CH 13

Basic Combat Ability Test

“Sorry about that.”

The Guild Master gave an apology as we were led to the designated rooms for the Basic Combat Ability Test.

“The boy who was raising up a fuss, he was a noble, right? The Guild isn’t that powerful an organization that we can simply disregard the words of a noble. If we get into trouble, the other registered members may also be affected.”

I guess the Guild Master wanted to settle this matter as discreetly as possible.

“I don’t particularly mind. I didn’t come here to pick a fight with a noble either.”

“I appreciate your understanding.”

The Guild Master says with a laugh.

The tension in the air had dissipated, and the matter seemed to have been settled.

“I mean…Tweight, you’re also partially to blame for this.”

Elysia begins to scold me.

“If you ask me, it’s because you’ve been half-heartedly hiding your abilities at school that misunderstandings like this have arisen. Wouldn’t it have been easier if you just fight and show your true ability?”

“But it is true that I can’t use D-rank magic. A fight wouldn’t change that.”

“…Well, that might be the case.”

Elysia had a complicated look on her face. She didn’t look particularly surprised.

“This is the testing centre.”

At the Guild Master’s words, we stopped.

We tilted our heads at the sight in front of us.

There were several rooms before us.

“…Are these private rooms?’

Mize asks, and the Guild Master nodded in response.

“The Basic Combat Ability Test is conducted with confidentiality. As you can see, each private room can’t be observed from the outside…There are some people who wish to keep their abilities secret, be it their combat tactics or their magics. This is to be considerate to such people. So, from left to right, the order for the rooms is: Elysia, Gran, Tweight, and Mize.”

After announcing that, the Guild Master opened the door to the room in front of him.

“Have a look inside.”

Following the Guild Master, we entered the room.

It was a small room with white walls and a white floor. In no way could you call this room spacious.

In the centre of the room is a mysterious doll-like thing.

It was humanoid in figure, but it gave off an eerie feeling.

“It is an autonomous puppet called a Golem. According to some theories, it was first developed during the Second Great Hero-Demon War…but the truth is uncertain. Well, in simpler terms, you can think of it as a mysterious puppet that moves with technology too old to understand. The Basic Combat Ability Test requires you to defeat the Golem. More specifically, if you make the Golem fall on the floor, you pass.”

So, we just have to beat it.

Elysia looked doubtful after the explanation.

“…Is it really fine to use this unknown object?”

“We have been using these for decades, and there have been no accidents so far, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. The Golem has a built-in function to adjust its strength. Each Golem’s strength has been adjusted to be inversely proportional to the examinee, based on their magical power, making this a fair test. The Golem will start moving 10 seconds after the door closes.”

Elysia still looked doubtful, but she seems to have been convinced.

The strength of the Golem will be inversely proportional to the magical power of the examinee, which means if the examinee scored higher in the previous exam, the Golem will be weaker. This means that if an examinee has low magical power, but they can defeat a stronger Golem, they will pass the test.

This is a type of relief measure. As long as the score in either test is exceedingly high, there won’t be any problems in passing.

This time, Mize looks anxious.

“U-um, what happens if I can’t beat the Golem? If I can’t win, can I surrender…?”

“Yeah. In this test, if you order the Golem to “Stop”, it will actually stop moving. However, a stopped Golem cannot be knocked to the floor, so you can’t cheat this way, is that understood?”

“Y-yes.”

I’m sure that Mize never planned to cheat, but the results of the Magical Ability Test earlier might have made her anxious, as she has a grim expression.

“That will be all for now. Each of you can start whenever you’re ready.”

At the announcement from the Guild Master, each of us entered our assigned rooms.

When I was about to enter my assigned room…naturally, the Guild Master followed me in.

“While I know that this is to prevent me from cheating, it’s unfortunate that I’m the only one without privacy.”

“That goes for both of us…but you especially, since you caught the eye of an annoying sort.”

The Guild Master says as he looks down the corridor.

A group of students from the Hero Course were observing us from a short distance. They were probably making sure that the Guild Master really was monitoring me.

It’s easy to forget, when you’re at a school where nobles and commoners sit together, but normally commoners aren’t people who would be able to stand against a noble.

Since we are students who attend the same school, it’s possible to hold them accountable for misconduct, but outsiders cannot. The incident with Sieg last month stood out, but perhaps the students of the Hero Course are exercising their unreasonable power elsewhere.

The Guild Master and I entered the assigned room.

As soon as we entered the room, no one outside could see what was going on.

“…May I touch the Golem before we begin the test?”

“Go ahead.”

After receiving permission, I touched the Golem.

The old, faded Golem with ball joints felt cold and hard.

<Bullet> might not be able to pierce through its hard exterior.

— It’s a bit more troublesome than I had expected.

Since I left the Organization to go to school, I have learned one thing:

My magic is too extreme and inflexible.

It isn’t that surprising when I think about it.

I was raised as a specialist in assassination and ambushing. In both assassinating and ambushing, the ideal manner is to complete the mission with a single strike, so I was taught to finish the job with the first move whenever possible.

In other words, if I do say so myself, every hand I have is a trump card.

To compensate, I only have a few of them, and many of them can be countered once revealed.

This means that I’m not good at holding back.

— Is there any way to avoid exposing my hands?

Even now, I’m being watched by the bandits who are after Mize because I’m her friend.

As long as the Guild Master doesn’t say anything, it’s fine, but if the information here is leaked, there is a chance that my battle tactics will be exposed.

“Guild Master…May I confirm the rules of your monitoring?”

“Rules of monitoring?”

I ask the Guild Master, who tilts his head.

“In short, I just have to defeat the Golem with the Guild Master in the same place, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Are there any other conditions?”

To this question, the Guild Master tilted his head curiously, but he eventually answered.

“Well, I guess so.”

As soon as the Guild Master affirms this, I immediately come to a plan of action in my mind.

I moved away from the Golem and closed the door to the room. Within 10 seconds from now, the Golem will start moving.

As I started the countdown in my head– I called out to the Guild Master who was watching me from the corner of the room.

“Guild Master.”

“Hm?”

I continue the countdown in my head.

9 seconds. 8 seconds. 7 seconds.

“I heard a voice calling for the Guild Master from the other side of the door.”

“Hm, really?”

The master turned towards the door.

Then, as the countdown reaches 0—.

— <Flash Blade>.

I extend my right hand’s forefinger and middle finger, and a thin blade constructed from magic power extends from the tips.

There is no need to move my whole body. I just swing the blade with a snap of my wrist, the bare minimum amount of movement necessary.

The blade, which was so sharp it seemed almost transparent, instantly decapitated the Golem as it tried to move.

As I watch the Golem’s head begin to fall, I exhale.

After a moment of concentration, my deeply submerged consciousness began to emerge.

“It’s over.”

“Oi. No one was calling me— huh? What did you just say?”

At the same time the Guild Master turns around.

Thud, the Golem’s head fell to the floor.

“What the…?”

The Guild Master was wide-eyed and astonished.

Author’s Note:

Later, the Golem was properly repaired.

The Golem craftsman’s morning begins early.

We’ve finally made it into the overall quarterly rankings!

I would like to thank everyone for their support. Thank you very much.

I look forward to continuing working with you in the future.