Chapter 5

With the questions answered and another number issued to me, I marched into the warehouse alongside around 30 other people. It seemed that almost everyone would be going at the same time, and we were told that we would get the results right after the conclusion of the test. I was glad that I wouldn't have to wait for these results, but that also added another layer of nerves to the experience. However, I was able to shrug that off easily due to my mental fortitude gained through the traits that I chose upon reincarnating. I just shrugged and readied myself for this test. 

I looked around at my fellow competitors and noticed that a disproportional amount of them were dwarfs. However, a fair amount of the races were present here, just as they were at the Loki familia recruitment. That said, I didn't notice any amazons here, but I suppose that fighters wouldn't want to join a crafting familia. I pulled my thoughts away from the crowd as a particularly gruff-looking dwarf addressed us. He wore heavy chainmail that clanked whenever he walked and had a wicked-looking spiked mace strapped to his back. 

"All right, it's time for us to get started. For those who answered that they are exclusively crafters, you group up to the left. Those who are exclusively fighters shift over to the right. Finally, those of you who think they can do both stay in the middle of the two groups." He said, watching carefully as the 30 of us split up according to his instructions.

Only five people, including myself, stayed in the middle of the two groups. Two were dwarfs, one was an elf, and the other was a human, like me. Two more dwarfs came forward and led the two other groups off while the gruff dwarf came forward to our small group. He inspected each of us in turn slowly, looking us up and down. His facial expression was unreadable as he inspected us, giving no indication of his inner thoughts. 

"You claim to be both warriors and craftsmen, a bold claim. I expect that one or two of you are lying about that or at least stretching the truth a bit. What I want to know is how you would deal with this!" he said, reaching back for his mace.

The rest of the group was extremely surprised by the development, but while I was surprised too, I was still able to function easily. I stepped forward and positioned my blade at his throat before his mace was fully dislodged from his back. My sword being at my hip made it a much easier draw compared to him having to reach his back for his weapon. He looked at my blade to his throat and then laughed. I pulled my sword back and resheathed it as he gestured for me back. Then he gave a disapproving look to the rest of the group. 

"The rest of you would have been dead if this man didn't step in." he said, gesturing to me, "If you truly are warriors, you must be ready at all times, especially in the dungeon. However, there can be enemies outside the dungeon to watch out for too. Keep that in mind when applying for your next familia."

Once he was done speaking, he made a shooing gesture to the rest of my group. They stood uncomprehending until one finally asked, "We're out because we failed to react in time?" the elf asked incredulously. 

The dwarf shrugged, "Like I said, you'd be dead if you hadn't reacted. Dead men can't join the Hephaestus familia. Simple as that."

I watched the expressions of those around me morph into shock as he continued to shoo them away. After a hesitant few moments they finally set off back toward the entrance. They looked dejected as they trudged by, some casting envious glances back toward me, but I simply ignored them and looked forward. Once they were gone, the dwarf turned back to address me since I was the only one left. 

"Don't think this increases your chances since the rest of them failed. This was only the warm-up to the real tests." He said, freeing his mace and resting it against the floor, "The first test is to attack me. I will just be defending, so I will judge your skill personally."

With that said, he made a 'come at me' gesture, and I obliged. I knew that I would have to prove myself here as much as possible since crafting was definitely my weaker skill set compared to fighting. I lunged forward, then transitioned into a flurry of slashes as I tried to press my attack. No matter where I struck, there was always his mace there, blocking my strike. Even though I was intensely focused on him, his movements were too quick for me to follow. There wasn't even a blur as he moved his weapon. One moment, it was there, and the next, it was here with no sign of movement.

I fought on despite that and just focused on showcasing my skill and determination since it was abundantly clear that I couldn't actually strike him. Even as the minutes passed and my muscles burned, I continued to strike again and again. Even as my chest heaved wildly, I stayed focused and struck again and again at vital points on his body. All the while, the dwarf's face stayed impassive. However as I was about to pass out from fatigue, I thought I saw the ghost of a slight smile on his face. At that point, the edges of my vision were black, and I could feel my pulse hammering throughout my entire body. It was then that a blow impacted my chest, seeking to knock me down, but I somehow stayed on my feet and even raised my sword to continue.

"I've seen enough. Let's move on to forging," he said, gesturing for me to follow him.

I grabbed my bag from the floor and took a massive swig of water before I followed him toward one of the anvils. This section of the test was much easier in many respects because I knew exactly what to do, but there was also room for endless complications. I was already sweating profusely before I was in the proximity of the miniature forge next to the anvil, the heat of which caused rivers of sweat to form on my body. By this point it was only pure willpower that was keeping me going. 

"Forge a hammer. Not a Warhammer, just a hammer that would be used for forging. You have an hour to make it." he instructed me. 

Once the instruction was given, I got to work. Luckily, my heart rate and breathing eventually normalized during the process, so I didn't feel like I was going to pass out. That allowed me to focus on making a better product. I spent the entirety of the hour I was given working on the hammer. It wasn't the best work I had ever done, but I was proud of it. It would certainly be useful as a hammer and could be easily used for forging. The design was relatively simple with little artistic flair due to the time constraint. I was a fan of simple designs with not a lot of unnecessary embellishments anyway. 

The dwarf came back and stopped me right at the end of the hour. He held the hammer and inspected it carefully. I heard him snort a few times as he inspected it. Then he held it up and dropped it back toward the anvil, but I caught the hammer and rested it down gently. Despite his seeming disregard for my work, I was still proud of it and treated it with respect. Plus, looking at it analytically, everything had been part of the tests so far, so this definitely was, too. Probably something like 'a craftsman always has to have pride in his work' or something like that. My reaction caused the dwarf to raise an eyebrow, but before he could speak, there was a ringing bell, signifying the end of the test. 

I began to move with the rest of the crowd back outside to wait for the results, but the dwarf placed a hand on my shoulder, "No need to wait out there. You passed." he said simply and without ceremony. 

"Thank you," I said, a feeling of pride welling up inside me.

"No need to thank me, it was your determination and willpower that decided it. Honestly, your swordsmanship is okay but not amazing, and your forging skill is barely passable. You still have a long road ahead of you." He said with a shrug.

"Why accept me if my skills weren't good in the first place?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Most of the people who come here expect the Goddess and the familia as a whole to forge them into a proper smith or warrior. They aren't willing to put in the work, expecting us to do the heavy lifting to refine them and forge them into something better. I can see that you are already a piece of steel on the anvil, ready to be shaped and guided into the right shape. You have a fire inside you and are clearly willing to put in the work. It is people like that who the goddess can forge, ones who are already halfway there by themselves."

"Well, I want to thank you anyway, sir," I said politely.

"None of that 'sir' stuff," he said, clearly putting an end to the title now, "Do I look like a prissy elf to you? Here, I will take you to the goddess now. No need to wait since nobody else in this group passed." He said, gesturing for me to follow him.