New World, Imperium City.
The golden bell on the cathedral's tower rang out.
Ding, ding, ding.
The sunlight of the sumr sun cascaded over the royal castle and the city below.
It was very warm.
The people of the city had changed from their warm clothes to short-sleeved shirts and light dresses.
Since it was the wealthiest city by a large margin, everyone walking on the streets looked like they ca straight from a picture in a magazine.
Handso and pretty couples walked hand-in-hand, the cafes opened their doors, and children laughed as they played in the fountains.
The banners of the guilds flapped proudly against the wind.
Unlike in Dawnwatch, where the guilds only had one building to their na, in Imperium City, since there were so many streets and buildings, every guild had their own street.
It was their territory, per se.
The Imperium City, after all, was ho to the strongest guilds and the rcenaries.
At this mont, carriages wheeled down the sumr-heated streets and rolled through the entrance into a large compound with high stone walls and sand floors.
The carriages circled in the sand yard until they ca to a stop in front of the massive wooden double doors with circle-shaped knobs.
The doors of the carriage swung open, and the rcenaries erged one by one.
Digby and Adam left their carriage, and stood shoulder to shoulder. They were the only mbers from Crimson Hounds that ca to the promotion tests.
A few gazes from other carriages went in their way, or more precisely, in Adam's direction.
The double doors creaked open by a muscular, hulking man that seed to have been consud by his muscles.
He glanced around at everyone present and said, "You may all enter. Keep your swords and armor in your inventory; you do not need those."
After everyone did so, they slowly walked over to the hulking man, showed their rcenary cards, and then entered the compound.
After Digby entered, Adam followed in his footsteps and showed his rcenary card to the hulking man.
"When was the last ti you updated your card?" The hulking man asked, seeing that is still showed that Adam was only level one.
"I haven't," Adam said.
The hulking man nodded and let him enter.
It was cool inside the compound. It almost felt like they had entered a different world, completely different from outside's sweltering heat.
The rcenaries stopped in the lounge. There were closed doors all around them with a fancy chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
After the last rcenaries entered the compound, the hulking man closed the double doors.
As soon as he did that, a smaller door on the side opened, and a small person erged wearing a friendly smile.
"Thank you for all coming, participants of this month's promotion tests," he said and took his place at the front of the lounge. "My na's Albertson, and I am today's judge."
The tests were handled by the rcenary Guild to ensure fairness and impartiality.
The promotion tests were held every month, and even so, it didn't an that soone who failed a test a month ago could apply again for next month.
In Digby's case, since he was undergoing the Royal Prince test, it was sothing he was allowed to do only once a year.
Albertson snapped his fingers, and eight doors opened those doors all had different sigils on top of them.
Every door led to different tests.
"Those doors lead you to a test of the rank you're trying to achieve." Albertson said with a smile and turned to Digby. "Digby Chaucer. You're today's highest-ranking participant, and you're trying for Royal Prince; please go and enter your door."
Digby nodded and straightened his sleeves. He then turned to Adam, patted him on the shoulder, and headed to a door that had the sigil of a young kid wearing a crown.
It was the Royal Prince's official sigil.
After he entered through the door, it closed behind him with a soft click.
Albertson then continued calling more nas.
A couple of people stepped through Pri rcenary's doors, then another through Royal rcenary and then quite many through Archwarrior.
There was also so for Grandeur door, then Holyman and Beyonder.
There was only one door left open, and Adam was alone, standing in the room.
'I am only one doing the Ordergiver test? That can't be right.' Adam thought to himself.
There were sotis hundreds of participants for the Ordergiver test, but now he was all alone. It didn't make sense.
"And, Adam Palestar." Albertson said and smiled. "You're the sole participant of the Ordergiver promotion test. Please, enter your door."
Adam nodded, still wearing a frown, but he then entered through the door and heard it close behind him.
It was a dark hallway with light shining at the end.
He kept his steps light and quick, soon stepping through the light and to an empty white room, at the center of which stood a large, ornate mirror.
Szz...
A strange, static-like sound emanated from the walls.
"Hello, hello, can you hear ?" A robotic, static voice ca.
"Yes," Adam said.
"Look at the mirror." The static voice said.
Adam walked over to the mirror, stopping right in front of it.
The mirror was full-body and reflected his own image back at him.
Then, the mirror's reflection started to distort, and the surface looked like there were waves rippling across it.
Then, a mirrory hand reached out from the mirror, and then head, then torso, and finally legs, until the figure was standing on two feet before him, identical in every way.
It was Adam's doppelgänger, but without his skin-the doppelgänger's skin looked like it was made out of a mirror.
"The first test, mirror fight," the static voice said. "The mirror doppelgänger has a strength of low-level Ordergiver. Its strength is what the Ordergiver should have, at minimum." The mirror doppelgänger reached out its hand, and a mirror sword appeared in its hand. It resembled the Gladius sword quite a bit.
'It can replicate my skills, but it cannot replicate my fighting style.'
"You will receive your sword now. As soon as you pick it up, the fight starts." The static voice
said.
A sword fell from the ceiling and landed before him—it was an ordinary-looking Gladius
sword.
Adam picked up the sword. He wasn't wearing any armor, as he wasn't allowed to rely on any items during the test.
As soon as he touched the sword's hilt, the mirror doppelgänger rushed forward and slashed down at him with an overhead slash.
Adam clashed his sword against the mirror blade, the clash of tal and glass ringing out
through the room.
After only a second, Adam managed to push its sword away. It was clear that he had better physical strength than a low-level Ordergiver!
The mirror doppelgänger's posture looked shaky.
Adam rushed in and stabbed his sword forward, but saw the mirror blade appear in the way;
therefore, he quickly snapped his wrist, changed the trajectory of his stab, and sliced through
the mirror doppelgänger's knee.
A crack appeared in its glass mirror knee.
His speed was also much more superior compared to the mirror dopplegänger!
Adam swung his sword again, and this ti, the blade went through the mirror doppelgänger's face. It shattered into a million pieces.
"First test, successful," the static voice said.
Another door opened at the end of the room, leading deeper into the facility. "Whew..." Adam dropped the sword and left the room.
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