"Should we fight this thing, or do you think it's best if we forfeit?" Vegas asked nervously. He was keeping his eyes on the Beast we saw before us.
2 Participants forfeited the match, quickly getting escorted out of the Arena by 4 staff members. The Alpha Beowolf didn't budge from its spot, simply looking at the 6 people disappearing out of the arena.
"... What do you think we should do?" I asked back. The Alpha Beowolf was already making me remember The Starved Hound.
Yang was also remembering the abomination, and the two guards at its side. She was starting to feel uneasy, as sweat started to form on the sides of her face. She was secretly hoping that I would forfeit, that I wouldn't push myself like that again, and just come back with harm.
But this was different.
I'm stronger now.
I'm faster now.
I have more Aura.
I have better Weapons.
I wasn't alone here.
I could do this.
….
I had to do this.
"... I want to hear what you want to do. If you forfeit, it's clear I'm no match for it either, so I'll forfeit as well…"
"... Do you think you could listen to what I'm about to say?"
He looked at me, frowning. He thought this wasn't the right time and he was right, but I had to get this off of my chest. He sighed, relenting to my request.
"... Make it quick…."
"Back when I was 8, I nearly died. It was this giant Grimm called The Starved Hound, it was more of a demon from hell than anything. Looking at the beowolf, it's bringing back those unpleasant memories." I kept my attention on the Alpha Beowolf as I was talking. The other 3 kids were starting to slowly inch closer to the Beowolf, weapons ready to strike the beast.
"And that's when I realized," I continued. "This is a 「test」. This is a 「test」 to see if I really grew. A person can only confidently say that they have grown, if they defeat their past self: their weaker self. If I don't take this 「test」, then it's going to scratch at the back of my head for my entire life: I won't be able to sleep soundly anymore. Because denying this 「fate」 will mean that I have given up, that I'm proving to myself that I will always be 「weak」."
My eyes left our final obstacle, to look at my new friend.
"I can't allow that. Could you, if this thought was in your head?"
Sweat rolled down Vegas's face. He understood what I was saying, and he knew what my decision would be.
"... So we're doing this?" Vegas asked for confirmation.
"...Yeah," I confirmed. We both held up our weapons, and charged into our 「test」. "We're going too…"
Chapter 6: Break through this 「Test」!
The beast was many things: It was fast, it was tough: the black hide left exposed by its white armor was thicker than the Ursas, it was strong: the swings it made caused craters to form on the dirt ground.
But worst of all, it was smart.
Enough experience it had accumulated to survive stopped it from charging blindly into us, and it was slowly pinpointing which of us was the crack in the wall; the weakest link.
Whenever we tried to keep our distance and shoot at its plates, it quickly charged at us with the intent on disrupting our fire. One participant tried to protect the rifleman with their shield, but the Grimm grabbed onto the shield and threw the kid, having him slide across the ground.
Every rush it made towards us felt like it was a carriage.
I repeatedly targeted a single spot on its arm with my steel balls, and I managed to make a small area on its arm cave in, but that didn't deal that much damage to the Grimm.
But that wasn't my intention.
I let the steel ball stay in the crater of its white armored arm, as I outstretched my hand towards it, index finger raised to the sky, and quickly flicked my finger to me.
Then everyone saw the arm of the Grimm suddenly get pulled me, dragging the rest of the body with it.
The Grimm, unexpected by the sudden force pulling its arm, stumbled onto the ground. The other kids saw the opening and immediately fired at the Grimm.
The opening didn't stay for long, as it quickly pulled its arms back, with enough force for me to falter. I stumbled on the crater it made during the first few fights, and the Grimm saw the moment to strike.
All I saw was its left arm turn into a blur, and I felt a strong impact on the right side of my body.
Yang and Ruby watched on as Magenta and Vega joined in the fight. They were starting to get worried about their friend's wellbeing. They turned to see that Orchid and Lily simply watched their son with a neutral expression, not showing fear, or worries for their son.
They were confident that their son would be fine.
"Yang…" Ruby placed her hands on her sister's, trying to comfort her.
"..." Yang simply turned to look at Ruby. Ruby was just as worried as she was, but she was trying her best to believe that Magenta would know what to do.
"Magenta's gonna be fine, I'm sure of it."
"I want to believe that too, but this is new to us! No one got up to wave 5! Heck, I only got up to wave 3!"
"I know," Ruby said gently. "This is the furthest the entire kids got up to, and I'm sure Magenta will beat that thing in no time!" Ruby cheered confidently, holding a strong belief of Magenta's abilities and capabilities.
"You're probably right, Ruby, but…" Yang removed her hand out of her sisters to point at the Alpha Beowolf. "... Last time he went up against an Alpha Beowolf ..." Her sentence was left unfinished as she hung her neck down. She felt guilty for being reckless, dragging Magenta in to save them, and nearly got killed in their stead. She felt a small hand rub her back, just like how Summer did it to comfort the girls.
"But it's not like last time, Yang!" Ruby proclaimed. "He's stronger, and faster, and smarter!"
"Ruby's right, Yang." Orchid announced, watching his son with his arms crossed. "My son isn't as weak and fragile as you think, I'm sure you experienced that first hand."
"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed with bright cheerful eyes. "Besides, if anything goes wrong, Uncle Qrow and Uncle Vienna's here to save him again!"
Yang simply closed her eyes and sighed. It wasn't going to be like last time, she thought, trying to convince herself.
Yeah, Magenta knew what he was doing.
In fact, I don't think he's even gonna get hit by that poor do-
BTAAAAAAUUUUUUNG!
"MAGENTA!" She heard Vegas shout out.
BAKIIIIIING!
She heard the glass in front of her slam, and opened her eyes in fright.
In front of the 4 spectators was Magenta, slammed into the hard light wall. His right cheek was pushed into the wall, and he was slowly sliding down.
"MAGENTA!" 5 people, Vegas included, were shouting out the pink-haired youth's name. "ARE YOU OK!?"
Magenta did nothing but turn his right hand into a thumbs up for all to see. The staff members were quickly rushing to his side as he slid down to the floor.
"Oi, Magenta!" Uncle Vienna shouted. "Shit, we're going to have to escort you out, come on!" He started to pull me up and take me to the nearest exit. He was trying to make sure that I was leaning on him, trying to minimize me getting hurt any further. I put my hand on his shoulder and looked at him.
"I'm fine, I can still fight." I told him with a clear and confident voice.
"Don't be stupid, we don't want you ending up lik-" I stopped him mid-sentence as I pulled out my scroll. The bar was down by a quarter, but still in the green.
"Look, I still have more than half my aura. I got plenty more to keep going, so you don't have to worry about me."
Uncle Vienna looked at my scroll, and back at me. He snarled at the situation as he straightened me up.
"I'll be watching, the moment you fall to the floor and can't fight back, I-"
"-You'll be running to me like a knight in shining armor. I understand. I also remember the forfeit tab on the scroll is on my side, if I think the situation gets too bleak." I cut him off mid-sentence. "Now if you'll excuse me, my new friend over there is trying his best not to get his ass handed on a silver platter while I come back to fight." I quickly ran from Uncle Vienna and back to the beast. I pulled out my entire deck of cards -all 52 of them-, and fired them out of my hand, all of them imbued with the 「spin」, along with a little bit of my 「secret」 ability.
SHIIIIIUUUNG!
Sparking with golden light, the 52 cards flew past Vegas and into the towering beast like guided missiles. The beowolf raised its armored front limbs to block most of them, but some flew under its arms to target its legs, over the arms to target its back, and between the gap in the arms to target its chest, stomach and head.
The cards lodged into the beast's body, spinning in like rogue circular saws, digging in further.
The wounds were only light, though. And the Alpha Beowolf realized this too, as it started to ignore the cardboard nuisances and charged back at the remaining youths.
Vegas started to dodge its swipes, jumping back as far away from it as possible. I quickly ran to stand next to him, readying to throw my steel balls the moment I get the chance to.
"Took you fucking long enough." He snarked, keeping his eyes on the Beowolf.
The other 3 participants weren't taking this situation well, as they were getting hit by the rampant strikes from the bipedal wolf.
1 participant took the hits the worst, he was barely able to stand back up after the savage tank ragdolled him around the arena. The staff members quickly interfered with the Alpha Beowolf's attack, protecting the injured youth with their tower shields and quickly taking the kid out of the arena.
Even with the injuries on its arms and legs, the beast was in a far better condition than the rest of us. We couldn't get past the defense, and it didn't give us the time to break through it.
But luckily, I had a way to immobilize it.
Hell, I already set up the pieces I needed to make it work.
"... Vegas, what would you say is the biggest 「problem」 right now?"
"... Honestly? Let me think about that. Sooo…. It's too tough and strong…... but, with enough patience that shouldn't be a problem….. Actually….. Yeah, I think I got it."
"Let's hear your thoughts."
"The biggest problem is that piece of shit is too goddamn fast. He's fucking dashing to us like a kid in a toy store, and it doesn't give us enough time to break its bone plates."
"Glad you think the same." I pointed at the Beowolf's legs. "You see those black gunk spewing out of its legs?" Vegas followed my fingers to its legs. He raised one eyebrow at me.
"I know what you're trying to do now. You think you can actually cripple it?" Vegas asked.
"More than cripple it, I can pin it down. Temporarily." I answered.
"How long's the temporary?"
"Eeeehh….. I'd say as long as you want."
"... alright, before I say anything any further, I got to ask: that thing you did to your cards-"
"The Aura or the 「Spin」?"
"The 「Spin」. Can you do that to my coins?"
"I can, you got a plan? Cuz I only got up to immobilizing it: the rest is on you."
"I got more than a plan: I got 「victory」."
I smiled at his declaration.
"Overconfident, aren't you?"
He smiled back in response, as he took two canisters from his belt and handed it to me.
"Now, if you would." Vegas asked in a mock posh accent. One canister had a mark of a burning fire on it, while the other one had a lightning bolt stamped on the face of the container.
They had fire and lightning dust in it.
"Couldn't you have used this any sooner?"
"Hey, I saved it for a crucial moment like this, so you shouldn't be complaining."
"... Can't deny that…" I immediately got to work, moving the muscles in my hand to slowly make the coins inside shake with the 「spin」. I threw them back to Vegas once I was done.
"Here, Now if you'll excuse me, I got a dog to cripple." I immediately rushed away from Vegas, and to the Alpha Beowolf.
"Oi, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee!" I shouted to the other 2 participants, they were all startled and whipped their head back to face me.
"I'm gonna go cripple this wolf, and I want you guys to give everything you got when it falls! Got it!?"
They all stared owlishly at me. But the girl on the right, wielding a spear with a curved blade, quickly nodded at my words and waited for the beast to be immobilized.
I threw my 2 steel balls at its left leg: one ball was spinning clockwise while the other one was spinning anti-clockwise. The two balls struck the ankle and the knee, causing the left leg of the beast to twist and bend grotesquely, threatening to tear the leg apart. The beast started to stumble, turning its waist to face me, and trying to recover its balance and lunge at me.
It only traveled half a distance, right leg outstretched, before being flung back to spot it was at by an unknown force. It started rolling on the floor before being abruptly stopped: like it was pushed back.
Or pulled back in.
In fact, the entire arena saw the Grimm staying on the floor, its stomach touching the ground, the beast struggling by moving its arms and body told them that it was forced to stay like this.
Like it was being pushed down into the ground, pinning the beast.
Or it was stuck to the ground by an adhesive.
Mantra: Sticky Fingers
Level: 21
-Bungee Gum possesses the property of both rubber and gum.- Hisoka Morrow
Effect: Inspired by Hisoka Morrow's 'Bungee Gum' Hatsu, Sticky Fingers has the current effect:
-Converts your Aura to gain the [Adhesive] and [Elastic] property
-[Adhesive]: Can stick to any surface, and can be dispelled anytime by your command
-[Elastic]: Able to stretch and contract to your will
-Can be used to bind targets
-Able to be activated from any part of your body, and extended towards a target
-Damage + Force absorbed by 50%
-Highly durable to force
-Can be detached from the main Aura (your body), and Auras detached from the main Aura will only stretch up to 10m
-The further the Aura stretches, the greater force the contraction will have
[This Mantra is currently set as your 'Semblance'!]
-Can be affected by the Mantra: Aura Concealment(隱)
-Can be augmented by dust
Aura cost: varies in size of 'Sticky Fingers'
Thank god I put this on my cards, or else I never would've been able to pin it down this easily.
[You have inflected Alpha Beowolf with the status effect: Pinned!]
[You have inflected Alpha Beowolf with the status effect: Bind!]
To be quite honest, I was glad that I had used the 'Aura Concealment(隱)' Mantra on Sticky Fingers. I didn't want anyone to find out about my Semblance yet.
So all they saw was me using some kind of telekinesis to push the Grimm down.
"Alright people! What are you waiting for!? fire away!"
Vegas immediately got to work, flinging the coins in rapid motion. The 「Spin」 caused the coins to fly out like tiny buzzsaws, quickly finding their place in shells of layered bone plates on the Alpha Beowolf's back. The tiny little coins were shaving away at the plates, slowly digging themselves further in. Then when it dug in deep enough, they started to burst in electricity and flames.
The other 2 immediately followed Vegas's example. They started to run up and find gaps between its armor that exposed its soft, black-furred flesh, and started to unleash hell.
Bullets were flying into the immobilized Grimm, the underside of its body and armpits were getting sliced and diced.
But before they dish out any more damage, the Beowolf's struggles finally bore fruit.
[Alpha Beowolf has used Berserk!]
We saw the red lines on its marble white shells starting to pulse with crimson light, like it was pumping energy into the red veins.
[Alpha Beowolf has broken free of the status effect: Bind!]
The beast managed to stretch out my Aura far enough to grab one of the participants, and promptly swing them around. The kid could do nothing but scream as they were repeatedly bashed against the ground.
I saw their Aura flash out: it couldn't handle all of the hits and broke.
Before swinging the participant around a bit more, the beast promptly threw the poor kid at the other participant, and both flew to the other side of the arena, hitting the wall. The staff members quickly rushed to the 2 kids, carrying stretchers as they made sure the injured youths got out of the arena as fast as possible.
And like that, we were down to just Vegas and me.
"SHIT!" I shouted out. In just a few seconds, the flow of the battle was back in the wolf's claws.
While still immobilized, it found enough strength to get itself up from the ground and start swinging its limbs, targeting the rest of us.
"I don't suppose you can pin it down again!?" Vegas shouted out as we were doing our best to get out of the range of its swipe.
"I'm trying my hardest here, it's not working as well as before!"
Before I knew it, the Grimm was in front of my eyes, it's arms crossed in an X as it aimed the horn on its head at me. All I could do was bring my legs and arms in and crouch into a ball as the beast came in, its horns threatening to pierce my body.
"MAGENTA!" I heard 5 voices call out to me at once.
BAAAAAASSSHH!
I felt myself getting winded as my back crashed against the wall. The arms of the Beowolf were threatening to crush me like a bug.
Through the corners of my eyes, I saw Uncle Vienna rushing in. I turned around and grinned at him.
"I'm fine, I still got aura left!" I shouted at him reassuringly.
The beast managed to outpower Sticky fingers, but that didn't mean it hadn't broken out of it.
Vegas was firing into the back of the giant Grimm, targeting the cuts made by my cards and his coins.
One managed to break into the shell on its back, and that was all Vegas needed to unload more into the newly created wound.
Several more coins entered the wound, as if it was a slot in an arcade machine. The coins piled up inside, and then they all exploded into flames.
The shell was blown off its back and exposed a soft spot of black flesh. The beast promptly let go and started to flail around, suffering from the pain.
I used this as a chance to contract my aura, and the length it stretched out caused Sticky finger to snap back with great force, launching the Grimm into the air, and then back down onto the ground. The force also caused few of the cards to fall from its shell, and left spinning into the ground.
"ONCE MORE, OPEN FIRE!" Vegas shouted, and I quickly threw my steel balls into the exposed spot.
This was it,
We created an opening.
The 「Achilles Tendon」 in this advancing biological tank.
And that's all I needed to finish this fight, victory in our hands.
The ball dug in deep, causing its strikes against us to falter.
But it wasn't deep enough for it to die.
We quickly ran circles around the boss monster: One person distracting the Grimm and the other focusing fire on the exposed spot in the back.
The Grimm knew what we were trying to do, and it came up with a plan of its own.
Once it was Vegas's turn to distract the Grimm, it immediately ignored my attacks and instead lunged at Vegas, before he could prepare to attack or dodge. It grabbed his leg and immediately spun around to me, using the 「Spin」 from my steel balls to his advantage.
And it immediately threw Vegas at me.
Sticky Fingers!
Vegas collided with me, and we both flew in the air.
The audiences recoiled and winced, as we hit the light construct again.
But we never slid down from it.
No, we bounced off of it.
Sticky Finger assured that we didn't take the throw as bad as the other ones, and the minimum loss of both our auras showed that.
The Grimm crossed its arm in an X again, and lunged at us.
"Well buddy," Vegas spoke quietly, leaning against my chest. "I'm really regretful to tell you that this looks like the end."
He was conceding the fight, and accepted that there was going to be some damage.
The staff members were already rushing towards us.
"You're right about that," I told him. "It is the end."
"Wow, I thought you'd be saying something more along the lines of 'not yet, we can still fight!', or something." He remarked.
"Why bother?" I told him. He sighed and nodded. "We already 「won」." I continued. He whipped his head up to look at me in the eyes, eyebrows raised and blinking owlishly.
"What?"
"I said, we already 「won」. It's our 「victory」. We 「conquered」 the beast. I 「conquered」 my past."
"What? When? How?"
"From the moment that bastard touched me, it sealed its fate."
As if on cue, the coins and cards that were scattered across the arena, all started to leave the ground and soared through the air, all towards the exposed spot.
"「Sticky Fingers」." I announced, my two hands up with my index fingers pointing at the Grimm. "The more you struggle, the more it will tighten around your neck."
The Grimm's trajectory changed, rolling and skidding on the floor. Cards and coins dug into its back, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Its chest started to rise, before the coins and cards broke through its black hide, some simply sticking out while others flew out of its front, before flinging back in.
The Grimm didn't move, its limbs limp.
The staff members stopped in their tracks and silently stared at what just happened.
The spectators were just as silent.
You have defeated the Boss: Alpha Beowolf!
You have gained 9,000 Exp!
You have gained (2) levels!
You have gained the title: Vidarr the second!
"... Dude." Vegas broke the silence. "What the fuck…." His tone was strong with disbelief.
"Just get off of me." I replied.
The 5th wave, and the entrance test for Participants 'D', became the talk of the spectators. The Alpha Beowolf was the final round, and we simply walked out of the arena and to the spectator seat.
"MAGENTA!" Ruby shouted excitedly, bouncing up and down. "THAT WAS AMAZING!"
She was running around the place, reenacting everything I did and said back then.
"You were all like: We already 「Won」, and then you were like: It's our 「victory」. We 「conquered」 the beast. I 「conquered」 my past." She tried her best to imitate my expressions, trying her best to look as serious and determined as possible.
"And then the coins and cards were flying out like 'Pushushushushushu'! And then you were like-" She turned her two hands into finger guns "-「Sticky Fingers」, the more you struggle, the more it will tighten around your neck. And then the GRIMM EXPLODED!" She finished her words with a shout of joy. Yang came around to press down on Ruby's head to try and calm her down.
"Now, now, Ruby." Yang said reassuringly. "I know it was awesome, but you shouldn't be bothering other people like that."
Ruby looked around, and blushed when she found that other people were looking at her.
"But on that note," Yang started off. "I didn't know you had telekinesis as your semblance! You never used it in our fight!"
"First off, it's not telekinesis." I started off. "Second of all, that would've made our fights a lot more boring."
Yang simply pouted at my words. "... Then what's your semblance, anyway?" She asked.
I simply put a finger on my lips and winked.
"It's a secret."
Yang simply growled at my words.
"... They really are a handful, aren't they?" Vegas asked, standing beside me and watching our antics.
"You… have… no idea, just how much of a handful they are."
"Oh, oooh, ooh!" Ruby interjected, dashing up to Vegas. "You were so cool back then as well! You had those coins and you just flicked them with your bare hands! You were all like 'Babababaabababababababababababang!' How did you do that! Is it your semblance!?" Ruby asked as she imitated Vegas's pose. Vegas simply laughed at her antics.
"Nah," He answered. "I just trained myself to do that."
"Wooow….." Ruby responded with stars in her eyes. "Oh! Where're my manners!" She gave Vegas a salute before extending her hands out to him. "The name's Ruby Rose! Nice to meet you!"
Vegas smiled and took her hand, shaking it firmly. "Vegas Dandelion, at your service."
Yang followed Ruby's example. "And my name's Yang! I'm her sister. Nice to meet you too, Vegas!"
"Likewise."
I saw mom and dad walk up to us, smiling proudly. Mom had her scroll out: it was clear she was recording the entire fight.
"Oh right. Mom, dad, this is Vegas. Vegas, these are my mom and dad."
"Nice to meet you, Misses and Mister!" Vegas greeted confidently. My mom and dad smiled.
"Hello, Vegas." Dad replied. "I hope you stay good friends with my son."
"With what he did for me today? I hope so too, sir!"
-line-
Only Participant 'E' was left for the entrance test, and we used that time to talk with each other (read: answer their questions). Vegas's parents finally find us, and were getting busy talking with my parents.
"So what is this 「Spin」 thingy?" Yang asked.
"And what did you do to your Aura to do that with your cards?" Vegas followed.
"Well…. The 「Spin」 is an ancient Mistrali martial art, and what I used on my cards were aura techniques developed by a native Vacuoan tribe."
"So… that means we can learn it?" Yang asked, hope was colored in her tone.
"Yeah, but the difficulty varies between person to person."
"Hey, we have lots of time to learn it." Vegas said, trying to convince me.
"... Sure, why not."
Yang was experiencing difficulty in trying to understand my explanation, and she gave up after a few fruitless tries.
Vegas was getting the hang of the 「Spin」, trying to make his coin 「Spin」 in the air. He had much more difficulty with the nen techniques, but he understood enough of what needs to be done. He decided to practice it at home.
That's when the announcement came on, indicating that the entrance test was finally over. Participants 'E' only got up to the 3rd wave, with the 4th wave stopping halfway due to a complete wipeout.
"And that marks the end of the entrance test. First off, we would like to give an applause to all the participants, for their attempts to take the first step in becoming a hunter, regardless of whether they succeeded or not."
Claps started to resonate within the arena.
"Now, we will be announcing those who have passed the test, from the lowest rank to the top 11, through the holo projector. Those who have ranked in the top 10 will be announced separately, after the first announcement."
And with that: names, their points, and their rank started to appear on the hard light walls. The crowd became divided: some laughing and cheering, while others were groaning, or even resorting to crying and sobbing.
"Look Yang, look! You passed!" Ruby shouted as she pointed at the screen. Yang had been placed 38th, with 188 points.
"Awwww, Yeah!" Yang shouted, pumping her fists in the air. Ruby's cheerful face turned worried as her eyes started to dart around the screen.
"I….. I don't see Magenta's, or Vegas's ..." She said silently.
"We still have the top 10's, maybe their name's will be there." Yang said, trying to reassure not only Ruby, but Vegas and I as well.
Few minutes passed before the announcement started again.
And now, we will be announcing the one who has ranked in the top 10 of this year's entrance test, starting from 10th place: Alice Violet, for not only scoring 236 Points, but also rescuing 6 participants from getting any further injuries during the entrance test.
A crowd furthest from us erupted into a cheer, with the girl in the middle looking embarrassed.
Next we have Marshall Graybeard, in 9th place for not only scoring 238 Points, but also contributing a great deal in the Participants 'B''s run in the entrance test by subduing the Grimms.
Another cheer erupted in a part of the arena.
"Oooh, him." Yang remarked.
Jack Crimson, placed 8th for not only scoring 238 points, but also by protecting 8 students during his run of the entrance test.
Nathan King Coal, placed 7th for not only scoring 248 Points, but also by the excellent use of dust, and making sure everyone else were escorted out properly before forfeiting. One needs to know when to retreat, especially in such a dangerous situation.
Avery Pink, placed 6th for 260 points…..
Forest Pine, placed 5th for 267 points….
….. Diamante Corvus, placed 4th for scoring 302 points…..
…. Heat Corona, placed 3rd for scoring 367 points….
The crowd behind us blared with joy, with cheers bombarding us all. A kid with Crimson hair that covered one eye was sitting there, arms crossed and with a confident grin. Like a king.
With only 2nd and 1st remaining, Ruby was looking nervous, and Yang was starting to get anxious too. If we were neither 2nd and 1st, that only meant that we failed.
It was not good for our heart, to say the very damn least.
….. This year, we had an interesting situation, as we do not have a 2nd place. Instead, we have two people that tied for 1st.
All of us strained our ears. My throat was dry from the wait, the atmosphere was tense and heavy, as this single announcement weighed our future.
I would like to congratulate these 2, as it is a rare treasure to have such people as these 2 join our school. Their performances have been recorded and will be sent to other primary schools, and I would like to offer them a chance at the Vale region tournament. Whether they accept or not is up to their decision.
I would like to congratulate…
The screens on the cyan hard light wall suddenly changed, and a video appeared for all of us to see.
"I was thinking….." I spoke up first.
"...? About What?"
"About this whole test. I think there's something more to it than what we were thinking."
"... I'm all ears, let's hear it."
"It was bothering me while I was fighting. About the rules."
"What's wrong?"
"If I remember correctly, he said that point was given for every killing blow and kill assists. He also talked about the waves, and how if we are deemed unable to continue, or forfeit, we'll be escorted out. I'm remembering this correctly, right?"
"That's how I remember it."
"Then there's something we're overlooking."
"And what do you think we're overlooking?"
"The 「condition」 for us to pass the 「test」."
"... You had my interest, but now you have my full attention."
"He told us about taking part in killing Grimms giving us points. He never told us what the points were for. We all assumed we had to get enough points to pass, but that's just us assuming."
"... I'm starting to see your point."
"For all we know, more points could make us 「less」 likely to succeed. Of course, this is just an example. I don't actually think more points will actually make us less likely to pass."
"Then what do you think the points are for?"
"「Ranking」. Nothing more, and nothing less. It's just there to make us think, motivate us, and or simply categorise our 「Fighting Capability」."
"Then what do you think is going to let us pass?"
"Well first off, let's see what they are doing: They are 「gathering」 us into an Arena, and making us fight the Grimms. They have been putting us not against each other, but against the Grimms. 「Us」 vs 「Grimms」, 「Participants」 vs 「School」."
"I think I'm getting what you're saying, but please explain for clarification and confirmation."
"First off, with all this information given to you, what do you think?"
"... What do I think?"
"First off, what you told me made me think: This is a Hunter academy. There's more to being able to fight to be a hunter. You need to be able to think, and learn to protect people. Learning how to fight is easy; it's learning how to have a heart and mindset of a hunter that's difficult, so they're trying to test that in some way. They can always teach us how to fight Grimms at school: We do have 3 to 4 years of it. So this test isn't just testing how well we fight. But that's all I could confidently say."
"You're in the same mindset as I am. I think they're trying to see how we 「act」."
"How we act?"
"Yeah. First off, we're not just fighting the Grimms by ourselves: We have 「other」 participants in the 「fight」 as well."
"...Ooooh….."
"We're not being judged by our 「fighting prowess」. Well, we are, but it's not the main thing they're looking for in us: They're seeing how well we 「act together」."
"... How well we 「cooperate」 with each other…"
"Exactly. With our numbers dwindling down, and the difficulty of the Grimm hordes increasing, the test is going to get harder and harder for us; if, we fight alone. I see a hint for this in the rules Mr. Cielo gave us as well."
"... The point system ..."
"You're onto it. You saw the points given on your scroll. It doesn't matter if you were only distracting it or dealing the final blow: You get the same amount of points either way. It's there so that cooperation doesn't impede you earning your points. But I think a lot of us failed to see that. They were too 「focused」 on getting their points, because they assumed getting the most points meant that you passed. Some even resorted to sabotaging other participants, and I'm sure they automatically failed."
"I get your point. Hunters need to know how to act together."
"Exactly. Hunters may fight, but they don't compete with each other. They're both working for the same goal, competing with each other is counterproductive: it's a detrimental quality. And then there's the other quality they're trying to look for."
"And what's that?"
"It's like you said: we need to be able to think. They're seeing us how we 「act」. They're assessing our 「judgement」."
"You mean how we assess the situation?"
"Not only that, but how we assess ourselves: Hunters, in order to live, need to know what they 「can do」 and 「can't do」. We need to know our 「limit」. That's why he told us about the 「forfeit」. Trying to stand up, again and again, is indeed an important quality, but that becomes useless if we're not aware of the situation, and ourselves. If we don't lose anything from running away, then that's obviously the better choice than dying while you're trying to fight."
"... So that's why he said tapping the tab would have you forfeit the fight…"
"Correct, he didn't say it would have you forfeit the 「test」, just the 「fight」. He's seeing if we know our limits in this fight."
"I see…."
"So, on that note: I would like to make a 「request」."
"If it's about teaming up, then I'm all ears. It's actually getting difficult to fight these things, and you just convinced me that cooperation is best."
It was us. Vegas and I, talking to each other, our conversation enhanced by the speakers. The videos then shifted to our fights, cut down to shorten the time. It was topped off with us fighting the Alpha Beowolf.
…. Magenta Valentine and Vegas Dandelion. You 2 have not only scored 434 points total, but the both of you have pinpointed the reason for this entrance test. As these 2 have said, we were not here to judge whether you are accepted into this school or not by your fighting prowess. With enough training, one can master such quality in no time. No, what we were here to assess was your decisions. Cooperations, your judgement, et cetera. These two saw through the ruse and read between the lines, and have displayed excellent teamwork and cooperation. As a result, they were the only two to win against the Alpha Beowolf, and survive through the entire waves we had prepared for them. All the more astounding was that these two have only met today, just before their entrance test has started. I look forward to the 2 of you, and your performance in school. Good luck, and congratulations once more.
Mom, Dad, Vegas's parents, Ruby, and Yang all erupted into a cheer at this announcement.
"OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS DID IT!" Ruby shouted in joy. "YOU GUYS ARE FIRST!"
Vegas and I just looked at each other, silently.
"Dude…." Vegas said, his stare was blank. It looked like he still wasn't believing what just happened. "... We did it….."
I simply smiled at him.
"We sure did."
Goal cleared!
Objective: Pass the test
Optional Objective: Place 1st place
Reward: 15,000 Exp, Title: [Signal Initiate]
Optional Reward: +500 Fame, 15,000 Exp, Title: [Top of Signal]
Wow! You managed to get into Signal with a bang! It wouldn't be surprising if people didn't know who you were, now! Who knows, maybe you'll be on Pumpkin Pete's cereal box instead of Pyrrha! Heck, you could become more famous than Pyrrha!
You gained a total of 30,000 Exp!
You have gained (5) levels!
You have gained +500 fame! People in Signal, as well as people in Vale, will know who you are now! Some people in Atlas, Mistral, and Menagerie will know who you are now! You are considered the rising star of Vale, and the rising pride of Patch!
You have gained the title: [Signal Initiate]! You are now officially a student of Signal academy!
You have gained the title: [Top of Signal]! Your name is now recorded in the hall of fame in Signal!
Due to your cooperation with Vegas being known throughout Patch and Vale, you have gained a new title: [Casino Crew]!
You gained an additional +50 fame!
Wow, shit. That's a lot.
…..
Considering that I'm the top of my class right now, I think that's a given.
"Hey buddy," Vegas said, slightly nudging my arm with his elbow. I turned to look at him.
"Thanks a lot, man, I owe you a lot."
I smiled at him.
"You owe me nothing."
I quietly checked my stat, it had grown a total of 7 levels now.
Magenta Valentine
Age: 13
Title: [The Pink Prodigy], [The Magenta Magician], [Signal Initiate], [Top of Signal], [Heir to the Dancer]
Level: 42
Hp: 2,520/2,520
Aura: 5,585/5,585
Vajra: [Locked]
Str: 54 (37 + 45%)
Vit: 42 (30 + 40%)
Dex: 54 (37 + 45%)
Mnt: 12
Int: 144 (80 + 80%)
Wis: 144 (80 + 80%)
Chr: 24 (19 + 25%)
70 Points Remaining!
…..
I'm gonna need to think about where I should put these points in.
I changed the name from 'The games of DMND' to 'The DMND game'. For the most important reason of: It just sounds better.
Yeah so, we're going to be to another time skip, probably like 3 weeks in, and with Magenta building his weapons. Maybe him joining the Vale region tournament.
Yeah, I'm gonna make Magenta the Vale version of Pyrrha Nikos.