As she turned to leave, the weight of her words lingered in the air.
We will decide who leaves this place as adventurers.
The candidates stood quieter now. Tenser.
Scarlet walked toward the girls' testing section without another glance back.
Boros followed behind her. Hands buried in his pockets. Unhurried.
"Let me do the talking when we get there," Scarlet said flatly, not bothering to look over her shoulder.
"Whatever." Boros replied lazily. "I wasn't planning on talking to that bastard anyway."
They entered the adjacent hall just as a girl stepped off the platform.
Akeno landed lightly on the floor, the screen behind her glowing green.
The examiner clapped once. "And that concludes this round. The examination is officially—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Footsteps echoed across the chamber.
"Oh?" he said, turning. "Scarlet? What brings you over here?"
Then his eyes shifted past her. Recognition. Annoyance.
"Well, well, well…" His lip curled. "If it isn't that piece-of-shit civilian."
Boros didn't break stride.
"You should watch your mouth," he said calmly, tilting his head slightly upward. "Bastard."
Scarlet's eye twitched.
'I thought we agreed I'd do the talking.'
The examiner stepped forward, closing the distance until he stood chest-to-chest with Boros.
"And who," he asked coldly, "do you think you're talking to?"
Boros let out a quiet chuckle.
"There's only one bastard in front of me, isn't there?"
The air snapped.
"I'LL KILL THIS FUCKING GUY!" the examiner roared, grabbing Boros by the collar and yanking him forward. His breathing turned ragged, furious.
Gasps rippled through the room.
"Sir!" Scarlet shouted, rushing forward.
His fists remained twisted in Boros's shirt.
"Please, calm down," she urged, forcing steel into her voice.
Boros didn't look the slightest bit shaken.
Instead, he slowly raised a hand and wrapped his fingers around the man's wrist.
"You should listen to her," he said quietly.
His grip tightened.
"For your own sake."
The tension in the room was suffocating. Candidates stood frozen. Attendants didn't dare interfere.
Boros and the examiner remained locked in their stare-down for several long seconds.
"Engaging physically with candidates violates Guild Protocol, sir," Scarlet said firmly, forcing calm into her voice.
A sharp click of the tongue.
"Tch."
The examiner wrenched his wrist free from Boros's grip and released his collar.
Without another word, he turned and stormed out of the venue.
The doors slammed shut behind him.
Outside, his boots scraped harshly against stone as he paced.
Then he stopped.
And drove his fist into the wall.
A crack splintered across the surface.
"Who the hell does that bastard think he is…" he growled, teeth clenched.
Inside, Scarlet exhaled quietly. Relieved that she was able to keep the situation under control.
But the moment the examiner exited, the building trembled faintly.
Her eyes flicked toward the doors.
'What did he just do?'
She pushed the thought aside and turned back to the girls, deliberately ignoring the altercation as if it had never happened.
"There's an issue with our machine," she announced evenly. "We'll be using this one instead. Once his test is complete, we will return to the main hall."
Boros stepped forward. It
He cracked his neck once. Then stepped onto the pad. Hands in his pockets.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"It's him…"
Scarlet felt sweat gather at her temple.
'Please don't break this one too.'
The machine hummed.
Seconds stretched.
Then—
Green.
No sparks. No smoke. No collapse.
Boros stepped off casually.
"I'm done, right?" he asked.
"Y-Yes," Scarlet replied.
Without another word, he turned and began walking back toward the men's hall.
Scarlet stared at the screen.
"I knew he would pass," she murmured under her breath. "It was obvious… so why am I still surprised?"
She shook herself from her thoughts and faced the candidates once more.
"With the final test completed, this examination is officially over."
Her voice carried authority again.
"The head examiner has stepped out. We will proceed without him. All of you will accompany me back to the main building."
She paused, letting the weight of the next words settle over them.
"There, we will announce the results… and decide who will be joining this prestigious organization."
Silence followed.
But this time, it wasn't fear.
It was anticipation.
The group followed Scarlet as she led them back toward the men's section.
"Are you okay, Kinuko?" Akeno asked, leaning closer. "You've looked kind of pale since we got in here."
"It's just—" Kinuko began softly.
"Is it this place?" Akeno spun around dramatically, inspecting her. "It's messing with your beautiful skin, isn't it? This cursed demo—"
"Akeno!" Kinuko snapped, cutting her off before she could finish.
"Hm?" Akeno blinked, scratching the side of her head.
"I was worried about the fight between Shiro and the examiner," Kinuko admitted quietly. "I can't help thinking… maybe it was my fault."
"Your fault?" Akeno laughed lightly. "Shiro's just overprotective. That's how he's always been. It has nothing to do with you."
Kinuko hesitated, then nodded. "If you say so."
By then, they had reached the men's area.
The male candidates glanced toward them. Boros had already returned ahead of them, and seeing the two groups together confirmed what was already obvious—
The exam was over.
"Now we will proceed to the main building," Scarlet announced to both groups. "Further instructions will be given there."
Together, they left the Zone Testing Area and made their way toward the guild's main structure.
Once inside, the rigid separation dissolved.
With the examination complete, they were allowed however they liked. There was no longer any need to separate them by gender.
The atmosphere loosened.
"Yo," Boros said casually as he approached the girls.
"Shirooo!" Akeno launched herself at him dramatically.
He caught her by the forehead mid-air.
"Personal space," he muttered, pushing her back.
"Rude!"
"Shiro…" Kinuko greeted softly.
She wasn't looking at him.
Her fingers were lightly clenched at her sides.
Boros noticed immediately.
He stepped closer. "Is something wrong?"
Before she could answer, Akeno sighed. "She's still blaming herself for the examiner thing."
Boros' gaze shifted back to Kinuko.
"Is that true?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
Her voice was steady.
Her eyes weren't.
"I should've moved quicker when he asked earlier," she admitted quietly. "If I had… maybe you wouldn't have needed to step in."
The noise of the reception hall seemed to dull around them.
Boros stepped forward and gently lifted her chin.
"Kinuko."
She hesitated — then met his eyes.
"Do you remember what I told you before we left the inn?"
Her breath caught.
"…Yes."
His expression didn't change.
"That wasn't anger."
A small pause.
"That was me keeping my promise."
Silence lingered between them.
The tension in her shoulders eased.
"I understand," she said softly.
Then, more quietly—
"Thank you."
He let go.
"You don't need to thank me."
Akeno leaned into Boros' peripheral vision.
"Soooo," she drawled suspiciously, "are we just going to ignore the mysterious promise conversation happening in front of me?"
Boros looked at her.
"…You talk too much."
She gasped dramatically.
"I demand context!"
Kinuko laughed softly for the first time since the confrontation.
The tension broke.
"How were the exams, Shiro?" Kinuko asked.
"Easy," he replied, folding his arms.
"As expected." She covered her mouth, chuckling softly.
"You didn't ask me," Akeno complained, puffing her cheeks.
"I don't need to. We took it together," Kinuko replied calmly.
"Ask meeee," Akeno insisted, leaning in until their faces were inches apart.
"You're too close, Akeno," Kinuko said, trying to push her back.
Laughter and chatter filled the reception hall as candidates exchanged stories and speculation.
The room buzzed with relief and anticipation—
Until it didn't.
The moment Scarlet stepped to the front, the noise died down.
"Listen up!" Scarlet called, her voice cutting cleanly through the hall.
"At the beginning of this examination, we explained the scoring system. However, in case some of you have forgotten, I will repeat it."
"There were five tests. Each test carried twenty marks, bringing the total possible score to one hundred."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"The cutoff mark is seventy-eight. However, as you are all aware… failure in the Resonance Test automatically disqualifies you from passing this examination."
A quiet tension settled over the room.
"As for your individual scores," Scarlet went on, "they will not be announced publicly."
A subtle wave of relief moved through parts of the crowd. Those who had performed poorly weren't eager to have their numbers read aloud for everyone to hear.
"You will line up in groups of ten and approach the receptionist at the front desk. She will inform you privately whether you have passed or failed."
"If you have passed, you will be issued a Guild ID Card. If you have failed… you will be dismissed."
She lifted a card from the desk beside her.
"The Guild ID Card serves as official identification for all registered adventurers. It contains essential personal information—such as your name, height, weight, blood type, and other relevant data."
"Kinuko," Akeno whispered.
"Yes?" she whispered back.
"I don't remember giving them any of that information. How are they going to put all that fancy stuff on the card?" Akeno asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"I was just thinking the same thing," Kinuko admitted softly. "But there has to be an explanation for late entries like us."
"As most of you know," Scarlet continued, "many of you submitted application forms prior to today. For those who pass, your information has already been processed and will appear on your ID cards."
She shifted her stance slightly.
"However, some of you entered the examination at a later stage and did not complete the standard paperwork."
A few candidates stiffened.
"For those individuals, should you pass, you will receive a temporary Guild ID Card. It will contain only your photograph and assigned rank. You will later undergo a formal interview to complete your records."
"Ooh," Akeno muttered, lightly punching her palm. "So they did have an explanation for us."
"I told you," Kinuko replied calmly.
"Wait," Akeno added slowly. "They said it'll have our rank and picture… picture… picture…"
Her eyes widened.
"HOW THE HELL DID THEY GET OUR PICTURES?!" she blurted.
"Shhh!" Kinuko hissed, quickly covering her mouth.
At the front, Scarlet raised a hand.
"We will begin from this side," she said, pointing to the right. "Step forward in groups of ten to receive your results and ID cards."
No one moved immediately.
Because now—
This was the moment that truly decided who would become part of the Guild.