The sun had just risen in the Solmarian sky, dyeing the entire steppe with soft golden rays. The morning dew still lingered on the leaves, reflecting the light like small crystals. A gentle breeze blew by, swaying the branches and carrying the cool scent of the early morning. In the distance, the mountain ranges stretched out like a majestic natural wall, protecting this land from the great storms from the north.
In the small training ground behind the house, a middle-aged man stood with his arms crossed, waiting. He had black hair that was streaked with silver, a sharp face, and sharp, majestic eyes. He wore a simple leather armor, but the wooden sword in his hand clearly showed that he was no ordinary person.
"Hagan! Are you awake?"
His deep but powerful voice rang out, breaking the quiet morning air.
The door of the wooden house opened, and a young boy walked out, still looking a little sleepy but his eyes shining with determination. Hagan was wearing a simple training outfit, his short black hair was a little messy, but his hand was already tightly gripping the familiar wooden sword.
"Today I will register as an adventurer." He said, his voice full of excitement.
The man nodded, his eyes shining with pride but also a bit of contemplation.
"Before you leave, we need to do some things. See if you are ready."
"Just by looking": Hagan smiled, he had been looking forward to this.
The two of them walked into the middle of the yard, standing opposite each other. The surrounding atmosphere suddenly became tense, as if everything was holding its breath waiting for the match.
"Begin!"
As soon as the command sounded, Hagan rushed forward, swinging the wooden sword straight at his father''s shoulder. But he just took a step back, blocking the attack with his sword easily.
"Faster than before." – He commented, then immediately counterattacked.
A powerful downward slash forced Hagan to quickly dodge to the side. But he did not stop, swinging his sword horizontally, forcing him to raise his sword to block.
Clang!
The impact made Hagan''s arm numb. He gritted his teeth, took a step back, and counterattacked. His attack was sharper than before, but still a bit immature.
He chuckled softly: "Good, but still too hasty."
With that, he suddenly disappeared from Hagan''s sight. A gust of wind blew by.
"!"
Hagan immediately retreated reflexively – just in time to avoid a lightning strike from behind. But he did not have time to catch his breath, because his father continued to approach.
"Try to defend yourself, son!"
The two wooden swords clashed repeatedly, creating a loud clanging sound. The duel lasted for several minutes, but for Hagan, every second was a challenge.
He was panting, sweat beading on his forehead. But despite his exhaustion, he maintained his stance.
The man looked at his son, then suddenly stopped.
"That''s enough."
Before Hagan could understand what was happening, he patted his shoulder.
"You''re much stronger than before. You may not be perfect, but you''re ready."
He looked up at his father, and for the first time, he saw a proud smile on his stern face.
"Go, Hagan. Prove yourself on the path you''ve chosen."
Hagan tightened his grip on the sword, bowing deeply.
"I won''t disappoint you."
---------------------------------------
Today was the day he would undergo the test before becoming an adventurer. But before that, he had to do a few things.
Hagan stopped by a weapon shop in town. He picked out a longsword that fit his hand and a spear that was also his main weapon. After equipping himself, he told himself, "This will be the first step on my path."
The Adventurer''s Guild building stood tall in the middle of the square, with the symbol of an eternal flame on its sturdy wooden door. Inside, the atmosphere was bustling as adventurers exchanged quests and drank.
Hagan walked up to the reception desk, where an elf receptionist with long, neatly-tied silver hair stood behind the counter.
She paused for a moment when she saw the boy in front of her: "Welcome to the Adventurer''s Guild. Huh? A boy... you want to register?"
"Yes. I want to become an adventurer."
In recent years, the number of monsters has suddenly increased compared to many years ago, many people want to reach a more mature age, along with certain skills at that time to register to ensure safety. It seems that this is the first time she has seen someone as young as Hagan wanting to register as a rookie. But it is true that with the age of the Elf race, Hagan is like a kid to them.
It is surprising, but the task must be done. She nodded, handed him a form: "Then fill in the information and participate in the ability test. There will be a master to test your physical strength, and the guild''s magician will measure your magical potential. If you qualify, you will officially become a rookie today."
"Yes."
The test consists of three parts: physical strength, combat ability, and magic.
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Hagan entered the arena, and there were already quite a few adventurers gathered around, their curious gazes focused on him.
"Who is this kid? Is he a rookie? Why does he look so small?"
"Maybe another brat wants to show off."
"Add a punching bag to Aret-sensei."
Murmurs and discussions arose everywhere. A few people shouted loudly, stirring up the atmosphere.
Standing opposite was Aret - a B-rank adventurer, considered a senior sword master in the guild, anyone who wanted to become an adventurer had to be recognized by him first.
A middle-aged man with silver hair, strong muscles despite his age. His eyes were sharp like an eagle, standing observing Hagan. In his hand, he held a long wooden sword, simple on the outside but there was not a single flaw in his posture.
Aret squinted at Hagan: "Oh! A kid?...You call yourself a brat. Why do you want to become a rookie at such a young age?"
"Hagan...Hagan Reinhard". Hagan''s eyes were determined: "I simply want to become an adventurer, at least that''s my current goal!"
Aret paused for a second, his eyes flashing with surprise: "A Reinhard''s son...Interesting. Let me see how he trained his son!"
"Begin!" Aret''s deep voice rang out.
As soon as the command was given, Aret immediately stepped forward, without hesitation. The wooden sword in his hand swung down in a sharp slash.
Hagan was surprised, immediately leaned to the side, feeling the wind brush past his cheek: "Too fast!..". Not allowing himself to fall into a passive position, he counterattacked immediately. The wooden sword swung horizontally, aiming at Aret''s waist.
Slap!
Aret gently turned his wrist, his sword easily blocking the attack as if he was playing around. Immediately after, he changed direction, flipping his wrist and slashing upwards from below.
Hagan was startled, quickly jumping back to avoid it, but at that moment—
Slap!
A sudden kick from Aret hit his shin. Although the force wasn''t too strong, it was enough to make Hagan lose his balance.
Without thinking much, Hagan turned around, put his sword on the ground to maintain his balance, and at the same time used the momentum to push himself forward. He swung his sword upwards, aiming at Aret''s sword-wielding arm.
"Oh?"
Aret raised his eyebrows slightly. But instead of dodging, he used the hilt of his sword to lightly tap Hagan''s wrist.
Slap!
A simple but accurate strike. The numbness spreading throughout his arm forced Hagan to loosen his grip.
The spectators kept talking around, and even laughed when they saw Hagan get hit: "Hahaha, if you go home and practice more, you might be able to pass this test!"
........
"The speed is not bad, but it''s too predictable." Aret said, taking a step back. "Try again."
"He''s too strong": Hagan tightened his grip on the sword, his eyes filled with determination. He knew that this was not just a simple match but a real test!
Hagan tightened his grip on the wooden sword, his breathing gradually stabilized. He knew that if he only relied on basic swordsmanship, he would not be able to overcome Aret. His blue eyes flashed with determination.
Concentrate... feel... let the flow of internal energy blend into each breath...
A gentle stream of air radiated from Hagan''s body, the surrounding wind shook slightly, the ground shook slightly, and dust rose slightly. It wasn''t too strong, but there was clearly a change. He had not yet fully mastered the Qi like the masters, but at this moment, it was the key to help him go further.
"What?! That kid has something changed?"
"This kid has some tricks?!"
"But he must have put magic power into his weapon again"
"It doesn''t look like magic power to me..."
................
The entire arena erupted in commotion, and Aret was momentarily stunned. A second later, he curled his lips in interest.
Aret narrowed his eyes, the smile on his face gradually disappearing: "Hmm?...it changed its state?"
There was no time to reply, Hagan charged forward!
This time, he did not simply swing his sword, but also poured Qi into each strike. The wooden sword whistled through the air, the sword''s path was sharper and more powerful than before.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sounds of collisions rang out as the two continuously exchanged blows. Aret still had the upper hand, but he could no longer easily parry each blow like before. Hagan was more agile, and his speed had also increased significantly.
Swoosh!
A lightning-fast slash came from the left!
Aret quickly raised his sword to block—
Slap!
At that moment, Hagan changed direction, turning around and swinging his sword from below!
The unexpected counterattack left Aret unable to adjust his stance. He was forced to jump back to avoid being hit.
...............
The surrounding square suddenly fell silent, no longer filled with laughter.
"Tsk, this brat..." Someone muttered, his eyes now completely different.
"Not bad at all."
"Good job, brat! Let''s fight!" A voice rose from the crowd.
At first it was just one, then two, then three... Gradually, some people began to cheer.
"Come on, kid! Don''t get too overwhelmed!"
"That''s right! Keep up that attack!"
No more laughter, no more contempt. All eyes were now on the fight, following Hagan nevery move, every strike.
...........
Even Aret couldn''t help but chuckle, his eyes filled with interest.
"... you''re interesting, but that''s not enough!" Aret laughed, but his eyes were a little more serious.
From a passive position, Aret took the initiative to counterattack. He charged forward, the wooden sword in his hand like a gust of wind, light but powerful.
Hagan immediately raised his sword to block, but—
Bang!
The shockwave from the blow made him stagger!
One beat, two beats... Hagan was gradually forced back.
His eyes lit up! This was the limit he needed to overcome!
Hagan adjusted his breathing, focused his Qi into his legs, and held on firmly. He didn''t retreat anymore, but directly confronted Aret!
The two charged at each other, the wooden swords clashing at high speed, each strike blending technique and power. The arena echoed with dense collision sounds.
A minute passed—
Two minutes passed—
Until—
BAM!
Aret swung his sword in a sharp arc, Hagan had to use both hands to block it.
And at that moment—
Aret lowered his center of gravity, turned around and threw a sweeping kick, sending Hagan flying dozens of steps away
The air was silent for a moment.
"... Hahaha." Aret''s low laughter rang out. He adjusted his posture, lowered his sword, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. Your swordsmanship is still crude, but your fighting spirit and ability to utilize it far exceed my expectations."
He looked at Hagan for a moment and nodded, he reached out to catch his hand and helped him up. "Congratulations, you passed the test. As expected of a son of the Reinhard family, you did not disappoint me at all."
Hagan was breathing heavily, but the corners of his lips curled up into a smile. He did it!
.............
Next came a magic test. Hagan walked to the magic test table, where a transparent magic crystal was placed on a stone pedestal. In front of him was an elderly magic examiner with a long white beard and deep eyes, as if he had witnessed countless adventurers passing through this door.
"Put your hand on it, pour your energy into it." He said in a calm voice.
Hagan took a deep breath, placed his hand on the crystal, closed his eyes and concentrated. A thin stream of magic power was transmitted into the stone, but only created a weak light, dim like an oil lamp in the dark night.
Around, some adventurers were lining up to be tested, looking at the scene and laughing softly.
"Ha, so this kid doesn''t have much talent for magic."
Hagan opened his eyes, noticing the weak light from the crystal, but he didn''t show any disappointment. From the beginning, he knew he didn''t have any talent for magic.
The appraiser looked at the results and nodded.
"Not much magical potential, but you can still use some basic spells. You''ve probably passed the requirements." He placed his seal on the results board, his tone not disdainful at all, simply confirming the facts.
At that moment, a gentle but clear voice rang out from the reception desk.
"Congratulations, Hagan! You''ve officially become an F-rank adventurer. Here''s your rank card." She hadn''t given him a card yet.
Hagan turned around and saw a female Elf with long silver hair tied behind her neck, and pointed ears typical of her race. She was wearing the guild''s blue and white receptionist uniform, which accentuated her elegance without losing her professionalism.
"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself earlier, I''m Syl, Syl Eldariel. From now on, if you need help with quests or information, just come find me!" She smiled, her green eyes shining with friendliness.
“Yes”: Hagan nodded slightly, taking his F-rank badge from her hand.
(I finally got it)