Lune's left eye twitched after Vidra called out to her. His carefree attitude irritated her, and she wanted to teach him a lesson. It just annoyed her that Vidra never seemed to take anything seriously.
"Climb the stone platform. You won't call it a dance once we start."
Vidra did as the aloof girl told him and stood before her. The scribes quickly moved towards their platform, completely abandoning the other fights. Thus, making some of the other fighters distracted for a second.
A fight between trait holders was something none of them had a chance to witness. This was valuable information that would surely cause the newspaper sales to skyrocket. Vidra and Lune waited for the examiner to start the countdown.
"3"
"2"
"1"
"START!"
Lune dashed forward. Her speed was unusual for a kid of her age. She quickly closed the gap between Vidra and herself and launched a roundhouse kick towards his face. Her heel left a white, almost transparent arc in the air.
The kick was infused with the unique mana of her trait. Making it capable of ending the fight instantly if it connects with the body. Vidra barely dodged it by leaning back, but Lune surprised him.
The roundhouse kick continued into a spin, and Lune launched an insanely fast backhand. It connected, and Vidra was sent into the stone platform. His reaction seemed unnatural. It seemed as if the backhand was way stronger than it looked, but Lune knew that something was wrong.
The spectators thought that the attack landed properly. The scribes and many other spectator gasped, thinking that the fight ended.
"Is this how it ends?"
"This is not enough to make a big splash."
Lune looked at her hand, which connected with Vidra. It didn't feel like a proper hit. She looked at the elf boy, who got up almost instantly. His face was spotless, the backhand didn't reach it.
"You... You caught it with your palm? I didn't see anything."
Lune looked at Vidra. She tried to understand what had happened, but everything was over so abruptly that Lune didn't even see where she hit Vidra. Uros, on the other hand...
There was a slight, barely noticeable smirk forming on his face. He saw everything from his angle. Vidra ever so slightly twisted his body while lifting his hand to cover his face. It was a complicated move that aimed to deceive the spectators and his opponent.
A misdirection that made it seem like Vidra got hit when most of the force behind the backhand was dissipated. It was a fun-loving, eccentric battle style filled with unnecessary movements.
"How could you do that? Are you crazy? What if you hit me?"
Vidra complained and pointed his finger towards Lune. The girl was not amused. She looked at Vidra, a dangerous glint passing through her eyes as she decided on her next move.
*swiiiisssh*
Lune dashed towards Vidra with incredible speed, her feet sliding on the ground towards him as she tried to stop. A barely noticeable white aura surrounded her body as her trait was forced into overdrive.
"Go DIEEE!"
This time, Vidra had no time to dodge. Lune sent an uppercut loaded with most of her mana into his stomach. The punch blurred for a moment before it connected with Vidra.
It was so fast that Vidra was lifted from the ground as the punch forced its way upwards.
*Buaahh*
A small amount of blood, mixed with saliva, escaped Vidra's mouth as he was forced to bend forward before falling to his knees.
"UGghh, that hurt you crazy-"
"What?"
"Nothing..."
Lune walked off the stone platform, not interested in continuing the fight. The examiner declared it Vidra's loss, but everyone knew that it didn't matter. He was the first ranker of the first test, and his place on the admission list was guaranteed.
Vidra walked away to sleep on his favorite rock. The fights continued, with many test takers showing great promise. Uros also found someone to fight. The boy who challenged him thought that Uros was an easy opponent based on the meager mana inside his body.
He bet on the chance that Uros wasn't talented and the stories about his martial prowess were forged. The boy couldn't be more wrong.
*Thwack*
Uros' first attack was so strong that the challenger had to give up, despite managing to block it. When the others asked him what happened, he replied:
"His punch almost shattered my lower arm."
Those who doubted Uros changed their stance after the examiner confirmed that the boy's arm bone had a newly formed crack. The day continued with mostly uneventful fights, and it was almost midnight by the time everyone had fought at least twice.
"The second day of the entrance exam is over! Now the headmaster will evaluate everyone based on their performance. A number will show up above your head once you're evaluated. That number will represent your rank. You will be free to go back to your dormitory once everyone has received their rank."
The numbers popped up one by one. Lune was ranked first, and Uros was ranked seventeenth. Vidra was dead last, given that he fumbled all two of his fights on purpose. However, there was one undeniable fact that everyone understood.
Both Vidra and Uros were strong. Uros showed off some of his abilities in the first fight, while Vidra barely lifted a finger during the second exam. He casually dodged Lune, whose attacks not many amongst the examinees could perceive in time.
The exam ended after the usual commotion had settled down. The scribes and other spectators dispersed while the students took a walk back towards the dormitories. During the walk, Lune was surrounded by girls.
She was popular despite her silent personality. Her ethereal beauty and refined attitude garnered many admirers in a short time. Uros and Vidra on the other hand were ignored by the group of boys heading towards the dormitory.
Vidra was merely unpopular, he was a strong troublemaker who seemed to cause more harm than good. Uros was just Uros. He ignored everyone and worked in his mysterious ways.
The two of them walked back into their shared room and fell asleep without a word. A few hours later, the first rays of sunlight illuminated the room. Indicating that it was time for the third and last part of the entrance exam.