As Julius stepped into the testing arena, Bob’s fists twitched and veins throbbed on his forehead.
A rcenary’s reputation was almost as important as his strength. Those brats’ disrespect, in front of Lana to make things worse, was a direct insult to his established prestige. A light beating wouldn’t suffice anymore. He wouldn’t stop until they begged him, sprawled in a pool of their own blood.
He unsheathed his plain, long sword and lunged without warning, a cruel smirk splitting his face.
Flas ignited the runic symbols carved along the edges, their lively crackling engulfing the room as he mocked. "First rule of a rcenary: always be on guard!"
Unfazed, Julius watched the blade close in. The heated tal already threatened to bite his glowing skin when he snapped his body to the side with the vivacity of a snake.
The burning edges whistled a centiter away from his ear, the scalding arc missing him.
Positioning his blade sideways to parry the expected retaliation, Bob frowned. Yet, the displeasure of missing shifted into fury as he saw Julius shrug as if this entire fight was a joke to him. Even worse, he didn’t counter-attack at all and only gazed at him with unsettling calmness.
Who was he to let a brat humiliate him repeatedly?
Lana watched the flas crackling around the blade brighten in horror. "It’s just a test, Bob! Don’t go overboard!"
But he ignored her and lashed his bulging arms like a furious magical beast. Steel drew flashing arcs through the air with terrifying sizzles, each strike aid to inflict lasting wounds.
However, his frustration redoubled each ti the kid dodged his onslaught with a sharp snap of his neck or a delicate sidestep. Even more infuriating, he had just aid at his right hand, only to see it rise to cover the yawning teenager a split second before he lopped it off.
"Is dodging the only thing you know, you son of a bitch?" He roared, unable to endure the crisp noise of his cracking confidence.
Julius’ eyes narrowed into slits instantly. He had shown Bob the chasm separating their skills. Yet, he went as far as to insult his mom? Absurd. Ridiculously amusing!
That was one of the first lessons his brother had taught him. But even then, the difference between Bob’s raw vulgarity and Adam’s witty wording showed how worthless the flailing man was.
As Bob raised his blade overhead like a chopping axe, he bridged the distance with a forward stomp. His hand blurred, catching his adversary’s descending fists and halting the swing cold in its track.
"Ah! I understand where your frustration cos from now. It should have been hard to suspect any old rcenary to be your father." He shook his head in feigned empathy. "I hope your mother will figure out who it is before she passes away."
"You dare?!" Bob roared, his muscles throbbing as he pushed down with all his strength.
Yet, he only caught a sharp whistle and a blur before Julius’ body distorted. The tiled floor zood in his eyes the next second, dancing in grotesque forms before his dimming eyes as darkness crept into his vision. Like a stringless puppet, he collapsed and lost consciousness without knowing how.
But Lana’s wide eyes had seen it all. They darted between Julius’ palm and Bob’s listless body, her mouth snapping open in shock. "Did Bob, an experienced C-ranked rcenary, lose consciousness from a re slap?"
Arun let out an icy chuckle. "This fool is lucky Julius went first. Any of us would have blown his head after this unsavoury insult."
Asha and Louise nodded, their solemn eyes leaving no doubts in Lana’s mind—they would have done it.
An icy shudder ran down her spine as her lips quivered into a shaky smile, and her voice ca in ragged stutters. "I-I guess he deserves it. Mhh, mhh. He didn’t hold back, and his last strike aid to kill. Don’t worry, friends. I’ll complain to the branch master for you, so please... don’t kill him."
Julius leapt down the arena, rolling his eyes. "We only want to get our new identity badges, Miss Lana, not create trouble. Bob has a feisty temper and was too hard to reason with, so I knocked him out without harm."
Lana nodded, then turned toward Arun, Asha, and Louise. "I need to get our official examiner for your tests. But it feels like a waste of ti..." She scratched her head. "Are you all as strong as Julius?"
Arun shrugged. "We have different areas of expertise but are of the sa rank."
"I-I see." Lana shuddered. Where did this monstrous group of teenagers co from?
Wait! Their refined deanor and self-control—they weren’t things educated commoners had. Formal education? Noble children? Did their families suffer from political trouble because of the conscription? That would explain why they needed the new identities provided by the rcenary guild under the land conservation law. After all, the kingdom needed protectors while its armies subjugated the north.
Slowly, she connected imaginary dots into a believable yet wrong story.
She sighed in relief a mont later and clapped her hands, convinced about her deductions. "Please follow . I’ll register you as C-rank rcenaries this instant!"
Arun raised a brow. "Why not B-rank?"
She shook her head. "A town’s branch can’t deliver those. You’ll have to head to a city for B-rank and the capital for A-rank." She let her words linger, a wistful smile curling on her lips. "Those A-rankers are outside of our world. They seldom venture into the wilds to clear creatures. Instead, they escort nobles or even royals to balls and festivals."
"I see." Julius tucked his fingers around his chin as they returned to the counter. "Could you tell us the perks associated with our rank?"
"I’m afraid nothing ground-breaking aside from access to C-rank missions, which pays better. You can also browse the branch’s library. We have so decent techniques, but I doubt they’re... useful to you."
She retrieved four leathery parchnts, a bottle of ink, and a quill from the desk’s drawer. Gesturing to the top and bottom, she continued. "Please, input the na you want to use here, and sign at the end. I’ll test your affinities and mana once you’re done. But do note that the guild can’t be held accountable for any wounds you might sustain during missions. Judgent and thodical scouting are your only allies."
After they filled the parchnts, she retrieved a clear crystal ball. They placed their hands on it one after another, watching how the five natural elents manifested for Julius. Flas danced in bright orange for Arun and Asha, and the muddy color of earth gently filled the ball for Louise.
Fortunately, their somber robes inhibited their mana, making them pass as acolytes on the verge of breaking through to the apprentice tier.
Then, Lana filled the docunts with the results before she rolled them inside a tallic tube. She slotted it in a wooden vent before a burst of mana propelled it along a pipe with a clang. "All done. You can retrieve your rcenary cards tomorrow morning."
"Thank you. We’ll take a peek at the collection before leaving." Julius nodded, eager to confirm his suspicions about the rank division system and learn how their paths to power worked.
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