Chapter 56
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In the private seating area, there were two entourages gathered nearby one another.
One group was centered around a young brash-looking woman dressed in fine but functional clothes - a loose-fitting pants along with a flowing blouse that would not hinder her movements in battle. Her facial features were refined, looking like a westerner in appearance instead of the locals. However, her skin was a beautiful tanned brown and her hair was raven black, glistening in health even in the shade where she was seated. She looked to be of mixed blood.
She was holding a hand to her mouth to keep herself from laughing too loud at he comical scene happening down below. She held her stomach with the other hand as her chest expanded and contracted together with her explosive laughter!
The other gathering of people were congregated around a boy with a sword-like aura. He gave off the feeling that if one were to cross him, they would be immediately struck down by the hand-and-a-half bastard sword hanging from his belt. He stood straight as a reed with the dignity of a ruler, even as his hawk-like eyes peered down with disdain upon everyone and everything he laid his eyes on. Despite his serious expression, there were still hints of innocence and naivete in his face, not quite erased due to his young age of 17 years old.
He on the other hand was not amused at all at the scene that had played out; a scene that besmirched the honour of his great house which ranked behind only the de Caldis Dukedom!
Vignis Jamal of the Jamal family and Leocadius Trenel of House Trenel.
The domineering girl bore a fiery gaze as she looked down at the debacle occurring in the field. She stood aloof from the preliminaries as she had already been a finalist in the last selection 2 years ago. Similarly, the member of the noble House of Trenel standing nearby also had no need to prove himself in battle against the other weak juniors. Only Natalie Sarouneh who had just turned 15 had to go through the pre-selection rounds to establish her status as a top talent of the city. As she was the youngest of their batch of 2nd or 3rd children of each of the noble houses, she had not been eligible to take part in the previous selection with the rest of her slightly older peers.
Vignis had a rakish grin on her face as she leered at Leocadius - Leo for short - out of the corner of her eye. "Since when have your operations been so weak...? A mere boy can disrupt your highly lucrative slave business...?" She had a slight hint of acid in her tone as she spoke, clearly showing her distaste for the flesh-trade that was rampant in this city.
Each of the four noble families was aware of what the other were doing, whether they agreed with the activities or not. However, there was also an unspoken understanding - they were not to intrude on the others' areas whether for better or for worse.
Leo was silent as his eyes continued to glare at the young and confident boy she was speaking about. Then he smiled slightly and turned around to return to his comfortable and soft recliner. Despite the chair being so luxuriously lush, he did not lean back but maintained his sword-like posture, sitting up straight as he spoke.
"I care not. In a field there are many ants. The gardener need not kill them one by one."
A dangerous glint flashed in the teenager's eyes as he smiled.
Vignis shrugged, then returned to her seat.
She was about to take a sip of her drink when it suddenly occurred to her.
'I haven't seen Astrid yet... Where could she be? I hope she's not pranking anyone again...' But contrary to her words, Vignis had an expression of mirth and delight as she looked forward to seeing the next big antics that the only daughter of the Estreya family had in store.
* * * * *
"Ahem. Ladies and gentlemen, I assume you are all here in the right place for the junior's preliminary tests. If you are above 17 years and 9 months old AS OF TODAY, please be informed - YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED!" The refined gentleman making the announcement spoke politely but firmly.
"This is your last chance - please make sure you are in the right testing area according to your age."
The rather pleasant-looking administrator looked around for awhile then resumed his speech.
"Alright. I take it that everyone remaining is qualified for the tests. Let us begin!"
He waved to the stadium crew who were all dressed in uniform brown robes. On the front of the robes there was an emblem of a single fist in a gauntlet clutching a rose - the sign of House Trenel.
The men and women quickly scrambled to pull back multiple black cloths laid covering about 35 pieces of equipment. The equipment consisted of a stable 4-legged metal frame forming the base for a long drum-like measurement apparatus.
"The first test, as announced, shall be the strength test! The rules are simple! Each registrant will be called out one by one according to your registration number! From the moment you are called, you will be given 1 minute to strike the Strength Measurement Machine (SMM)! Then we will call out the next set of 35 numbers; at that time, the first batch of testees must leave the testing area and return to the waiting area. The highest scores for each testee will be recorded and the top 1,024 candidates will continue on to the next round; while for each subsequent round, the number of candidates proceeding will be half again - that is, 512, 256, 128 and finally 64 contestants to enter the finals in 2 day's time!"
He paused to allow the registrants a moment for the information to sink in. He was met with multitudinous soft murmurs that, when put together, became like a loud rumble! The various contestants gather looked around, nervous and wondering whether they would be among those who could continue on to the end of these preliminaries.
As each test was on a different area of ability, it would be exceedingly difficult even if one were an expert - the requirement was for the testee to be a master in 5 different areas! Namely, strength, running speed, agility, reaction speed and a combat assessment - all testing completely different things!
The dignified administrator held up his hand, demanding silence. The sounds of the voices quickly faded as everyone paid rapt attention to his explanation.
"I understand that there will be those who are not local to Gorun. You may not know of the Gorun Stadium's impeccable reputation for integrity! Don't worry about any party cheating! On top of a senior representative from each family to check the results, we even have a special guest from the de Caldis family as our honorary judge! Rest assured! Everything will be run in a completely transparent and above-board manner! This is guaranteed on the honour of the Kingdom of the Sands!"
At this statement, the crowds burst into cheers; there were truly those who worried that foul play would occur to whittle down the number of participants and favour those who had "friendships" or "given gifts" to the right parties!
Without waiting for the noise to settle down, he spoke loudly to great tumult - "May the best contestant prevail! Let the tests begin!"
With that, the stadium crew began calling out numbers for candidates to step forward.
As he watched the first batch of candidates hurriedly approach the testing machines, Lars was calculating mentally.
'Based on 1 minute per round and 35 people per batch... It should take about an hour to finish the first test. If each of the tests takes about the same amount of time...'
He frowned.
'Then that means I'll be here for almost 5 hours?'
He furrowed his brows further.
He was going to be so late for the appointment with the Estreya quest awarder!
* * * * *
Lars watched as the candidates went up to record their strength levels.
Batch by batch they went, and he took note of the average scores.
There was also a humongous 4-sided magical screen suspended above them, held up by a immense suspension cables attached to the lattice of the Gorun Stadium's ceiling.
The lattice that made up the roof was constructed of criss-crossed metal beams etched with many defensive and utility formations; the most important being one that allowed the lattice to convert into a roof against the rain.
On the screen, the top 1,000 scores were shown:
1. #882 - 2,747 points
2. #979 - 2,619 points
3. #557 - 2,599 points
.
.
.
840. #1124 - 489 points
As there were only 24 batches of candidates so far, every person tested was automatically in the top 1000.
The top performers were as expected - those with heavy builds or powerful frames. But there were exceptions.
3rd ranked: #557 Darius. An average sized and average height boy with short black hair. He appeared unimpressive - but the moment he built up strength for a punch, a sense of threat lanced through Lars' senses. This was despite the boy being only at the low-Elite level!
And when he slammed his fist into the face of the drum-like measurement portion, a resounding *BANG!* was heard. He released tremendous power despite his much smaller frame, taking 3rd place and remaining there until now!
'Hmm... Likely a bloodline mutation...? Or perhaps a form of atavism, awakening an ancient bloodline...' Lars pondered as he admired the talents he could see here
Well, there was one bigger surprise.
It was the tantrum-throwing, stuck-up and spoiled brat, Natalie Sarouneh.
When her number was called, she walked forward with a laid-back attitude, as if not worried that she was wasting precious seconds of her already scant time!
She even stopped to glare pointedly and hatefully at Lars as if challenging him and daring him to one-up her! But Lars ignored her and maintained a neutral expression.
She scowled in anger when she saw his lack of response, then stormed forward to the machine.
Then she didn't even build up her strength before letting out a vicious claw attack.
Images of a red dragon emerged, appearing illusory and threatening though also slightly indistinct.
It reared up behind her as if were about to devour the 9 planets and swallow the sun, then it snaked around her arm as she struck out.
*BAAMMM!!!!!!!* The thunderous sound of a great impact resounded through their surroundings, startling the other testees who were in the middle of their motions. Two of the contestants were even interrupted mid-swing, causing them to falter mid blow and end up missing the machine entirely!
Then the screen hanging in mid-air flashed as the rankings changed extensively.
Her contestant ID rose up and up and up non-stop, shooting up past the 800s, then the 500s. It did not slow down as it crossed the 200s and then pipped the 100th placed contestant, much to the dismay of the person knocked out of his top 100 rank.
By now, every single contestant and even the staff were watching entranced and excitedly waiting to see just how high the dragon-girl would rise in the standings! At the same time, those who were in the top 100, top 50s and top 10 were watching anxiously and hoping to maintain a high ranking.
After all, being highly placed had two benefits. First, it meant that one was among the most capable amongst their rivals. Second, it would give them great exposure and fame, possibly to be recruited by a wealthy noble house.
And if they were ranked in the top 10 in any of the areas, perhaps they would even be offered a contract by one of the Four Great Houses of Gorun city!
An even higher dream would be to be in the top 3. Based on the past few competitions, all of the top 3 contestants were personally scouted to join the true powerhouses of the continent, one of the Five Great Sects, of which the closest to home were the Great Tree Sect and the Crimson Fire Sect!
Natalie's name rose continually, rising above the top 75th place, then the #50. It still didn't stop, making those who were in the top ranks nervous.
Finally it crossed the top 10 position and stopped - at #2! The slim and pretty girl with the air of a dragon-lady was ranked number 2 out of all the contestants so far! The score rose up all the way to 2,742 points, just a hair's-breadth behind the number 1 ranked contestant, mountain-man Reshmont!
1. #882 - 2,747 points
2. #1010 - 2,742 points
3. #979 - 2,619 points
4. #557 - 2,599 points
.
.
.
841. #1124 - 489 points
"OMG..."
"How can that be possible!?" A muscular looking youth spilled his water as he crushed the cup in his hand as he was leap-frogged by the young lady.
"Truly a genius among geniuses..."
"The rumours must be true! The dragon ancestor's blood must flow through the veins of the Sarouneh family!"
"Look how relaxed she was! I bet if she tried just a little harder, she'd easily be number! No, she'd easily surpass last year's high score at 3,000 points!"
The buzz of countless voices gossiping about the incredible scene filled the arena. Everyone was shocked and standing in awe at her majestic and amazing display of might!
As the proud noble daughter walked away from the testing area, she raised her head proudly and basked in the attention given her.
"Congratulations, young miss! You are truly the sun that shines in the sky! Your glory cannot be hidden!"
"As expected of the grand genius of our Sarouneh House! Young miss, you truly bring make us proud to be your servants!"
The two girls who accompanied her showered praises onto the girl who was by now as proud as a peacock showing off her plumage.
Then she fired a provocative glare at Lars and Charley who was already hiding behind him. The scheming boy dared not even show his face as he feared that he would piss his pants on the spot!
"Hey." Lars spoke to him, curious as to why Charley had so daringly accepted the challenge from someone who could look on the whole 2,000 contestants with disdain from her lofty position up top.
Charley cowered behind him, voice shaking as he asked, "W-w-w-w-what...?!" with irritation in his voice.
"Did you know that she's this strong...?"
"No way bro! How would I know she would awaken her bloodline so young? Normally it only awakens after the age of 25! If I had known... Crap crap crap CRAP!!! What am I going to do?!?" He sweated profusely and looked pale as he frantically glanced around to look for an escape, panicking.
Unfortunately, there was no escape; and old man Wesley had left with the other older contestants to another venue for the seniors' exam!
Lars chuckled, then patted him on the back, reassuring him.
"Don't worry, since you've promised me to be my servant for 100 years, I'll definitely keep my part of the deal and win for you. Oh, right, it's my turn. Relax!" He said as he walked forward, hearing his number called.
Lars grinned.
He looked forward to the seeing the girl's expression once he was done.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
In the private seating area, there were two entourages gathered nearby one another.
One group was centered around a young brash-looking woman dressed in fine but functional clothes - a loose-fitting pants along with a flowing blouse that would not hinder her movements in battle. Her facial features were refined, looking like a westerner in appearance instead of the locals. However, her skin was a beautiful tanned brown and her hair was raven black, glistening in health even in the shade where she was seated. She looked to be of mixed blood.
She was holding a hand to her mouth to keep herself from laughing too loud at he comical scene happening down below. She held her stomach with the other hand as her chest expanded and contracted together with her explosive laughter!
The other gathering of people were congregated around a boy with a sword-like aura. He gave off the feeling that if one were to cross him, they would be immediately struck down by the hand-and-a-half bastard sword hanging from his belt. He stood straight as a reed with the dignity of a ruler, even as his hawk-like eyes peered down with disdain upon everyone and everything he laid his eyes on. Despite his serious expression, there were still hints of innocence and naivete in his face, not quite erased due to his young age of 17 years old.
He on the other hand was not amused at all at the scene that had played out; a scene that besmirched the honour of his great house which ranked behind only the de Caldis Dukedom!
Vignis Jamal of the Jamal family and Leocadius Trenel of House Trenel.
The domineering girl bore a fiery gaze as she looked down at the debacle occurring in the field. She stood aloof from the preliminaries as she had already been a finalist in the last selection 2 years ago. Similarly, the member of the noble House of Trenel standing nearby also had no need to prove himself in battle against the other weak juniors. Only Natalie Sarouneh who had just turned 15 had to go through the pre-selection rounds to establish her status as a top talent of the city. As she was the youngest of their batch of 2nd or 3rd children of each of the noble houses, she had not been eligible to take part in the previous selection with the rest of her slightly older peers.
Vignis had a rakish grin on her face as she leered at Leocadius - Leo for short - out of the corner of her eye. "Since when have your operations been so weak...? A mere boy can disrupt your highly lucrative slave business...?" She had a slight hint of acid in her tone as she spoke, clearly showing her distaste for the flesh-trade that was rampant in this city.
Each of the four noble families was aware of what the other were doing, whether they agreed with the activities or not. However, there was also an unspoken understanding - they were not to intrude on the others' areas whether for better or for worse.
Leo was silent as his eyes continued to glare at the young and confident boy she was speaking about. Then he smiled slightly and turned around to return to his comfortable and soft recliner. Despite the chair being so luxuriously lush, he did not lean back but maintained his sword-like posture, sitting up straight as he spoke.
"I care not. In a field there are many ants. The gardener need not kill them one by one."
A dangerous glint flashed in the teenager's eyes as he smiled.
Vignis shrugged, then returned to her seat.
She was about to take a sip of her drink when it suddenly occurred to her.
'I haven't seen Astrid yet... Where could she be? I hope she's not pranking anyone again...' But contrary to her words, Vignis had an expression of mirth and delight as she looked forward to seeing the next big antics that the only daughter of the Estreya family had in store.
* * * * *
"Ahem. Ladies and gentlemen, I assume you are all here in the right place for the junior's preliminary tests. If you are above 17 years and 9 months old AS OF TODAY, please be informed - YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED!" The refined gentleman making the announcement spoke politely but firmly.
"This is your last chance - please make sure you are in the right testing area according to your age."
The rather pleasant-looking administrator looked around for awhile then resumed his speech.
"Alright. I take it that everyone remaining is qualified for the tests. Let us begin!"
He waved to the stadium crew who were all dressed in uniform brown robes. On the front of the robes there was an emblem of a single fist in a gauntlet clutching a rose - the sign of House Trenel.
The men and women quickly scrambled to pull back multiple black cloths laid covering about 35 pieces of equipment. The equipment consisted of a stable 4-legged metal frame forming the base for a long drum-like measurement apparatus.
"The first test, as announced, shall be the strength test! The rules are simple! Each registrant will be called out one by one according to your registration number! From the moment you are called, you will be given 1 minute to strike the Strength Measurement Machine (SMM)! Then we will call out the next set of 35 numbers; at that time, the first batch of testees must leave the testing area and return to the waiting area. The highest scores for each testee will be recorded and the top 1,024 candidates will continue on to the next round; while for each subsequent round, the number of candidates proceeding will be half again - that is, 512, 256, 128 and finally 64 contestants to enter the finals in 2 day's time!"
He paused to allow the registrants a moment for the information to sink in. He was met with multitudinous soft murmurs that, when put together, became like a loud rumble! The various contestants gather looked around, nervous and wondering whether they would be among those who could continue on to the end of these preliminaries.
As each test was on a different area of ability, it would be exceedingly difficult even if one were an expert - the requirement was for the testee to be a master in 5 different areas! Namely, strength, running speed, agility, reaction speed and a combat assessment - all testing completely different things!
The dignified administrator held up his hand, demanding silence. The sounds of the voices quickly faded as everyone paid rapt attention to his explanation.
"I understand that there will be those who are not local to Gorun. You may not know of the Gorun Stadium's impeccable reputation for integrity! Don't worry about any party cheating! On top of a senior representative from each family to check the results, we even have a special guest from the de Caldis family as our honorary judge! Rest assured! Everything will be run in a completely transparent and above-board manner! This is guaranteed on the honour of the Kingdom of the Sands!"
At this statement, the crowds burst into cheers; there were truly those who worried that foul play would occur to whittle down the number of participants and favour those who had "friendships" or "given gifts" to the right parties!
Without waiting for the noise to settle down, he spoke loudly to great tumult - "May the best contestant prevail! Let the tests begin!"
With that, the stadium crew began calling out numbers for candidates to step forward.
As he watched the first batch of candidates hurriedly approach the testing machines, Lars was calculating mentally.
'Based on 1 minute per round and 35 people per batch... It should take about an hour to finish the first test. If each of the tests takes about the same amount of time...'
He frowned.
'Then that means I'll be here for almost 5 hours?'
He furrowed his brows further.
He was going to be so late for the appointment with the Estreya quest awarder!
* * * * *
Lars watched as the candidates went up to record their strength levels.
Batch by batch they went, and he took note of the average scores.
There was also a humongous 4-sided magical screen suspended above them, held up by a immense suspension cables attached to the lattice of the Gorun Stadium's ceiling.
The lattice that made up the roof was constructed of criss-crossed metal beams etched with many defensive and utility formations; the most important being one that allowed the lattice to convert into a roof against the rain.
On the screen, the top 1,000 scores were shown:
1. #882 - 2,747 points
2. #979 - 2,619 points
3. #557 - 2,599 points
.
.
.
840. #1124 - 489 points
As there were only 24 batches of candidates so far, every person tested was automatically in the top 1000.
The top performers were as expected - those with heavy builds or powerful frames. But there were exceptions.
3rd ranked: #557 Darius. An average sized and average height boy with short black hair. He appeared unimpressive - but the moment he built up strength for a punch, a sense of threat lanced through Lars' senses. This was despite the boy being only at the low-Elite level!
And when he slammed his fist into the face of the drum-like measurement portion, a resounding *BANG!* was heard. He released tremendous power despite his much smaller frame, taking 3rd place and remaining there until now!
'Hmm... Likely a bloodline mutation...? Or perhaps a form of atavism, awakening an ancient bloodline...' Lars pondered as he admired the talents he could see here
Well, there was one bigger surprise.
It was the tantrum-throwing, stuck-up and spoiled brat, Natalie Sarouneh.
When her number was called, she walked forward with a laid-back attitude, as if not worried that she was wasting precious seconds of her already scant time!
She even stopped to glare pointedly and hatefully at Lars as if challenging him and daring him to one-up her! But Lars ignored her and maintained a neutral expression.
She scowled in anger when she saw his lack of response, then stormed forward to the machine.
Then she didn't even build up her strength before letting out a vicious claw attack.
Images of a red dragon emerged, appearing illusory and threatening though also slightly indistinct.
It reared up behind her as if were about to devour the 9 planets and swallow the sun, then it snaked around her arm as she struck out.
*BAAMMM!!!!!!!* The thunderous sound of a great impact resounded through their surroundings, startling the other testees who were in the middle of their motions. Two of the contestants were even interrupted mid-swing, causing them to falter mid blow and end up missing the machine entirely!
Then the screen hanging in mid-air flashed as the rankings changed extensively.
Her contestant ID rose up and up and up non-stop, shooting up past the 800s, then the 500s. It did not slow down as it crossed the 200s and then pipped the 100th placed contestant, much to the dismay of the person knocked out of his top 100 rank.
By now, every single contestant and even the staff were watching entranced and excitedly waiting to see just how high the dragon-girl would rise in the standings! At the same time, those who were in the top 100, top 50s and top 10 were watching anxiously and hoping to maintain a high ranking.
After all, being highly placed had two benefits. First, it meant that one was among the most capable amongst their rivals. Second, it would give them great exposure and fame, possibly to be recruited by a wealthy noble house.
And if they were ranked in the top 10 in any of the areas, perhaps they would even be offered a contract by one of the Four Great Houses of Gorun city!
An even higher dream would be to be in the top 3. Based on the past few competitions, all of the top 3 contestants were personally scouted to join the true powerhouses of the continent, one of the Five Great Sects, of which the closest to home were the Great Tree Sect and the Crimson Fire Sect!
Natalie's name rose continually, rising above the top 75th place, then the #50. It still didn't stop, making those who were in the top ranks nervous.
Finally it crossed the top 10 position and stopped - at #2! The slim and pretty girl with the air of a dragon-lady was ranked number 2 out of all the contestants so far! The score rose up all the way to 2,742 points, just a hair's-breadth behind the number 1 ranked contestant, mountain-man Reshmont!
1. #882 - 2,747 points
2. #1010 - 2,742 points
3. #979 - 2,619 points
4. #557 - 2,599 points
.
.
.
841. #1124 - 489 points
"OMG..."
"How can that be possible!?" A muscular looking youth spilled his water as he crushed the cup in his hand as he was leap-frogged by the young lady.
"Truly a genius among geniuses..."
"The rumours must be true! The dragon ancestor's blood must flow through the veins of the Sarouneh family!"
"Look how relaxed she was! I bet if she tried just a little harder, she'd easily be number! No, she'd easily surpass last year's high score at 3,000 points!"
The buzz of countless voices gossiping about the incredible scene filled the arena. Everyone was shocked and standing in awe at her majestic and amazing display of might!
As the proud noble daughter walked away from the testing area, she raised her head proudly and basked in the attention given her.
"Congratulations, young miss! You are truly the sun that shines in the sky! Your glory cannot be hidden!"
"As expected of the grand genius of our Sarouneh House! Young miss, you truly bring make us proud to be your servants!"
The two girls who accompanied her showered praises onto the girl who was by now as proud as a peacock showing off her plumage.
Then she fired a provocative glare at Lars and Charley who was already hiding behind him. The scheming boy dared not even show his face as he feared that he would piss his pants on the spot!
"Hey." Lars spoke to him, curious as to why Charley had so daringly accepted the challenge from someone who could look on the whole 2,000 contestants with disdain from her lofty position up top.
Charley cowered behind him, voice shaking as he asked, "W-w-w-w-what...?!" with irritation in his voice.
"Did you know that she's this strong...?"
"No way bro! How would I know she would awaken her bloodline so young? Normally it only awakens after the age of 25! If I had known... Crap crap crap CRAP!!! What am I going to do?!?" He sweated profusely and looked pale as he frantically glanced around to look for an escape, panicking.
Unfortunately, there was no escape; and old man Wesley had left with the other older contestants to another venue for the seniors' exam!
Lars chuckled, then patted him on the back, reassuring him.
"Don't worry, since you've promised me to be my servant for 100 years, I'll definitely keep my part of the deal and win for you. Oh, right, it's my turn. Relax!" He said as he walked forward, hearing his number called.
Lars grinned.
He looked forward to the seeing the girl's expression once he was done.
In the private seating area, there were two entourages gathered nearby one another.One group was centered around a young brash-looking woman dressed in fine but functional clothes - a loose-fitting pants along with a flowing blouse that would not hinder her movements in battle. Her facial features were refined, looking like a westerner in appearance instead of the locals. However, her skin was a beautiful tanned brown and her hair was raven black, glistening in health even in the shade where she was seated. She looked to be of mixed blood.She was holding a hand to her mouth to keep herself from laughing too loud at he comical scene happening down below. She held her stomach with the other hand as her chest expanded and contracted together with her explosive laughter!The other gathering of people were congregated around a boy with a sword-like aura. He gave off the feeling that if one were to cross him, they would be immediately struck down by the hand-and-a-half bastard sword hanging from his belt. He stood straight as a reed with the dignity of a ruler, even as his hawk-like eyes peered down with disdain upon everyone and everything he laid his eyes on. Despite his serious expression, there were still hints of innocence and naivete in his face, not quite erased due to his young age of 17 years old.He on the other hand was not amused at all at the scene that had played out; a scene that besmirched the honour of his great house which ranked behind only the de Caldis Dukedom!Vignis Jamal of the Jamal family and Leocadius Trenel of House Trenel.The domineering girl bore a fiery gaze as she looked down at the debacle occurring in the field. She stood aloof from the preliminaries as she had already been a finalist in the last selection 2 years ago. Similarly, the member of the noble House of Trenel standing nearby also had no need to prove himself in battle against the other weak juniors. Only Natalie Sarouneh who had just turned 15 had to go through the pre-selection rounds to establish her status as a top talent of the city. As she was the youngest of their batch of 2nd or 3rd children of each of the noble houses, she had not been eligible to take part in the previous selection with the rest of her slightly older peers.Vignis had a rakish grin on her face as she leered at Leocadius - Leo for short - out of the corner of her eye. "Since when have your operations been so weak...? A mere boy can disrupt your highly lucrative slave business...?" She had a slight hint of acid in her tone as she spoke, clearly showing her distaste for the flesh-trade that was rampant in this city.Each of the four noble families was aware of what the other were doing, whether they agreed with the activities or not. However, there was also an unspoken understanding - they were not to intrude on the others' areas whether for better or for worse.Leo was silent as his eyes continued to glare at the young and confident boy she was speaking about. Then he smiled slightly and turned around to return to his comfortable and soft recliner. Despite the chair being so luxuriously lush, he did not lean back but maintained his sword-like posture, sitting up straight as he spoke."I care not. In a field there are many ants. The gardener need not kill them one by one."A dangerous glint flashed in the teenager's eyes as he smiled.Vignis shrugged, then returned to her seat.She was about to take a sip of her drink when it suddenly occurred to her.'I haven't seen Astrid yet... Where could she be? I hope she's not pranking anyone again...' But contrary to her words, Vignis had an expression of mirth and delight as she looked forward to seeing the next big antics that the only daughter of the Estreya family had in store.* * * * *"Ahem. Ladies and gentlemen, I assume you are all here in the right place for the junior's preliminary tests. If you are above 17 years and 9 months old AS OF TODAY, please be informed - YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED!" The refined gentleman making the announcement spoke politely but firmly."This is your last chance - please make sure you are in the right testing area according to your age."The rather pleasant-looking administrator looked around for awhile then resumed his speech."Alright. I take it that everyone remaining is qualified for the tests. Let us begin!"He waved to the stadium crew who were all dressed in uniform brown robes. On the front of the robes there was an emblem of a single fist in a gauntlet clutching a rose - the sign of House Trenel.The men and women quickly scrambled to pull back multiple black cloths laid covering about 35 pieces of equipment. The equipment consisted of a stable 4-legged metal frame forming the base for a long drum-like measurement apparatus."The first test, as announced, shall be the strength test! The rules are simple! Each registrant will be called out one by one according to your registration number! From the moment you are called, you will be given 1 minute to strike the Strength Measurement Machine SMM! Then we will call out the next set of 35 numbers; at that time, the first batch of testees must leave the testing area and return to the waiting area. The highest scores for each testee will be recorded and the top 1,024 candidates will continue on to the next round; while for each subsequent round, the number of candidates proceeding will be half again - that is, 512, 256, 128 and finally 64 contestants to enter the finals in 2 day's time!"He paused to allow the registrants a moment for the information to sink in. He was met with multitudinous soft murmurs that, when put together, became like a loud rumble! The various contestants gather looked around, nervous and wondering whether they would be among those who could continue on to the end of these preliminaries.As each test was on a different area of ability, it would be exceedingly difficult even if one were an expert - the requirement was for the testee to be a master in 5 different areas! Namely, strength, running speed, agility, reaction speed and a combat assessment - all testing completely different things!The dignified administrator held up his hand, demanding silence. The sounds of the voices quickly faded as everyone paid rapt attention to his explanation."I understand that there will be those who are not local to Gorun. You may not know of the Gorun Stadium's impeccable reputation for integrity! Don't worry about any party cheating! On top of a senior representative from each family to check the results, we even have a special guest from the de Caldis family as our honorary judge! Rest assured! Everything will be run in a completely transparent and above-board manner! This is guaranteed on the honour of the Kingdom of the Sands!"At this statement, the crowds burst into cheers; there were truly those who worried that foul play would occur to whittle down the number of participants and favour those who had "friendships" or "given gifts" to the right parties!Without waiting for the noise to settle down, he spoke loudly to great tumult - "May the best contestant prevail! Let the tests begin!"With that, the stadium crew began calling out numbers for candidates to step forward.As he watched the first batch of candidates hurriedly approach the testing machines, Lars was calculating mentally.'Based on 1 minute per round and 35 people per batch... It should take about an hour to finish the first test. If each of the tests takes about the same amount of time...'He frowned.'Then that means I'll be here for almost 5 hours?'He furrowed his brows further.He was going to be so late for the appointment with the Estreya quest awarder!* * * * *Lars watched as the candidates went up to record their strength levels.Batch by batch they went, and he took note of the average scores.There was also a humongous 4-sided magical screen suspended above them, held up by a immense suspension cables attached to the lattice of the Gorun Stadium's ceiling.The lattice that made up the roof was constructed of criss-crossed metal beams etched with many defensive and utility formations; the most important being one that allowed the lattice to convert into a roof against the rain.On the screen, the top 1,000 scores were shown:1. #882 - 2,747 points2. #979 - 2,619 points3. #557 - 2,599 points...840. #1124 - 489 pointsAs there were only 24 batches of candidates so far, every person tested was automatically in the top 1000.The top performers were as expected - those with heavy builds or powerful frames. But there were exceptions.3rd ranked: #557 Darius. An average sized and average height boy with short black hair. He appeared unimpressive - but the moment he built up strength for a punch, a sense of threat lanced through Lars' senses. This was despite the boy being only at the low-Elite level!And when he slammed his fist into the face of the drum-like measurement portion, a resounding *BANG!* was heard. He released tremendous power despite his much smaller frame, taking 3rd place and remaining there until now!'Hmm... Likely a bloodline mutation...? Or perhaps a form of atavism, awakening an ancient bloodline...' Lars pondered as he admired the talents he could see hereWell, there was one bigger surprise.It was the tantrum-throwing, stuck-up and spoiled brat, Natalie Sarouneh.When her number was called, she walked forward with a laid-back attitude, as if not worried that she was wasting precious seconds of her already scant time!She even stopped to glare pointedly and hatefully at Lars as if challenging him and daring him to one-up her! But Lars ignored her and maintained a neutral expression.She scowled in anger when she saw his lack of response, then stormed forward to the machine.Then she didn't even build up her strength before letting out a vicious claw attack.Images of a red dragon emerged, appearing illusory and threatening though also slightly indistinct.It reared up behind her as if were about to devour the 9 planets and swallow the sun, then it snaked around her arm as she struck out.*BAAMMM!!!!!!!* The thunderous sound of a great impact resounded through their surroundings, startling the other testees who were in the middle of their motions. Two of the contestants were even interrupted mid-swing, causing them to falter mid blow and end up missing the machine entirely!Then the screen hanging in mid-air flashed as the rankings changed extensively.Her contestant ID rose up and up and up non-stop, shooting up past the 800s, then the 500s. It did not slow down as it crossed the 200s and then pipped the 100th placed contestant, much to the dismay of the person knocked out of his top 100 rank.By now, every single contestant and even the staff were watching entranced and excitedly waiting to see just how high the dragon-girl would rise in the standings! At the same time, those who were in the top 100, top 50s and top 10 were watching anxiously and hoping to maintain a high ranking.After all, being highly placed had two benefits. First, it meant that one was among the most capable amongst their rivals. Second, it would give them great exposure and fame, possibly to be recruited by a wealthy noble house.And if they were ranked in the top 10 in any of the areas, perhaps they would even be offered a contract by one of the Four Great Houses of Gorun city!An even higher dream would be to be in the top 3. Based on the past few competitions, all of the top 3 contestants were personally scouted to join the true powerhouses of the continent, one of the Five Great Sects, of which the closest to home were the Great Tree Sect and the Crimson Fire Sect!Natalie's name rose continually, rising above the top 75th place, then the #50. It still didn't stop, making those who were in the top ranks nervous.Finally it crossed the top 10 position and stopped - at #2! The slim and pretty girl with the air of a dragon-lady was ranked number 2 out of all the contestants so far! The score rose up all the way to 2,742 points, just a hair's-breadth behind the number 1 ranked contestant, mountain-man Reshmont!1. #882 - 2,747 points2. #1010 - 2,742 points3. #979 - 2,619 points4. #557 - 2,599 points...841. #1124 - 489 points"OMG...""How can that be possible!?" A muscular looking youth spilled his water as he crushed the cup in his hand as he was leap-frogged by the young lady."Truly a genius among geniuses...""The rumours must be true! The dragon ancestor's blood must flow through the veins of the Sarouneh family!""Look how relaxed she was! I bet if she tried just a little harder, she'd easily be number! No, she'd easily surpass last year's high score at 3,000 points!"The buzz of countless voices gossiping about the incredible scene filled the arena. Everyone was shocked and standing in awe at her majestic and amazing display of might!As the proud noble daughter walked away from the testing area, she raised her head proudly and basked in the attention given her."Congratulations, young miss! You are truly the sun that shines in the sky! Your glory cannot be hidden!""As expected of the grand genius of our Sarouneh House! Young miss, you truly bring make us proud to be your servants!"The two girls who accompanied her showered praises onto the girl who was by now as proud as a peacock showing off her plumage.Then she fired a provocative glare at Lars and Charley who was already hiding behind him. The scheming boy dared not even show his face as he feared that he would piss his pants on the spot!"Hey." Lars spoke to him, curious as to why Charley had so daringly accepted the challenge from someone who could look on the whole 2,000 contestants with disdain from her lofty position up top.Charley cowered behind him, voice shaking as he asked, "W-w-w-w-what...?!" with irritation in his voice."Did you know that she's this strong...?""No way bro! How would I know she would awaken her bloodline so young? Normally it only awakens after the age of 25! If I had known... Crap crap crap CRAP!!! What am I going to do?!?" He sweated profusely and looked pale as he frantically glanced around to look for an escape, panicking.Unfortunately, there was no escape; and old man Wesley had left with the other older contestants to another venue for the seniors' exam!Lars chuckled, then patted him on the back, reassuring him."Don't worry, since you've promised me to be my servant for 100 years, I'll definitely keep my part of the deal and win for you. Oh, right, it's my turn. Relax!" He said as he walked forward, hearing his number called.Lars grinned.He looked forward to the seeing the girl's expression once he was done.
