The next two days flew by. I got used to sharing a room with a mind reader. Over those days, I explored the campus with Ersa, Ava, and Celestine. We even ran into Sylus on the second day, his face practically buried in one of the teleportation runes.
I watched plenty of candidates duel and saw all sorts of unique skills and magic. Some were strange, while others made me want to fight them immediately. I suggested that the four of us spar, but no one agreed. They said they didn't want to risk getting injured before the assessment.
Pretending to sleep was the hardest part.
While lying in that ridiculously comfortable bed, I simulated the assessment in my head, imagining what it might look like for me. Eventually, Celestine's soft breathing was the only sound left in the room.
On the morning of the assessment, I got out of bed before the sun had risen.
I breathed deeply. Entering the bathroom, I took a warm shower to calm my nerves.
Afterwards, I put on my combat attire. Grabbing my katana, I made my way to one of the training facilities.
The darkness was so peaceful, and the cool wind made me shiver. Entering the facility, the light runes in the roof automatically turned on.
When I was here before, the entire place was bustling with candidates, but right now it was empty. As I walked to the center, a small screen popped up. It scanned the emblem on my shirt.
--------------------------------------------
Welcome, Luna Ashvale
Choose Golem Level:
Lv1...
Lv2...
Lv3...
...
Lv10
Choose Golem Type:
Humanoid
Wolf
Goblin
...
Choose weapon:
Sword
Axe
Spear
...
--------------------------------------------
This was one of the coolest things that I had experienced; the training facility had a magical golem that could adjust its power from level one all the way to level thirty. It would scan the candidate's emblem and, using that information, let the candidate choose a golem to face up to four levels higher than themselves.
I clicked on the level ten option. Then the humanoid, and finally a sword.
Suddenly the floor opened up, and a humanoid golem stepped out. It wielded a sword. Its head was tilted down. I took a few steps back and watched as the empty sockets in its head began to glow. Its head tilted up, and its body moved. Dashing at me, I prepared myself.
I had learnt that the golem wouldn't kill me, but it would hurt me, and it fought based on the skills listed in my candidate profile. So right now, it was accounting for my regeneration and other registered skills—but it knew nothing about the ones I was keeping hidden.
It slashed down; my legs wobbled slightly. I pushed it back, making it tumble. Its body creaked before dashing at me again. A bead of sweat dripped down my face as I continued to fend it off. I twisted my arm to swing, and it moved to block. Quickly redirecting my sword, I aimed for its leg. It quickly stepped back, avoiding my attack.
I did not give it a chance; I rushed forward and kept delivering a stream of attacks. It began to buckle slightly as it blocked each slash.
As I wound up again, it quickly thrust its sword at me. I fell back, avoiding it; as I landed, it slashed quickly. Rolling to the side, I brought the mana into my palm and created a ball of hellfire. I shot it out and struck the golem in the chest. It blasted back, and the black flames cracked it slightly. It creaked before charging back in.
Quickly standing up, I reacted at the last moment as it thrust at me. I smiled, caught the blade with my hand, and let it pierce through me. Closing my fist, I used my remaining hand to slash at the golem. It let go of its sword and dashed back. Sighing, I pulled the sword out of my hand and tossed it to the side.
Holding onto my blade, I was now facing a disarmed opponent. Dashing in, the only thing the golem could do was dodge. As my attack went by its head, it took the opportunity to punch me in the stomach. I reacted and embedded the sword in the golem's neck. It crumpled to the ground.
I sighed.
I rely too much on catching my opponents off guard with my regeneration. Without it, the golem would've beaten me eventually...
I watched as the cracks and slashes in the golem began to regenerate. It stood back up and bowed before walking over to the sword, grabbing it, and descending back into the floor.
The sun had now begun to rise; the assessment would start soon.
Leaving the facility, I walked towards the main teleportation bazaar. I saw more people walking upon the paths heading the same way I was. Looking back at Asteria Hall, I sighed.
Sorry Celestine... I don't have time to head back. I hope I'll see you later.
After ten minutes of walking and the sounds of people talking, I made it to the bazaar. A large crowd had already formed inside, and as more people arrived, they pushed me toward the center.
My katana was in my sheath at my hip, and I looked around the massive coliseum. About half an hour passed, and while I was examining the other candidates, a massive blue screen appeared.
"Hello and good morning to all of you!" The headmaster's voice rang from every direction.
"Is everyone ready for the assessment?"
People yelled all around.
"Ha! Good! I want you all to know that even being here right now is something to be proud of! So no matter if you go home or are accepted, you'll most definitely grow to be strong individuals!"
"Now we will start the first assessment! Find your name and head over to the designated training facility!"
The screen changed from his face to a massive list. Then, smaller screens appeared all around, displaying the same list. I scanned the list and found my name right at the top.
Luna Ashvale - Training Facility A-2
I saw the number and walked towards a teleportation room; above it, a glowing sign read.
TRAINING FACILITIES A1–A4
Stepping in, I watched as a few other candidates walked in with me as well. None that I recognized. About ten people were inside, and several others waited outside. As we closed the door, I felt myself begin to float before a light erupted above us. After the bright flash, I landed on the ground, feeling much better than before.
I'm nervous... But I'll show them that I deserve to be here.
Stepping out of the room, I stood at a crossroads. On each side, four hallways opened into four separate training facilities. Above each hall were similar glowing signs.
In front of me was A-1
To my right was A-2
Behind me was A-3
And to my left was A-4
Taking a moment to breathe, I slowly walked into the hall on my right. Out of the ten people who had teleported with me, only two followed—one boy and one girl. The boy was quite short, a few inches below me; he had red hair and freckles across his face. He wore a light suit, but the girl was different. She seemed to walk with more confidence; she had pitch-black hair. She wore small reading glasses, and she had very pale skin.
As we entered, I saw a woman who seemed middle-aged. She had blonde hair, and she wore instructor clothing. Her blue eyes locked upon the three of us. She held a sword in her hand and wiped it with a cloth. We stood near the entrance, and after around five minutes, another eighteen or so candidates gathered.
"Line up!" The instructor yelled.
As she did, we all looked at each other before standing in a line. She walked by each person, her eyes wandering along each one. She didn't say anything; instead, she read each person's candidate system. As she went down the line, she seemed to linger longer at a few candidates, two of whom were the boy and girl I had arrived with.
When she stopped in front of me, her blue eyes met my crimson ones. She tapped on my emblem before reading what it said. Her eyebrow raised slightly before a small smirk appeared on her face. She moved on.
After examining each of us, she walked to the center.
"For this portion of the assessment, I determine whether you pass or fail."
Suddenly, a boy at the end of the line snickered. The woman's eyes fell upon him.
"You, come here."
The boy froze for a second before a smug smirk appeared on his face. He walked up to the instructor and held out his hand.
The woman smacked it away.
"I am not a person to be toyed with, boy."
"Ha! I meant no offence; I just thought a woman of your station was honoured to be in my presence," he chuckled.
The woman's face hardened.
"Strike me, boy... If you make me take one step back, you pass the first part of the assessment."
"Excuse me?" the boy questioned
She grabbed his chin and pulled him close, her eyes locking with his.
"Strike me, boy," she said again, pushing him away.
He stumbled back, tripping on his garments, and fell onto his back. The other candidates watched in silence. His eyes darted to us and then to her.
"How dare you!" He screamed, standing up and dusting his clothes off.
She stood still and gestured at him to come at her.
"Strike me with everything you have."
"Fine! You asked for this! Die!" he yelled out as a flame formed in his hand.
His eyes were closed, and his arm trembled. He mumbled something under his breath; the ball grew threefold. He pushed it forward, and it flew at the instructor. As it almost struck her, steam enshrouded her. A massive explosion echoed through the training grounds, and a few of the candidates began to whisper.
"Is she dead!?"
"Oh my god!"
I felt subtle vibrations.
She's not dead.
As the steam cleared, my eyes widened. I knew she had survived, but I had thought she had definitely been injured. To my surprise, she hadn't moved an inch. She was smiling as a wall of swirling water surrounded her. The ball of flames had been completely stopped, leaving her unscathed.
The boy looked at her, his mouth open. Beads of sweat dripped down his face. He was gasping slightly.
"H-how!"
She smiled.
"Because, as I said, I am not one to be toyed with." Her volume increased. "Now get back in line."
The boy walked back in line, head down.
She's strong...
"I am Cassandra Wave. Or as most others call me... The Great Wave."
I heard multiple candidates start to whisper to each other.
"The Great Wave!?"
"One of the greatest water mages of the previous generation!?"
She smiled.
"You can refer to me as Instructor Wave, as I have become one of Crownspire's head instructors."
The group murmured, but she raised her hands, and the candidates fell silent.
"I don't care about wealth, status or anything else. The only thing that matters is your abilities."
Her eyes swept across us.
"This is the Ability Exhibition. You will each have five minutes. Show me what you can do. Magic, skills, weapons—I don't care. I want to see what makes you worthy of Crownspire."
She pointed at the end of the line opposite the boy. A young girl walked up to her.
"Show me everything you can do," she told her as a training golem appeared from the floor.
The girl seemed to have wind magic, as sharp air rushed towards the golem. It slashed into it, leaving shallow cuts. She then summoned a wind elemental, which began to strike the golem as well. After five minutes, the golem was badly cut and damaged, but it was still standing. Instructor Wave nodded, and the girl returned to line. The golem then disappeared into the ground.
A few more students went next, but they all had the same result. Some used weapons while some used magic, but in the end the golems never fell.
They aren't weak... Why aren't the golems going down?
Next up was the small boy with red hair who stood two positions away from me. He walked up, and a golem formed; the boy smirked before summoning a large fire lizard. It roared at the golem but did not attack; instead, it watched the boy. The red-haired boy glanced at the candidate who had mocked Instructor Wave earlier and winked.
A large ball of fire began to grow in his hand. It began to spin rapidly, the flaming lizard blowing hot flames upon it as it did. It grew larger than the arrogant boy's ball, doubling its size. The boy glanced at the golem before closing his eyes. The ball of flames started to glow even brighter, its warmth radiating against my face from all the way across the training facility. The ball expanded and then shrank, its flame turning blue.
Launching the ball of blue flame forward, he turned away. As the ball reached the golem, it expanded into a wave of blue flame engulfing the golem. The aftermath was interesting; the golem was still standing, but its entire surface was charred a deep black. Instructor Wave smiled as it descended back into the ground.
The boy returned to the line, and the tall girl with black hair and glasses stepped forward. She watched as a new golem surfaced. She watched it, then stepped toward the instructor, darkness appearing at her hip. Reaching into it, she drew a spear made out of complete darkness.
It was like my Decayed Weapon... But it was made out of shadow.
Instructor Wave watched closely as the girl stepped behind her and into her shadow. Then, in front of everyone's eyes, she vanished. She was gone. My eyes scanned the facility, but she was nowhere to be found, and then suddenly the sound of shattering stone echoed through my ears. I followed the sound to see that a dark spear had completely pierced through the golem's chest. The girl was now standing right behind it.
The shadow travelled through the golem, causing it to crack. The girl's weapon faded, revealing the hole in the golem's chest. She then disappeared again, appearing by the wall that had a large shadow cast upon it.
She's not teleporting... She's travelling through the shadows.
Cool!
The large shadow she stood in began to distort as small dark spikes appeared. They dashed out towards the golem before piercing through it, leaving small holes in its frame. The girl smiled before disappearing again. This time she appeared right behind the instructor.
She turned to face the instructor and bowed, then returned to line. The golem then descended back into the ground.
The instructor pointed at me.
My heart skipped a beat.
I took a step forward.
It's my turn.