Alfie and Den had completed their mission: they had successfully stopped the meeths who had been corrupted by the Breath of Darkness, all within the 33-minute time limit.Between tracking and fighting, it had taken them about 20 minutes.Now, they were simply waiting for their superiors' orders.
Alfie wasn't feeling great about it. He was stuck in his head, worrying about his performance.Did I do good enough? Did I take too long to find my opponent? Is the trial really over?A thousand questions ran through his mind, and none of the answers were satisfying. He was completely lost in his thoughts, already imagining what grade he would get.
"Judging by how I fought, I should pass... but damn, I took way too long to find my target. That might get me disqualified."
He scratched his head furiously, pacing around in circles, picturing every possible worst-case scenario. He kept repeating to himself that he had to succeed.Then, inevitably, he thought about Den.
"I really hope that idiot didn't screw things up... He's strong, but I can totally see him ignoring the instructions."
The second that thought crossed his mind, Alfie's face stiffened and went pale.Now even more anxious, he started banging his head against the ground in shame.
"That idiot's gonna get us disqualified for sure!"
Meanwhile, on Den's side, the atmosphere was... very different.He was in a great mood, hyping himself up like he had just saved the world.Humility clearly wasn't his strongest trait.
"Ohhh, in this entire land, only me and my treasure deserve to be honored. No one can touch our level... not even that other fool."
He kept throwing compliments at himself without a care in the world.For Den, there was no reason to be scared — he had completed the mission like a true hero, and he was damn proud of it.
***
"Alfie and Den Kozumi... Interesting. They'll make excellent recruits."
It was Chief Minh Vu, observing them from high up at the camp, a pair of binoculars pressed against her eyes.Despite her usually bored expression, a small smirk tugged at the corner of her lips — she was satisfied with what she saw.She lowered her binoculars, grabbed her rifle, loaded a new round into it, and aimed at the sky.
"This should do it."
She pulled the trigger.Once high enough in the sky, the bullet was struck by lightning and split into five glowing arrows, each flying toward a different group.Each arrow carried a message: an "O" for a pass, an "X" for failure.
Alfie and Den had moved one step closer to their goal.Alfie let out a long breath of relief when he saw the "O", while Den just ran a hand through his hair, chuckling to himself.
The groups began making their way back to camp, Alfie and Den dragging their unconscious opponents with them.
Everyone gathered at the camp.The defeated meeths were laid out near the Chief, who was seated but quickly rose to her feet.She pulled a piece of paper from her cloak — an artifact marked with a magic symbol — and held it up for everyone to see.
"You all did a decent job... and by 'you all,' I mean Alfie and Den. The rest of you failed."
She gave them a cold stare before turning back to the two boys.
"As for you two, your mission isn't over yet. You still need to purify them."
She crouched down, placed the artifact near the meeths, and pressed her palm against the center of the magic symbol.The symbol started glowing bright blue.She then lifted her hand, and the paper rose into the air.From it burst magical chains that instantly wrapped themselves around the corrupted meeths, beginning to pull them in.
For Minh Vu, it seemed like a routine task — but for the apprentices, it was a completely surreal sight.They didn't even know how to react.Den was the first to raise his hand.
"Chief Minh, where are these chains taking the corrupted meeths? You mentioned purification?"
It was obvious that no one understood what was happening — everyone else nodded, signaling they had the same question.Everyone except Alfie and the Chief, who both sighed in frustration.
Chief Minh slowly walked toward Den, locking eyes with him.
"We're sending them to the Golden Book — the sacred book of the Rulers. It's tasked with purifying deviants.Our job is to protect the people, not to pass judgment. Only the Rulers have that right.Didn't they teach you anything at the academy? Any more questions?"
Her voice was calm, but layered with irritation and anger.Den, visibly intimidated, struggled to respond.He knew he couldn't argue with a superior — and he could tell he'd messed up.
"No questions, Chief. Everything's clear," Alfie answered quickly, staring straight at her.
Chief Minh, at first seeming annoyed, let out a small chuckle.Then, moving faster than anyone could react, she knocked both Alfie and Den out cold with a single blow.
The apprentices didn't even realize what had happened — one second they were standing, the next they were unconscious.
Meanwhile, the meeths had finished being absorbed.Minh turned toward her second-in-command, who looked completely bewildered by what had just happened.
"They passed the trial. I'm taking them to HQ and making my report.Can you make sure to tie them up properly?"
The lieutenant immediately got to work, tying the two boys securely.
Once they were strapped in, Minh drew her weapon again and activated magical seals along its surface.Two mechanical thrusters popped out, transforming her rifle into a flying device.
She grabbed the handle, revved it up, and jumped onto it, motioning for the apprentices to be attached to the device.
Minh's face had completely changed — from bored and composed to a wide, almost terrifying grin.
"Heeeyyy, you lot — toughen up!Lieutenant, make sure to ramp up their training.As for these two... I like their type."
Right as she finished speaking, a bolt of lightning struck down, launching them all into the sky.
In a flash, they were gone — leaving behind a crackling electric cloud.
They were now soaring through the sky at crazy speeds.The extreme force of the wind woke them up.
"WH-WHERE ARE WE?! HOLY SHIT, WE'RE IN THE SKY!"Alfie was the first to wake up, flailing and screaming in pure panic.
They could fall at any moment.
"Ohhh, you're awake faster than I thought. In that case..."Chief Minh casually cut the rope tying them to the device, letting them plummet into freefall.
"See you at the Academy!" she shouted with a huge grin, before disappearing into the clouds.
Still falling, Alfie managed to cut the rope binding him and punched Den to wake him up.
"YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THISSSS!!" he screamed as they both continued their freefall toward the ground.