Chapter 19: Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Rank Up 3
After eating, I didn't have much to do, so I quickly returned to the inn to ensure I wouldn't feel unwell the next day. I took care of various things and went to bed earlier than usual.
The next day, I left the inn earlier than the meeting time to arrive ahead of schedule.
"Good morning, Jin-kun."
"Good morning. Chloe, you look sleepy. Are you okay?"
"Mmm, I'm fine."
Chloe was already at the meeting place, looking a bit drowsy.
"Well, I'm the one taking the test first, so make sure to shake off that sleepiness before then."
"Yes."
"...Are you really okay?"
I said that with a slightly exasperated tone in response to Chloe's lackluster reply.
After a while, Fiene-san came and guided us to the examination site.
The examination hall was located behind the guild, next to the training grounds.
"Today, we made sure no one is at the training grounds, so feel free to fight without worries."
"Thank you for all your help."
"No problem. It's my job to fulfill the requests of partners."
With a slight smile, Fiene-san said that, and we entered the examination hall.
Inside the examination hall, there were already Ricola-san and an unfamiliar woman.
One of them is from the guild judging by her attire. I guess she's our opponent.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Ange, a gold-ranked adventurer."
"Nice to meet you too, I'm Jin, a iron-ranked adventurer taking the test today."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Chloe, also an iron-ranked adventurer."
"Nice to meet you."
Chloe and I greeted Ange, the adventurer who introduced herself, at the same time.
"Hehe, your manners are as good as I heard. Normally, adventurers would make a fuss just because the examiner is a woman."
"Is that so?"
"Especially male adventurers dislike being seen as weak by women. Women, too, worry if they can be properly evaluated based on their true abilities."
Are there really people like that? I was puzzled.
Perhaps it showed on my face, as Ange-san smiled wryly.
After that, Chloe and I received an explanation about the equipment and changed into the provided attire in the dressing room.
"So, the one to undergo training first is... Jin-kun, right?"
"Yes, please take care of me. Just to make sure, it's okay for me to go all out, right?"
With a serious expression, I asked Anju-san, and upon understanding that I wasn't asking in a joking manner, she replied, "Fine."
Upon hearing that, I reconsidered and decided to seriously take on this exam.
Throughout my life as an adventurer, I have only fought seriously once.
Not because I underestimated the situation, but simply because fighting seriously would render the materials of the defeated monsters useless.
That's why I have deliberately restrained my own power in my activities thus far.
However, this time, my opponent is a gold-ranked adventurer.
They are a perfect opponent to test the extent of my seriousness.
"Are you ready then? Jin-san, Ange-san."
"Yes."
"I'm fine."
After confirming with me and Anju-san, Fiine-san, in the next moment, shouted loudly, "Begin the exam!"
Anju-san firmly poised her sword and took a stance as if yielding the initiative to me.
"Hah!"
In that case, I'll take the initiative.
Thinking so, I readied my sword and launched an attack at Ange-san.
At the moment of the attack, I tried to disrupt Anju-san's footing and throw off her posture with earth magic.
"Foolish!"
"Kuh!"
Although I succeeded in disrupting her footing, I couldn't disturb her posture, and our swords clashed as they were.
No matter how cheat-level strong Jin is, the opponent is a gold-ranked adventurer.
There is a slight difference in ability values, and I ended up being pushed back.
"Is this the end? You said something about being serious earlier, didn't you?"
"I'm sorry. It took me a little while to get serious!"
Saying that, I attacked Ange-san using a newly acquired skill, [Body Enhancement], which I recently obtained.
There is almost no difference in the original ability values, and in such a situation, I used a skill to enhance my own abilities.
"Kuh! You're quite something. Seems like you had confidence to say such cheeky things," said Ange-san, smiling.
After that, Ange-san and I continued our relentless back-and-forth, and finally, my sword struck Ange-san's torso directly.
"Guu."
My strike, enhanced by my natural abilities and physical augmentation, seemed to have an effect even through the armor, causing Ange-san to grimace in pain.
"That's enough! The exam is over!" Fiene-san said, and she hurriedly approached Ange-san along with Ricola-san and another staff member.
"Jin-san, that was amazing. Even though you held back, to land a blow on Ange-san and bring her down with that one strike."
"While fighting, I noticed that Ange-san's movements were consistent and predictable, so I simply seized that opening."
Ange-san, my exam opponent, had various restraints placed on her, as she was participating in this exam. Among them was a restriction on her movements, and Ange-san had mostly been executing predetermined actions in the previous match.
By observing her movements, finding an opening, and striking with all my might at the right moment, I achieved nothing more than that.
"Anyway, is Ange-san alright? It made quite a gruesome sound."
"I'm wearing defensive equipment, so I'm not seriously hurt. Please don't worry. However, Chloe-san's exam might take a little more time."
"Ah, I feel bad for Chloe..."
After about ten minutes, Chloe's exam began.
Chloe employed her skill in bewildering her opponents with her movements and launched attacks at Ange-san.
"Nya?!"
However, Ange-san's swordsmanship was magnificent. She perfectly matched Chloe's timing of attack and sent her flying.
In this way, Chloe was unable to land a single blow on Ange-san, and the exam came to an end.
"I couldn't win..."
"Well, don't be too down about it. The exam is determined by our abilities, not just the outcome of victory or defeat. I'm sure Chloe will pass successfully based on her own merits."
"Ugh..."
I gently stroked Chloe's head as she teared up.
After receiving the announcement of the exam results from Fiene-san, we successfully upgraded to "Bronze-class Adventurers."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone