Alger was seeing, seeing Waye defeat every single student...
Before the fight would begin, Waye would ask for the name of the student he was going to face and about the weapon they used.
After that, he would stand at the centre of the ring and ask them to attack him... Waye could just defeat the student in one shot, but then that would defeat the purpose of the exam.
He used a mundane sabre, although he was really good with a sabre, Alger could tell... it wasn't the weapon Waye used primarily.
After they land the first blow, Waye would stay defensive for 2 minutes, assessing the skill of the person, but after the two minutes are over, he will start attacking them himself.
The maximum time someone has lasted after Waye went offensive is only 5 seconds.
Alger's turn was coming soon... only 5 more people stood in front of him.
Dawn and Ivy had already finished their matches, so they were standing behind everybody. Waiting for Alger's turn so they could spectate. The girl he had seen standing alone was also about to get her chance... Alger wanted to spectate her match, but his own turn was closing in.
After a few minutes, his turn had arrived...
"Next..." said Waye in a nonchalant tone, acting like he wasn't even tired.
Although it was only a little, Waye was shocked seeing Alger....
"What's your name, and what's the weapon of your choice?"
'White hair.....' Waye thought to himself.
"I am Alger Stronghold from the city of Zephyr. I use a katana."
Waye was a little puzzled by the weapon Alger used.
"You're a Tempest Awakened, right? A katana? Why? Wouldn't it be better to use a long-range weapon, like a bow...."
Yes... a bow is supposed to be the best weapon for a Tempest mage, they can control the trajectory of the arrow with the wind, they can increase its speed, and so much more... but I'm not aiming to become just a Tempest mage...
Before Alger could come up with an excuse, Waye spoke.
"Leave it, let's begin, come at me...."
The blonde swordsman unsheathed his long sabre with a sharp, metallic whisper.At the same moment, Alger drew his katana in silence, his movements slow… deliberate.
They stood a few meters apart—still, focused.Around them, a loose circle of students had formed, those whose matches were already over. No one spoke. They simply watched.
Alger's plan was simple: he was going to use his Awakened abilities during the first two minutes to try and defeat the instructor. Apart from using his Conjuror abilities, he would genuinely give it his all, and since he had more Elemental energy than an Awakened, he would perform better.
But after Waye went on the offense, he would act like he got thrown off by the sudden change and fall down.
He could use his Conjuror abilities, but then that would bring him a lot of attention, and he still had to hide the fact that he had more than one gate...
Waye was a little shocked after seeing the boy unsheathe his katana...
'A Conjuror Katana.... his clothes tell me he isn't from a rich family, but then he casually unsheathes a Conjuror Katana....' said Waye to himself.
'Something is strange about this boy....'
Alger was ready, ready to lose.
He began walking toward Waye—slowly at first—then picked up speed with each step.By the time he was sprinting, his katana was already raised, slicing through the air toward Waye's neck. A clean, killing blow.
But of course, Waye blocked it... effortlessly.
The first two minutes unfolded exactly as Alger had expected: He'd lunge, strike, press forward—And Waye would parry, deflect, block—without breaking a sweat.
'Strange... very strange. Yet not strange.... he has potential, but something is off, there is something wrong with his style...' said Waye to himself in an uneasy tone.
Before Alger knew it, his 2-minute time was up. Waye would now be on the offensive.
Alger stepped back, feigning exhaustion. He panted, shoulders rising and falling as if he were worn out.
He's going to aim for my chest… but he won't kill me. Of course not. So I'll pretend—pretend to panic. I'll fall just as the blade comes close.
And just as Alger had predicted—
Waye surged forward, using his Conjuror ability to launch himself straight at him. Alger made it seem like he tried to deflect his sword, but at the end of it, Alger let himself stumble, thrown off by the sudden burst.
He hit the ground with a grunt. His acting was perfect.
The crowd surrounding the match stirred again, murmuring in low voices as the fight came to an end.
"Damn it! I really thought he could do it!"
"Yeah! Although his Element control was mediocre, his skill with the sword was quite good."
"Hey, he at least lasted 3 seconds, you couldn't even do 2."
"Is it really possible to defeat the Damn instructor!"
"Damn it! It's my turn next!"
Waye glanced at Alger, who was still on the ground, then turned away and began walking toward the center of the ring.
"You can get up now…"
Finally. Alger let out a slow breath. I think I performed quite well...
He pushed himself up, and then turned to look around. In the crowd, he spotted Ivy and Dawn, their faces calm but focused. They blended in with the rest of the spectators, but their eyes had clearly been on him.
He started to go toward them, but just as he took a step forward, a voice called out from behind him.
"Uh, Alger, was it? Before you go, I have a question for you..."
Damn it! What does he want from me now....
Alger slowly turned around...
He saw a blade right in front of his eyes, moving towards his neck...
Alger doubted, doubted if the blade would stop like last time, but it was pointless to think; the fear of death took control of him. He conjured the wind around the blade of his katana and blocked the sabre that was mere inches away from beheading him.
The recoil ended up pushing him back a few meters away, but he used the wind to slow himself down before he lost balance.
Is this guy crazy!? If I didn't use my Conjuror abilities, I would have died!!
"What—"
But before he could complete his sentence, he noticed something, Waye wasn't in front of him... he had disappeared.
There was something behind him; whoever was behind him was thirsty to kill, and Alger felt nothing but the feeling of death coming from behind him. Similar to something he felt 16 years ago, but diluted a thousand times.
Even when he was facing the Tempest Wolf, which was a whole tier above him, he didn't feel fear like this...
Waye was strong, too strong for Alger to handle.
Alger fused Element with his katana,
A mysterious, dull white glow enchanted his katana. When he turned, a sabre was right above his head. He had barely managed to react in time.
And right as he blocked the sabre, Waye disappeared once again...
"Damn it! Just how the hell are you doing that?!"
....Aren't we both Conjurors?! How is he so much more stronger than me?
Alger could see the wind change; a gust of wind would come up, but when Alger turned around to look, nobody was there.
I must think! Damn it! Is he seriously going to kill me?!
Waye appeared once again, but this time he was right in Alger's face.
Waye placed his hand on Alger's stomach and created a burst of wind right there.
Damn it?!
Alger quickly created a charge of wind below his feet, which ended up propelling him upwards.... too high perhaps.
Huh?! I didn't expect it to throw me up this high!
Damn it....
***
A man with dark skin and long braided hair was standing in the middle of the ring; this was Inferno Conjuror Ronan Vale.
Ronan stretched his arms and yawned.
"Finally! Some freedom!"
He had just assessed every single potential student. Apart from one...
A young girl in a light-blue trench coat stood at the edge of the circle, she was walking towards Ronan.
"Excuse me, Sir. But you still haven't taken my exam.", she said in a soft tone.
"Huh? Well, who were you waiting for?! huh? You should have come right after the last match ended." said Ronan, in a disappointed tone.
"I'm sorry, sir."
"Well, anyways, I guess I'll get my freedom after defeating you. Is that a longsword you're holding in your hands?"
The girl nodded,
"Are you ready to lose... uh, I forgot your name, what was it again?"
"I am Rosalind East from Stormhollow. I use a longsword. And as to your first question, I don't plan to lose."
The smile on Ronan's face vanished.
"East, you say? Well, I'm sorry for my rude behavior, princess..."
"You don't have to be, treat me like any other person, over here I'm in the same position as everyone else."
"So you say you'll win no matter what?" He paused, his gaze steady.
"Determination and suicide... are two very different things." He paused, "Or maybe you just said it to sound cool. If that's the case, it's kind of sad—someone else is already stealing your fans."
Ronan looked beyond her, at the place where Waye was fighting. A massive crowd surrounded the ring, and almost all the students who had finished their exams were watching the fight.
Rose slowly turned around to look at the cause of the commotion, but couldn't see anything because of the crowd.
"Don't worry too much about it princess, the kid probably said something Waye found offensive, so he is just beating the crap out of him," he said while laughing.
"Well, enough laughter, it's time to fight. Come....", the seriousness in his face returned.