"Good day, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this month’s Candidate Selection. Today we have a rather unique participant. Two days ago, Mr. Cashel Altar awakened and completed his registration through the Military Medical Center under Doctor Nathan Veltrasevoskov."
Murmurs began at that moment, filling the once-silent stadium. Many of them carried mockery, others doubt, and a few anticipation.
The official speaking chuckled softly at the response and continued, "Due to an irregularity during his examination, his rank could not be determined. After discussions between the Hunter Association, the Special Awakened Military Division, and the Awakened Response Mercenaries, it was decided that an evaluation match would be the fairest course of action."
"Should Mr. Cashel Altar prove his qualifications, he will be granted the opportunity to join one of our nation’s recognized awakened organizations."
’What a load of bullshit.’ Cashel rolled his eyes and lowered his head, turning back to the case. He couldn’t help but feel even more annoyed at how they were treating the situation.
They didn’t bother to admit how they were forcing and threatening him to choose, as if he were prohibited from remaining non-affiliated.
’Tsk.’ He picked up one of the pistols and brought it close to his face, examining the weapon.
"These are the rules of the match," the man continued after a long speech about their "protocols." Then a giant holographic screen appeared above the stadium in place of the lights and bathed the entire space in blue.
The Rules:
Area-of-effect attacks and skills are prohibited if the caster cannot control the range.
Fighters are not allowed to tap out unless defeated and unable to move.
Deliberately releasing one’s mana will draw the attention of the beasts within the dungeon. Do not misuse it, or the dungeon reactivates and locks until it is cleared.
Cashel’s brows rose. ’They didn’t finish clearing it?’ he wondered and raised his head. He scanned the spectators. Andeen was sitting with her colleagues in the highest seats, and behind them was Nathan.
Nathan waved at Cashel the moment their eyes met.
"Careless," he muttered, referring to how carefree they were inside a dungeon that still had the possibility of reactivating.
Not that he even understood everything about dungeons, but he was smart enough to understand the risks.
He picked up a dagger and a butterfly knife and secured them both in place. Then he picked up two guns and a heavy belt loaded with bombs and bullets before straightening up.
He kicked the case shut and pushed it aside, away from him, before letting out a deep breath.
Then he raised a hand before the man could finish.
"Three at once."
The entire space went pin-drop silent.
What followed was laughter from the spectators. Even the Hero smiled, shaking his head as though he had just heard a joke.
"You want all three of us?" the Hero asked, still smiling. "Are you that confident?"
Cashel shook his head. "I am not, and I assure you, I don’t intend to fight you three at once." He glanced at the woman behind the two. "The instructions were to fight each other, and whoever won gets me. If I win, I get to choose." His gaze darkened. "And if I partner with someone and we both win, I join them."
He stated it clearly and the Hero tilted his head.
"So a free-for-all."
"Exactly."
"Why would you trust one of us enough to team up?" the huge man from the ARM asked, his deep voice rumbling like an earthquake through the field. "I heard your wife refused the offers to choose which led to this, so how certain are you that one of us won’t betray you?"
Cashel stared at him. He hadn’t thought of that, but now that he did, it made his choice even more certain. He shrugged casually and slipped the belt across his shoulder, locking it in place.
The spectators’ mockery faded into curious murmurs. The officials exchanged glances, then shrugged.
If the newly awakened man wanted to make the evaluation shorter, they would allow it. The barriers remained active, and the dungeon timer floating at the edge of Cashel’s vision continued counting down.
He had less than an hour to finish.
The other three opponents spread out.
The Hero stood in the center, his posture relaxed and completely unarmed. Everything about him told Cashel he was a fighter who preferred trading blows, or maybe he was a mage.
The ARM representative summoned a large hammer and dropped it between his legs with a loud thud.
The masked woman barely moved. She remained slightly behind, still spinning the dagger between her fingers. Despite her lazy body language, Cashel could tell she was very prepared.
Nathan’s earlier warning returned to him. One of them could fly, and they were all close combatants.
The official’s voice echoed once more.
"Begin."
The ARM fighter moved immediately. He grabbed his hammer roughly and charged ahead like a bull, his heavy footsteps leaving cracks in the floor as he moved. At the same time the Hero moved, positioning himself to cut off any possible escape routes for Cashel rather than attacking directly.
Cashel stepped aside as the ARM guy swung his hammer at him. He felt the wind hit his face, sending a chill down his spine.
Taking a deep breath, Cashel ran past him toward the opposite direction of the Hero. He reached into the tactical belt, slipped the second gun into place, and took out a smoke grenade and a regular grenade.
He placed the other gun in his mouth and continued running, his speed increasing as the ARM man chased after him.
Cashel huffed, his jaw already aching from the gun in his mouth. Then he changed directions and ran straight at the Hero, who clenched his fists and smirked.
He pulled the pins on both bombs and threw them into the air, but the Hero’s eyes narrowed.
"Diversion," he mumbled and ignored the grenades.
However, Cashel was never aiming for the bombs. The moment the Hero’s attention shifted upward, he fired at the ground beside him.
’Those potions better work,’ Cashel thought as he leapt at the last second.
The bullet struck the stone floor and ricocheted at a sharp angle. The Hero reacted instantly, twisting his body to avoid it.
Unfortunately for him, he had dodged straight into the path of the charging ARM fighter.
Boom!
The massive hammer-wielding man slammed into the Hero with tremendous force, sending him stumbling several meters across the field.
Meanwhile, the enhancement potions finally proved their worth. Cashel soared nearly ten feet into the air, clearing both fighters before landing lightly behind them without losing his balance.
"He already figured out how to use his abilities," he heard one of the spectators say, but he quickly ignored it.
The grenades dropped to the center of the arena and detonated, engulfing the battlefield in a dense cloud of white smoke and dust.
The thick white smoke spread across the arena, swallowing the four fighters almost instantly.
The spectators leaned forward, trying to catch even a glimpse of what was happening inside.
Only muffled footsteps and the occasional metallic clanging sound echoed through the smoke.
Inside, Cashel slowed his breathing and moved opposite the direction of the sounds.
The ARM fighter was easy to track. Every heavy step rattled the ground beneath his feet.
The Hero was different. His breathing remained calm, his footwork controlled, but his movements were still loud enough for Cashel to follow.
Cashel adjusted his grip on the pistol...
One...
Two...
"..."
’Where’s the third?’
His pupils contracted. The third one... he couldn’t hear her or sense her. He glanced toward the faint light filtering through the smoke, there wasn’t even a shadow.
’I don’t have time for this...’
It was as if the woman had disappeared completely.
A cold chill crawled down his spine as he pulled out the second gun and clenched his jaw. ’Shit... isn’t he the one with flight? Where...’
Suddenly, a shadow dropped from above. Cashel’s eyes snapped upward... nothing... nothing?!
’A feint... shit...shi...’ Cashel twisted instinctively and..
Clang!
Sparks burst between the pistol and the dagger as the steels scraped against each other.
Cashel narrowed his eyes, the masked woman smirked as well. They separated at the same instant, disappearing back into the smoke.
The Hero and the ARM fighter finally arrived, stopping where the clash had occurred.
Smoke continued to drift across the battlefield. The Hero frowned, and the ARM fighter tightened his grip on his hammer.
Neither Cashel...
...nor the masked woman...
...was anywhere in sight.