The second test was the written exam.
The quiet venue echoed with the scratch of pens on paper.
While solving the questions, I thought about something.
...Maybe I am actually really strong?
When I thought about it, I had been trained to death—literally to the brink—by the monsters in Orichalcum Fist for two years. At the very least, I had to be stronger than the beginner-rank adventurers here.
No, no, no. I cannot get arrogant. I am just an extremely late-blooming amateur adventurer. At least my magic quantity is on the lower side even among this group.
Hmm, but still. In the earlier test, my attack was way stronger than the prodigy kid's (provisional) magic.
"Yes, time is up. Put down your pens and flip over your papers."
While I was lost in thought, the written exam ended. The questions were basic knowledge about the guild system, so I solved them easily.
Former office worker power!
The third test measured defense and evasion power.
The same group from the slime bag test was led to an outdoor exam field.
A red circle five meters in diameter was drawn on the ground. Several people in black robes—mages from the Mage Church—waited there.
The test was simple. Each examinee stood inside the circle on the ground. Mages from the Mage Church attacked with magic. It started weak and gradually increased in power. The test continued until the examinee's feet (except the soles) touched the ground or they stepped outside the circle. Scoring was based on how many attacks they endured.
"Next, Freid Dilmutt. Step forward!"
"Heh heh heh. The time has finally come to show my true power."
The prodigy (provisional) kid stood up with his usual smug face and hair-flip pose.
"As you can see, I am actually good at defense magic. The true value of Prodigy Freid Dilmutt shines when I am on the receiving end."
"Then we begin the test. Release, Barrier Magic Wave! First Realm Binding Magic 'Shockwave'."
A light shockwave fired from the examiner's left hand.
Magic chanting had five levels: full chant, normal chant, simplified chant, no chant, and complete no-chant. The farther back, the higher the power but the shorter the chant time, so activation speed increased.
The examiner used a simplified chant.
In response, the prodigy—Freid—spoke these words.
"Third Realm Binding Magic 'Inferno Aura'!!"
Flames wrapped around Freid's entire body like a wall.
The examiner's shockwave was completely swallowed and blocked by the flame wall.
The other four examinees let out shouts of amazement.
"Third Realm Binding Magic with no chant!?"
"No way, he's really a genius!!"
Their surprise made sense. Using Third Realm Binding Magic at that age was already impressive, but this was high-difficulty no-chant on top of it.
No wonder Freid said he excelled at defense. Defense magic often prioritized activation speed since it countered incoming attacks.
As expected of a prodigy.
"...Hmm, but still."
Freid endured the examiner's successive spells. When the Fourth Realm Binding Magic 'Shockburn' finally pushed his right foot outside the circle, the test ended. He was unharmed despite being pushed out.
"Oops, my right foot slipped out. High-precision magic overcomes higher-realm attacks. My Third Realm Binding Magic can easily block even one realm higher, but the examiner's pressure got to me (smirk)."
"Wowwwwwwwwwwwww!!!"
The other examinees cheered loudly.
"...Hmm?"
I tilted my head while the others were amazed.
After that, the remaining examinees tried. They defended against the examiner's attacks, but Freid's record of enduring up to Fourth Realm was overwhelming.
"Next, number 4242. Into the circle!!"
Finally, my name was called.
"Hey... that's the freak-strength old guy from earlier..."
"He's gonna do something crazy again..."
"Heh, from what I see, he's an extreme physical-attack specialist. Defense is probably his weak point (smirk)."
The prodigy kid still had his intense posed face. He probably practiced it in the mirror every morning.
The examiner from the Mage Church pointed his left hand at me.
"Then we begin the test. Release, Barrier Magic Wave! First Realm Binding Magic 'Shockwave'."
"Here we go."
I created a thin membrane of air around my body. It was the wind-type First Realm Binding Magic 'Air Cushion'.
"Complete no-chant!?"
The four examinees shouted so loudly it might have carried outside the venue.
The remaining small boy just stood there with his mouth open in shock.
Complete no-chant meant activating magic without even saying the name. Hmm, but even for First Realm Binding Magic, this was pretty impressive. My party seniors had praised me for it too.
Oh, prodigy kid. Sorry for interrupting your pose, but actually, defense is my strong suit. The reason? If I could not defend... well, yeah, that was it with the party seniors.
My air membrane easily repelled the 'Shockwave'.
"First hit cleared. Moving on. Lions dance on blue peaks, warriors cling to red copper plains..."
(Ah, yeah, as expected.)
After feeling the first attack's power, I became certain.
(This attack magic is being held back a ton.)
The examiner's Second Realm Binding Magic flew toward me.
'Air Cushion' did not budge and repelled it.
"Second hit cleared. Next, pierce the flash, run the jet black..."
The next, stronger Second Realm Binding Magic was also repelled without issue.
The next one, the one after, and finally the Fourth Realm Binding Magic 'Shockburn'—the same as Freid's—came, but the air membrane did not even tremble.
(Well, this is an E-rank exam for new adventurers like me. I am used to it, but if they hit too hard, they might hurt someone. Yeah, no way this is their full power.)
The examiner, breathing a little heavily, spoke to me.
"Im-Impressive, number 4242."
"Ah, thanks."
"We will move on, but... you can switch to a higher-level defense magic if you want. Mid-test replacement is allowed."
"Huh? Oh, no need. Actually, embarrassingly, this is the only defense magic I can use. I only know this one and one attack-type First Realm Binding Magic."
"What!? With that level of precision and control!?"
"Yes. Next is Fifth Realm Binding Magic. No way 'Air Cushion' can..."
I waved my hand casually.
"It's fine, really. (He's holding back anyway.) I can block it."
"...You underestimate me. I am still a member of the Church Mages. I will make you regret those words."
For some reason, the examiner suddenly had veins bulging on his temples and spoke in a trembling voice. Was he holding something in? He could go to the bathroom if he needed... He seemed like a serious person.
"Saints gazing up at castle walls, warriors clinging to them, rushing south-southwest gales, all hear the crashing wave of barrier magic. Fifth Realm Binding Magic 'Shock Cyclone'!!"
(Ah, full chant.)
Full chant took longer to activate due to the length but had overwhelmingly higher power—about three times that of normal chant.
A massive shockwave fired from the examiner's left hand.
Gooooooo!
It spiraled like a tornado as the name suggested, destroying everything around it and flying toward me.
One examinee shouted.
"Whoa, everyone run! You'll get caught!!"
(Well, but...)
Pashun.
The raging wind of the shockwave was lightly repelled without making my 'Air Cushion' budge.
(Yeah, see? He's been holding back this whole time. Suddenly going all out would be weird.)
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence fell over the other examinees. Well, maybe not many at F-rank could do this much. Defense is my specialty!!
"...N-No way. My full po...wer..."
The examiner collapsed with a thud. It looked like he had exhausted his magic, but since he was holding back, that probably was not it.
...Maybe his stomach finally gave out?
I wanted to help, but if he soiled himself, I did not want to get close. I should call the medical team.
Anyway, one thing was clear. At least among F-ranks, I might be pretty strong. That was what I realized.