A buzzer echoed throughout the clean fighting room as the countdown reached zero, and the mechanical creatures began to show signs of life.
Their servo motors responded to the command embedded in their programming, causing the machinery to whir as they accelerated.
They advanced simultaneously, coordinating their assaults and forming a ring around Erik. Their movements were uncannily synchronized as they prepared to attack, and the emotionless expressions on their faces did not indicate what was to come.
In response, Erik moved with calculated ease. He pretended to retreat defensively by falling backward.
The robots lunged, and Erik skillfully avoided the attacks by performing fluid, evasive maneuvers, avoiding the sweeping arcs of the robots' strikes.
His movements were quick but lacked any sense of urgency or panic. His evasion had a measured rhythm to it that spoke volumes about the confidence he possessed. The robots were slow for him. Still, he had to be careful not to overdo it, so he didn't move too fast or anticipate every move with ample time. He made it so that it looked like he was stronger yet around the five robots level.
The evasion dance abruptly took an unexpected turn as Erik took an unexpected detour, causing him to break the circle and move at the speed of an arrow shot from a bow.
The blur of motion he created caught them off guard. Before they could even respond, Erik had moved in on one of them. With a quick and error-free motion, he swung his Flyssa, which appeared as a silver streak in the artificial lighting.
An incredible display of power occurred when the robot's head was cleanly severed from its body, with a blow delivered with lightning-fast precision.
"One less..." Erik noted. He noticed the examiner nodding his head approvingly when he looked at him.
The remaining four robots did not hesitate, their programming relentlessly driving them toward their target. Their inhumanly precise movements brought them closer to Erik, their metal frames glinting in the harsh light of the training room.
Erik took another step back, increasing the gap between himself and his opponents. It was a calculated retreat, a dance of deception and deft strategy.
He permitted one of the robots to approach him; its movements indicated that it intended to attack. The robot moved quickly, its arm making a sweeping motion that could damage anything in its path.
<Too easy…> the young man thought
Erik's response was to move with a grace that belied his intimidating power. By deftly bending himself, he quickly twisted his body and sidestepped the robot's reaching arm. It was a deceptive dance in which he acted as the maestro, directing the tempo and cadence of the onslaught.
Erik made his move while still attempting to elude capture. A swift blow from his weapon, delivered with pinpoint accuracy, decapitated the assailant robot. Because of how quickly he moved, a lightning-quick strike gave the machine no time to defend itself.
Erik's attack was lethal, and the robot fell victim to his precise, deadly strike. The severed head fell to the ground, joining the other severed head in a gruesome display of Erik's combat superiority.
As a result of his actions, Erik was now standing in the middle of his opponents, having successfully eliminated two robots in rapid succession.
<I think that wasn't too much... Right?>
His two strikes were a clear testament to his lethal skills, as was the fact that he had demonstrated his formidable ability with only two attacks. The remaining robots were locked in a battle with Erik, and their mechanical calculations were being tweaked to account for his undeniable prowess.
With the fall of their counterparts, the remaining trio of robotic adversaries regrouped, their actions synchronizing into a simultaneous assault. Their movements were swift and precise, reflecting their programmed skill and coordination. But Erik stood his ground this time. He did not retreat, as he determined that facing three of these robots head-on was a feasible feat for a Novice.
The first robot lunged at Erik with a whirring of motors and gears, its metallic arm slicing through the air in an arc aimed directly at Erik's torso. But Erik was quicker, his body moving with a fluid grace as he sidestepped the attack.
The blow passed harmlessly through the space where Erik had stood a split-second before, the whir of the robot's mechanisms echoing hollowly in the training room.
Even as Erik evaded the first robot's attack, the second came upon him, its movements mirroring its counterpart's. It swung its arm in a broad sweep, its trajectory aimed to intercept Erik's evasive maneuver.
Yet, Erik's agility defied its calculations. With a quick roll, he slipped underneath the sweeping arm, the robot's attack barely grazing the tips of his hair.
Taking advantage of Erik's apparent vulnerability, the third robot launched its assault. Its arm shot forward like a piston, aiming for where Erik would be as he completed his roll. But Erik was ahead of it, his movement culminating in a springy leap that carried him over the reaching arm of the robot.
Now came Erik's turn to counterattack. Erik's propelled his Flyssa forward with the precision and speed of a slithering snake. The blade's point reached the first robot's head and sliced through its metal skull with relative ease.
When Erik's blade made contact with the primary circuitry of the robot, it immediately began to stutter, and its movements became frozen.
Even as the first robot fell, Erik was on the move again. He spun around the momentum, carrying his blade in a swift arc that eventually made contact with the second robot's head. The blade cut through the metal as quickly as butter, and the robot's head was neatly separated from its body.
The final robot barely had time to adjust its strategy when Erik focused on it. Erik's blade struck its target with one final, swift thrust, the point of the blade penetrating the robot's head. Erik's blade severed the robot's primary circuitry, causing its systems to shut down in the middle of its movement.
As a result, Erik was forced to stand among the shattered remains of his mechanical foes. At the same time, the harsh lighting of the practice room illuminated his weapon. He had faced and defeated his opponents with commendable skill and effectiveness but didn't destroy them instantly. Overall, he was happy, as his performance was excellent but believable.
"Well done, young man, well done. It's clear you received training before becoming a mercenary, am I right?" the examiner asked.
Erik nodded. "That's right, I asked the clerk if you could make an exception and give me a higher rank, but she was adamant about me undergoing training."
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