Chapter 52: E-rank!
The remaining two Shadow Stalkers were easy to handle once their stealth was neutralized by the biting chill of Soren’s mana. They were little more than desperate animals trapped in a freezing room.
He flowed through the movements of the Glacial Edge style, his spear carving lines of frost through the dim light.
Within minutes, the charcoal-furred predators were nothing but shattered remains on the alloy floor.
"Wave three: Complete," Vahn’s voice boomed through the speakers. "Congratulations, Hunter Soren. You have passed the E-rank promotion exam."
The overhead lights returned to their sterile glow, but the heavy iron gates at the far end remained open.
"The official test is over," Vahn continued. "However, the simulation can continue as long as you are willing to fight. Do you wish to withdraw, or...?"
Soren leaned on his spear, feeling the steady thrum of his mana core. He was going to face these types of threats in the field sooner or later. The Academy’s mission was a black box of variables, and the more he familiarized himself with different monster archetypes now, the better his chances of survival would be later.
He looked toward the observation glass and nodded. "I’ll continue."
Vahn gave a nod before proceeding to the next wave.
The fourth wave consisted of five Skystrike Drakes. These leathery, winged serpents spat bolts of concentrated kinetic energy.
Soren struggled initially because the verticality of the fight forced him to use Quick Step repeatedly to avoid being pinned by crossfire.
However, once he identified the rhythm of their wing-beats before a dive, he brought them down one by one, grounding them with calculated thrusts to their flight membranes.
The fifth wave brought out a Two-Headed Twin-Core Ogre. As a true mid-boss type monster, the beast was a massive jump in pressure.
The fight dragged on for over ten minutes in a grueling dance of attrition.
The ogre possessed a dual-core system and an ability that allowed it to regenerate limbs almost as fast as Soren could wound them. It also had a ’Battle Cry’ ability, which would instill fear and stun its enemies.
Even though he had Iron Will, Soren was forced to push both his body and mind to the limit, absorbing heavy glancing blows that left his muscles aching and his vision swimming. By the time he pierced both hearts simultaneously, he was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.
"I need a moment to recover," Soren called out.
Vahn granted the respite. Soren sat in the center of the arena, forcing his breathing to stabilize as he assessed his condition. He still had his trump cards, but he caught the glint of the recording cameras embedded in the walls. He looked at his hand, which was trembling slightly from the exertion.
’It’s time to ’finish’ this,’ he thought. ’I’ve shown more than enough.’
When the sixth wave began, the gates released a coordinated pack of six powerful monsters, Steel-Tusk Boars and Venom-Spit Crawlers.
It was a nightmare of heavy armor and long-range toxins.
Soren fought for several minutes, purposefully slowing his reactions just a fraction. However, he made sure to protect his new 20,000-credit armor, taking the brunt of the attacks on his exposed skin.
He allowed a tusk to graze his cheek and purposefully failed to dodge a spray of venom, letting it hit the back of his hand. The burning sensation was sharp, but his Pain Resistance helped him to keep his mind clear. He felt the limits of his current raw output. While he knew he could win if he unleashed his full power or used Adrenaline Rush, he chose to play the part of a hunter at his breaking point.
"I-I’m done!" Soren shouted, rolling away from a charging beast and raising a hand toward the observation deck. "I forfeit!"
The internal gates slammed shut instantly, and the monsters were pulled back by their suppression collars. Soren slumped to one knee, leaning heavily on his ironwood spear, his breath haggard. He looked the part of a man who had narrowly escaped his own hubris.
Behind the glass, Vahn scribbled a final note on his tablet. Soren was a genius, but the forfeit at wave six showed he still had clear boundaries to his power.
"Sensible choice," Vahn’s voice echoed. "Report to the medical bay for a quick patch-up, then head to the front desk. Your E-rank certification will be waiting for you."
"T-Thank you... Examiner Vahn," Soren rasped, his voice barely more than a dry whisper.
He leaned heavily on the ironwood spear, using it as a crutch as he began the long, slow walk toward the exit. Just as he reached the threshold of the heavy iron door, Vahn’s voice echoed through the hall one last time.
"Hunter Soren."
Soren paused, half-turning with a weary tilt of his head.
"Congratulations on your advancement," Vahn said, his tone unusually sincere. "And good luck out there. Don’t let that talent go to waste."
A small, tired smile tugged at the corner of Soren’s mouth. He gave a single, grateful nod and finally stepped out of the arena.
The medical bay was a blur of sterile white and the cool, numbing sensation of high-grade healing salves.
After thirty minutes of treatment and a short, much-needed rest, the sharp pain in his ribs and the burning venom on his hand receded to a dull throb. He changed out of his combat gear, carefully stowing his new armor in his bag, and pulled on his plain, everyday clothes.
He looked like a normal person again, far removed from the frost-covered spearman who had just dismantled a dozen monsters.
He walked to the front desk, where a clerk was already waiting with a stack of digital documents.
"Welcome back, Hunter Soren. Please hand over your current First Circle license and your ID card to finalize the E-rank registration," the clerk said professionally.
Soren reached into his wallet and pulled out the cards. He was about to set them on the counter when his fingers suddenly tensed. His gaze landed on the surname printed in bold letters on his government ID: ...Valmere.
A complex shadow crossed his eyes: a mix of bitterness, old grief, and a cold, lingering sense of rejection. He had spent so much time just being ’Soren’ that seeing the formal surname felt like looking at a stranger’s ID.
"Is it possible," Soren muttered, "to have the license issued with only my... first name?"