Trials (2/3)

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Jak took a deep breath before giving Flora a small yet confident smile, crimson hues filled with anticipation.

"No worries," Jak said as he brushed the receptionists hand off the top of his head. He didn't really like it when people he didn't know patted him or even stroked his hair, it making him feel young and inferior, though he didn't bother telling it to Flora as he slipped past her. "If it's just dodging then I should be fine. Thanks for the concern though."

"The time will start the moment you get into the set area," Akino said as Jak walked by. Her dark green eyes watched him closely as he neared the area where the goblins were roaming. "The Goblin Guards will attack and keep attacking until it is determined that you are no longer able to continue, until you give up, or until the time reaches a certain point. Don't let your guard down as they possess enough strength to seriously injure or fatally wound you with a casual swing of their club.*

Jak responded by giving the elven woman a small wave, his eyes fixated on the location before him, specifically on the 5, tall, ugly behemoths lumbering through the area whilst bellowing every so often, spit flying from their mouths. It was the first time the youth had ever truly seen a dungeon monster, having only previously been taught about their existence through pictures and the mouths of others and the boy couldn't take his eyes off of them. Up until that point, Jak had only been able to dream about seeing one, about fighting it in order to test his own mettle and use it to further his own strength and experience. Now that he had had his very first life or death monster encounter, that dream was now a reality. He wasn't frightened in the slightest, but rather pumped with adrenaline and looking forward to an up close encounter.

While most other newbies would be worried or afraid, Jak wanted nothing more then to begin the test and get a taste of what it truly meant to be an adventurer, to fight like his life depended on it.

(("Here and now, I'll show everyone the extent of my blood, sweat, and tears.")) Jak declared internally as he walked into the transparent barrier and into the sight of the other goblins. (("Lets begin the battle."))

At the same time Jak stepped into the ring, a large timer appeared high above the 70m by 70m invisible box that contained the goblins, a five minute countdown that instantly began to tick away. Following that, a loud horn sounded near the shoulder of the small redhead, startling him while at the same time alerting the goblins to the youths presence.

One by one, the Goblin Guards turned towards the youth, drool escaping from their mouths, dripping down their gaping lower jaws. They didn't react at first, just staring at the approaching youth with their beady black eyes, slowly turning their bodies around to face the boy. Then, without warning, one of the goblins let out a high pitched bellow, causing a chain reaction as the rest of goblins followed suit, screaming at the top of their lungs as they surged forward. Their bloodlust was almost tangible as they locked their gazes on the adolescent, raising their clubs above their heads in preparation to strike once they got within range.

(("Hmm, so the main task here is to just avoid getting hit?")) Jak pondered as he began a light jog towards from the monsters, avoiding the occasional smash from the Goblin Guards enormous clubs. (("Itd be easy to avoid whatever they throw at me. Let's try something else."))

Jak had never been one to simply dodge, preferring instead to blaze through with strength and speed, creating an opening with sheer force rather then sitting around and waiting for it. The young redhead often allowed himself to recieve an oncoming hit in exchange for a counterattack, returning whatever damage was given to him and then multiplying it by attacking with his full strength.

This time was no different.

As the goblins approached, Jak dug the tips of his toes into the earth, kneeling down into a jumping position as he placed the tips of his fingers onto the ground. His crimson eyes watched as the green monsters came closer and closer, clubs raised over their heads as they prepped themselves for an attack.

(("What is he doing?")) Flora muttered internally as she watched from the sidelines, Akino close to her side. (("He's not planning to take them head on is he? Even with that monstrous talent, he can't possibly win against that many G-rank monsters. The hell is he planning?!"))

Dungeon monsters. Similar to adventurers, they were ranked from H to S, with H being the weakest monsters like the ever so abundant goblins and kobolds, and S being the rarer species that even gave lower ranked Rift Hunters trouble such as Cannadry's or Hydra's. It didn't matter the rank though as all monsters from within the dungeons were considered dangerous and even the weakest could prove detrimental when the number of said monsters exceeded a certain amount. Goblin Guards were a perfect example of this, as while they usually traversed the innards of most dungeons by themselves, dealing with more then one of them head on was quite a hassle for the common adventurer.

Avoiding them was easy as they were slow and uncoordinated whilst also lacking basic intelligence. Dodging them was used as a test due to this low movement and attack speed and it was universally accepted that if one couldn't even dodge a Goblin Guard barrage then their was no future for them as an adventurer. Of course, that was only for dodging.

Attacking them was a completely different task.

For starters, Goblin Guards were classed as Tank types, meaning that they could absorb damage like a sponge without so much as flinching. Even stratching them was a challenge due to their unusually tough skin, their skin was even used as clothes by others due to their resistance to elemental magic. They had monstrous stamina and could even regenerate to some extent making the monster a nightmare to bring down in a fight of attrition. All that paired with their high strength stat made them almost impossible for young adventurers to beat in a one on one matchup, and Jak was up against five of them.

Even if the child had prodigal talent that could outshine the others, no one newbie could possibly stand up to a full powered hit from a Goblin Guard and emerge unscathed. She refused to believe that the small youth had such physical capabilities. Flora had no idea what the young redhead was up to, but she was all set to stop the fight should the need arise, her finger hovering over the button that would send a severe electric shock through the goblins, stopping their movements.

Still though, even when the first Goblin Guard swung his club, swiping it the moment he was in range, she didnt press the button as she watched the attack land clean on Jaks side. Despite her being a good distance away, the blonde receptionist could still feel the breeze brought upon by the Goblin Guards swing as the club was stopped.

"Yeesh, you guys sure do pack a punch," Jak said aloud, with enough volume for everyone to hear. "You hit almost as hard as Hadok does. Too bad I cant hit that hard. Of course, I can sure as hell try."

Flora watched as Jak, without missing a beat, channeled magic into his legs and leapt 3m into the air, all the way to the head of the same Goblin who had swung at him. All the magic that had been transmitted to his legs immediately went running back, shooting upwards towards the youths right arm as he prepped to swing.

"TAKE A NAP!!" Flora heard Jak yell as the youth slammed his magically strengthened fist into the side of the Goblins head.

As if the goblin had been struck by an enormous blow, the Goblin Guard was sent staggering backwards, tumbling into the other enormous monsters and causing them to topple down as well. It was unclear how much damage Jak had managed to inflict with his attack, but Flora was already aware it was much more then any of the newbies could hope to achieve. Not only had the child tanked a full power blow from a Goblin Guard, but he had also managed to return the favor moments after. When it came to the physical assessment, Flora doubted that any of the newbies would ever be able to touch him.

Following that, Jak went on to tank three more attacks and complete a total of ten knockdowns within the timeframe that was left, lasting for a total of five minutes and earning a perfect score of 300. Though the youth came out looking the worse for wear with torn up black shorts and bruises covering his left half, the redhead looked quite happy as he strolled back towards the group. Behind him, one could see a squad of angry goblins surrounding the area from where Jak had disappeared, screeching and howling at their lost prey.

"Jak Yanda lasted 5 minutes and will receive a score of 300," Akino announced, reading the score that appeared at the top of his head. Unlike Flora who was basically speechless, the Elven woman seemed to have been able to gather herself much quicker. "Will the next person please step forward.

"Actually, I was wondering if I can just take the last test." Jak said as he walked past Akino. "I'd rather finish up while I'm still fired up and raring to go."

Akino pushed her glasses up on her nose, her dark green eyes shifting over to look at Jak. "I'm afraid not."

Jak rubbed the back of his head as he walked back toward the crowd of newbies, the next examinee walking past him. "I figured as much."

Allow me to clarify," Akino said, raising her voice slightly for everyone to hear as she flipped through the clipboard. Once she had found the page she was looking for, she immediately began to explain what she meant . "Due to examinee Jak Yanda showing unnatural physical strength and speed in both physical tests, he will be given a perfect score of 1,000. In order to minimize the damage to WGC property, he will not be allowed to complete the third test and will immediately be sent to the final trial. All of this falls in line with the agreement signed by the examinee prior to the trials."

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Situated in a room adjacent to the Trials, an elderly gentleman in his mid to late forties sat at a table, a blunt clenched between his teeth as he slowly rifled through the reports in front of him. Hard brown eyes flicked through sheet after sheet with a look of general disinterest, a crooked nose pointing down at a stained white shirt and ruffled grey pants. The only noise around the man was the movement of paper and the exhale of the grey haired individual as he let out an abnormally large cloud of smoke every so often. The longer the man sat scanning the newbie reports, the more impatient he seemed to get, his finger tapping the wooden table in annoyance.

The intense tapping was interrupted by a loud, bell-like sound which reverberated throughout the area, a noise that shattered the previously quiet atmosphere. However, rather than be annoyed by the sudden eruption of harmonic bells, the man seemed relieved as he quickly reached into his pocket.

The gentleman inhaled a quick puff from his blunt before tossing a small, thumb sized, crystal ball onto the table before him, of which continued to ring and vibrate on the oak surface. The man listened to the clear crystal ring a few more times, a curious look on his face as he breathed out a large grey cloud of smoke.

"Answer," the man finally said after about a minute.

Almost immediately, the small object ceased its ringing, falling completely silent and returning the room to its former state. Then, a light shot upwards from it, extending about two feet into the air before expanding, a screen taking the shape of a blue rectangle. On that rectangular screen, a young elven woman with long black hair and dark green eyes appeared, one with an all business sort of look. In the background, the man could see a group of newbies crowded around, standing as far back as possible from a squad of Goblin Guards.

"Ah, Akie. What a pleasant surprise," the man said, a small smile spreading across his long face. "To what do I owe the honor? Here to ask me out on a date? I'd be willing to listen to and entertain your proposal."

"Please refrain from making such remarks at work, Ceon Mapel," Akino replied without missing a beat, snipping her works as she readjusted her clipboard beneath her shoulder. "This is business so try to at least act professional. This is in regards to examinee #31 of group 16, known as Jak Yanda."

Ceon Mapel clicked his tongue in annoyance, no longer interested in anything the woman had to say. As someone who believed that females were well below that of males, he didn't enjoy the feeling of being told off by the black haired receptionist. The only reason he had taken the job as a third trial examiner in the first place was majorly due to the abnormally high payout. If not for that particular reason, and the presence of some hot female receptionists, he wouldn't have even walked into the WGC that morning, especially when he had to put up with the attitudes on the dumb broads within the WGC.

Akino, of course, quickly took notice of Ceon's sudden disinterest, but she blatantly ignored it, a fact that annoyed the elderly man even more as she went on to state what she intended to say from the start.

"The examinee known as Jak Yanda has passed the second trial and will be moving on to the third and final exam." Akino pushed up her glasses as she stared at Ceon, frustration barely hidden behind a mask of professionalism. "Please take the necessary precautions when confronting him. The young man has taken numerous hits from the Goblin Guards and has remained standing. In addition, he has knocked them around repeatedly over the course of a five minute period and even left two on their backsides for an unspecified amount of time."

"What, did y'all dumb broads give him a weapon?" Ceon muttered, no longer bothering to keep up a civil act. "That's a violation of WGC regulations if I'm not wrong. I wonder what upper management would think when they find out about such clear cut favoritism."

The Elven woman immediately opened her mouth to rebuttal what Ceon had said, but she was quickly pushed aside before being replaced by a head of blonde hair and soft brown eyes.

"My apologies Ceon. I don't mean to interrupt that interesting stuff you were saying, but I have a question for you." Flora offered a sweet innocent smile as she kept a hand over Akino's mouth. "What's your limiter currently set at?"

Ceon frowned as he looked down at his left wrist where a thick, black bracelet was attached. Giving it a quick tap, a large letter I appeared on the top of it, letting the retired Rift Hunter know that he had been drastically weakened. "I'm sitting at the letter I. Is that satisfactory ya blonde bimbo?"

"That's perfect," Flora said, nodding politely. "This crop of newbies weren't very strong so the strength of an newbie adventurer will be more than enough. You can also be rest assured that we will take full responsibility for handing that weapon to an examinee. We're deeply sorry Mr. Ceon and hope you have a great day. We'll be taking our leave."

Without another word, the call ended, the light quickly receding back into the small clear orb and leaving the area just as silent as it had been before. The tiny sphere rolled towards Ceon, of whom looked quite pleased as he snatched the object off the tabletop. "Finally, a bitch who knows her place," Ceon said, satisfaction evident in his tone as he rose up from his seat. "I might have to try turning that woman into my little plaything. She's quite the looker!!"

Stretching his limbs, the elderly man gave the timepiece on his right wrist a quick look, a thin, silver bracelet that showed the numbers 4:25.

Ceon found it oddly weird that the youth in question had managed to finish the trials so quickly, but he reasoned that it was just the dumb broads playing favorites. He himself had no intention of doing the same thing of course especially after knowing that the newest group were nothing but weaklings, amateurs who had no real chance of becoming future Rift Hunters. In fact, after getting told that they were nothing special, Ceon had already decided that he would break the new recruit in as much as possible before letting him know the pain of failure. Letting everyone pass but him would show the dumb broads who was really in charge and, at the same time, put them in their place.

"Um, excuse me. Is this the place where the third trial is being held?"

Ceon nearly jumped out of his skin as he whirled around, instinctively raising his guard, preparing for an attack. His senses had been dulled to drastically due to the limiter he was wearing so he hadn't been able to sense anyone come in nor had he heard anyone approach. When he twirled around on his heels, he half expected to be confronted with a WGC representative or a former Rift Hunter who could mask his own presence, them being the only ones he hadn't normally been able to sense. Of course, what Ceon recieved instead was a short kid with a head of bright red hair and crimson eyes, eyes filled with a polite innocence.

"This IS the right room right?" Jak Yanda asked, the youth looking around. "I'd hate to be a bother. I was sent here by the examiner through a long hallway. I should be in the right place."

The white haired man quickly readjusted himself, lowering his guard as he scanned his surroundings, ignoring the adolescent's question. There didn't appear to be anyone else besides the boy and Ceon highly doubted a former Rift Hunter would bother to hide. However, knowing that it was just a simple youth left him more confused then before as he highly doubted a small child no older then ten could make him feel the brief pressure he had sensed earlier. However, the elderly gentleman quickly wrote this off as the limiter making the boy seem stronger then he really was, regaining his composure and confidence as the seconds ticked by.

"You, what's your name?" Ceon questioned despite already knowing the answer. He didn't really care but he had to put on a good show, his aim being to make the youth lower his guard during the actual fight.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot." Jak smiled and gave a small bow. "I'm Jak Yanda. I'm here to participate in the third trial. I'll be in your care sir."

"Jak Yanda huh?" Ceon repeated as he walked into the center of the room, of which was just a large sparring arena about half the size of a football field. He held no interest in what the boys dreams were, having already deciding to crush the child and his dreams right then and there. "Very well. If you're ready to begin than let's just get this over with. Grab a weapon of your choice and come stand in front of me."

Jak nodded excitedly as he hurried to the center of the room after grabbing a solid bamboo katana from the rack of weapons located near the room door. Without missing a beat, he stepped before the elderly gentleman and took a stance, weapon held at the ready paired with an unwavering look of determination.

"The rules are simple. All you have to do is show me what you got." Ceon tediously recited what he had been assigned to say by the WGC, something he had said countless times over the course of the day. "You may use any fighting style you wish and if you know any magic, you will be allowed to utilize it. Obviously things such as biting, spitting, nut shots, etcetera, are prohibited and will cost you to lose points. Other then that, anything goes. Do you agree with these conditions?"

"Yes," Jak said simply as he leaned forward, eagerly awaiting the go ahead.

(("That's adorable. Its gonna be fun putting this kid into the dirt.")) Ceon held up his fingers, silently counting down from five. (("Maybe I'll give him a fighting chance and just toy with him for a while."))

Ceon took a serious stance as his fingers ran out, signaling the start of the battle. He was prepared to deal with anything the kid had to offer, figuring that it wouldn't take much to tire the kid out.

However, the moment the match started, he received a rude awakening as the kid rocketed forward like a magically enhanced arrow, a near blur as the boys wooden sword slammed into Ceon's stomach. He didn't even have time to be surprised as the first blow was quickly followed up by yet another smack with the sword, this time in the back of his head. Three more attacks quickly followed, slamming the examiner into the dirt.

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