Chapter 25: Don’t Hit the Face

“Miss Via, are you ready to begin the test?”

The examiner stood in the center of the testing arena, adjusting a magic automaton. He turned to look at Via and the receptionist.

“Is the test just fighting the automaton?” Via asked.

“That’s right.”

The examiner tapped the hard plating on the automaton’s chest—the impact sensor.

“Next, you’ll need to fight it. As long as you can break this device, you’ll be counted as victorious, proving you have enough strength to face a certain level of danger—and are qualified to become an adventurer.”

So it’s simulated combat, Via thought as she listened.

“The automaton’s combat level is at Black Iron rank, which is the minimum threshold for entering the profession,” the examiner explained.

But he was lying.

The automaton from headquarters could be tuned—below Black Iron, or even nearing Silver rank.

Normally, adventurer branches used settings below Black Iron for the test.

But today, he’d secretly tuned it to Bronze rank, close to Silver.

That way, Via would definitely fail.

“Miss Via, you may begin whenever you’re ready.”

“In that case, let’s start now,” Via said.

“Very well.”

The examiner stepped out of the arena, leaving the battleground clear, and flashed a smug grin.

“Is this… really okay?” the receptionist whispered nervously.

“No problem. The automaton’s at Bronze rank right now,” he smirked. “She can’t win.”

“But won’t it be dangerous? What if she gets hurt?”

“What danger? Relax. The automaton regulates its power. Built by a grand mage from HQ—high precision, zero risk. Just sit tight for the show.”

The examiner was ready to watch her get crushed and get off work early.

“Then good. I don’t want complaints—or the Holy Land coming after us,” the receptionist sighed.

The examiner had been with the guild for years. Every automaton he’d overseen had functioned perfectly.

Sure, it wasn’t exactly fair to Via, but he had his orders.

Beep—

The magic automaton awakened. The circuits along its body began to glow, magic flowing as its eyes lit up—locking onto Via as the target to defeat.

It raised its sword and charged at the pink-haired girl.

“Fireball.”

Via raised her staff, gathering magic at its tip until it formed a blazing orb of fire—and launched it.

The automaton ducked low mid-charge, letting the fireball pass just over it before it exploded behind.

“That reaction speed?”

Via sensed something was off. No way a Black Iron automaton was this fast.

Swish!

The automaton was already in front of her, sword raised, swinging down.

“Magic Shield!”

Via quickly cast a Magic Shield, forming a pale-blue barrier in front of her.

When the automaton’s blade struck, she nearly stumbled from the force.

This was wrong.

Definitely wrong.

This wasn’t a Black Iron automaton.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye—the receptionist was visibly excited, and the examiner looked smug. Neither seemed inclined to stop the test.

So that’s how it is…

They didn’t want her joining the guild at all.

The automaton shattered the Magic Shield.

But the spell had bought Via some time. She leapt back to widen the distance.

“A true Black Iron would’ve been overwhelmed from the start,” the examiner snickered. “Her mana won’t last more than a few rounds before she burns out.”

“Isn’t this overdoing it?” the receptionist asked.

“She insisted. We warned her. Now she’s getting what she asked for,” he said, already picturing an early dismissal.

“…Fireball!”

Via, now at a distance, fired another fireball.

“Same old trick? It didn’t work the first time, what makes her think it’ll work now?” the examiner scoffed.

The automaton darted forward again, narrowly dodging the attack.

But this time, the fireball didn’t hit the floor.

It curved in a wide loop, dragging a fiery arc through the air—sealing off the automaton’s escape route.

The flames burst, swirling into a blast of burning wind, momentarily clouding the entire arena.

“How’d she pull that off?” the examiner muttered, surprised.

The automaton swung its sword, scattering the fiery aftermath, and spotted Via beginning her next spell, staff raised in incantation.

It moved immediately, charging at her with maximum speed, sword aimed to strike.

But then—a shocking scene.

Via didn’t move.

She just stood there—and was cut in half.

The examiner and the receptionist both froze.

Then the two halves shimmered… and dissolved into mist.

“What you saw was just a magic decoy I left on purpose. I’m over here.”

Via’s voice came from behind them, her staff aglow with crackling white lightning that lit up her round cheeks.

An attack with serious destructive force—fully charged, ready to fire.

“Lightning Arrow!”

The lightning shot out—striking the automaton in the back and blasting it to the ground.

Both the examiner and receptionist were dumbfounded.

Such clean combat instincts—and perfect mana control. Was this level of experience even possible for a student?

“Whew… I’m wiped. That drained all my mana…”

Via walked up to the automaton, lifted her staff, and tapped the hit detector—breaking it.

She held the pose for several seconds, a faint mischievous smirk flashing across her face before vanishing.

“So… does this count as passing?”

“Y-Yes…” the examiner mumbled, face complicated.

He’d never imagined Via could defeat the automaton.

“Aaaah!!”

Via suddenly screamed, shocking him back to attention.

The automaton—lying on the ground—suddenly stood back up, emitting a terrifying screech. It shoved Via aside and bolted toward the examiner like a berserker.

“What the—!? Stop! Stop it now!”

The examiner panicked, trying to use remote control—but nothing responded.

The automaton had malfunctioned!

“Ahhh!!” the receptionist shrieked, dropping to the floor with her hands over her head.

The examiner tried to run, but the automaton lunged and drop-kicked him flat.

“I used up all my mana just now—can’t cast anything!” Via cried helplessly.

The automaton pinned the examiner, slowly raising its fist.

The examiner’s face went pale as death.

“N-Not the face… n-not the—aaaaaaaah!!!”