Eren had lost.
However, he had lost with grace. He could have made the battle more interesting by keeping on stacking the spells at the cost of burdening his mana circuits. But he chose not to. Because such an expenditure of mana would have raised suspicions even if he had a mana imprint.
'How can a broke ranker like him afford to spend mana potions casually on himself for a test match?' Questions like these getting raised in his onlookers' heads weren't something he wanted.
'My weapon arts. I need mana-points-based weapon art I can use along with Jeet Kune Do.'
Eren also started to realize his shortcomings after fighting with a ranker like Miranda. He was used to fighting with Reece in their spare time. But she's always pulling her punches, never allowing him to take the fight seriously.
However, Miranda was different. Her temperament as a ranker was also different. She would usually act like a normal, mortal teenage girl. But her combat presence was cold-blooded and determined. He could see why the Stardust guild master made her the captain.
Eren sighed after he had these thoughts while standing up on his feet. He then kept his weapon in his storage and took a long breath.
'I'm sure Miranda was being lenient but damn. Look at my state. Tory's aunt would have had a field day patching me.'
Eren was brought back into time when he was still struggling in a world much different from this. His way of life had improved after coming here. But so were his struggles. The only difference this time was the fact that he felt more in control of his struggles and their outcome.
While Eren was busy sorting through his thoughts and processing his shortcomings, Miranda closed the distance between them. Eren turned his gaze from the void and smiled at his captain. He was sure that he had passed the test.
But then he looked at her chest and his thoughts froze. For some reason, he couldn't think of anything else.
The surprise attack he had pulled on Miranda had done its job. Eren hadn't noticed it till now but Miranda's top had been torn open and her brassiere was showing. That along with a thin red line that ran from her right shoulder to her left hip.
'Hm. She doesn't look like she's packing this much. Looks are deceptive indeed.'
Eren thought to himself while staring at a very pleasing-to-the-eyes sight. He had forgotten the teachings of Tory that said look at a girl's breasts as if you are gazing at the blazing sun. Stare for a bit before looking away in the next moment.
Miranda finally realized what Eren was staring at when she looked down. She had a red tinge on her cheeks. But as a veteran ranker, she didn't lose her calm. She asked Eren the same question he had asked her before the fight.
"Like what you see?"
"Indeed."
Eren didn't even take a moment to answer her question while staring at the jugs. Miranda snorted her nose in displeasure before summoning a small spikeless water sphere over her palm.
Swoosh. Throw. Impact.
Eren was hit hard by the non-lethal spell on his right shoulder, causing him to take a few steps backward. He rubbed the point of impact with his hand before looking at his official captain with a mirthless smile on his face.
"Hey… they are pretty. The truth shall set me free."
Eren said and smirked. His carefree and bold attitude finally eased the lowkey awkward moment Miranda was assuming for herself and she also chuckled.
Miranda summoned a leather jacket for herself and wore it just as quickly to prevent Eren from having any more free passes to her private collection. She adjusted her hair and coughed before saying.
"Hmm. Eren, you have performed well. Although your battle style is erratic and doesn't make full use of your talents, I'm sure you'd find your path soon enough.
We can begin your entrance into the Numbered Oasis tomorrow. Starting tomorrow, you'd earn what rankers are used to earning. So I don't think you'll have to do jobs meant for non-rankers starting tomorrow."
Miranda smiled and started walking toward the exit of the battle ring. The energy shield that had been raised over the battle ring was dispersed and Miranda walked out.
After Miranda's departure, Eren used his mana imprint to consume a recovery potion, which healed his most serious wounds in no time. Rankers had accelerated regeneration compared to mortals. So the non-serious wounds he had on his body would recover on their own in a few hours.
Eren didn't want to waste any more flesh recovery potion on himself for minor injuries that were going to get mended for free. He was about to follow Miranda's footsteps and leave the battle ring when he sensed a presence approaching from behind him.
"You made me lose 50 mana quartz, you know that?"
Rhea greeted Eren in a complaining voice as soon as he turned around. Ekay was walking behind Rhea while looking at Eren with a smile on his face.
"Hm? How did I do that?"
Eren asked with puzzled expressions. Rhea was busy showing displeasure on her face so Ekay had to step up.
"Hahaha. She lost the bet with me, Eren. she had believed that you wouldn't last 3 minutes against our captain. But you did. Guess how much she had put as a wager for this bet?"
Eren finally understood as he looked at Rhea with an incredulous expression.
"How… how can you afford to put that much amount on a silly game, Rhea?"
Rhea's frown vanished as she noticed Eren's question. She chuckled and looked at Ekay before answering.
"Hehe. You need to stop thinking like a non-ranker, Eren. Although the amount seems big, it is not something you wouldn't recover in a few days from working in Gilaahan.
I was kidding earlier of course. However, you surprised us with your performance. How did you learn to fight like a ranker within just three months without any proper experience?"
Although Rhea had underestimated Eren and was treating him as a non-ranker all this time, she didn't dislike him. And now that he had become a ranker and fought excellently with their captain, her views of Eren had changed once again.
Eren flashed a grin listening to Rhea's question before replying with a simple answer.
"Practice."
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