The crowd fell into stupefied silence, witnessing Emilia’s swift defeat. Somewhere at the corner, a couple of cheers erupted.
Seeing their advantage, Ironshield’s team relaxed their formation. Instructor Lila twirled her whip with a smirk, playing to the crowd, while Instructor Cho, bow in his hand, returned to Ironshield’s side.
The brief respite gave Jin enough time to beckon Timothy and Shinohara to come closer.
“Oi, you two,” Jin muttered, his voice low and urgent. “With Emilia out, our odds of beating them outright have dropped to zero. Nil. Zilch.”
Timothy’s shoulders slumped, and Shinohara’s fingers twitched nervously at her sides, her gaze fixed on the ground.
“But we can salvage something,” Jin continued, his eyes flicking to the timer floating above the arena. A little over eight minutes left.
“B-But how?” Shinohara asked. “I-it’s impossible. I know it. I’m so useless.”
The girl was about to cry, but Jin shook her shoulder, snapping her out of the spiral.
“Remember what Ironshield said. Winning or losing doesn’t matter?”
The two nodded.
“Then we don’t. We’re going to waste the time with a game I like to call ‘Catch the Chicken’.”
Timothy perked up. “What’s that?”
“You, chicken,” Jin said before shooting a gaze at their opponent. “And they will try to catch you.”
Timothy pursed his lips. “But that’s not what a hero should do.”
“You want to pass or you want to play hero?”
“Oh…” The boy cast his gaze downward.
“Anyway, what can you both do outside the RIFT? Tim?”
“I can use my Warcry skill to make myself stronger.”
“Good. We’ll need that.” Jin turned to Shinohara, who was now fidgeting with the hem of her garb. “And you?”
Before she could respond, three magical arrows streaked toward them. Jin yanked Timothy and Shinohara aside, but the sudden movement left them exposed. Instructor Lila seized the momentum, her whip cracking as she lunged forward, while Instructor Cho loosened another arrow to cover her advance. Neither Ironshield nor Instructor Hanma did anything else. They didn’t need to, for their team’s coordination was flawless.
Or they might be confident. Too confident, in fact. After all, what could two kids and a zero CP guy do?
A realisation crept into his mind. There was a flaw in the opponent’s rank.
Might not even need a draw.
As Jin expected, he was Instructor Lila’s next target. But taking lessons from Emilia’s defeat, he had prepared in advance. Before she could reach him, using Cattleya’s
Instructor Lila managed to sidestep from the first one, but the second sticky web ball caught her left foot. It brought her to a stop instantly, and taking this opportunity, Jin shot the third round, rooting his opponent on the spot.
“Darling Frankie~. What’s this? Come and play with me already, will you?”
Jin ignored her. Instead, he addressed his two wide-eyed teammates.
“Hey, Tim. You said you want to be a hero, right?”
“Of course!” Timothy beamed. “I’m a heroic Swordman. Like Valkyrie! Why do you ask?”
Jin didn’t reply. He took the boy by the collar and, with a sudden heave, flung Timothy toward Instructor Cho.
“What the h-hey!”
Timothy yelped as he missiled forward across the arena. For few good seconds, he flailed midair until Jin’s threads – invisible to everyone else – tugged on his limbs ever so slightly. Instructor Cho, always the vigilant one, fired another round of arrow at Timothy.
With total control over the boy’s movements, Jin flicked, yanked, and dragged him away from the line of fire. Timothy tumbled until he reached his foe, landing in a tight roll before popping up with his blade raised.
“Get that baddie archer, Hero Timothy!” Jin cheered from the back.
The boy perked up. And with a grin, he activated his
Instructor Cho’s eyebrow twitched. “Since when did I become a baddie archer-whoa! Easy there, boy!”
He leapt backwards and loosened a magical arrow. But Timothy, guided by Jin’s marionette-like control, twisted sideways. The shaft grazed his shoulder, embedding itself in the arena floor with a soft thud.
“Hah! Missed me!” Timothy crowed before charging in again.
Looking at him going at it, Jin was left impressed. The boy’s head might be everywhere, but his heart was still in the right place. His skill, though, could use a lot more refinement.
Stolen novel; please report.
Instructor Cho cursed under his breath and fired another shot, but Jin’s threads flipped Timothy left, then right, turning his reckless assault into an erratic dance. The crowd roared – half in laughter, half in disbelief.
Even the stoic-faced Ironshield found it hilarious, smiling and nodding at Timothy who was trying his best to work Instructor Cho up.
With one eye observing Timothy, Jin turned to Shinohara. Despite the crowd cheering them on, she was shaken.
“Hey, girl!” Jin jerked her shoulder. “Snap out of it.”
“I-I-I…”
If she were any older, Jin would have slapped her back to her senses. Alas, she was still a growing kid, and all he could do was to flick her forehead.
“Ouch! That hurts.”
“Regrets going to hurt you more than that, kid.”
“I’m sorry. I-I just don’t know how to-“
“Do you have cats? Dogs? Pets?”
Shinohara’s eyes lit up. “I-I got a parakeet pair. Hanzo and Chiyori.”
“Lovely.” From the moment he laid eyes on her, Jin knew what her problem was.
Stage fright.
All the anxiety and nervousness she felt when fighting in public were painfully obvious. If left all by herself, far from anyone scrutinising her every move, she could be an asset. But this exam was skewed against her in more ways than one.
However, if he wanted to have any sliver of hope in getting something from this match, Jin needed her help.
“I have a couple myself, too. One’s a cranky, pudgy lizard, Bee and the other’s a hyperactive glutton, Vee.”
“I am not-“
“Shut up, Bee. I’m trying to win here.”
“You owe me a bag of cinnamon croissant offering for your insolence.”
“Whatever.”
Jin cared not for the whimsical Bahamut’s words. All that he had in his mind right now was Shinohara and Timothy. And for the first time since he knew her, the girl’s eyes lit up. Her constant frown disappeared, replaced by youthful excitement.
“After the exam, you can come and see them if you want. But for now, I-no. We need your help.”
“B-But how? I’m not strong enough.“
“Are you afraid of your pets, Chie?” Jin dropped the formalities and used her first name.
“N-No?” Shinohara replied. “I don’t think I’m ever afraid of them.”
“Do you practice in front of-whoaa! Careful, kiddo!” Jin said as he pulled Timothy away from being hit by a magic attack. “Oi, Ironshield! You desperate for a win? Ganging up on a ten-year-old kid. Don’t you instructors have any shame?”
Jin was playing to the crowd, and it worked. Boos echoed inside the training arena. And if his hunches were to go by, all the other instructors would be more careful of their next steps. Unless they wanted to be caught on camera as adults bullying an elementary school kid.
“Oi, Hero Timothy!” Jin called. “I got your back, but you need to watch where you’re going, alright. These bullies can’t be trusted to play fair.”
The boy wiped his sweat away and nodded before once again dashing towards his opponents. This time, he engaged with Instructor Cho without any backup from Ironshield or Instructor Hanma. Instructor Lila was still trying to free herself, and judging by her reaction, it was a matter of time.
“Where was I?” Jin said. “Oh yes, do you train in front of Hanzo and Chiyori, Chie?”
“All the time,” came the reply.
“Good. Now, imagine us as a flock of parakeets. Hanzo and Chiyori’s relatives.”
“And you’re Hanzo? And Emilia’s Chiyori?”
Jin resisted the urge to pull his hair out. Juggling Timothy’s wild movements and Shinohara’s low self-confidence was a pain in the neck. With Instructor Lila so close to freeing herself from his sticky web, he was about to give up and go solo.
Patience. Patience. You got this. They’re only kids.
Jin forced a smile. “As you wish. Now, imagine that all of us here are nothing but a bunch of parakeets. I’m Hanzo and Emilia’s Chiyori.”
Shinohara closed her eyes and strained to imagine the scene. Before long, the tension drained from her face, replaced by a genuine and tender expression. Jin let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. It was temporary, yes, but seeing that she no longer stressed herself out was a solution to their predicaments.
“Now, can you do what you do in training?”
“I-I think I can try. B-But can I close my eyes like this?”
“You can fight with your eyes closed?”
Shinohara nodded.
Jin couldn’t be any more delighted. This girl might actually be better than he first thought. “Now, what’s your skill that you can use outside of the RIFT?”
“Only my Throw skill,” came the meek reply. Even then, she sounded much braver now. “I-I can throw many things and hit my target. Hundred out of hundred. Even with my eyes closed.”
“Like all the weapons you’re carrying right now?”
Again, Shinohara replied with a nod.
At last. Some good news. Jin looked at the timer. “Six minutes to go. That boy hero has brought us more than I thought he could. There might be a chance, still.”
With that, he leaned close and whispered the plan to Shinohara.
***
“Time’s up!” the announcement boomed. “And we have our winner!”
Timothy, exhausted from his ‘heroic’ ordeal, was about to drop to his knees. Yet that announcement summoned up his remaining energy. He barrelled into Jin, almost knocking the man over.
“W-We won! We actually won, Mister Frank!”
Jin ruffled the boy’s hair. “And so we did. Great job hanging there, hero.”
Shinohara hovered at arm’s reach, her fingers fidgeting. Despite her earlier predicaments, she emerged with an unshaken smile.
“U-Umm… what about me?”
“You were perfect, Shinohara,” Jin said.
She hesitated, then pointed at Timothy. “T-Then can I ask for that?”
Jin nodded before patting her head with his other free hand. Shinohara let out a soft, contented hum.
“And please, call me Chie.”
Around the platform, the other examinees watched in utter shock. Murmurs filled in soon, followed by a round of applause.
But they weren’t the only ones celebrating. Ironshield strode over, grinning from ear to ear. “You sure are something, Frank. First, the wave battle. Then this.” He pinched his thumb and forefinger together. “You come this close to beating us. I’d say we got lucky. Else, we'll have our tails tucked between our legs. Despite us being your instructors.”
“We’re the ones who were lucky,” Jin said, dismissing the compliments. He glanced around the arena.
Hanging on one side was a large cocoon. Instructor Lila was still struggling to break free from the enclosure while the other non-participating members of the crowd tried to help her.
During the fight earlier, while Timothy had distracted Instructor Cho, Jin and Shinohara ambushed Instructor Lila. The latter, with her
With her out of the battle, Instructor Cho and Instructor Hanma were next. With Timothy taking the Instructor Cho’s attention away, aided by Shinohara’s blinded yet precise weapon throw, the two worked in perfect chaotic tandem. Once they wore him down, Jin, who was engaged with Instructor Hanma, provided the coup de grace.
By the time they were finished, the two instructors lay on the floor, limbs and mouths sealed with sticky webs.
But Ironshield? He’d been a wall. Even outnumbered, he’d held his ground until the timer ran out.
“Hey, Frank. How did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“That thing. Where you feigned attacking Cho but then got Hanma instead? Do you have eyes on your back?”
“Oh, that?” Jin winked. “Trick of the trade. But aren’t you going to ask how I can shoot webs and threads? Not an Herbalist thing to do, right?”
“Nah. I’ve seen too much to know there are things I shouldn’t ask.”
“So, I’m good?”
Ironshield shot a thumbs-up. “Perfect.” But as he walked off the stage, there was still one thing he wanted to say. “After the exam, meet me in the cafeteria. Try not to keep me waiting for too long.”
He said nothing else. Nor did he wait for Jin’s answer.
But two things were for sure. It must be a very important matter if Ironshield wanted to see him personally. Perhaps it had to do with the next phase of the exam.
The second sure thing?
Emilia van Lowenhald, awake from her earlier knockout, was about to become a human volcano. And her target was none other than Jin.