The role of Defender was to be a shield for the group. A Defender was built sturdy and needed to take heavy hits. They often would fight alongside the Attacker, and either they would be the first member of the party to fall or the last.
The role of Support was someone who would stay in the background, often using various spells and enchantments to heal damaged members of the party or to boost their skills and power.
Lastly, there was the role of the Face. It was the most crucial role and also the oddest. A Face was someone in the party who would either be able to fulfill any other role equally or couldn't do any of the roles at all. The Face was the de facto leader of the Party, and they were responsible for giving orders and formation commands. The Face was also the person best suited to speak to clients whenever a quest was taken up and would be the one to negotiate payment and rewards.
In other words, the Face was the one in charge and would be the literal face of the party. Because of this, the role of Face would often be given to either the most persuasive or the most 'good-looking' member of the group.
That was why Olivia was baffled when her screen flashed and her role was assigned to her.
'Congratulations! You have been selected to take on the role of Face in your party!'
Olivia blinked, utterly confused by what she was seeing. "How did I get this role?"
She knew that she wasn't that bad-looking, but she had never really looked at her reflection and thought that she was anything noteworthy. By no means was she ugly, and in some ways, one could maybe call her pretty, but now that she was with her teammates, it made her even more weirded out by the fact that the quest system selected her to be the Face of the party.
Her three other teammates were all total hotties! The first one was Ash, who was always good-looking, but somehow the two people who stood next to him were even better. One was a slightly older man, who had long silver hair and a pair of glass-looking eyes that were more like mirrors. He wore white robes and looked elegant and calm, a faint smile on his lips. The beauty he held was collected and reserved. Next to him was a woman around his age. She had jet-black hair and dull-looking eyes. Her skin was pale, and she wore a heavy black cloak and kept fiddling with a pair of guns that were holstered at her belt. In a lot of ways, she looked similar to a female version of Davi.
The man's name was Nori Jupitari, while the girl was Emma Marsian. Both of them were from the branch family and were the closest beings to a perfect ten out of ten in terms of looks.
Usually, the Face was the most good-looking person, but sometimes the Face could be the most persuasive person. Olivia doubted that she was that persuasive. She had anger issues that would flare up a lot, and her blood would boil sometimes. That sort of thing wasn't something that would lead to a person being a good Face. For her to be a Face, it meant only one thing.
Everyone else in the current party was suited to their roles so well that the system just gave up and handed her the last slot that was left.
"So," Nori said, giving a faint smile. "It seems this is our little party?" Next to him, his box read out: 'Congratulations! You have been selected to take on the role of Support in your party!'
"Two nobles? Sharing the same team as me?" Ash seemed uneasy as he eyed the two pretty people up. His box read: 'Congratulations! You have been selected to take on the role of Defender in your party!'
"Are you two at least strong?" Emma questioned. She had the final role. 'Congratulations! You have been selected to take on the role of Attacker in your party!'
"Olivia is as useless as they come," Ash responded flatly. "As for me, I can handle myself."
"You don't have to be an asshole!" Olivia huffed out.
Ash shot her a dirty look. "I am wondering, though, how on Earth did you get stuck with the role of the Face? It's easily the most important one. You have healing spells, so you should be support, and he should be the face." Ash pointed his thumb at Nori.
Nori tilted his head and let out a small chuckle. "I am more suited to the role of Support."
"I think I got the role I did because the system saw that I couldn't do anything else." Olivia sighed. "Spells aren't my strong suit since I can only cast three, so I'd make a horrible Attacker, Defender, or Support."
The system was an advanced form of AI created by the King and powered by flickers of Haru's mana. It allowed Knights to use the Grimoire app even without a phone and inside dungeons despite the anti-tech field they had. The system also would scan a Knight's body in real time and offer feedback and keep track of their stats, spells, traits, and core. Since it had access to it, it also meant the system could tell with a glance what role someone was best suited for.
If someone had a lot of offensive spells, they'd fall into the Attacker category. If they had a lot of barrier spells, they'd be a Defender. It was a handy tool, one that allowed Knights to communicate and plan while out in the field much more easily than they'd typically be able to.
"You can only cast three spells?" Emma tilted her head to the side, and her dull eyes turned to look at Olivia. "What do you mean?" Her tone was emotionless and blank. It really was like she was a female version of Davi.
"She has blood magic," Nori explained.
"How do you know?" Olivia asked, shocked.
Nori's calm smile grew, and he tapped at his left eyeball. "These eyes see all."
"Huh?"
"It's a trait he has," Emma said flatly. "I fought him in the first test. He can see a person's core."
Nori poked his tongue out and gave a sheepish laugh. "Guilty as charged." Nori's eyes then turned back to Olivia. "I agree with what you said. Your magic is worthless, right? A maid of mine had blood magic. Poor girl couldn't do anything. The system likely saw the flaw that is your existence and decided that the only way you could be of use was to be a semi-pretty face, and in that regard, you do fulfill that role quite well. Of course, you don't hold the same beauty someone of noble birth does, but the way you hold yourself is quite intriguing. I permit you to stay on my team."
Olivia's eye twitched. She was always starting to hate this test the most. This guy was a rich bastard. He was somehow even more arrogant and dickish than Ken Yuan had been. "Thanks, I guess." She tried to make the sarcasm not super obvious.
"You're welcome." Nori's eyes then turned to Ash and narrowed slightly. "Now, I think you need to give a reason why you should stay on my team."
"What?" Ash was caught fully off guard. The boy who was always trying to fight Davi stared at the pretty noble, baffled. "What do you mean I have to explain myself?"
"Ms. Olivia here has a pretty face, and I like the feel of her mana," Nori explained slowly, as if he were speaking to a child. "That makes up for her possessing the worst type of mana and being a commoner. Emma here is of noble blood like myself, so she also gets a pass. You, however, are a nobody, with boring wind magic and a boring face."
"A boring face? I am way better looking than Olivia!" Ash practically screamed.
"I completely disagree." Nori reached out, and Olivia became helpless as he casually grabbed her by the chin. She tried to pull away, but he held on tight and even stroked her lips with his thumb. "Her skin is flawless and pale, and her lips are quite nice. Not to mention her eyes are perfectly spaced and have an exotic red color to them that matches well with her white hair. If she were of noble blood, her looks would be even better, but when it comes to commoners, she stands out." Nori patted her on the head.
"I hate it here." Olivia hummed. "Any chance I can swap teams?"
"You, on the other hand, are boring." Nori was looking at Ash once more. "You're bland. I don't really like you. Sadly, I must share the spot with you. You'll do well to know your place, got it, boy?"
Ash gritted his teeth and looked like he was about to lose it, but Emma finally raised her hand. "Can we try to be a little nicer to each other?" The girl asked in the same apathetic tone that Davi always had in his voice. "We're stuck until this exam ends, after all."
Olivia gave a cautious nod of her head. "She's right. Let's try to at least pretend like we all like each other. We can all tear each other apart once the test ends, right?"
Nori flipped his hair. "I'm okay with that."
Ash growled and turned away, folding his arms. "Whatever. Let's just get this shit show over with."
As if on cue, the blue box flashed and changed, new text appearing on it. 'Now that you have successfully formed your party, wait until your guide approaches you. Quest: Complete the task that your guide provides.'
Up in the sky, Pretty Face clapped her hands together and giggled. Down below in the arena, everyone had split off into groups of four and were scattered about. She waited until everyone's attention was focused on her, and then she began to speak. "Alright! As your system should have just said, you'll be given a guide for this test! They're in charge and are above even the Face! This guide will be taking you out on an official mission, and your job is to follow all their orders and do what they tell you! That's not all that will be happening, though! You see—"
"That's right!" Pretty Face was cut off as Dark Star once again stood on the railing, the old lady throwing her arms up into the air and waving them back and forth. "Since I'm the one who came up with this trial, I decided it would be fun to give out a good reward! Passing this test comes down entirely to your guide. You do anything wrong, and they can fail you on the spot! I instructed all the guides to be harsh and cruel! They're going to be downright mean and look for any chance they can to fail you! Should you do well, though, and pass the trial they give you, you'll all be earning something real special." Dark Star pointed up toward the sky and struck a pose. "I'll personally make sure you get your Knight gear!"
A shock went through the crowd of people, and Olivia's eyes widened as she heard that piece of information. Knight gear was a big deal when it came to the Arcane Knights.
Knight gear referred to special equipment that was specifically created for the user. Most Knights didn't have Knight gear, and only Knights who were high up in the Guilds got this special equipment since they were potent magic items. She had only seen three Knights who had Knight gear in her entire life.
The first was the silver-haired beauty who had saved her. That woman had a staff that was beyond anything a regular focus item could reach. The second and the current most famous piece of Knight gear was Tori's lance. The Lance of Victory was almost as well known as the Ebony Knight's armor or Haru's sword. The last piece of Knight gear she had seen was Gray's armor. That armor had been filled with the mana of Haru, just like all Knight gear was, and it had allowed him to casually shrug off Davi's strongest attack as if it hadn't even happened.
Knight gear was no joke and was a serious boon for the Guild. It was one of the reasons they didn't just so casually hand it out, yet here Dark Star was, wanting to give some away?
"That got your attention, didn't it?" Dark Star's smirk grew, and the old woman placed her hands on her hips. "It's not a lie either. We got some special low-level shitty gear, but it's still leagues better than anything the rest of you little fucks got. You pass and you get it; just remember one thing, though. Your entire team has to pass. If one of you fails, all of you fail. Good luck. You're going to need it."
Excited murmurs went through the crowd as everyone got hyped up. Most of the exam-takers had been excited at the prospect of seeing a real Arcane Knight in action, but now that hype had shifted to the chance to win authentic Knight gear, even crappy knock-off ones. It was enough to get everyone pumped and ready for it.
Olivia didn't feel the same joy everyone else was feeling, though. Something felt… Off? She didn't know what it was, but now that she was here in the moment, there was just something that didn't seem right. It was a big prize that was being handed out, which likely meant passing the test would be next to impossible. Dark Star was always cruel and mean like that. So that made her wonder, just what was the woman really after? Every test had been slightly odd up to this point, and she was willing to bet it was the same.
The stadium walls opened up, unfolding and twisting, revealing extra doorways where various Arcane Knights began to enter. Each Knight was different. Some were men, some were women. Some wore armor; others went with standard suits. A Knight would walk up to one of the groups of four and introduce themselves.
Olivia and her group eagerly awaited their turn, and eventually, a Knight made their way over. Olivia raised an eyebrow when she saw the Knight, because it was one she recognized.
She was quite the looker, with long, raven-black hair and a pair of deep green eyes. She wore a white buttoned-up shirt that was obviously too big on her, along with baggy pants that were only held up thanks to the three belts she had on. Her hair was a bit messy, and bags rested under her eyes, and she was chewing gum. At her belt was a silver rapier, which kept bouncing back and forth since it wasn't properly held in place.
"Wassup?" The woman asked tiredly.
"At least she is consistent," Olivia muttered.
It was Sune, the Arcane Knight, who had to help Davi when he was trying to enter the stadium yesterday. The woman looked just as bored and put off as she had the first time she had seen her.
Nori looked at Emma and then at Sune. "Dear Haru, there are two of them now."
"Three if you count Davi." Ash snorted.
"What's a Davi?" Emma questioned.
"A sad pretty boy," Olivia said casually.
"You think he's pretty?" Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Olivia turned back to Sune. "Are you the guide?"
The woman rubbed the back of her neck and let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah. That's me. I've been placed in charge of your little group."
"So how exactly does this work?" Ash asked.
Sune let out another deep sigh, clearly bored already. "I took a small quest, one that is weak and low-level. You guys are going to come with me, and I'm going to have you do the test the way a Knight would. It'll be like training. I'm going to watch over you and make sure things go well. Sound good?" It took Olivia a moment to realize the question was directed at her. If she were the Face of the party, then that meant she was also the one in charge, and it'd be up to her to handle responses.
Olivia looked to the rest of her group, and they all nodded. She looked back at Sune. "So what exactly is this mission?"
Sune's blank look faded slightly, and the woman gave the faintest hint of a smile. "Have you ever fought a goblin before?"