Chapter 16: Military Academy Enrolment (2)
As the battle ensued, a miniature war had erupted. Arthur hid his presence up in the canopies of the large trees. He scanned for weak targets in the different groups before leaping down to knock his targets out. As the numbers dwindled more and more people started to realise the black phantom that would swoop in and knock out their teammates.
'Leo won't be able to hold up the fog much longer. The others are joining the commotion brought by the noise. What to do now?' Arthur calmly assessed the situation. He had 2 options currently, for some reason one of the groups had been targeting him from the get go, it was a bit strange. He could either wipe a few groups out before the fog was diminished or escape.
Looking at his wrist watch he realised there was still 45 minutes to the test, 'This is worth the risk. I need to conserve my energy.' Instigating the fight a little more, he dropped back from the group and headed towards Leo's hiding position.
"Get up. We're leaving. We need to head further into the forest." As Arthur spoke, Leo's body automatically started to rise up from the ground through a hole.
"I'm drained! What took you so long?" Leo moaned, but gulped as he felt the hundreds of powerful people surrounding the forest. The pair ran deeper into the forest, getting away from the clashes of the battles. Arthur knew the aim of this test was to assess the people's decision making - whether they became hungry for battle and lost sight of the goal or if they could retreat when the mission had been completed.
Both Arthur and Leo were in the top 1000. They had no reason to stay and fight for no reason.
However, this survival test was not going to come easy for either of the two F - Rank Hunters.
"Well well Well. We lucked out. Hahahahaha!" A whiny laugh resounded from the side, A group of boys had jumped in front of both Arthur and Leo, blocking off their path.
"I do apologise weaklings, but we shall be taking your rankings. I, Jason Flameborne, will do you the honour of kicking your asses. You see 2 of my boys here need the places you guys have. If you guys surrender there will be no reason for bloodshed. Maybe." A young boy stood in front of them, he announced with an arrogant tone, flicking his hair with his other hand. The boy had long wavy hazelnut hair that matched his orange eyes along with a tall slender figure matching Arthur's stature.
"He's from the Flameborne family. Crap!" Leo cursed, stepping back.
"Yes, Yes he is. He is a direct descendant of the renowned Flameborne Family, known for their powerful control over the element of Fire." Another boy spoke, boosting Jason's ego.
"Praise me more. Hehehe." Jason flicked his hair once more, feeling happy his ego was being stroked.
Arthur shook his head internally, cringing at their display of being third rate villains.
"How about no?" Arthur's body flickered as he suddenly appeared in front of two of the boys. With two consecutive alternating roundhouse kicks, he had knocked out both of Jason's underlings.
"You dare?!" Jason roared, flames starting to appear in his palms. His goons reacted to his uproar, snapping out of their stupor and charging for Arthur and Leo.
"Take this! You rats!" Large balls of flames were thrown at a rapid pace towards the two. Leo frantically raised a water shield, expending over half of the mana he had rejuvenated out of panic.
As Arthur leapt away, he engaged in hand to hand combat with the goons. Grabbing one by his arm, he performed a shoulder throw, then weaved, dodging a kick aimed for his head. Although most had unlocked the mana stat, very few of the nobles could afford powerful skills to use in combat. This made it easier for Arthur as he could feel his body starting to slow down.
"Is that all you got?!" Jason jumped into the fray throwing a corkscrew straight punch at Arthur's forearms.
'Crap. That hurt.' Arthur's arms felt numb, as the flames that had been coating Jason's hand had even burned his clothes down to his skin.
'I'm not taking any chances.'
[Bookmark Activate: 'Rise of the Nobody Soldier']
A surge of power coursed through Arthur, doubling his stats. He grabbed onto his katana, still in its hard plastic sheath. His body blitzed, flickering in front of the dozen boys, knocking them out one by one with his sheathed sword.
"What are you useless bums doing? Get him!" Jason roared, throwing more and more fireballs, only for them to be dodged by Arthur's flickering body.
Leo stepped back, hiding his presence. He focused on taking out the strays of the group that Arthur had missed in knocking out or weakening them for his friend to take out.
This commotion however was not going unnoticed, as several instructors watched the battle from high up in the canopies, hiding their presence.
"That boy has exceptional combat decision making. He must either be a registered Hunter or be from a renowned family. Pull up the data we have on that boy." A bulky man with an eye patch spoke, ordering his subordinate to pass him a tablet with the boy's data on it.
"Mmh. Arthur, no last name. So that rules him out having a powerful background. A registered F Rank Hunter. Keep an eye on the boy." The eyepatched man smiled, handing the tablet back.
Jason's chest heaved up and down, his body shaking from excessive mana exposure.
"How is this possible? Who are you? I don't recognise you from any of the noble families." Jason spoke, recovering as much energy as he could.
Arthur on the other hand, was also on the same boat, but he had a better poker face. His body was creaking like an old cranky machine, his muscles fatigued. He ignored the boy's question, instead grabbed Leo by his arm and started to walk away.
"Where do you think you're going huh? I'm not done with you! Come back here!" The brown-haired boy roared but the duo still didn't turn back to look at him.
He cursed loudly, etching both of their faces into his mind. They would pay for humiliating him.
**
After hiding their presences and staying on the run for the remaining duration of the test, the duo managed to pass and hold onto their rankings.
"Phew. That was a tough test. I'm famished. Want to go grab some food?" Leo sat down on the ground, after the Blue holographic screen appeared in the sky to report that the top 1000 pupils had been accepted into Vanguard Academy, and that they would all be receiving their own separate invites.
"I actually have something to do. I'll see you on the first day. Good job out there." Arthur patted his friend's back, before helping him up. He said his goodbyes before sprinting off. The blonde haired boy couldn't even speak as he stayed there shocked at how his best friend had just left him stranded.
'Guess I'll be busy myself too then hehehehe.' Leo's eyes gleamed as he spotted a pair of beauties from far away.
Well Why was Arthur in such a hurry? Because he would be taking on his first dungeon raid tomorrow. He had been planning this since becoming a proper registered Hunter after taking on his first 10 missions. Arthur had to get stronger fast and the best way to do that was by having intense experiences that would boost his stats. He didn't know what to expect tomorrow but he hoped it would go well.
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