The smoke hung in the air like a fading storm cloud, slowly dispersing as fragments of shattered stone and metallic dust settled across the testing grounds. For several long seconds no one spoke, the arena swallowed by a stunned silence that felt heavier than the explosion that had caused it.
Where the adamantite pillars had once stood—pillars forged from a metal prized for its legendary durability—there was now nothing but a scarred stretch of stone flooring and faint trails of dissipating lightning dancing through the air.
The magic proctor stared in disbelief.
Unlike the ice girl… there's nothing left.
And it was adamantite…
Her heartbeat quickened as the reality of what she had witnessed began to settle in. The pillars hadn't merely been destroyed—they had been erased.
"I believe that concludes the magic test," the receptionist announced calmly, her voice cutting through the stunned atmosphere with professional composure that contrasted sharply with the chaos surrounding them. She turned toward the shaken magic proctor and gestured toward the ruined arena floor.
"Please repair the grounds for the next one."
The proctor nodded stiffly before stepping forward, raising her staff as threads of mana began weaving through the shattered stone like glowing roots reclaiming broken earth.
The receptionist then lifted her gaze toward the stands where the sword proctor sat.
"Seeing as it is already noon," she said evenly, "please keep this short, Proctor Gazal."
Gazal remained seated.
His eyes were closed, his posture stiff, as though he were quietly contemplating a decision that carried far more weight than a simple test.
At that moment the large wooden doors of the guild arena creaked open and the guild master stepped inside, brushing dust from his coat as he walked toward the seating area where Lloyd and the Iron Terror party sat.
"I heard an explosion halfway across the district," the guild master muttered, lowering himself into the seat beside Lloyd. "Thought the place might've collapsed."
He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked down toward the arena floor.
"Everything going smoothly with the kids' tests?"
Below, Gazal finally opened his eyes and rose from his seat before descending toward the testing grounds with slow, measured steps.
"Please arm yourself," he said once he stood before Darkness, his tone calm though a hint of hesitation lingered beneath it.
The first weapon an adventurer marks is always their strongest…
So maybe this won't be too troublesome.
That thought dissolved the moment a weapon materialized in Darkness' hand.
A long scythe appeared in a ripple of faint violet light, its blade forged from dark metal that seemed to swallow the surrounding light rather than reflect it. Intricate runes etched along the weapon's shaft glowed softly with an otherworldly purple radiance, their symbols pulsing faintly like a sleeping heartbeat.
The air itself seemed to grow heavier as the weapon fully manifested.
Darkness held it effortlessly, standing in a relaxed posture that suggested neither arrogance nor tension—only patience.
He simply waited.
Gazal exhaled slowly.
"I have nothing to test."
The words echoed across the arena.
Turning his head toward the stands, Gazal spotted the guild master watching from above.
"Actually… what I mean to say is that the great guild master will be handling this test."
With that declaration, he promptly turned around and returned to his seat.
"But that's your job," the guild master complained loudly.
"Stop whining and get down there!" Gazal snapped back irritably.
The exchange left Darkness quietly confused.
In the stands, Lloyd let out a small laugh as the guild master reluctantly began making his way down to the arena floor.
"That's rude of you," Druid sighed.
Lloyd's amusement faded quickly as his expression turned thoughtful.
"I'm not laughing at the boss," he said, resting his chin on his hand as he studied Darkness carefully.
"I just realized something while watching that kid."
He exhaled slowly.
"Even standing there like that… he doesn't have a single opening."
Mary crossed her arms thoughtfully.
"I thought Gazal backed down because of the scythe."
"Well… it might also be because I can't imagine fighting a kid seriously," Lloyd admitted.
Meanwhile the guild master had reached the arena floor.
"I didn't think I'd end up proctoring a newcomer today," he said casually as he approached Darkness, studying him with sharp, experienced eyes.
"But I can see why Gazal decided to sit this one out."
A large saber appeared in his hand in a brief flash of steel.
"I'm sure you don't mind."
He lowered the weapon into a relaxed stance.
"The usual tests measure offense, defense, and adaptability, but those are things we can easily judge during a duel."
His grin widened slightly.
"So that's what we're going to do."
Darkness nodded.
The guild master moved first.
His saber came down in a swift arc aimed directly at Darkness' head.
The scythe rose to meet it.
Steel clashed against steel with a thunderous crack that split the air like lightning.
The stone beneath Darkness' feet fractured instantly, jagged cracks racing outward across the arena floor.
"Well," the guild master chuckled as he pushed off the weapon clash and slid backward across the stone.
"That covers defense."
This time Darkness moved.
The scythe swept forward in a wide arc, its blade humming through the air with a low, menacing whistle as it closed the distance.
The guild master raised his saber just in time, deflecting the strike with a sharp metallic clang.
Despite the massive size of their weapons, both fighters moved with astonishing speed.
Darkness' scythe provided a defensive advantage, its curved blade and long shaft allowing him to block attacks from nearly any angle. Yet the guild master matched every motion with practiced precision, his saber weaving through the scythe's arcs with controlled efficiency.
The tempo of the duel accelerated rapidly.
Clash.
Step.
Clash again.
Each impact sent vibrations rippling through the arena floor as sparks scattered like fireflies around them.
The guild master suddenly feinted, raising his sword for a downward strike before twisting his wrist and redirecting the blade toward Darkness' side.
The strike was instantly deflected.
Darkness' scythe swept outward in response, forcing the guild master to duck as the curved blade carved through the air.
Even from several meters away, the force of the swing shattered bricks along the arena wall.
The duel intensified.
Each strike grew heavier, faster, more dangerous.
Shockwaves rippled outward with every clash of their weapons, rattling the stone seats surrounding the arena.
Then, almost as if following an unspoken signal, both fighters leapt backward at the same moment.
They landed several meters apart.
Their weapons began to glow.
The guild master's saber ignited with a violent crimson aura that pulsed like raging flames.
Darkness' scythe shimmered with deep violet energy, its runes blazing with unnatural light.
They charged simultaneously.
The moment their attacks were about to collide—
A translucent barrier appeared between them.
Their weapons struck it with explosive force.
Dust exploded outward.
When it settled, the receptionist stood calmly between the two combatants.
"As entertaining as this is," she said with quiet authority, "the assessment time has concluded."
Darkness stared at her briefly.
Teleportation…
Has humanity truly advanced this far?
His scythe faded into particles of violet light.
"I will have the proctors finalize your results within the hour," the receptionist continued.
The guild master laughed.
"You've got some fight in you, kid. How about we finish this another time?"
"I would prefer not to," Darkness replied politely.
With the examinations finally concluded, the tension that had filled the arena slowly dissipated like the last echoes of thunder after a storm. The testing grounds behind them were already being repaired by guild staff, the shattered stone knitting itself back together through careful threads of magic. Without lingering any longer, Darkness and Emilia made their way back through the interior halls of the guild, the faint murmur of adventurers and the clatter of tankards slowly replacing the thunder of battle that had filled the arena moments earlier.
By the time they returned to the reception area, the members of the Iron Terror party were already waiting near the counter, their expressions a mixture of curiosity, excitement, and lingering disbelief.
Lloyd was the first to speak, leaning casually against the counter with his arms folded.
"You really shocked me back there, Emilia," he said with an impressed chuckle. "With how that test went, you could easily end up at C rank, which honestly isn't normal for someone taking their first assessment."
Before Emilia could respond, Mary suddenly stepped forward with the enthusiasm of someone who had just discovered buried treasure.
"I'm scouting this one!"
She declared it loudly and proudly before wrapping her arms around Emilia in an energetic hug that nearly lifted the girl off her feet.
"I need another girl in the party," Mary continued dramatically. "There's way too much male toxicity around these idiots."
Despite the sudden display of affection, Emilia showed no sign of discomfort. She simply blinked once, standing quietly within Mary's enthusiastic embrace as if she had not yet decided whether the gesture required a response.
Darkness noticed this immediately.
Interesting…
She allowed the contact without hesitation.
For someone who had spent most of her life isolated from human society, Emilia's tolerance of such closeness was… unexpected.
"She might end up ranking even higher than that," Craine added from the side, crossing his arms as he glanced toward Darkness. "After all, Darkness here went head-to-head with the guild master."
Druid let out a thoughtful sigh.
"The guild master looked like he genuinely wanted to fight seriously," he said. "But it's hard to unleash your full strength when your opponent is a child."
The conversation was only beginning to build momentum when the receptionist returned, walking calmly across the polished wooden floor with a sealed envelope in hand. She moved behind the counter with her usual composed demeanor before placing the envelope neatly on the surface in front of Darkness.
"Ready to see what you received?" Lloyd asked, his grin widening with clear anticipation.
Darkness accepted the envelope without much reaction.
The rank itself doesn't matter.
The entire purpose of participating in these tests was simply to obtain guild identification.
Though… the outcome did provide something I hadn't anticipated.
His gaze briefly shifted toward Emilia, who was still being held hostage in Mary's overly enthusiastic hug.
Mary entered her personal space so easily… yet Emilia didn't recoil.
That alone made the entire ordeal worthwhile.
Perhaps Mary will become the bridge Emilia needs to understand this world.
If Emilia forms some level of attachment to her… adapting to human society may become easier.
With that thought lingering in his mind, Darkness opened the envelope and removed the documents inside.
The first sheet he pulled out contained Emilia's assessment results.
He held it up for the others to see.
Emilia Alerion
Sword — B
Magic — C
Overall Rank — C
Mary whistled softly.
"Well, that's about what we expected," she said, though her expression quickly shifted into exaggerated despair.
"A C rank on your very first assessment is insane. When I started, I barely scraped together an E rank."
She slumped dramatically against the counter.
"Now I feel like a total failure."
Darkness calmly set the paper aside before pulling out the second assessment sheet.
"Now onto mine."
The room grew noticeably quieter as he read the results.
Darkness Alerion
Sword — A
Magic — A
Overall Rank — B
For a moment, nobody spoke.
The group simply stared at the paper as if trying to determine whether the ink itself had made a mistake.
Mary was the first to recover.
"B rank… right out of the gate?" she exclaimed loudly. "Is that even legal?"
She pointed accusingly at Darkness.
"I mean, yeah, we saw how strong you are, but still! That's ridiculous!"
Her shoulders slumped again as the reality settled in.
"The kid just reached our party rank on his very first assessment… and it's already my second year as an adventurer!"
Darkness, meanwhile, seemed completely unconcerned by the results. He simply reached into the envelope once more and removed the two guild identification cards.
Each card was forged from a thin plate of enchanted metal, polished smooth with faint runic markings along the edges. Their names and ranks were neatly engraved across the surface, while the back of the card contained additional information including the number of completed jobs and other guild records.
It seems the guild master filled in the missing details himself.
Darkness examined the small engraved text.
Sixteen… for me.
Twelve… for Emilia.
Lloyd leaned over slightly to glance at the cards before straightening up again with a proud smile.
"To be fair, your strength alone probably qualifies you for a rank close to mine," he admitted. "But raw power isn't the only thing the guild considers."
He tapped the counter lightly for emphasis.
"Complete enough jobs successfully, and your rank will climb naturally."
Darkness nodded slightly.
Raising my rank is unnecessary.
Doing so would only attract attention… and attention is precisely what I wish to avoid.
If Emilia wishes to raise hers, however, that is her decision.
"You mentioned that your party is B rank," Darkness said after a moment. "But if that's the case, wouldn't that make you and I the same rank?"
Lloyd's grin widened immediately.
"Ah, that's where things get confusing for newcomers."
He crossed his arms proudly.
"B rank is our party rank, not our individual ranks. It's calculated based on the average strength of all four members."
He gestured casually toward his teammates.
"I actually just reached A rank recently. Though Mary beat me to it first… and I'm still hearing about it."
Mary puffed her chest out smugly.
"Of course I did."
"Craine and Druid are both B rank," Lloyd continued. "They're not far from reaching A themselves."
Mary suddenly clapped her hands together, instantly shaking off the gloom that had overtaken her moments earlier.
"Well then!" she announced energetically. "How about we finish that city tour before the day decides to end itself?"
Darkness gave a small nod in agreement.
The group began moving toward the guild's exit, the lively noise of the building fading behind them as the large doors opened to the afternoon streets outside.
As they stepped into the sunlight, Darkness allowed his thoughts to drift quietly inward.
It seems I have begun another journey.
A temporary one, perhaps… but a journey nonetheless.
His gaze shifted briefly toward Emilia walking beside them.
Hopefully, by the time it ends…
She will have become someone capable of standing on her own.
I have no place interfering with the affairs of the humanoid races. In the end, I should simply remain… an observer.