Free Web NovelChapter 24: The first Test
-Zaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Flame covered the ground.
Then the entire colosseum.
The very sky above them was lit ablaze.
-Ooooooooooooooong!
Mana levels rose as the very atmosphere was set on fire.
The heat that rose from all over the ground became the anchor for a [Skill] that very few beings in the world are able to access.
A skill that allows one to teleport to a certain location of their choice without using complex magic.
"PAY YOUR RESPECTS!" The voice of the commanding knight, Lady Markeet, resonated throughout the place as all the flames and heat that were conjured here, gathered in a singular spot.
-THUMP!
The knights, the beasts, the mages, even the spirits that were commanded by the mages present bowed to the supreme entity that pieced together their body from the fragments of flame.
"WE GREET THE LORD OF FLAME!" The roar echoed throughout the city, piercing through the sky and beyond the forest of the demons.
From the flames, a being with stark red eyes emerged, looking down at everything from his supreme throne.
His body, clad in the most luxurious garments, oozed off with the dignity of a ruler.
His hair, dark yet burning with the glow of flames at their ends, were the symbol of his relationship with fire.
His face, containing masculinity beyond his age, was so striking that merely looking right at him was a task few could succeed in.
Meeting his eyes was not something the weak of mind could achieve. If they pushed themselves because of their foolishness, their minds would break due to the sheer pressure of his presence.
He was the epitome of strength, tamer of legends; classified as a Level-7 tamer, he is an Assimilator. The Lord of Flames, the Patriarch of the Sungrade, Commander of Salamanders, the High Lord of Topaz Empire and the one who has hunted the most demons in the last century.
He was a being that transcended human limits. With enough strength to change the tide of wars by himself, he was a symbol of respect.
’Agnus Aurelious Von Euclides Sungrade...’
As he sat on his supreme throne, Prism’s eyes glared at him with a certain hatred.
Unlike anyone looking up to him, the complex emotions that surfaced from his eyes were too personal, too transparent.
He hated him even though that person was his father.
He hated him.
But at the same time, there was no way in the world that he could hate him with poison in his heart.
The being that sat on that throne was indeed the person that took his mother away from him. But at the same time, he was also the reason the thousands of people present here were bowing to him with utmost respect in their hearts.
’A noble.’
Lord Agnus, his father, glanced back at him when he felt the eyes that he had expected to be on him.
He believed he was going to see a fragile, broken boy that was going to fall apart under all the pressure and expectations.
However, the eyes that met him, the eyes that looked just like his, the ferocious eyes of the predator that had already made him their goal, was something that stunned him.
"Hmm."
A fire unlike any other he had felt until now was lit in his heart for a moment.
For a second, he even had the thought of jumping down there and meeting the one with such ferocious eyes directly. However, both the one to glare and the one on the throne knew their positions.
"WE WILL NOW BEGIN THE FIRST TEST~!"
Right as the patriarch gave the signal, the announcement was made.
-Oooooooooooooooooong!
In the very next moment, the grill-gates on all four sides of the colosseum opened as everyone present heard strange sounds from beyond them.
"CHREEEEEEE!"
From one gate came white mice, rodents that were headache or friends of the local folks.
"SKEEEEEE!"
From the other side of the gate came red grasshoppers, insects that either destroy the crops or become a great source of nutrition in dire times.
"SKAAAAAAAA!"
One gate spewed out horned rabbits, while the last gate became the door for something else.
"..."
Beasts of Rare rank, beyond the common ranked ones that had swarmed the area, walked out of the final gate.
"YOUR TASK IS SIMPLE: BEFRIEND ANY OF THE BEASTS PRESENT AROUND YOU!"
Befriend not tame. Befriend not kill.
The task was simple: make the beasts like you, regardless of the method used.
"YOU HAVE ONE HOUR. LET US BEGIN!"
A point system was obviously going to be in place.
There are people who will assess the performance of the children and give them grades depending on the way they complete their task.
The more beasts you befriend, the higher score you get. The higher the rank of the beast you befriend, the better your score will be.
"Alright!"
"Hey! Get out of my way!"
"That’s my rat! Get your hands off of it!"
"A h-horned rabbit? Aren’t they d-dangerous?"
"There’s no way to befriend an insect. The mice are the best bet!"
"Noobs. Hah! They don’t know shit."
"The Rare beasts are the actual ticket."
The children scattered around the vast colosseum, but the creatures were not as cooperative as the humans.
"CHREEEEEEEE!"
The white rats started running around the arena, climbing the walls and going into the spectator area.
"SKEEEEEEE...!"
The grasshoppers were higher in number, but they were also sensitive creatures.
As soon as they perceived the threat of the humans and the other creatures, they divided in groups and started defending against the enemies.
"SKA!"
The horned rabbits were called hot-blooded hunters. They weren’t something one can befriend with a carrot.
These were predator beasts that ate flesh and digested bones. They did not attack others until they were provoked so they were relatively safer to be around... however, becoming friends with them was a different story altogether.
"What’s going on!"
"HEY! Come here!"
"Ughhhhh!"
[Time remaining: 55:20.]
Almost five minutes passed and the colosseum was still in chaos.
The people who sat on the spectator stands, these creatures were no big threat. They watched the children who they were supporting closely while keeping an eye out for their competitions.
The challenge presented before them was a question. The way they answered this question would decide the score they get.
So, as the children started showing off their skills after finishing their assessment of the situation, the people on standby watched out for anyone foolish enough to get in trouble.
To rise in this family, the children needed to be strong or smart enough to use what they had in situations like these.
Brute force, for one, was an excellent tool to get ahead of the others.
"SKE?"
"SKA?"
"CHREE?"
Prism expanded his ’Bond Expression’ to the entire arena, covering not just the area with the children, but also the spectator stands where some of the creatures were roaming.
"Come."
Curious by the strange attraction they felt from a single boy, each creature released in this arena, every single being including the rare creatures, even the uncommon beasts of the knights and evaluators, rushed towards him who stood calmly at the edge of the arena.
The level of control and finesse that it took to influence so many of these beasts was unimaginable.
It was impossible even for some of the good Level-4 tamers present in this place.
"!!!"
The creatures that he had influenced all gathered around him: the grasshoppers, the impossible to befriend rabbits, even the white mice. Including the rare creatures, a scene that had not been seen in a long, long time was recreated in this arena once again.
"Did he just..."
"That trash?"
"But... he..."
"Doesn’t he have the Energy Decay Syndrome? How’s that possible?"
"Does that mean... he has overcome that illness?"
Some did not understand the significance of what he was doing and only questioned his ability to tame and his illness.
"That’s... Expression?"
"But... but how did he do this?"
"This is not possible. He isn’t a high level tamer. That expression was too weak!"
"But it was enough. It was..."
"Selective."
To express the emotions with the power of your bond with one creature in several different ways to several different creatures... some of them had never heard of anything like this, while some who understood the theory behind it, denied it even more.
"That’s impossible!"
"No human can empathize with so many creatures on that level!"
"What kind of cheap trick is that young brat using right now?!"
As they watched the hundreds of beasts bowing to a single boy, they questioned their senses and the methods of the young tamer.
They did not understand this technique.
However, the one who understood what was happening right now spoke up and silenced everyone else.
"A layered selective expression." The voice came from the second highest step, from beyond the helmet of the organizational commander, Lady Markeet.
And it made sense to the elders, as well as those below them.
"That explains it."
"He layered different expression frequencies for the different creatures and expressed them consecutively."
"Still, to figure out the right expression frequency for so many different creatures..."
Many eyes looked at the armoured lady watching the arrogant young boy.
"Good work, Prism."
But instead of criticism or questions, only praise was expressed from her side.
"Well done."
Many people here already knew what this meant, they just did not want to accept the fact.
’He is a genius.’
He must have studied tirelessly to understand all the creatures present. He must already have an insane grasp of their characteristics and tendencies.
He wasn’t insanely strong, true. But he was capable enough to realise his shortcomings and use what he had: his unreal brain.
"Thank you, everyone. You can go now." He was one of the few in the world who could process information at a speed unthinkable to the normal minds.
He wasn’t just smart. He, in the truest sense, was a genius that had gone unrecognized by this family.
’This might be our greatest loss.’
She knew what they had done to him, the kind of negative impact they had made on his life.
After their last encounter, she had also added fuel to his disappointment towards this family.
’He is going to leave.’
Nothing is going to change now.
She could see it in his Red eyes already... he has already made his decision.
