No Damage 20

Test

20. Rank S Adventurer

"Screw this! Don't mess with me! I just wasn't feeling well today! I can't accept passing the test in such a short mock battle!"

"Calm down. Whether you can demonstrate your abilities in the actual performance is an important quality for adventurers."

As I stepped out of the arena, I heard arguing voices.

A middle-aged woman was trying to calm down a young man.

"My parents keep urging me to get a decent job! I have no other options left!"

Apparently, the man was an applicant, and the woman seemed to be an examiner.

"I understand your situation, but the test conditions are the same for everyone."

The man continued to resist with a dissatisfied expression.

"Shut up! It's all because of this damn barrier device! My senses went haywire, and I messed up controlling the magic. Couldn't show my true strength thanks to that! If it were an open space, I would've—"

As he spoke, the man waved the staff in his hand.

"Wind King's Strike, [Elgast]!"

A gust of wind erupted simultaneously with the incantation.

"Gyaaa..."

Got caught off guard, and the middle-aged woman got blown away.

Seems like he's taking out his frustration because he couldn't perform well in the mock battle.

But using offensive magic is too dangerous.

Moreover, aiming his staff at the fallen examiner, the man was about to unleash a second attack.

"Darn it, darn darn darn darn darn!"

He was completely lost in rage.

"I have to stop him—"

I rushed out in a panic.

Someone passed by me in a hurry.

"Huh!?"

Fast!

A shadow dashed with an unbelievable speed, leaving afterimages.

No, fast doesn't even describe it accurately.

It was a speed completely beyond human.

The shadow closed the distance in an instant and stood in front of the man.

"Stop your rampage."

Those words were quietly uttered by a young girl.

She looked a year or two younger than me.

Her short blue hair gleamed brightly, emitting a beautiful shimmer.

She wore a dazzling knight's armor on her petite body.

She resembled an ice, with her sharp purple eyes fixed straight on the man.

"Y-you are..."

"As she says, demonstrating your abilities at critical moments is also a quality. Excuses like 'I wasn't feeling well today' or 'it wasn't a suitable field for me' won't fly in real combat."

Her voice is devoid of any emotion or intonation.

Indeed, it's a valid argument, but—

"Don't mock me!"

It only served to further enrage the man.

"Crimson Sphere, [Fire Bomb]!"

The man unleashed a fire magic from point-blank range.

"Useless."

With a murmur, the girl knight's sword flashed.

The flames instantly got cut apart, turning into countless red light particles and dissipating.

"My sword possesses both physical and magical attributes. It's possible to 'cut' through offensive spells as well."

With her long sword poised downward, she calmly stated.

"D-darn it!"

The man jumped back and cast a magic bolt from his staff.

A blue glowing orb arced, approaching the girl from behind at high speed.

"That's futile. With my 'factors', my kinetic vision and reflexes are tens of times that of an ordinary person."

Turning around, the girl effortlessly slashed the magic bolt.

"I can see the trajectory, power, attribute, incantation, and activation timing of your magic. Everything is visible to me."

"D-don't joke with me!"

The man continued to unleash magic bolts.

"No matter how many times you try, it's the same."

The girl knight's sword left silver trails as it dashed.

I could barely follow her movements.

What I could see were countless silver glimmers filling the void.

And the sight of magic bullets being cut, dismantled, and dispersed in succession, timed perfectly with her incredible slashing speed and frequency.

He couldn't escape her sword strikes no matter how many dozens or hundreds of shots he fired.

"This is the end."

In the next moment, the tip of her reversed sword was pressed against the man's throat.

"Don't move. If you continue to resist, I won't show mercy."

The girl coldly warned.

"Ugh... ugh..."

The man seemed completely subdued, barely whimpering.

"I'll call the security."

—The rampaging man got escorted away by the security.

"Well done, Luca."

Dalton-san approached her—Luca-san.

"I just did what I had to."

Luca replied expressionlessly.

Her purple eyes shifted from Mr. Dalton to me.

"Oh, this is your opponent for the next mock battle, Haruto Riva."

"This boy?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"She's still young at 15, but don't underestimate her. She's Luca Abasta, also known as Ice Blade an S-rank adventurer."

Dalton-san said.

"I'm Haruto Riva."

"Formalities aren't necessary. I don't like being stiff. You can call me Luca or Abasta as well."

Luca-san... No, Luca said expressionlessly.

She's a rank S, the highest rank.

Though it doesn't seem so from the outside, her swordsmanship earlier was tremendous.

And her agility too.

And she's only 15—two years younger than me.

"I fought her earlier, but I still can't see the bottom of her. But you—should be able to figure it out."

Dalton-san spoke with delight.

"Watching him, I was reminded of the world's top defense magician, 'Adamantine Barrier' Docratia. He's truly remarkable."

"I appreciate the advice. However, I fight with all my strength regardless of who my opponent is, just to assess their qualities. My approach remains the same."

Brushing aside her ice-blue hair, Luca turned away.

"When it's time, come to the first arena. I'll assess your abilities there."

With the clacking sounds of her high boots, Luca swiftly departed.

※

"Today's meal is delicious as always! Oh, ma'am, can I have one more Gilga fish meunière?"

Sarome was in a good mood.

After completing the report on the defeat of the Class A demon, D Eater, she's on a few days' vacation here in Egil City.

This town, close to the sea, was famous for its fish dishes, and as a gourmet, she could stay there for weeks without getting bored.

"Come to think of it, today is the day of the guild's entrance exam, isn't it?"

Recalling the examination held in the distant capital.

Haruto, who aspired to be an adventurer, was supposed to be taking it.

"I wonder if Haruto-kun is doing his best right now."

She couldn't help but smile.

"What's with that happy face?"

The owner of the restaurant asked with a grin.

"Is this Haruto-kun your boyfriend?"

"Huh, boyfriend? It's not like that... Well."

—Maybe I'm a little curious.

Sarome smiled inwardly.

—It was at that moment that a powerful tremor struck.

"An earthquake...? No, this is—"

Sarome's expression changed.

From the cheerful dancer enjoying her meal to the face of a Rank A skilled adventurer.

"Sorry, ma'am. I have to go somewhere. I'll leave the money here."

With that, Sarome got up from her seat.

Her long purple hair fluttered as she dashed away.

"What's going on?!"

As soon as she arrived at the guild branch, Salome shouted.

"This is... a bad one, right?"

She asked the staff at the entrance.

The tremor just now wasn't an earthquake.

It was a spatial quake caused by the appearance of a demon in the human realm, accompanied by the opening of a subspace passage known as a Syllega.

"I-I don't know, the guild's void radar didn't—"

The staff answered with a pale face.

The void radar, also known as radar, installed in all guilds, is a magical device that predicts the time and location of the appearance of demons.

The Syllega emits special magical wavelengths and spatial vibrations several days before its manifestation.

By detecting them, the threat level of the demon can be estimated, and towns near the predicted appearance point are put on alert.

That's the normal procedure, but due to the accuracy issues of the radar, it's currently unable to fully capture these wavelengths.

Demons sometimes slip through the radar detection and suddenly appear.

The dragon that attacked Haruto's town before was one such case.

And now, once again—

Suddenly, a chill ran through her entire body.

"—?!"

Almost instinctively, Sarome looked up at the sky.

Something like a black stain spread across the cloudless blue sky.

Eventually, a red-black rift appeared in the sky.

"A demon is coming."

She could feel her body tensing up and her blood draining away.

And then, a flash occurred.

Something landed with lightning in the gaping tear in the sky.

In the guild's courtyard.

"That guy!?"

In the explosion of dust and debris from the impact, Sarome gazed at the figure standing there with trembling.

He must be nearly three meters tall.

Clad in jet-black armor and a helmet reminiscent of a knight's full-body armor.

The red sword he held was massive, longer than his height, with a wide blade.

It was more like a gigantic and rugged knife than a sword.

"I am... Gyrasvrim. One of the six Demon Generals..."

With a voice that sounded like creaking iron, the Black Knight declared.

"By the order of the Demon King, I have come to this land... to kill those who possess the power of gods."