[OP: ]
"..."
"What…?"
"What was… that?"
"Ohhhhhhh!"
The people in the wide room observing the general examinees were either speechless or so surprised by the scene before them that loud cheers just came out of their mouths unintentionally.
Chry, Zoe, and prince Alph were on the screen and the giant bull that was standing before them was now on the ground, dead with a hole going straight from his head to the back.
The creature was now turning into blue particles and vanishing as the three of them just continued walking forward.
The general grading team was surprised but the situation was different in the dark room where they were observing the members of the student council…
"Change the angle!" The young sounding female voice shouted as soon as the screens were covered by the flash of light.
"It's the same with every one of them!" The deep male voice replied with astonishment but the young female voice was still focused on them.
"Damn it!" She hurriedly sat down on her chair, put her hand on the transparent magic crystal ball before her, put some Mana in it, and manipulated a few things.
And as she did that, the boy who was laughing with great bliss stopped and looked at the new screen with a new pleased smile.
"That's a rare sight."
On this new green screen, they could see what happened when the screens were blacked out. And it was slowed down by a great time so it was even easier for them to understand.
It was shocking but the bull did move from its place and initiated his skill [Flame rush] in which its speed should have been too great to even react for high-ranking adventurers.
It was a skill that generally terrorized the adventurers but even though the skill was activated, Chry had released his stance and made a very, very quick thrust just when the bull was airborne.
His movement was quick, quick enough to surprise these people who were calling their own student council members only good enough.
It was precise too. Too good for any beginner.
But the actual stuff was what happened after that.
"I have only seen that creature once but I can tell this one's the same skill as that… just that in a controlled diluted state." The authoritative female voice was calm this time, and there was a hint of nostalgia in it.
"But can we control the skill output like that?" A new male voice that had a natural tone expressed their confusion and the boy with beastly ember gold eyes nodded at the gentleman.
"It is possible. Difficult to master and needs help from someone who can control the skill magic circle engraved on the physical body but once finished, one can command a skill as if it's a part of their body.
In the east, people call this process [Formation of individual techniques].
And I can tell the one that boy Chryses used must have been mastered impeccably~."
His praise was rare, even more in matters involving the sword and pure arts.
This was surprising for everyone but, the girl who showed them all that, only sighed in exhaustion.
"His master, the young master from Heliox, that crazy bastard who vanished with his new fiancee… as I thought, there's more to him than just the wild rumors."
Her strong voice brought everyone back to their main work and topic.
They were there to grade the performance of the council members, not the ordinary examinees.
So, they looked ahead and focused on their main topic, which was if the paper dummies would work as she had predicted or not.
The first group defeated the giant bull and even collected the rare jade grass from among the endless wild grass, earning more points and boosting their scores.
Zoe and prince Alph were being carried around by Chry but both of them also needed those points so prince Alph told Chry about the treasures and Zoe enjoyed the free bus ride.
She was having fun experiencing all this and from the spectator's perspective, she really seemed just like an ordinary lady being escorted by a good knight.
So that was them.
And the moment that the people of the dark room wanted, had manifested on the other side of the island...
A different group of four was now nearing the area intersecting with a (Three tail gorilla).
They watched as the group was ambushed by the huge monkey and this group consisting of a tank, a damage dealer, a mage, and a healer, still couldn't contend with the illusion of that physically powerful (Blue) ranked creature.
They fought bravely, received wounds, fell back, and tried with all their might but they couldn't defeat the monster that had force so powerful that the ground around them was already in tatters.
It was tough, the gorilla was strong, and its blue fur was metallic and resilient. It had physical skills, as well as magical defense.
It was strong, and there was no prodigy or rising star among this good group of examinees. So, at the end when they were pushed to the wall, covered in physical wounds, their whole being aching with pain, and hearts given up…
-Ooooooooooooooong!
Suddenly, they saw something on a distant tree spark, and the very next moment when the creature was dealing his final blow, he fell.
-Thud.
It was strange how the creature suddenly fell, even more because there was no new visible wound on his body or anything like that. It just fell, lifeless, cold, and its eyes still open, as if the sudden death was unexpected even for him.
It was mysterious and they didn't get what just happened. But the spectators in the dark room were different.
They watched the fight from start to finish from many different angles and one thing they focused on was the paper talisman doll.
That thing didn't react to the happenings and stayed still till the very last moment, and at the same time, the boy on the other screen had also stopped on a tree branch, his eyes closed, as if he was thinking, or observing something.
He didn't react till things were just right, the group had done everything in their power, had done their best, and had shown almost everything they could.
And only when they had given up in true meaning, did the paper doll react and shot a beam of simple Mana, so powerful and thin that neither did it leave any mark after piercing and actually obliterating the creature's brain from the inside, nor did it make even a hint of sound for them to perceive what had happened.
From their, as well as the general grading panel's perspective, the creature which was already covered in wounds thanks to their genuine efforts, fell down because their excruciating efforts had paid off.
As it turned to particles of light, the festive atmosphere the four survivors felt was like the greatest achievement of their lives.
They faced a challenge, gave their all, tried everything they could, stayed true to their party members, and fell after trying. They gave up, but their efforts had paid them off.
The creature was dead, and they had won the battle.
They were victorious, at least in their small world, and in that special moment.
For the spectators of dark room who at least knew they weren't the ones to finish the creature, the whole scenario was absurd. Even more for the group who knew what had actually happened.
The spectators in the dark room were shocked that the girl's theory was correct but even more so over how the boy on the screens did the things that he did.
"He just helped them, didn't he…?" The girl's voice, the one who had proposed how things would play out, was the only thing echoing in this dead-calm room.
Not even the cheerfully laughing boy was saying anything and just watched the boy on the screen with a convinced happy smile.
"That boy is good… like gooooood-good." The authoritative female voice that had only sounded strict, now seemed very different.
"Alright. That's good enough for me. Full points from my side." The deep male voice that seemed sharp-witted from the start was now saying something absurd like her.
The speechless people in the room could also only stare at the four who could react to the happenings.
Their tongues had partially left them so they could only stare at things in a daze.
It was fascinating for some, absurd for others, confusing for a few, and for the girl and boy looking at the screens, it was something they weren't expecting today even in their wildest dreams.
Things were silent and a moment passed like that. And the voice that broke the tranquil silence was not a voice present in the room.
[ "Hahaha~! Isn't he amazing?" ]
It was the headmaster, and they all came to their senses as soon as they heard this unforgettable voice of the person they would love to beat up with their own hands someday.
[ "He is good… actually, his partner is just as special as him too. Only that small island with scattered creatures and weak monsters isn't her cup of tea.
You will definitely see something exciting when the two go into the bonus dungeon though. Khahaha~!" ]
He was happy. Genuinely happy. And his words made every one of their eyes widen.
"That…! Is that why the two…?!" With her emerald eyes wide open, she looked back at the screens in shock, finding the words from the headmaster preposterous.
"Ohhh! That's why they were running towards each other! Damn, I love them already~! Hahaha!"
They all were now in a new chaos that came totally out of the blue. But the words of the headmaster happily continued.
[ "The two are special. More than you all think~. Hmm… right. They will reach that point in a bit. Watch closely everyone~. Another fun thing is coming~." ]
The voice vanished after that and the spectators looked back at the screen.
It was almost an hour since the exam started so the sun was setting over there.
It would soon be night and the two of them who were running towards each other from the start of the exam were soon going to meet.
But before that would be the shadow doppelganger zone.
They will face each other sooner and it would sure be fun to see how they deal with them but none, not a single one of them, had thought things would play out like… this?
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