Second World

The staff asked for Jackʼs general information and recorded everything, similar to when Jack had applied at the Adventurers and Hunters Association. After verifying Jackʼs Warrior class, Jack was instructed to head further inside the building. He followed the instruction and came into a room filled with sitting NPCs. Jack was instructed to sit alongside these NPCs until his name was called.

The heck! Why did this feel like the complicated bureaucracy crap from real life? He complained in his mind. But still, he followed the rule as he sat down and waited.

It was around fifteen minutes before his name was called. He was brought into another large room that looked like a training room. There were several wooden dummies, two of these dummies were having a spar with two NPCs.

Someone with glasses approached him and said, ”I am Dormu, your examiner. I was told you want to join our faction? You will need to pass through a series of tests for that. This will be the first test.”

”A series?” Jack asked. ”How many tests would there be?”

”Twelve,” the examiner answered.

”Twelve?” Jack was confounded. ”How long will these tests take?”

”Depends, but generally it takes around two to three days.”

What? I did not have that time! Jack exclaimed in his mind.

ʼHey, Peniel. Do you know it will take this long?ʼ Jack asked in his mind.

”No. The test changes every while. I donʼt know every specific of factionsʼ rules. These series of tests are probably applied under the new administration.”

”Is there a way to shorten the tests to just one day?” Jack asked the examiner.

”No. Even if you perform excellently, you still need two days at least. You may only take six tests on one given day.”

Jack was downcast. Guess he would just have to give up on joining this faction till he was done with the expedition, he thought.

When he was about to tell the examiner, a familiar rough voice was heard.

”I was wondering when you will show up here. I have instructed people to notify me immediately when your name popped out in the registry.”

Jack turned to the source of the voice and found Gruff walking over.

”Gruff?” He asked with a puzzled expression. ”What are you doing here?”

”What do you mean what am I doing here? I work here,” he answered.

”Eh? Arenʼt you with the Themisphere kingdom faction?” Jack asked him in confusion.

”Arenʼt you the same? You are already a member of the kingdom faction but are still applying to join here. Being in a kingdom faction does not limit you from joining a league faction. It does limit your progress in the faction though. As for me, I am mainly an executive member of this League of Champions while being a partial member of Themisphere kingdom faction.”

”Executive? How high is your position in this faction?”

”Why do you ask? Are you trying to have me lobby for you to allow you easy access into this faction?”

”Uh… Is that not possible?” Jack asked with an awkward smile.

Gruff gave him a stern stare. ”boy, what kind of executive do you think I am…?” He said, then gave a wide grin, ”well, thatʼs exactly why I come here after seeing your name! Hahaha.”

Jack paused for a bit before grasping what he said, ”ahaha, you had me for a moment there.”

The two of them laughed for a bit before a voice interrupted, ”did you two take my presence here as empty air?”

Jack and Gruff turned to the examiner who was putting on a steely expression.

”Oh, come on, Dormu. Lighten up! The guy here only has one day, he will be going on an expedition with Duke Alfredo tomorrow. He will have no time to undergo the entry test,” Gruff told Dormu.

”You know about it?” Jack said to Gruff.

”Of course I do, I was even asked to join as well. Unfortunately, my duties here render me unavailable, but my deputy, Bailey, will go on the expedition with you.”

”Bailey was with this faction as well? I thought she was an instructor in the kingdom faction.”

”She is both.”

”You two are pretty busy, being in two factions and also serve as the overseers in the Warrior academy as well.”

”Oh, you donʼt know? The Warrior academy was operated under the League of Champions. The day when you went to take the Warrior test, Bailey and I were coincidentally at the academy conducting the monthly audit. The person in charge of the class change test was here in the headquarter giving his monthly report, so I also handle his job for that day. So as you see, our first meeting was rather fated.”

”Are you two done?” Dormu stood there with an annoyed expression. He felt as if he had been ignored as the two chatted. ”If he has to go somewhere, he can just take the test when he comes back.”

Gruff tried to persuade the examiner again, ”come on, this guy here is a potential recruit. Do you know that the Royal Advisor himself has invited him to join our kingdom faction?”

”I donʼt care if the King himself invited him. A rule is a rule. Everyone should abide by it,” Dormu was adamant.

”Really? Are you telling me that if the king asked you to bend the rule, you really will tell him no?”

”Well, I… thatʼs not the subject here! He should either take the test after he comes back or he quit the expedition.”

”You really are such a hard-shell person. Do remember that I have an executive right to recommend a recruit. The recruit recommended through such a mean would have no need to go through all these red tapes.”

”I remember that such recommendation will also require the support of at least one other executive member, or the approval of the examiner, which in this case, me!”

”Donʼt make me go drag another executive member here, that wonʼt go well for you,” Gruff warned.

”I donʼt respond well to threat, you should know that,” Dormu fired back.

Before things went out of hand, Jack decided to interfere, ”how about this? I did the first test here following the regulation. If I pass this one test, you consider me as passing as a compromise to Gruffʼs executive recommendation. Will that do?”

Gruff gave Dormu a sharp stare. ”Say yes,” he said to the man.

Dormu seemed to be contemplating. He looked at Gruff after a while, who was still giving him the hard stare. Finally, he uttered, ”fine, but he must pass the first test with a flying color!”

”You truly donʼt know how to back down, do you?” Gruff said.

”How will it be considered as flying color? And how is the test conducted, by the way?” Jack asked. He had been observing the two NPCs sparring with the wooden dummies while they were chatting. Interestingly, the fight only went back and forth in a linear manner. He noticed there were lines on the floor, creating lanes along the testing area. The two NPCs never seemed to go out from this lane.

As expected, Dormu explained that the first test was to force the wooden dummy to back off. The participants were not allowed to go out from the narrow lane they were assigned to. Even if their feet touched the line that separated the lane, they would be considered disqualified already. So one would need to fight against the wooden dummy without relying on their movement speed.

The participant would be considered to pass if they managed to push the wooden dummy five meters back. There was another line on the floor marking this five-meter borderline. Then there were another two lines behind it, marking eight-meter borderline and ten-meter one. To be considered passing with flying color, one must fight the wooden dummy while pushing them back to this ten-meter borderline.

Dormu explained that each passing of borderline would cause the wooden dummiesʼ attributes to increase.

”Is everything clear?” Dormu asked. ”Do I have to explain it all again?”

”Can you please give yourself a break and not insult our future prominent member?” Gruff said to him.

”You are pretty confident of him,” Dormu said with a hint of mocking.

”And you sound like you are belittling him a bit too much.”

”I simply never believe a person who is looking for a shortcut is anything but a dud.”

Jack was walking towards one of the wooden dummies as the two were still quibbling.

”Can I start now?” Jack asked them.

”You can start anytime you want,” Dormu answered. ”the dummy will start moving once he received your first hit.”

So it will not move if I did not attack? Wasnʼt that giving him a free first strike? Jack thought. But since the rule gave such an advantage, he would not let it go free.

He unleashed Life Burning Art from the get-go, a fiery aura enveloped his body. He then landed his max-leveled Power Strike squarely on the wooden dummy chest.

The strike hit with a loud boom. The wooden dummy was sent flying across the training room. Passing all the three line-boundaries, and crashing onto the wall on the opposite side of the room.

😉