The Unveiling Truth

"Not so fast!" Ritzu exclaimed as he stared down at the two commoners who planned on proceeding forward without the consent of the team's leader.

"What is it?" Rai asked, his eyebrows raised in confusion as he scratched his head trying to figure out what the problem was.

"And where do you think your going!? Huh!?" One of Ritzu supporters bellowed.

"Forward?" Rai replied casually.

"I mean that's where one is supposed to go when they advance is it not?" Selena added as she looked up at Rai with a smirk on her face. The two commoners gradually enjoyed torturing the nobles using their incapabilities.

"Close your damn mouth you filthy peasants!" Another one of Ritzu supporters exclaimed.

"Oh my oh my, even after we did what you couldn't this is the thanks we get." Rai sighed in disappointment.

"I expected much from you nobles given the pride you place upon yourselves, however if this is how you react to losses then you are nothing but a bunch of disappointments." Rai added as he turned around and walked forward towards the portal.

Selena smiled as she watched Rai give it hot to the nobles that have so much trampled on the pride of her and her people. She followed Rai from behind after a brief period of wallowing in satisfaction.

Swiftly, a huge wall of fire emerged from the ground in front of the portal denying entrance to both Rai and Selena. Ritzu has had it with these commoners stepping out of their lane long enough.

"No one is going anywhere, most especially you repugnant lots." Ritzu spoke, his voice possessing a tone of anger and slight hate.

Rai chuckled softly as both him and Selena stopped moving in order to avoid being burnt to crisps by the flames.

"My instincts was right all along, you planned this all along didn't you Ritzu? You planned to get rid of us the moment we stepped foot into this cave?" Rai questioned. Selena stared at Rai stunned at this shocking discovery.

"W-what are you talking about?" She asked a bit scared given the people they were up against.

"I thought it was weird, nobles gradually offering aid to a commoner without seeing traits of potential within them. I just wanted to believe that so I took your word concerning not being able to access the path without a total of 140 members or more. A lie which made no sense at all." He replied to Selena whose eyes began wavering on realization.

"Did you actually believe that anyone would want street rats like you in their group? I'm doing this exam a favor by taking out pests like you who aren't even supposed to be allowed to take such exams in the first place!" Ritzu exclaimed with frustration.

The more he saw the faces of the two, the more his skin crawled.

"Without us, you wouldn't have cleared this first round. The least you can do is let us pass, we can settle this another time." Rai suggested, he knew if this was to escalate into a fight Selena wouldn't be able to cope as she was not a close combat type person. She was more of a long range combat individual and given the adversary they were currently faced with, her long range attacks were of no use.

"Yes.. can't we all just-" Selena was cut short by a precise cut to her right shoulder, she fell on her knees screaming in pain as her scorching flesh burned slowly. "It hurts!" Selena exclaimed several times with tears rolling down her cheeks as her shoulder kept burning each passing second.

Ritzu lowered his right fingers which had black smoke coming out of their tips, he had used a concentrated beam of fire energy to pierce cleanly through the right shoulder of Selena. "Know your place, you insignificant worm." Ritzu uttered looking down at her with nothing but disgust.

"Selena!" Rai exclaimed, swiftly he crouched to his knees and began accessing the condition of Selena's shoulder. Her sleeve was burnt off and a little but deep hole was torn through her shoulder. As Rai caught a glimpse of this, his mood and expression changed. The smile initially carved onto his face vanished, all that remained was a cold distinct look in his eyes.

"Good grief, all she just wanted was to pass the Essenmages exams. But you..." Rai rose to his feet slowly as he spoke, his voice grew deeper with each word he uttered almost as if he was consumed by rage.

"Are making that impossible for her." As he added, his eyes became like fiery orbs, filled with a fierce determination and a hint of danger. The intensity in his gaze was unnerving, as if he was peering into the depths of their soul. His pupils dilated, allowing him to focus with laser-like precision on them.

"Your right, no one is leaving here. Most especially you, Ritzu..Shenrom." He added mimicking the very words of Ritzu as he faced them. Asides Ritzu and his followers, most of the nobles were terrified to their core after seeing the eyes of Rai and sensing his innate bloodlust.

Ritzu laughed out loudly, he found it hilarious that a commoner could actually get angry at a noble and talked to them the way Rai did, in a disrespectful and mannerless way given how poor he was.

"We? Are not leaving here alive?" Ritzu said trying to ascertain whether he had heard Rai's words right.

"Stop screwing around!" Ritzu exclaimed as flames escaped the sole of his feet. With the burst of flames acting as a propeller, he charged towards Rai with deadly intentions. They system responded to the actions of Ritzu.

[Hostile actions detected]

[Recommended Quest: Eliminate all enemies]

[Enemies remaining: 0/17]

As he got in range for a close range attack, he aimed a punch with his fist engulfed in flames at Rai. However to his utmost shock, Rai was able to evade the blow by tilting his body to his right side.

Rai grabbed the forehead of Ritzu and dashed foward before whispering in his ears. "You're too predictable, and because of that..." Rai slammed him into the ground which caused Ritzu to cough out blood. Swiftly, he swung his katana at his neck and beheaded him. "You're dead." He said softly.

He rose to his feet and stared at the other nobles who were rattled as to how easily Rai had killed Ritzu.

"I-impossible..." Ritzu greatest supporter stammered as he slumped to his knees, even Selena was carried away by shock as to what Rai had done.

"Rai.." She uttered softly.

"I see...so that's how it is huh?" Rai said as he spun his katana. He had finally realized it after all this while, it all made sense if he put two and two together.

"Commoners are usually not allowed to partake in this exams." He said as he approached the remaining nobles remembering the words of the prince.

"I was just doing the exams a favor taking out pests like you who aren't even supposed to be allowed to take the exams." He said again this time recalling the words of Ritzu.

"It's not that commoners can't take the exams, it's because they aren't allowed to for their own safety. Against a bunch of nobles they are no match and that is because." He stopped spinning the katana as he faced the remaining nobles and concluded. "The first stage is a survival round."