Rohan felt like his choice of weapon was obvious.
'This spear looks good enough, though I doubt it'll last long. Even with my limited knowledge of fighting I can tell that the quality of all these weapons are below par…'
Although he thought swords were cool, he always knew deep down that they didn't suit him. The control over distance and separation from the opponent that spears offered just overwhelmed any other melee weapon out there in terms of suitability in his opinion.
Not to mention that he considered it the most versatile weapon of all. It could thrust, slash, block and even be used as a semi-ranged weapon by throwing it. Compared to other bladed weapons like swords and daggers, they just didn't fare as well in his mind.
'Though it depends on the skill of the user wielding it at the end of the day.'
"Listen up!"
The stern pony tailed woman in uniform called everyone to attention.
"Each one of you will be called up for your turn at random. We only have three testing chambers at this Association branch so only three people can go at once, the rest of you will have to wait your turn."
A few heads turned up in annoyance at the potential time they'd have to waste waiting, while others barely even reacted, as they already knew all of this — having been through the process before.
"You will only have one shot at the test, so be sure to put your best effort in right from the beginning, lest you end up with subpar results in the end."
"Alright, enough of the filler information! First up will be Luciel Bowens, Sofia Porter, and… you, over there."
Everyone turned their heads to follow the direction of the woman's finger, as it was rare that someone participated without even submitting their name.
Rohan's expression was blank.
It took Rohan a second to register that everyone was now looking at him.
"Huh?" He eloquently voiced.
The stern woman's eyes narrowed. "I don't like to repeat myself. You're up."
A ripple of amusement spread through the room; the only look of sympathy coming from the auburn beauty as she was the only one there who understood his situation.
Even those who looked indifferent up until that point couldn't help but glance his way with slight interest. It was probably because of how out of place he looked amongst the group, or perhaps because of how obvious it was that he had no idea what was going on at all.
Rohan felt his scalp go numb.
Of all the luckless things that happened to him today, he just had to be picked in the very first three?
'Why me!? At least give me some time to prepare!'
He instinctively looked around, half hoping there was somehow another idiot standing behind him that the woman had actually meant.
There wasn't.
The auburn haired beauty's sympathetic looked was nowhere to be seen. She folded her arms and have him a small, mocking smile.
"Tough first draw." She commented.
Rohan wanted to tell her that this was more of a death sentence than a draw for him. Unfortunately his brain was too busy panicking.
The stern woman clicked her tongue impatiently.
"Well? Get moving, or do you want me to drag you into the chamber myself?"
'Gulp…'
That was enough to force motion back into Rohan's limbs.
He swallowed, grabbed the nearest spear on the weapons rack, and awkwardly stepped out from the group, followed by Luciel and Sofia soon after.
Luciel was a tall young man with neatly combed blond hair and the relaxed posture of someone with complete faith in himself. He had no weapon in sight as far as Rohan could tell, so he was either confident enough to pass with just his bare fists, or he was one of the few present who had a Genetic Armament.
Sofia Porter on the other hand, was a girl with a spear just like him, only hers was a little shorter. She had a lean, athletic build and tight leather combat gear that made it obvious she valued agility over protection. Her face may have been expressionless but the way she carried herself in her walk oozed confidence.
Compared to them, Rohan looked like an unfortunate schoolboy who had wandered into the wrong exam room.
Which, to be far, was more or less exactly what happened.
He trailed after them through a side hallway while his brain desperately searched for a way out of this mess.
Unfortunately it failed to come up with one.
Only a few more paces and the trio reached a circular chamber connected to three heavy gates. Above each gate was a single number painted in white.
One.
Two.
Three.
Three association workers stood waiting there, each in front of a terminal.
The stern woman entered the chamber from behind them and folded her arms.
"Luciel, chamber one. Sofia, chamber two." Her gaze landed on Rohan and seemed to linger on the school uniform for just a second longer than necessary. "You'll take chamber three."
Rohan's mouth resembled the Sahara Desert by this point.
Through the narrow opening in chamber three's gate, he could see part of the arena beyond.
Dark flooring stood out, covered in scorch marks, gouges in the wall and dried blood scattered about.
Not a dramatic amount, but just enough for him to become one step closer to obtaining a new pair of brown underwear…
The stern woman didn't seem to notice or care about his reaction.
"Final reminder."
"You are being evaluated on combat performance against a live F rank beast from the Origin Realm. Survive the allotted time, subdue the beast, or kill it. The more impressive your performance, the better your rewards will be."
"If you disgrace yourselves in there, don't expect any sympathy."
Luciel smirked as though the warning amused him.
Sofia simply rolled her neck once.
Meanwhile, Rohan felt sick to his stomach.
"No, seriously. I only awakened today. I haven't even been to the Origin Realm before!"
That actually made the nearest worker pause.
Unfortunately, chamber three's gates had already opened, and the stern woman kicked him through. It was too late for Rohan.