Venti raised his hands and aimed at the first target with an arrow that had appeared in his other hand.
He didn't need to think.
His arm rose, the string tightened in a fluid motion… and the arrow flew.
A short, perfect whistle, without hesitation.
THWACK
The arrow planted itself squarely in the center of the target.
Adventurer #1: "...."!
Adventurer #2: "...."!
Adventurer #3: "...."!
Adventurer #4: "...."!
Adventurer #5: "...."!
Adventurer #6: "...."!
Adventurer #7: "...."!
Adventurer #8: "...."!
Adventurer #9: "...."!
Adventurer #10: "...."!
But he didn't know that this was only the beginning.
Venti: "Alright, let's go for the second target."
A stunned silence fell over the field.
Most of the adventurers present didn't think Venti would actually hit the target, even though some were cheering him on.
Venti didn't even hesitate.
Without giving the crowd a moment to breathe, he recalled his arrow.
The arrow, which had been lodged in the first target, vanished and reappeared inside Venti's hand.
This time, the target was a little farther away.
While the first target was about fifteen meters away, the second was about thirty.
He took a deep breath, found his rhythm, and released.
Venti: "Now."
THWACK
Another near-perfect shot.
The murmurs resumed, but everything had changed.
From mocking, they had turned to disbelief.
While others were still smiling and applauding.
Adventurer #1: "Wait... he's aiming like a master archer."
Adventurer #2: "Well done, kid, keep it up."
Adventurer #3: "Where did this kid come from?"
Adventurer #4: "This isn't normal."
Adventurer #5: "Keep going, you can do it."
The third target was at the other end of the field (45 meters).
At that distance, only archers who had trained hard could manage to hit it.
Some couldn't even manage it.
Venti stared at it.
This time, a little doubt crept in.
Venti: "Can I really do this?"
His arm was steady... but he felt that the distance far exceeded his human capabilities.
He closed his eyes.
And suddenly, he felt the air around him vibrate.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffffffffffffff
A soft breath.
A familiar caress.
Like a wordless voice whispering that it would help him.
His heart raced.
A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.
And the world around him slowed down.
He had never consciously controlled this force.
Yet, it came to him effortlessly.
His fingers tightened on the rope.
A miniature vortex formed around his hand, rising toward the tip of the arrow, invisible to some, perceptible to those who observed closely.
The receptionist frowned.
A few adventurers took a step back.
Adventurer #1: "What is this?"
Adventurer #2: "He's using magic?"
Adventurer #3: "No... that's not normal."
Venti took a deep breath... and fired.
The arrow shot out, enveloped in a faint, pale green glow.
The very air seemed to propel it, accompany it, guide it.
It sliced through the distance in a flash before the eyes of a dozen people.
THWACK
The target at the back vibrated violently with the impact.
Other adventurers leaned closer or squinted to see better.
The arrow had just struck the center.
A total silence fell over the field.
No one laughed anymore.
No one spoke anymore.
Some had their mouths open.
Others stared at Venti as if he were an apparition.
And others still wore smiles as if he were proud of himself.
And Venti, bow still in hand, observed his arrow with a mixture of surprise, fear… and wonder.
He had just, for the first time, consciously used his strange energy, which he considered a derivative of the wind.
And even if he didn't yet understand how…
He knew that this power was a part of him.
The receptionist, who had been silently observing until then, blinked several times.
She seemed to be trying to process everything she had just seen.
Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out immediately.
She finally took a breath, trying to understand what had just happened and to regain some composure before speaking to Venti.
The receptionist: "Well… I… I have to admit it was… surprising."
She said, attempting a professional smile that trembled slightly.
The receptionist: "Very surprising, indeed."
Around her, the adventurers were still whispering, but all were listening intently.
Before Venti's test began, some thought he was an idiot, while others, who didn't base their judgment on looks, believed in him.
The receptionist glanced down at her wooden tablet for a moment, as if to remind herself why she was there.
Since Venti had managed to hit all three targets in the center on his first shot, he had earned the maximum score, and it was rare for him to achieve the highest number.
Then she looked up at Venti, still standing in the center of the field, bow in hand, with an innocent expression.
The receptionist: "Well… um… anyway…"
She continued.
The receptionist: "We will now move on to the second test."
"You passed the archery test brilliantly; the second one remains."
She paused.
Venti tilted his head slightly, curious.
Arlan's had already told him that to join the guild, he didn't have to pass just one test, but two.
How did he know?
It all started because Arlan's already had friends in the Adventurers' Guild who had told him how the selection trials worked.
Venti: "A… second test?"
He asked.
The receptionist: "Yes."
She replied, regaining some confidence.
The receptionist: "And… since you seem to possess some special abilities, or at least something resembling them…"
"This test will assess your physical aptitude and your reaction to an 'opponent'."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Some adventurers immediately smiled, delighted at the prospect of seeing the boy face off against someone.
The receptionist: "Normally, we have candidates compete against a magically animated training dummy."
"But given the level you've just demonstrated, I think it's best to use the advanced version of the second test."
She pointed to a space a little further away, where a reinforced wooden dummy, covered in metal plates, stood motionless on a circle engraved with runes.
At its feet, a blue light pulsed slowly.
The receptionist: "A basic-class training golem."
She specified.
The receptionist: "It will move, block, dodge, and retaliate according to your movements."
"The objective" "The goal isn't to destroy it, but to show you can hold your own against an opponent in a real-life situation."
"Even if you have good offensive capabilities."
The adventurers around him exclaimed excitedly.
Adventurer #1: "A kid against a golem?"
Adventurer #2: "It's going to be carnage!"
Adventurer #3: "I hope he can run fast!"
The receptionist glared at those snickering, then continued in a firmer voice:
The receptionist: "Don't worry."
"The automaton is designed not to seriously injure the candidates."
"The test will last thirty seconds."
"It's endurance, precision, and reaction time that count."
Venti blinked, a little surprised, but far from frightened.
A kind of warmth rose within him, the same The sensation he had felt before firing his third arrow:
- The wind
Then he remembered that the day before, he had used one of his abilities to run faster.
The one he had used to reach Arlan's and Leona as quickly as possible when they were attacked by the three bandits.
These same bandits that Venti had killed, but he didn't feel guilty about it.
Venti: "Thirty seconds."
He repeated softly.
Venti: "That should be fine."
The receptionist nodded, even though she wasn't entirely reassured.
Then she turned to the adventurers who were already watching eagerly.
The receptionist: "Good."
She announced authoritatively.
The receptionist: "Get ready."
"The second test starts in one minute."
A few minutes later :
After a few minutes of preparation, the receptionist asked other adventurers to prepare the area, but Venti didn't know if it was because many people took this kind of test or if it was because the receptionist was lazy.
The area was cleared, the adventurers naturally forming a circle with a radius of twenty meters (forty meters in diameter) around the training area.
Some had their arms crossed, others already wore mocking smiles, while a few watched Venti with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
What Venti didn't know was that some of the adventurers were friends of Arlan's, who supported Venti when they saw them enter the building.
Furthermore, when Venti and the receptionist left to begin the tests, Arlan's asked one of the adventurers to witness the test for him and explain how it went.
The receptionist led Venti to the center of the circle engraved with runes.
The wooden and metal dummy, still motionless, towered two or three heads above him (In the game, Venti is 1.57 m tall, so the golem is about 2.20 m).
His joints creaked slightly as the runes beneath his feet began to glow.
The receptionist: "The principle is simple."
She explained in a clear and solemn tone.
The receptionist: "You must hold your position for thirty seconds without being knocked down."
"The golem will try to hit you, throw you off balance, or push you back."
"The more you dodge its attacks, the better."
She emphasized:
The receptionist: "There's no need to hit it."
"This test measures your reaction time, your dodging skills, and your self-control."
"The goal is to emerge from this training in one piece."
Venti nodded, looking serious.
The light wind playing in his hair made him seem ready to take flight at any moment.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffffffffff
Around him, the air vibrated imperceptibly, a sensation he was still unable to explain.
But it was there, familiar, reassuring.
Venti: "Thirty seconds."
He breathed.
Venti: "It shouldn't be too complicated."
The adventurers burst out laughing.
Adventurer #1: "HA!"
"That kid has no idea what's coming!"
Adventurer #2: "The advanced golem knocked out several knights last week!"
Adventurer #3: "If he lasts five seconds, I'll applaud!"
Most of those mocking Venti hadn't realized they shouldn't underestimate him after the first challenge.
The receptionist ignored the gossip and raised her arm.
Receptionist: "Candidate ready?"
Venti: "Yes."
Venti replied without hesitation.
Receptionist: "Golem activation... now!"
The second test officially began.
The runes glowed a vivid blue, and the mannequin lurched into motion.
Boom
Its metal feet anchored themselves to the ground, its arms rose… then, without warning, it launched itself toward Venti with surprising speed for a structure made of wood and iron.
Venti: "He's fast."
Instinctively, Venti used the same technique he had unconsciously employed the day before, the one he had used to move faster.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff
The wind gathered around him, making him lighter and therefore faster.
Venti flinched slightly, but his legs reacted before he even realized it.
A rush of air pushed him aside as if someone had pulled him by the sleeve.
He slipped a step, narrowly avoiding the first blow.
Venti: "That wasn't going far."
The golem attacked with the same speed as an adult.
And even though he couldn't land a hit on Venti, he kept going.
He pivoted with superhuman precision, each movement optimized to unbalance his target.
A massive arm moved toward Venti.
Then a second.
Then a sweeping attack.
But Venti moved differently from the other novices.
He didn't back away:
He glided, almost weightless.
Thanks to the wind, he was able to steer himself to dodge each of his attacks.
When an attack came from the right, he moved to the left, and when an attack came from the left, he moved to the right.
Some adventurers wondered how he managed such movements, wearing such clothes.
They moved as if his feet barely touched the ground.
A blow grazed his hat, enough for him to feel a draft, but not enough to hit him.
A second blow crossed the space where he had been a second before.
But the golem couldn't reach him. You couldn't tell if it was because the golem was too slow or because Venti was too fast.
Adventurer #1: "He's... dancing around the golem?!"
Adventurer #2: "No, but look!"
"It looks like he's flying!"
The receptionist, usually so professional, was watching Venti with newfound attention.
This wasn't normal.
No beginner moved like that.
None reacted with such fluidity... or such grace.
Some adventurers thought it was easy for Venti to dodge these attacks, that they just had to watch him and move his body.
But what they didn't know was that Venti actually struggled to dodge each of the golem's attacks.
In reality, he was faster than average, but he still had limited stamina.
This won't be a problem anymore when he officially becomes an adventurer and can grow stronger.
Venti: "Whoa, I almost got hit."
Perhaps it was Venti himself who wasn't a beginner.
But he knew very well that if he were hit by one of the golem's blows, one of his bones would break.
The receptionist: "Fifteen seconds left!"
She announced.
Half the challenge.
The golem, perhaps sensing that the situation was slipping away, picked up the pace.
Venti: "Wait, he just sped up."
His attacks became heavier, more insistent:
- He slammed his fist into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
- He attempted a double hook.
- A horizontal attack.
- A shoulder charge.
- A straight punch to the stomach.
Venti jumped back.
And for the first time, he clearly felt the wind rising beneath his feet.
He had to concentrate even harder to avoid losing his rhythm.
Slash
One of the golem's attacks had finally managed to hit Venti, not in the body, but on his hat.
His dark blue hair and two braids were now clearly visible.
Venti: "Oh no, my hat."
Luckily, his hat hadn't been torn; it had simply been found on the ground.
Venti was attached to his hat.
Not only because it belonged to him, but also because he hadn't taken it off since waking up, not even when he went to sleep in the hotel.
In fact, Arlan had pointed it out to him and even asked if he was hiding money inside.
Searching inside, Venti realized he didn't have a single penny on him.
But this wasn't the time to think about that.
As the golem was still delivering another blow to his legs, Venti tried to jump. He leaped as high as possible to dodge the blow, unaware of how high he would rise.
He soared higher than he should have, a slight updraft, a gentle breeze that gave him a meter of air.
He was now five meters in the air.
Looking up, the adventurers stared at him, astonished.
Adventurer #1: "He... he just jumped like that?"
Adventurer #2: "Impossible. It was magic."
Adventurer #3: "That kid... what is he, anyway?"
Adventurer #4: "Keep going, kid, you can do it."
Venti landed softly, cushioning the impact of a smooth slide.
His breathing remained calm.
The wind whispered around him like an invisible friend.
The receptionist: "Twenty-five seconds!"
"Only five left!"
"Hang on!"
The receptionist shouted.
The golem launched its most violent attack:
A direct, frontal blow, designed to throw the candidate backward.
This was the last blow Venti had to dodge; he couldn't afford to fail.
Instinctively, his body tensed. He placed his hand on the ground, braced himself, spun around, and dodged with unreal ease, as if propelled by a subtle whirlwind.
The receptionist: "Time's up!"
"Test passed!"
The runes went out instantly.
Boom
The golem froze.
An impressed silence fell over the field.
Then, slowly, an adventurer applauded.
Another followed.
These weren't the adventurers mocking him, but only those supporting him.
Adventurer #1: "Well done, kids!"
Adventurer #2: "You did it!"
Adventurer #3: "Congratulations!"
Adventurer #4: "You'll be even faster soon!"
Adventurer #5: "Well done, kid, Arlan's was right to believe in you."
Even though most of the adventurers already present were professionals who would have also passed the golem test, they were still happy to see that Venty had succeeded.
Venti, still a little out of breath, blinked.
He didn't really understand why everyone was staring at him like that.
He had simply… moved as his instinct dictated.
He had simply done what came to mind to dodge each of his opponent's blows.
And yet, his instinct was no longer that of an ordinary boy.
It was something else.
A trace of what he had been.
Or of what he would become again.
The receptionist: "Congratulations, you passed the test."
Venti let out a slight smile, shouting with joy.
Venti: "YES!"
"I PASSED!"
Chapter 9: How to impress an audience
The End