Day 2: The snake king

"Hey, rise and shine!" Shura prodded Akira awake, igniting the campfire. While Akira had been catching some Z's, he'd hatched a devious scheme born of his insatiable curiosity – his diabolical plan? To test Akira's regenerative abilities by setting him ablaze. As Akira roused, sporting some serious under-eye baggage and a wild mane, his sight still a tad blurry, Shura, on the other hand, had endured Akira's thunderous snoring, thankfully armed with earplugs.

"Mornin'!" Akira stretched and yawned, rubbing his bleary eyes.

"Just two hours until the second stage kicks off, so get yourself ready!" Shura declared, chucking a log onto the crackling fire.

Akira found himself bewildered by the sudden revelation and questioned where Shura had acquired this mysterious knowledge. Shura, with a gesture towards the heavens, elucidated the source of his information, pinpointing the impending commencement time. Akira gazed skyward and discerned a timer counting down to 08:00, signaling the onset of the second stage.

Rising to his feet, Akira sauntered off to gather some firewood. With a sense of restlessness creeping over him, he sought to gauge his might against a nearby tree. Though confident in his ability to pulverize boulders, he harbored a peculiar unease concerning this particular tree; its texture akin to what he knew, yet exuding an unfamiliar aura as his hand grazed its surface.

"What's your game?" Shura trailed after Akira, noticing his clenched fist and aimed at the tree.

"I'm testing my strength!" Akira clarified, assuming his stance and delivering a forceful blow. Alas, the tree remained unbroken, though Akira's punch left an imposing impression, leaving him to wince in agony.

Shura erupted into raucous laughter at Akira's expense, "HAHAHAHAHA."

"Quit laughing, you jerk! Not funny! (This tree is much sturdier than those back in the village.)" Akira patted his throbbing hand, asserting the hardiness of these trees compared to those of his hometown.

"Phew, here's a little trick for you: infuse your fist with mana to make it more effective," Shura offered, finally regaining his composure after the bout of laughter. He explained that the tree differed because they were in a distinct realm, renowned for its 50-fold resilience, capable of withstanding even the fiercest gales, albeit to a certain extent.

"How do you do that?" Akira cocked his head, having never been instructed in the art of mana coating. Instead, he had been schooled in the application of a magical coating, involving the use of blood, on his scythe.

"What? You've never done it before? Or you simply didn't know how?" Shura was taken aback by Akira's inquiry, finding it peculiar that mana coating was considered a fundamental technique, especially when Akira had already mastered the art of coating his scythe with blood.

"Hehe" Akira's expression alone seemed to answer the question.

"Incredible, your mentor never taught you that?" Shura gaped in disbelief.

"Well, in essence, I'm self-taught. I guess you could say I'm homeschooled. I do have a mentor, although he did teach me quite a bit," Akira grinned sheepishly, rubbing his head. It turned out that Sora had instructed him on coating his weapon, given Akira's heavy reliance on them. He had honed his skills in solitary practice for two weeks every two years, without Sora's guidance, only receiving instruction when Sora required funds.

Akira's revelation left Shura speechless. He then positioned himself beside Akira and began to impart the technique of mana coating.

Shura elaborated on the purpose of mana coating, describing how it could bolster one's resilience, strength, and speed, much like a magic coating. However, it came with the drawback of sapping a portion of one's mana, albeit a bit more compared to magic coating. For elemental mages, the mana coating would vary based on their elemental affinities, be it fire, earth, water, lightning, or others, in a process known as magic coating.

In lieu of utilizing mana coating for armaments, they could employ mana armor, provided they possessed advanced control over their magic. This manifested as flame armor, earth armor, and the like, rendering the wearer as sturdy as a tank, or simply put, magic armor.

As Shura imparted his knowledge of mana coating to Akira, he offered guidance on its application. "First, sense the mana within you. It's akin to coating your blade," Shura demonstrated by coating his blade with mana.

Shura explained that mana coating operated in reverse compared to weapon coating, requiring the release of one's mana into the object they held. However, in this scenario, one would need to contain their mana within their fist until it emitted a peculiar aura, a sensation that would differ in particularly volatile mana environments such as snowy, volcanic, windy, or other perilous regions.

After three minutes of patient explanation and demonstration, Shura coated his own fist with mana, causing it to emit an otherworldly glow. He struck the tree, leaving a distinct impression after infusing it with his mana.

"Give it a shot!" Shura deactivated his mana coating and took a step back.

Akira approached the tree, focusing his mana and channeling it into his fist. With a resounding blow, he successfully felled the tree. Shura watched in awe, his gaze fixed on the fallen trunk. He remarked that, compared to Akira's usual strikes, this one had left a much larger mark, while Shura's own blow had only made a minor impression.

An hour later...

Out of the blue, they found themselves under unexpected attack. Shura was struck by an arrow, but he calmly seized the shaft with his hand.

"A poisoned arrow? An ambush? Show yourself!" Shura called out, on high alert. The area remained eerily silent, save for the rustling of the wind through the trees. Closing his eyes, Shura focused on sensing any subtle movements or sounds.

Another arrow was loosed at him, and he adeptly caught it in mid-air, time and again.

"Hmph, you can attack me with those arrows as many as you like, it won't catch me."

As Akira was engrossed in chopping wood, his instincts suddenly alerted him to danger. His ears pricked, his nose twitched, and goosebumps rose on his skin. Dropping the wood, he hurried to join Shura.

"What's happening?" Akira called out as he rushed to Shura's side.

"Someone is trying to sabotage us!" Shura explained while fortifying their defenses. Despite his heightened vigilance, Shura couldn't detect any sound around him, only perceiving the trajectory of the arrow aimed his way.

Employing his instinctive senses, Akira swiftly pinpointed the saboteur's location. His acute instincts functioned akin to radar, honing in on the target, much like a bat using ultrasonic hearing to locate prey and a wolf using its sense of smell. Akira made a beeline for a peculiar rock, swiftly smashing it with his scythe.

A young man, the source of the disturbance, fired his crossbow at Akira, but he deftly evaded the projectile.

"What the heck, man! What do you think you're doing?" Akira bellowed, grabbing his shirt.

The man then brandished a knife, aiming it at Akira's neck. Without hesitation, Akira threw a punch, only to find it and his gripping hand pass straight through the man.

Stepping back, Akira evaded the man, who Shura attempted to kick, yet his foot phased through the mysterious figure as well. Acrobatically maintaining his distance, Shura sensed that something was amiss and focused on strategizing against their enigmatic foe. The man rushed toward them, brandishing his blade with the intent to slay Shura. Swift as a flash, Shura summoned a spare blade and deflected the attack.

"What do you want?" Shura demanded as their weapons clashed.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to take you down, and once I've made a name for myself, none of you rookies will overshadow me," the man declared, his true motives shrouded in ambiguity.

"Plenty of rookies around here, including you. Why not let them be? Survival's the name of the game, not just slaying monsters and rescuing the weak," The man retorted, a sinister smile playing on his lips. It became clear that the man sought to eliminate the competition in the warrior exam, likely driven by jealousy, in Shura's estimation.

"Ah, so you're just hungry for the limelight? Disgusting," Shura spat in disgust at the man's ambition.

"Who cares? I'm here to take you all out!" the man snarled.

Shura saw an opening to sever the stranger's neck, but his blade passed through as if the man were insubstantial.

"I see, intangibility," Shura remarked, swiftly discerning the man's primary ability. From that moment on, he carefully strategized and assessed every move.

"So, he steps back for about 1.5 seconds, then lunges in for an attack. If I've got my math right, we managed to steal 1.5 seconds from him with our kicks, punches, and slashes. To really nail this down, we need to snatch 3 seconds of his time. I can't take him out; if I did, I'd risk disqualification if we both make it out alive," Shura contemplated silently, plotting his next move.

With only 5 minutes left before the start of the 2nd stage, Shura called out, "Akira!"

"Hit him with everything you've got!" Despite the man's intangibility, Shura urged Akira to keep striking. Akira grasped the plan and pressed on, relentlessly swinging his scythe from right to left until he made contact.

"Hah, it's useless. Keep pummeling me all you want. You'll only wear yourselves out," the man taunted, seemingly convinced that he could simply phase through their attacks without breaking a sweat. Dodging and weaving with his intangibility, he began to retreat as far as he could, exposing his vulnerability.

Shura tried to tackle him, but his body passed right through. After his leg phased through the man, stealing the remainder of his intangibility, Shura landed a kick and signaled for Akira to strike the man in the face before he solidified.

"Are you even paying attention? I told you, you can't kill me!" The man grinned and seemed to have no idea what Akira and Shura were up to.

""Yeah, but they can," Shura nodded towards the man's right.

A colossal snake slithered towards the man. Overcome with terror, he met his end, consumed by the serpent. After the man was swallowed, Akira diverted the snake's attention and eventually slew it. Witnessing the man's demise weighed heavily on Akira; he had wanted to save him, but the snake was too swift. Even with his newly achieved strength capable of saving anyone better than ever before, It was the first time Akira had seen someone die right before his eyes, devoured whole by the snake.

Finally, Shura sat down, relieved that they had emerged victorious. Akira extended a hand to help him up.

"We did it!" Akira exclaimed, offering his hand to Shura.

"Hmph, without you, I might have lost or at least struggled against him. So, thanks, Akira," Shura acknowledged. Despite being able to defeat the man, he had faced some difficulty.

Akira suggested that Shura could thank him later, as the second stage was about to begin with snakes appearing. Shura nodded and took Akira's hand to rise to his feet.

Following their confrontation with the saboteur, the second round commenced, and they fought for survival, dispatching numerous monsters. They vied with each other as if it were a contest rather than a trial.

[3 hours later]

Shura emerged as the victor due to his agility, consistently securing kills before Akira could. Akira's eyes twitched with annoyance at Shura for stealing his kills.

After surviving the second stage and dispatching hundreds of monsters, Shura found himself panting with exhaustion, while Akira seemed unfazed. Akira began to mock Shura for tiring out so easily, but Shura assured him that he was only pretending and was actually just getting warmed up.

As Akira's smile turned serious, he warned Shura of an impending danger sensed by his instincts. The ground trembled, and the second boss let out a deafening roar. The colossal snake emerged, large enough to encircle a six-story building.

The candidates banded together to confront the snake king, but their efforts were swiftly thwarted as they were all ruthlessly slain. Undeterred, Akira leaped into action, wielding his scythe against the king. However, the creature's hide proved to be tougher than iron, resisting Akira's powerful strikes.

[BLOOD MANIPULATION: WEAPON ENHANCEMENT]

Akira attempted once more, utilizing his blood manipulation to augment his attacks, yet only managing to scratch the serpent's scales. Undaunted, he continued his relentless assault, eventually stripping away the scales with a flurry of swings.

In response, the king began to move with aggressive speed, attempting to shake off Akira. With a swift motion of its tail, the king dispatched hundreds of candidates in less than a minute, causing widespread destruction throughout the forest.

"Tch, damn it! Stop it! you retarded snake!" Akira clung to his scythe, desperately maintaining his balance on the snake's writhing form.

"Akira! We need a fire mage to sear its skin, forcing the snake to shed its scales!" Shura called out, revealing the serpent's vulnerability, a common weakness among snakes.

"Yeah, thanks for the tip, but where are we supposed to find a fire mage!" Akira shouted, struggling to hold on.

"Maybe I can lend a hand with that!" A voice chimed in, offering assistance. Shura turned to see a stranger conjuring flames.

[FIRE MAGIC: FLAME THROWER]

The intense blaze engulfed the king, causing it to shed its skin and exposing its vulnerabilities. Seizing the opportunity, Akira leaped from the serpent's skin onto its body, swiftly targeting the king's head with a decisive strike from his scythe, ultimately vanquishing the formidable foe.

_____________________________

You've slain the snake king.

Type: Poisonous snake.

Enemy's level: 55

Rank: B

[EXP: 120,690+]

______________________________

"Who are you?" Shura inquired of the young man who had aided them in battling the boss.

"My name is Kazoru Honomi Vlahadeer. It's a pleasure to meet you both!" Kazoru responded, beaming. Shura smiled and thanked him, introducing himself in return.

"Hmph, thanks for the help," Shura said, expressing his gratitude and introducing himself.

"Hehe, is that your buddy? That scythe of his is impressive!" Kazoru's eyes sparkled as he admired Akira's weapon. Following the defeat of the snake king, Akira descended, landed, and thanked Kazoru for his assistance.

"Thank you for your help!" Akira extended his hand in greeting.

"Call me Kazoru or Kazo-Kun, whichever you prefer," Kazoru replied with a smile, offering his name. He didn't mind how Akira chose to address him.

"Oh, and your scythe is amazing! Can I hold it?" Kazoru's eyes were fixated on Akira's scythe at first sight. It exuded an ancient aura, unlike any regular weapon. Having observed Akira and Shura's battle with the snake, Kazoru had been captivated by the scythe. He had been trailing them and had been enthralled by their performance. When the boss emerged, it was his cue to step in and lend a hand.

"Here you go!" Akira passed his scythe to Kazoru.

"Thanks—" Suddenly, the scythe slipped from his grasp. As he held it, it felt as if it were magnetically pulled to the ground by an unseen force.

"Haha, whoa, it's so heavy!" Kazoru struggled to lift it. He felt as though it were anchored to the ground, resisting his every effort. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge it. Then, Akira effortlessly lifted the scythe, leaving Kazoru in awe. It was clear that Akira possessed incredible strength. Kazoru, not being the physical type, could only marvel at Akira's power.

"Wow, you must be insanely strong!" Kazoru marveled at Akira's might, comparing the scythe to lifting a car.

Kazoru was now curious about Akira's name.

"His name is Muscle Head," Shura replied, teasingly offering a false name.

"Yep, wait... No!" The muscle head nodded, only to realize what Shura had done. Enraged, he berated Shura for the false name, while Shura couldn't contain his laughter. Kazoru remained silent, deciding to go along with the muscle head's new moniker.

"Nice to meet you, Muscle Head!" Kazoru shook his hand, feeling a bit strange about the name.

"Oi! You couldn't possibly believe him? My real name is Akira Keita, "A-K-I-R-A!" Akira insisted, wanting to set the record straight about his name.

"And I'm Shura Bradiere."

"Ah, nice to meet you then, Akira and Shura!" With that, they became friends and formed a trio.

They were just one stage away from passing the exams, but still, 422 examinees remained.