Having not gotten the chance to this morning, the first thing Goldie did after arriving in his room was take a long shower. Exactly what he needed to calm his nerves.

Feeling refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the day, he meandered over to his bed to grab fresh clothes from his bag. The gods' cruelty on full display, somebody chose that moment to twist the doorknob to his room.

It felt like his heart had stopped, as Goldie instinctively suppressed his presence. The door swung open to reveal a short-haired young woman. She shot a quick glance at his baggage, before shifting her piercing, blue gaze straight to his eyes.

"My apologies," she spoke. "I did not know this room was taken."

She preformed a light bow before turning around and leaving the room. Goldie opened his mouth but quickly shut it as firmly he could.

Xander, what are you doing?

C'mon man it would have been hilarious!

I told you I don't like it when you take over my speech. Hearing you say 'hilarious' also can't mean anything good

Oh no need to be such a lamer! I would have only asked her if she liked what she saw.

I'm sure if our roles were swapped you wouldn't find it nearly as funny.

Maybe not funny, but I'd still ask her. Heh, maybe even invite her inside as well.

Goldie grimaced. If only Xander weren't so shameless, perhaps they could get along. Alas, it was not meant to be.

I most certainly do not regret stopping you from speaking now.

Now fully dressed, he grabbed the clock from his bag and placed it on the nightstand.

4:22

He was told dinner would be served at six, which gave him one and a half hours of time to kill. He looked over his notes and was reminded to check out the local marketplace he had heard a few people talk about. As a merchant himself, he was quite interested in seeing what was offered.

His lips contorted into a frown.

He locked the room with his provided key and ventured downstairs. After telling the receptionist he would be back soon and dropping off his key, he walked out the front door.

You know where the market is right?

Yeah man, no problem.

After spending an indeterminate amount of time following Xander's directions, Goldie determined they were utterly lost.

No problem huh? Maybe we should just ask somebody.

I swear we're almost there, have a little more patience.

The surroundings look all wrong! Nobody would set up a market here. I was expecting a sprawling city center.

Waitaminute...

Oh, for fuck's sake, you meant the normal market, didn't you?

What else could I mean?

The black market obviously. Why would you have asked me instead of asking the receptionist in that case!?

I forgot to ask her before leaving the building and figured you'd be a practical guide. Why would you assume I meant the black market if I didn't call it that!?

I figured you just didn't know the correct term for it.

I'm a merchant you doofus! I know what a black market is. You think nobody ever gave me any shady deals?

Okay I admit I messed up. It's not a big deal though, right? I mean, you were only looking for something to pass the time and the black market is an interesting place to check out.

That would have been true, but having a look around was not the only reason Goldie wanted to visit the market. As much as it pained him to get a replacement, he truly needed a new watch. Lugging around the oversized clock in a bag while hunting monsters would be quite impractical.

Goldie audibly sighed.

Do you think I could buy a watch from the black market?

It turns out he could but finding something so innocuous among the illicit goods proved to be quite the challenge. On a positive note he managed to get the seller to reduce his price by a fair margin with the argument he may as well buy a non-stolen wrist watch from any other vendor in town.

THIRTY GOLD!

Hmm? You upset?

No, I'm elated. That guy had no idea how valuable that stolen watch was!

How valuable was it?

Heh, that thing could have easily sold for 300 Gold and he offered it to me for 80. And then I even managed to make him lower his price!

Think about how the original owner must feel.

Great, now I feel guilty.

In different circumstances Goldie would have sold the watch and bought himself a cheaper one. However, a cursory look at its face showed he had very little time left to get back for his free supper.

The meal consisted of a bowl of stew with some bread, nothing worth getting excited over but filling enough. The only other applicants in the mess hall were two people that already knew eachother and the woman that barged into Goldie's room before. He was not especially enthusiastic about talking to either of them, so Goldie sat alone.

His meal finished, Xander prodded him to get at least some training in before tomorrow's test. The guild had some training facilities at the ready, but Xander explained it'd be best that nobody saw Goldie's skillset. Goldie happily agreed, not because he was paranoid, but because he did not want to risk making a fool of himself in front of the other fighters.

Therefore, after spending half an hour fighting an imaginary foe, Goldie got his first notification.

[Standard skill Acquired: Combat] You are sooo screwed.

What, why!?

Because you didn't have a combat skill! I thought you got that from me!?

When should I have gotten it?

When you sapped my memory away obviously! Coristam dammit, I'll need to explain this to you, won't I?

According to Xander Combat skills were the most important ability of any fighter. They determined how capable a person was at utilizing all their abilities in conjunction with one another. Even if someone had an astronomically high level of Sword Mastery, without proper footwork and tactics they would be utterly useless. Weapon Masteries reflect how well one can generally handle a weapon, how well one can execute a given move. However, it does not help one understand at what times one should use said moves. It is the difference between theoretical and practical skill, with Goldie's being fully theoretical.

This revelation shot Goldie's stress levels to the max. How would he ever train himself to a passable level until tomorrow? Xander offered to transfer some of his knowledge, but Goldie declined. He definitely didn't want to use Memory Sap again. Not to mention that Xander's fighting style was not necessarily a fit for Goldie, making the skill inherently useless.

Now that Goldie thought of it, perhaps that is why he had not gained the Combat skill in the first place.

In the end there was nothing Goldie could do but train as much as possible today and hope for the best during the test.

He opened his skill list to determine what sort of approach he wanted to use when facing his opponents.

Standard Skills Assassination Lvl 15, Combat Lvl 1, Dagger Mastery Lvl 21, Meditation Lvl 1, Sneak Lvl 3;

Complex Skills Anima Sense Lvl 25, Empower Lvl 9, Essence Concealment Lvl 10, Indomitable Will Lvl 12, Rapid Replenishment Lvl 12, Soul Capture (U) Lvl 1, Telekinetic Push Lvl 1, Telepathy Lvl 5;

Mythical Skills Memory Sap (U) Lvl 5;

Most of his active skills weren't very useful in the middle of a fight. His only legitimate option was using his dagger in combination with Empower. He might be able to squeeze in a Telekinetic Push but considering its level and cost he wasn't sure how worthwhile that was going to be.

After having pondered his possible actions, he decided his best bet would be to train as much as he could before going to bed, and then turning up early to the training grounds tomorrow to squeeze in some extra training time before everybody else showed up.

Combat has risen to Lvl 2!

It was already 9:23 by the time he received that notification.

As he went to bed, Goldie set his new watch's inbuilt alarm to 5:30.

"Heh, thirty Gold", he snickered to himself before falling into a deep sleep.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

*click*

Goldie stepped out of bed, did a few stretches, ate the last remaining bit of bread and cheese inside his pack and moved up to the training grounds. In contrast to yesterday he was the first applicant to arrive. His plan of getting up early to stay away from prying eyes was a success.

The grounds were not in fact a room, as he had envisioned, but a courtyard at the top of the building. The roof's edges were surrounded by an 8-foot wall creating a square cage. The inner edges had a multitude of plants in front of them and there a stone statue stood in every corner, each one depicting a different warrior. The ground was mostly tiled except for a large circle of earth in the middle. That circle, likely the arena, was surrounded by Benches and chairs and there were strange markings on the ground at the edge of the circle.

He walked into it and started practicing his Combat Skill. It was rather difficult to imagine fighting, as he had never done it personally. He mostly tried mimicking what little he could remember from Xander's fight against Garen. Sadly, he wasn't racking in as many skill levels as he had hoped for.

I guess there's only so much to be gained without pushing yourself.

The only reason you've had it easy so far is because of your extra learning speed. It should normally take ages to grind a skill to level 12, and yet you managed it in a few days. Still, eventually even you will face a wall.

Goldie kept those words in his mind as he continued practicing his strikes, and dashed around the battlefield trying to roll, lunge and dodge imaginary attacks.

[Standard skill Acquired: Acrobatics]

He trained his movement until his Stamina was close to depletion, gaining two Lvls in Acrobatics and one in Combat. He would have pressed, but Xander informed him it would be bad for his body to press any harder before his first fight. Therefore, instead of using his Stamina, he opted to practice his Telekinetic Push a bit while recharging. It would make a good trump card if the others did not know of it.

He tried focusing his will similarly to how he did the last time he'd used the skill, only this time pushing out in front of him as opposed to spherically reaching out. At the peak of his concentration he quickly jabbed his palm forward, high-fiving the air. Nothing happened. He did not even gain any Lvls.

Figuring he must be missing something, he reminded himself of his thoughts when he activated the skill for the first time. It was less like physically shooting a tangible object out of himself, and more like exuding a dense wave of mental pressure. He didn't have to make any fancy motions, he just had to wish for something to happen so strongly that it warped reality.

He tried again, but this time remembering the way he had felt the first time he used it. He desperately focused on the ground, he infused this desperate wish with as much mental power as he could...

and was flung a few feet backwards through the air.

Telekinetic Push has risen to Lvl 2!

Alright so it seems like pushing against an immovable object just flings me in the opposite direction. So does that mean if I were to continuously pull at the ceiling I could float?

Yes, there are telekinetic users with the ability to fly. Though usually that would usually be done by pushing against the ground in an extremely controlled way. Some might even be able to just lift themselves into the air, but that would likely take an immense amount of energy the likes of which you don't have.

Goldie decided to leave learning different uses of telekinesis for another day, and activated Telekinetic Push another two times, gaining an additional level in the skill.

He repeated the cycle a few more times, gaining a few extra skill levels in the process, before getting interrupted by a stranger walking up the stairs.

"It seems an eager applicant already awaits me. Would you care to see which opponents you will be facing?", a deep voiced man in a white robe said.

"Oh, hey *ahem* hello", Goldie sputtered. "I mean, yes I would gladly like to know who I am facing."

The man laughed and placed an orb on the ground. It began to glow and then projected a large blue screen into the air.

Donald Tynes

Gale Yettin

Xandon Jefferite

Alvon Skydin

Rhona Ramus

Samuel Hayes

Lucas Savar

Zoe Sklendé

It seemed like the battle exam would be determined through a tournament between candidates with him facing off against Al in the very first round. It being a tournament must have meant only a single person could succeed. Would the exam really end this way?

Goldie decided to ask the overseer: "Pardon me sir, but does this not mean only a single person passes? Also, aren't two candidates missing from this list?"

"No it does not. There will be a winners' and a losers' bracket. Whether you truly fail or not is determined by how well you fight. If the judges deem you worthy, you can pass the exam even without winning a single time. But winning definitely gives you more chances to show off your abilities. Not to mention it paints a good picture of your power level. The two people who are missing will have a separate duel as they are both high level mages from the academy. It wouldn't be fair for the others to fight against them at their current level."

Goldie wasn't sure if he should be happy or sad about this news. It basically meant he didn't need to beat everyone, but at the same time it meant even if he found some underhanded method to win, he might still be failed.

"Thank you for the information sir. Do you perchance know what rules we must obey during these fights?"

"Of course I do I'm the overseer of this tournament after all" he chuckled. "I would rather wait until everyone has assembled before going over them, however."

And wait they did. The overseer had arrived around 8:15 and it took until nine o'clock for everyone else to show up. There were several more cloaked figures among the arrivals, and two fully armed and armored guards had carried a large chest to the roof as well.

"Now that you're all here I, sir Nubondi, will disclose the rules of this Tournament", the overseer explained. "You will each be taking part in a number of duels following a tournament format. You may lose a maximum of two rounds before being disqualified from further participation. This does not mean you have failed to become an adventurer. There will be a group of judges evaluating every round and deciding whether you are fit for combat or not.

Now, to the rules. You will be surrounded by a magical shield that allows the spectators to view the battle without coming to harm. Inside the forcefield anything goes as long as it doesn't amount to torturing your opponent or trying to circumvent the magical shield.

The round ends as soon as one of two things occurs. Either one of you is no longer able to fight or someone forfeits the round. We have top notch healers on standby, so try holding off on forfeiting as long as you can since you still have the opportunity to show off your skills. If one of you kills the other, you will still be evaluated, however you will be disqualified from further dueling and must pay your victim a fee of 200 gold."

He paused expectantly.

"Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir!", came the collective reply.

"Then please welcome mister Tynes and mister Yettin to the arena."

The two men walked into the center and the two guards handed them their items out of the chest. While they put on their armor the other applicants sat down on the surrounding benches. Two of the robed mages walked to opposite ends of the circle and started infusing large amounts of Energy into the ground, which Goldie recognized with the help of his Anima Sense.

"Sad rhi tztesrebü uzow!", they both uttered. Upon completion of that phrase a mostly transparent bubble formed around the center, encasing both fighters.

"Alright let's go Gale!", one of the applicants shouted towards the ring.

The man on the left wore a chainmail shirt with iron shoulder- and elbow pads, metal grieves, sturdy looking leather pants with a metal kneepad plus codpiece and leather gloves with a rough texture for extra grip on his two-handed sword.

The other wore tight-fitting leather armor on most of his body, with what seemed like large pieces of insect chitin around his weak points. He held two short swords in each hand and was also slightly shorter than his opponent. The two men's fighting styles would definitely differ greatly, with one having focused on swiftness and keeping his armor light, while the other seemingly more sturdy and strong.

"Let the duel commence!", shouted Nubondi while clapping his hands together, producing an echoing boom.

The two men instantly raised their swords, the alertness evident in their eyes. The armored one, Goldie didn't actually know who was who, made the first move. He shot towards the other at an incredible speed, kicking up a dust cloud on his way. He swung his sword straight at the other man's body, giving the lightly armored man no chance to react. Goldie figured this fight might end right then, but in the last second the dual wielder jumped over the other, flipping through the air and landing behind him.

"Crush that showoff Gale!", shouted the same applicant as last time, before being shushed by the woman sitting next to her.

After his flawless landing, Tynes instantly lunged at Gale's back, swinging his left hand forward but keeping his right hand back. This turned out to be a wise decision. Gale spun around, cleaving his sword sideways at Tynes' neck. Tynes deflected the swing with his right hand, knocking the sword upward, and ducked underneath it before stabbing Gale in the stomach with his left hand. In response Gale kicked towards Tynes legs, but his attack was once again dodged and Gale earned another cut along his thigh.

The fight continued similarly with Gale earning more and more wounds. At this point Goldie was certain of the battle's outcome. Yet, his expectations were subverted. All it took was a single swing. Gale had activated a burst of augmentation magic at precisely the right moment, catching Tynes' by surprise and nearly slicing the poor man apart.

The medics rushed in and managed to fully restore both fighter's health.

"The Victor of this round was mister Gale Yettin!", overseer Nubondi cheered. "There will now be a short break to restore the arena to its earlier state, and then the next duel between mister Jefferite and mister Skydin shall commence."

Goldie was terrified. He had never been wounded that badly in his whole life. It looked extremely painful. Was it too late to back out?

"Hey Xandon?", came Al's voice. "So, I'm a tank, which means I'll be toughing out a lot of hits from various enemies in the future. I want you to really give it your all okay? I don't really care about winning or anything, I just want to show off my defensive prowess. Don't hold back just because we were friendly to one another!"

Goldie was about to cry. Alvon might not have realized but that was the best news Goldie had heard all day.

I won't be cleaved in two! Praise the gods!