24 Medea
The Fielders tests had ended shortly after the fifth test was done for all its participants.
When the last test was over, most of the scouts had already got the general idea that the 4th Starseed had been born here in Zeta City.
Irvine Lang!
Irvine himself had also felt very much relieved after seeing all of his test records combined. He was quite confident he would pass the License Exam with them.
At long last, the first hurdle on his road to becoming a top player was finally over.
.
On the audience seats, Althea who had already heard the gossiping people around her long before the tests were finished, was currently trying hard to rub away at her own moist eyes.
She was remembering the talks she'd had with Irvine on the way over to the stadium this morning.
(Thea, do you have any interest at all in getting into Arena?)
(No, I don't have the athletic means... I like the sport though, the crazy feats and movements those pro players do, it was 100 times better than watching any superhero or action movies!)
(But why are you asking?)
(You don't necessarily have to be a player to get into that same world, you know?)
(...Meaning?)
(The thing you did yesterday, for me. I've never seen you took the initiative like that with any other matters. And you produced good results too, I of all people should know.)
(Do you w-want me to be your agent...??)
(Haha, not quite. All I'm saying is... Just try to discover yourself. You clearly have the passion for Arena, and you're a much smarter person than I could ever be.)
(Analyst, manager, coach, talent scout, or maybe all of the above! You can slowly think up on what you want to learn that could get you closer to those occupations and this sport.)
(...)
(I-I'll think about it... Really.)
(Take your time, and if you truly decide you want to jump in, I'd imagine I'll be waiting for you some place. Maybe at the same college or pro team, or even facing one another on different teams. Won't that be cool?)
(...Right.)
.
"Maybe I should learn more..." Althea mumbled.
The fact that her brother was gaining this much reputations from the people in this field was prove that he might actually have what it takes to become an actual pro player in the future.
This, in turn, had left Althea feeling somewhat estranged.
She had felt like a sister who didn't know her brother as a player well enough even though she was a self-acclaimed fan of the sport.
'Yeah, let's do that. Let's study up.' In the end, Althea made up her mind to learn more.
She would try to not just enjoy the performances of pro matches but also to learn the intricacies of Battle Arena itself.
.
.
What followed after the Fielders tests was the Rangers category of the Practical Exam.
For Medea, this was the most nervous she'd ever been ever since the License Exam had started.
She had watched the Fielders category's tests from beginning to end, and had also seen clearly the high and well above average scores that Irvine had managed to accomplish on all his tests.
Just by seeing her supposed rival's record entries on the giant side monitor, she had pretty much known that Irvine had safely managed to get himself the highly coveted Starseed title.
Which in turn, had put all the more pressure onto her.
In this moment, the distance between the resting participants where Irvine currently was and her own rows of examinees lining-up for the test had never felt so far away.
*SIGH*
Medea let out a mouthful of breath.
When her eyes accidentally darted towards the area on the other end. She unexpectedly caught the figure of Irvine also looking at her direction with curiosity and anticipation.
'What's HE looking so eager about...?' She snapped towards him in her mind.
Meeting Irvine had been quite a mysterious experience for her.
From a young age, Medea had always had a clear distinction of her own worth and talent in Arena compared to other normal people.
But she did not take this talent for granted because she also knew that in this world, the people with similar level of talents were all gathered in one place.
The Pro League.
Not wanting to waste what she'd been given, she had almost too naturally thrust herself into the difficult habit of hours of routine training in an effort to be able to reflect that talent properly.
And she would like to think that she had been quite successful in that regard.
She'd always been the strongest of her peers. And if there was someone who's stronger than her, it was only because they were older and more experienced.
They were people whom she could eventually catch up to at some point.
Even when she'd heard the news of Starseeds in her year coming out left-and-right, she had thought that after she'd turned 18 and taken the same exam, she too would become one of those people.
It was not arrogance, it was her trust and belief in her own efforts that didn't lose out to her talent.
But meeting Irvine had been a very eye-opening experience for her.
It had changed the standards on which she'd liked to view herself.
The man had shown her that even though she was trying hard, she had not been desperate enough to do everything in her power to improve and rise above others.
Medea had taken her growth one step at a time knowing that there would be an eventual place and time where she would rise up as long as she doesn't neglect her own training and efforts.
But Irvine on the other hand, had always carried the impression of someone struggling for something he wouldn't be able to get if he didn't put in 110% of his being.
His 'thirst' was clearly reflected when he's doing his spartan level training, or when he would try hard to study archery and the Ranger's position even though he's not likely to use them.
'That guy has never let off, has he...'
That feeling was rather suffocating for Medea.
Imagine being a person who's smart and diligent enough to get a great score for the final exam, but before you could even enjoy it, one other person with a higher score than you had already started their studying for the next one.
It would give the first person a great invisible pressure, especially if the two were competing with one another.
To her, Irvine was someone who had gotten her to doubt herself more than any other people.
Yet he was also the person who had inadvertently brought her to an even higher level faster than she could ever imagine. And it was mostly thanks to that same pressure.
The first time she'd ever played with him, Irvine had shown her the inadequacy of her own commanding skills on the field. But after that, he had also taken it upon himself to correct her when she'd almost walked down the wrong path trying to copy him.
"..."
*SLAP*
After several complicated thoughts within a short amount of time, Medea refocused her attention to the task at hand by slapping her cheeks with both hands together.
'...I'm getting that 5th Starseed title today!'
.
.
The Rangers tests started in a timely manner.
In the Practical Exam, including the Guards who had the largest amount of participants, the subsequent categories followed a descending order in the number of participants in them.
Fielders had the second largest amount of people, with Rangers and Solvers following a bit far behind respectively.
The reason that Rangers had more demand than Solvers even though there could only be 1 Ranger actively playing in a team was because of its potential as a position.
As the usual command tower and playmaker of the team, in most matches, it was easier for a Ranger to get the highlight and become the MVP than any other positions in Arena.
Of course, that is not to say that other positions wouldn't get noticed at all. Each role had their own individual awards for the best of each position in any official Crown tournaments.
But it clearly explained why the position of Ranger was in high demand contrary to its availability.
.
Irvine sat silently on the side while watching the fewer-than-Fielders candidates walking up to the front one-by-one taking their turns on the first test.
Dozens of minutes flew by quietly.
*BEEEEEP*
When it was finally over, the initial reaction of both the audience and examiner was that of amazement.
Once again, a non-college player was able to put herself on one of the top spot of the record rankings for long-range targets sniping.
Number #127, Medea Dormer had come in 3rd place!
'There it is.' Irvine who had been watching from the start was less surprised than others.
Long-range sniping had always been Medea's main talent and where it shined the most.
'It was the lethal accuracy to hit faraway targets that made her a highly offensive type of Rangers.'
Although Medea's mid-range shots were also very accurate even for college level. The wider range of motion required to adjust her aim everytime there're changes in directions was not really her strong suit.
'She has a more natural sense for detecting the delicate aiming when hitting faraway objects. That 1 millimeter difference that could decide whether an arrow released become a head shot or a shoulder shot.'
As he was watching, Irvine also started thinking about his own style,
'My spatial awareness is actually a great thing to have for a Ranger. Too bad I don't have the eyesight and sniping sense for it to take to the pro level.'
'...Well, that doesn't mean I can't employ some characteristics of a Ranger's playstyle to my Solver or Fielder position though. I should try and explore playing with different types of Rangers.'
While contemplating on how to improve himself, the Rangers second test come and go just as quickly for Irvine.
As he had expected, Medea's records for her mid-range targets sniping, while still high above average, was not as eye-catching as her 3rd place rankings for long-range.
'The third and fourth test will probably be harder for her than the first two...' Irvine noted.
Rapid sniping test might still be alright, but Medea's playing style was not really compatible with getting assaulted in short-range and distancing herself from the attacker when she got caught.
That's because, her proficiency as a Ranger had prevented her from getting into one such situation in the first place.
'It's proof that she's a good Ranger but, well, getting out of being caught in a melee was also an essential skill for a top-class Ranger I suppose.'
Even if Irvine was analyzing all of these, he was not the least bit worried that Medea will fail.
Reason being, she hadn't failed in the future!
And if nothing else, he had vaguely felt that the current Medea should be far more skillful than she was supposed to be in the first timeline.
'Between our talks and the practice matches after, she had gotten closer to her true style earlier because of me right?'
Irvine himself was conscious on the changes he'd brought ever since his return, but he personally thought nothing of it.
'As long as I do right by my family and friends, the future can change however it wants. It's not like I'm depending on future events to get ahead in life.'
If he was, Irvine would be targeting the pro team and college team who would win the most championships all the way.
But that's not how the sport should work.
Irvine would rather choose the most compatible Arena team that could help his development and become the difference that would change the future championships himself.
.
.
*BEEEEP*
"And that's the fourth test..."
On the field, the Rangers tests was slowly coming to its end with only one test left remaining.
Just like with Irvine's case, by this time, one could usually predict and separate the people who were likely to pass after the final test from the people who're on thin ice.
And in Medea's case...
