Inside Weapon Room 2:
Zen's weapon assigner stood nervously, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She was increasingly weirded out by the young man in front of her; Zen had spent the last three minutes with his eyes sealed shut, neither moving nor speaking.
"Ummm, excuse me, sir?" she tried again, forcing a polite smile. "If you could be kind enough to pick your weapon before the time runs out, that would be wonderful."
Zen ignored her. His mind was a whirlwind of calculations. Mastering Orvex before the next stage is impossible, he thought, but finding the perfect weapon—one that resonates with me—could act as a catalyst for my training speed. He remembered Aiko's lecture: "You and your weapon must become one. Finding a match that fits your soul is the only way to fast-track your progress. That's why I'm a Blaster; I suited the resonance perfectly. This exam tries to limit us by giving us random, weak gear, but if you have a choice, find the one you can feel."
Zen's brow furrowed. Who am I kidding? I'm wasting time. Aiko said only living things have Orvex. Weapons are just cold metal and circuits. She could be lying about half of this anyway... I don't trust her. He stopped, clearing his mind with a sharp mental breath. No. I'm approaching this wrong. If the weapon doesn't have Orvex, I shouldn't be searching the room. I should be searching myself.
Suddenly, Zen's eyes snapped open. Without turning his head, he pointed backward over his left shoulder. "That one," he said firmly.
The assigner jumped, startled by the sudden movement. She looked past him toward the rack he indicated. "The Nova Spire Blaster? Excellent choice. You have exactly twenty seconds to spare. Now, are you sure you—"
"Yes, I'm sure. Hurry," Zen interrupted, his voice clipped.
She quickly retrieved the Nova Spire and handed it over. Zen strapped the sleek, white-and-gold blaster to his back just as the alarm blared, signaling the end of the round. He exited the room and saw his teammates emerging at the exact same moment. He let out a sigh of relief; at least no one had been disqualified for being late.
He glanced at Tsukiko, who was crossing her arms and tapping her foot with a smug grin. "Did you get your special weapon?"
She sighed dramatically. "Yep. Two guys came in a minute after you guys ditched me."
"We didn't ditch you," Aiko retorted, though she followed Zen as he began leading them away from the warehouse.
"They gave me this lighter thing," Tsukiko continued, holding up a small device. "But they said it's one-time use. It releases 'nano-balls' that attach to the target and let out a cloud of gas. Then I toss the lighter, and it explodes in flames."
Ren looked impressed. "Cool."
"No, not cool," Zen corrected sharply. "It's a single-use gimmick, and the weapon is operating at minimum power. Against a real threat, that explosion might leave a minor burn mark at best—unless Tsukiko can channel her Orvex into the blast, which she can't."
The group fell into a tense silence until Hoshizaki noticed Ren's hip. "Wait, Ren, is that a dagger? They didn't tell us we could take support items! That's not fair."
Ren looked down at the small blade. "This isn't a support item. It's my primary weapon."
Zen stopped dead in his tracks, turning around in shock. "You must be joking. You picked a dagger? How is a tiny knife supposed to help us in a frontline combat scenario?"
Ren smirked, puffing out his chest. "You know how good I am with blades. Back home, they used to call me... Dagger Boy."
Zen stared at him, deadpan. "Dagger Boy?"
Ren nodded aggressively. Zen sighed, rubbing his temples. "Nobody calls you that, you liar."
"I'm not a liar, you piece of shit!" Ren snapped.
"Enough, both of you," Aiko stepped between them. "Zen, resonance is key for Orvex. If he feels the dagger is his best match, we have to trust his instinct."
As they returned to the main hall, the L.E.C. stood upon the central platform. "The selection stage is over. Now, we move to the most vital stage: Combat."
He pressed a button, and the floor of the stadium groaned, retracting to reveal a massive, sunken battlefield. The candidates watched in awe—and some in terror—as the arena rose into place.
"For the combat stage, we shall reverse the order," the L.E.C. announced. "Team 42, please make your way to the battlefield."
Ren took a deep breath, his hands shaking slightly. "Okay. Combat. Nothing to fear. Just be vicious."
Up on the pillars, Raizen leaned toward Ayumu. "Well, look at that. Your sister is up first. Once she's done, you can finally relax and watch the others, right?"
Ayumu didn't turn his head. His eyes were glued to the monitor displaying Team 42. "I care for every life in that arena, Raizen. Not just my sister's."
Raizen chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like something you'd say."
On the battlefield, a supervisor tossed a small, metallic sphere into the center of the arena.
"For this stage," the L.E.C.'s voice boomed, "you will face a technological modification of a C-Rank monster. Though it is a replica, its scale is immense, and its body is reinforced steel. Treat it with the same respect you would a living beast."
Hoshizaki let out a nervous laugh, leaning toward Ren. "A replica? Phew. For a second there, I thought we were fighting a real monster."
The L.E.C. pressed a second button. The metallic sphere began to beep and vibrate violently. Zen's team backed away, drawing their weapons and aiming them at the center. The device began to unfold, sprouting long, spindly legs like a spider. At first, it was only the size of a dog.
Ren smiled in relief. "That's not so big."
Then, a cold, synthesized voice echoed from the machine: "Combat Mode: Activating."
Hydraulics hissed and metal groaned as the machine began to expand. It grew taller and wider, its legs lengthening into serrated blades. Its "head" swiveled toward them, glowing with a predatory red light. The transformation didn't stop until it towered over them—a massive, mechanical nightmare of steel and sensors.
The silence in the hall was deafening. Most of the candidates were visibly trembling.
"Transformation Complete," the monster droned.
Hoshizaki's knees buckled. He looked like he was about to pass out before the fight even started.