Guile left the arena. The mannequin was replaced by the elevator.
Damons stood, his gaze fixed on the training dummy, his mind alert. He scrutinized every detail, searching for a weakness, the best way to inflict maximum damage.
"No mana needed this time… I'll do it my way."
Without a sound, he focused all his attention, ready to strike with precision.
System
YOU ACTIVATE SKILL SHARING -
TARGET: ROYAL RABBIT GUARD
System
YOU TEMPORARILY ACQUIRE THE CRUSHING RABBIT LEAP MARTIAL ART.
A lightning-fast leap forward. Almost invisible.
SWOOSH.
He appeared in front of the dummy… and passed through it.
A clean slash at the throat.
Silence.
No one had yet managed to cut this dummy cleanly.
Everyone froze.
The instructor, eyes wide with surprise, exclaimed with a voice tinged with wonder:
"This is a first since I began as an examiner… No one has ever managed to cut this dummy. This is simply incredible."
Maximilien entered, bow in hand, but the atmosphere seemed to fall a bit.
He took his time, slowly drawing the string, as if struggling to find strength.
The first arrow rose, dragging through the air, far from the speed one would have expected. It hit the target, but without convincing impact.
Unhurried, he shot the second, then the third, all slow, lacking shine, as if each shot drained more of his energy.
Murmurs in the crowd grew louder, mixed with sighs of exasperation.
"Again him…"
"No wonder he's last."
The spectacle was there, but it only confirmed what everyone already knew.
Yet, only Damons had wide eyes, for he alone understood: Maximilien had hit every target with incredible precision… eyes closed.
Only Damons had seen that. He approached.
"You really are a genius. You're probably the best archer among all the candidates."
Maximilien blushed and looked away.
"Thanks…"
Another archer said disdainfully:
"There's nothing special about that, I did better."
Damons replied coldly:
"You're an archer, but you haven't understood anything, and you think you're better."
The archer, annoyed, asked:
"What's your name again?"
"Damons," he answered calmly.
"I'm Boyd," said the archer, "and you'd better remember that name. I will become the best archer."
Damons gently grabbed Maximilien by the shoulder and said confidently:
"Sorry, but it will probably be him, the best archer in the entire history of the players."
Maximilien blushed even more, lowered his head and murmured:
"I can't… I'm too weak for that."
But Damons smiled broadly:
"No, you can do it, I'm sure. So, believe in yourself."
Maximilien shook his head, a bit ashamed:
"Sorry, I've always had a lack of self-confidence…"
Damons placed a hand on his shoulder, his gaze sincere:
"My confidence is confidence in you."
A smile appeared on Maximilien's lips.
"That doesn't mean anything."
The dreaded moment arrived: the holographic combat test.
A bestial roar echoed in the virtual arena, resounding like thunder in the ears of the spectators.
The red mist suddenly parted… and a creature emerged.
It advanced slowly, each step making the digital ground vibrate beneath its feet. Its humanoid body was covered with thick dark fur. Long sharp claws gleamed under the spotlights, ready to tear any careless flesh. But it was its head that chilled the blood of the beginners: a wide, elongated snout with yellowed fangs, and bloodshot eyes. A sinister grin barred its muzzle. A hyena's head.
"A Gnoll…" whispered a candidate, tense.
A rank F monster. Weak, in theory. But here, even one mistake against an F could be terrible.
Around the arena, the candidates took their positions, tense, silent. The calm before the storm.
Everyone knew it was just a test… but to survive in this world, you had to prove you deserved to enter it.
Altaïr was the first to act. With a fluid movement, she summoned icy magic that trapped the Gnoll in a transparent block of ice. Then, with a single gesture, she shattered the frozen prison, reducing the threat to shards.
All the guild envoys present watched, mouths agape.
"Two elements mastered right from the start — that was impressive."
Lucas did not fall behind. He slammed his fist like a war hammer, aiming at the top of the skull with a force that would have shattered stone, pulverizing the gnoll's skull instantly.
Lindel, calm and methodical, waited for the Gnoll to attack. At the precise moment, his axe fell with surgical precision, decapitating the foe.
Meanwhile, Damons and Maximilien talked aside when a boy with a shield approached, stepping back about fifty meters.
"My name is Rick Bart," he introduced with a slight smile.
They exchanged some sincere compliments, signs of a budding respect.
It was Rick's turn. He calmly faced the Gnoll, surprisingly unarmed, only his shield in hand.
The monster launched a furious barrage of blows, but Rick patiently absorbed them, his shield taking each impact without flinching.
Then, in a flash, he delivered a precise sweep kick, destabilizing the beast. Taking advantage of this imbalance, he propelled his shield with devastating power.
The Gnoll was thrown back a meter, its brutal fall breaking its neck on the ground.
The fight ended with a clean victory.
A stroke of luck? That's what everyone thought.
But Damons, intrigued, discreetly queried his system.
[System] Skill detected: Damage Reflection. All damage received is reflected physically or magically.
"Wow, I can really see other people's skills? You're even more incredible than classic systems," whispered Damons.
The system replied, cold and direct:
"Obviously."
Maximilien went next. Weak in strength, he struggled, but his determination hit the mark. After two long minutes, he defeated the Gnoll by piercing its skull with a salvo of precise arrows.
When Damons was finally called, he decided to test his stealth for the first time. He almost completely blended into the air, approaching the monster silently. In less than twenty seconds, a double dagger strike, first under the chin then in the skull, ended the fight.
Several candidates succeeded one after another in the virtual arena. One by one, they faced the Gnoll, that twisted silhouette monster, with sharp claws and beastly laughter. Most failed, violently thrown outside the zone or giving up under pressure. A few managed to defeat it… but at the cost of severe injuries and short breath.
And finally, the last candidate stepped forward.
An insolent smile at the corner of his lips, a confident gait. His name echoed in the arena:
"Boyd, the archer."
He stopped a few meters from the monster and proudly raised his bow. Then, in a theatrical tone, he declared:
"Behold the strength of the future greatest archer of this generation. I will surpass even the legendary Syvarenn family!"
Around him, sighs rose.
"He's overdoing it…"
"Always him and his big speeches…"
"Tsss, let him get eaten."
But Boyd did not listen.
The Gnoll let out a hoarse growl and pounced on him like a raging beast, claws out.
Boyd, however, remained perfectly still.
Then, in a fraction of a second, he raised his bow and shot two arrows at lightning speed.
CRACK!
The projectiles exploded the monster's fingers, disarming it instantly.
Without losing momentum, Boyd spun around, a large graceful and precise rotation, then released two more arrows — directly into the Gnoll's eye sockets.
SHLUK! SHLUK!
The monster screamed in pain, staggered back, blinded.
Boyd nocked a fifth arrow, aimed at the forehead…
FWIP!
And drove the projectile into the center of the skull.
The Gnoll collapsed, dead stiff.
He still had one arrow left.
A sneering smile appeared on his face. He drew his bow one last time, aimed… low.
TWACK!
The arrow cruelly lodged in the already down monster's sensitive parts.
Boyd raised his arms, triumphant, under the stunned gaze of the spectators.
"See that? That's genius. And you there, you really think that loser can surpass me?!"
He pointed at Damons with his chin, mocking.
The boy answered simply, without raising his voice:
"Yes. I'm sure of it."
Boyd's smile twisted. He growled, teeth clenched.
Test results against the Gnoll:
• Altaïr: 4 seconds
• Lucas: 5 seconds
• Lindel: 10 seconds
• Rick: 1 minute 05
• Maximilien: 2 minutes 10
• Damons: 20 seconds
• Boyd: 21 seconds
• …..
• ...…
• .....
The instructor spoke solemnly:
"Your results will be communicated in three days. Those who pass will receive their rank and hunter card."
Damons, smiling, said to his companions:
"Well, see you in three days, guys!"
Maximilien, a bit embarrassed, murmured:
"I doubt we'll see each other again after this…"
Rick added, hope in his voice:
"I hope all three of us get accepted."
Damons didn't get discouraged:
"Come on, don't be defeatist! No matter the result, we'll exchange contacts that day."
Maximilien, delighted, replied with a big smile:
"Even if I fail, I'll still pass. It was cool fighting with you."
Rick nodded in agreement.
They parted ways, each returning to their tasks. Damons went home, tired but light-hearted. This test was finally behind him.