Guild Tryouts (2).

After completing acing the first portion of the test, I made my way to the stage. The moment my foot stepped onto it, I heard the beeping of a robot.

"F.R.E.D. Online." I then heard something shoot out of the robot and instinctively leaned back. The robot fired another thing at me and I dodged it again. Rinse and repeat this cycle for a few minutes until the robot stopped, "Candidate: Yoko Hachimura, Items Dodged: 50. Grade: Exemplary."

"Phew," I wiped the small amount of sweat off my forehead and made my way to the platform, where I waited for everyone else. After around two hours, Rae came back on the mic, "Congratulations to the 129 of you who passed. To those of you who didn't, the exit is on the left."

The platform began to move again and when it stopped, Rae's voice was heard, "This is the fourth test, Teamwork. You will be placed into teams of 3 and will have to successfully slay the magic beast you are given. You have one hour. You will be able to see who you're teamed up with by looking at the screen in the center of the room."

Well that sucks, I can't see who I'm teamed up with. I can't do this part on my own? Obviously not, it's called the teamwork test for a reason.

"Uh, who's team am I on?" I asked the crowd and a familiar voice answered, "Over here Hachimura-ssi!" I heard Haneul's voice and walked over.

"Su-Jin-ssi, this is Hachimura-ssi." Haneul introduced me to our other teammate, "I'm Kim Su-Jin, it's a pleasure to meet you." I heard him bow, "Likewise. I'm Yoko Hachimura." I bowed as well.

"So, what're your guys' classes? I'm a mage," Haneul said and Su-Jin replied, "I'm a ranger." I'm guessing a class was your specialty? Rae briefly mentioned it to me earlier, "I'm a fighter."

"Okay, good. Hachimura-ssi, you'll be in the front because you can probably do more damage. I'll be behind you and Su-Jin-ssi will be in the back." I nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

"Good! With everyone on board, let's go slay this monster!" Haneul said enthusiastically as they began to walk off. I followed them and we went down a flight of stairs before I heard the rattling of a chain.

"Our magic beast is a C-Rank Helldog. They're known for their AOE attacks and quick movements," Haneul said as I assumed she was reading off of something. I could feel the amount of mana the beast was radiating and it reminded me of The Lich.

"Well, let's do this!" I heard an airlock open and I followed my team inside.

"Beginning test. Good luck, you'll need it." A monotonous robot voice said and I heard the chains fall off the monster.

"ROOOAAARRRR!!" Its roar stunned me for a bit but I regained my senses and unsheathed Kura. I used [Flash Step] to close the distance between me and the monster and when I swung Kura, his claws met my blade.

*CLANG*

Once our respective weapons met, I heard arrows fly and they pierced the beast, making him roar in pain. I used this opportunity to apply [Aura] to Kura and I cut through his paw. His blood was literally lava, so I leaped back.

"SHADOW CHAINS!" Haneul yelled and judging by the roar of the beast, he was restrained. I wasted no time and used [Flash Step] to get above the beast. I pumped a large amount of mana into [Aura], causing Kura to be set aflame again. I thought it would be cool for me to yell out an attack so I thought of one on the spot.

"Hoshi Arts: Scorching Sun!" I swung Kura in a downward arc causing me to spin and I decapitated the monster along with cutting the ground a bit. I sheathed Kura and I heard his head fall.

[New skill created: Scorching Sun]

[Scorching Sun: You swing your blade in a downward arc, creating spin and cutting any enemy in the way. Must be mid-air to use.]

"That was easy!" Haneul said and we all walked out and back onto the platform. We were the second team to finish, not bad by any means. I sat down against the wall and thought about the skill I just created.

I wanted it to actually burn through things and not just Kura's semi-cosmetic flames. I focused on my mana and released some into my hand. I knew how fire worked, it needed fuel, oxygen, and heat. In this case, my mana will become the fuel. When I wanted to be a physicist, my grandfather bought me this big book on physics. I don't remember most of it, but I do remember that heat is generated through the movement of atoms and molecules.

The faster they move, the more heat is generated. So, I tried my best to make the individual mana particles move and vibrate. I found it too difficult to do that and when I was going to try a different approach, Rae's voice was heard, "Congratulations to all 80 of you who passed. Those who didn't the exit is on the left."

The platform moved again and Rae spoke, "Welcome to the final test, fighting ability. In this test, you will fight against one another. Earlier, I said only 50 of you will be accepted. I lied. Only 10 of you will be able to join the guild. So please, try your hardest!" Rae said with the most enthusiasm she's had all day.

"First match, Yoko Hachimura versus Park Soo-young." A robotic voice said and a grin formed on my face, I've always wanted to see how I would fare against another human. I walked around the room until I found the steps leading to the arena.

I walked into the arena and felt the presence of my opponent, "Begin!" I didn't even need to unsheathe Kura and used [Flash Step] to get in close quarters with my opponent.

"Ah!" I could hear the surprise in her voice and I kicked her out of the arena.

"Park Soo-young has been eliminated! The winner is, Yoko Hachimura!" The robot voice said and I was a little disappointed. I hope my next fight is a bit more challenging. I walked back to the platform and waited until my next match while focusing on creating fire.

"First Quarter-final match, Yoko Hachimura versus Cha Haneul!" Oh? I stood up and made my way to the arena with a grin on my face. I hope she can challenge me a bit.

Once I stepped into the arena the robot, "Begin!" I flash-stepped and got within striking distance of Haneul. I used [Amass] to its maximum capacity and winded back my fist, "SHADOW WALL!"

*BOOM*

*WHOOSH*

My fist made contact with the wall and a powerful shockwave reverberated across the arena. This was going to be fun!

----

Cha Haneul somersaulted backward, to gain some distance from Yoko, 'Holy cow, she's strong! She's doing all of this blind?!' Yoko maneuvered herself in mid-air as she drew her blade.

"Shadow Tendrils!" Haneul clapped her hands together and multiple tendrils came from underground and tried to wrap themselves around Yoko. Haneul watched as Yoko's blade lit aflame, "Hoshi Arts: Scorching SUN!" Yoko swung her blade in an arc that cut down every tendril in its way. Once Yoko's feet touched the ground, Haneul fired another attack.

"Shadow Chains!" Multiple chains shot out of the ground and attempted to catch Yoko. Yoko maneuvered through each chain like a dance but Haneul didn't let up, "Shadow Summoning: Wolf!" A large shadow wolf came out of Haneul's shadow and sprinted toward Yoko.

Yoko turned her head toward the wolf but it was too late and the wolf swung its paw at her, sending her rolling across the arena. Yoko caught herself and wiped the blood off the corner of her mouth with a smile.

"Shadow Jaws!" Haneul clapped her hands together again and a giant pair of teeth came from under Yoko. When the jaws were about to close in on Yoko, she disappeared leaving behind a white afterimage. She soon reappeared under the shadow wolf and before Haneul knew it, her wolf was cut into pieces.

"Damn! Shadow Summoning: Samurai!" A shadow samurai came out of Haneul's shadow and charged Yoko. Yoko and the Samurai exchanged blows until the Samurai kicked Yoko away and she got into an Iai stance. Haneul felt something was off about Yoko's aura and the Samurai charged Yoko. Haneul looked closer and saw a faint blue dome around Yoko. But it was too late, the Samurai had already stepped into it and he was cut into pieces.

"Suuuuuu," Yoko exhaled as she stood up straight. Haneul could feel her mana reserves getting a bit low so she decided to cast her final spell, "Shadow Overtake: Arthur!"

Shadows climbed up Haneul's leg and cocooned her. Once the cocoon was released, Haneul was covered in armor and had a large sword at her hip. Yoko felt the change in energy and started to get serious.

Haneul stepped forward and was instantly in front of Yoko. Haneul threw a punch and Yoko did the same using [Amass] creating blue lines along her arm. Just before their fists could collide, they were caught by a red-headed woman, Rae.

"Okay, okay, let's not kill each other now. I think you two are more than strong enough to join the guild, so no more matches for you!" Rae said with a smile. The shadows on Haneul's body were released and she fell down to one knee. Yoko was also in a similar condition, as her arm was turning purple.

"You're strong!" Yoko said to Haneul causing her to smile, "You're strong too, stronger than I thought..." Yoko helped Haneul up and they walked out of the arena, leaving everyone watching the fight in awe.

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A/N: I'm not the best at writing fights, especially equally matched ones. I hope this felt like Yoko had a bit of a challenge.