Nim headed straight for the guild. Even though it wasn't time yet, he wanted to arrive early.
On the way, he observed the small bustle of the city. Even this early, people were coming and going.
After a while, he reached the vicinity of the guild. As usual, many adventurers were entering and leaving the building.
Nim entered and walked to the reception; fortunately, he didn't have to wait long.
"Good morning, I've come to take the adventurer's test," Nim said as he pulled out a slip and showed it.
The receptionist took the slip and checked its authenticity.
"All right, there are still 30 minutes left before the test begins."
The receptionist stood up and led Nim to another room.
The guild was extremely large, with many training rooms and others for different purposes.
Upon entering a training room, they saw a middle-aged man standing in a corner. Besides him, there were two more people; apparently, Nim wasn't the only one who had arrived early.
The middle-aged man had a serious face with some cuts across it. At a glance, anyone could tell he was a veteran adventurer.
"He is the test instructor. He will explain the rest."
The receptionist left after saying those words.
The room was very spacious, so Nim found a spot and waited patiently.
Over the next half hour, more people arrived.
Eventually, with Nim included, there were sixteen participants.
"It's time."
The instructor looked at an hourglass in his hand and spoke loudly.
Next, he walked to a corner of the room and placed his hand on the wall.
It briefly glowed until it became transparent.
Nim, watching from the side, was surprised by the wall's transformation—it was the first time he had seen this strange magic.
"That's where the test will be."
The instructor pointed to the image on the wall. As they got closer, Nim and the others saw a battle arena. It was huge, with many seats surrounding it.
From the room they were in, they could see the entire arena at a glance.
"Follow me."
The instructor touched the wall again, and a door appeared—it led to the arena.
Nim and the other participants followed him.
After going down a staircase, they arrived at the battle arena.
"Listen carefully, I'm going to explain what the test consists of."
The instructor began to explain, and everyone fell silent.
This time, the test would be a survival challenge. It involved facing monsters that the guild had previously captured.
The requirement to pass was to endure the designated time while facing the monsters.
It seemed quite simple, but all the participants, except Nim, looked worried.
Not everyone was confident they could pass this test.
"Listen up, the dungeon isn't a place just anyone can enter. If you can't even pass this test, it's better you give up."
The instructor knew many people wanted to become adventurers, but he also knew how terrifying it could be—especially the deeper floors.
If they couldn't pass this basic survival test, they'd only be wasting their lives entering the dungeon.
After saying that, the instructor pointed randomly at one participant and called him to the front.
The participant, being chosen first, looked nervous.
"Very well, we'll start with you. You must endure the full time of this hourglass," the instructor continued. "Everyone else wait outside the arena."
Everyone left the arena, leaving only the first participant. The instructor positioned himself on an elevated spot and watched carefully—he had to make sure there were no accidents.
A few seconds later, some cells opened in the battle arena. As they opened, several monsters came out along with their beastly noises.
There were three monsters in total, each wearing a collar—these collars were to control them and stop them if the participant was in danger.
The participant in the arena watched the monsters intently. They were three kobolds. Though they weren't considered strong, they weren't exactly weak either.
If encountered in a dungeon, these monsters would belong to, at most, the fourth floor.
Since he was level 9, he could endure them and even defeat one before time ran out.
Drawing a scimitar, he kept his distance. He had decided to act cautiously and wait for an opportunity to strike the frontmost monsters.
He had to be careful not to get surrounded.
After observing a bit, he decided to attack one kobold.
This kobold was slightly smaller than its two companions.
When he attempted to strike it, the two larger ones intervened.
Using their claws, both attacked the participant.
He dodged one, but the second managed to graze his clothes, tearing them slightly.
The participant was surprised by the sudden aggressive behavior of the two kobolds—apparently, they were protecting the smaller one for some reason.
Thinking that, he decided to target the smaller kobold. With every attempt he made, the other two attacked fiercely.
After a few attempts, he managed to break through the kobolds' guard. Though slightly scratched by a claw, it didn't slow him down.
Getting close, he aimed for a vital point on the kobold.
Suddenly, the small kobold shone faintly—or rather, something in its palm did.
The next instant, a fireball shot toward the participant.
The participant, being so close, was caught off guard by the sudden magical attack.
Boom
The participant was blown back by the impact, engulfed in flames like a fireball.
Before he hit the ground, the instructor caught him and, with a hand gesture, extinguished the flames.
The monsters, ready to keep attacking, were restrained by the collars on their necks—these glowed and paralyzed the creatures.
The participant, held by the instructor, had a burn on his chest. His armor was scorched and torn in several areas.
A person with no level would've died from that attack.
"Instructor, I can keep going…"
"Rest. Even if you only have light burns elsewhere, that wound on your chest needs treatment. Go to the healing room," the instructor cut him off.
The participant made a bitter face—he knew he had failed the test.
Despite his more resilient body due to his level, he still needed proper treatment or risked lasting damage.
He got up and slowly made his way to the exit, needing to find the healing room quickly.
Once it was over, the instructor looked at all the participants again.
"As you can see, things like this can happen at any moment when exploring the dungeon. If the previous participant had been in that situation inside, he'd be dead by now."
Everyone listened intently to the instructor's words—they had seen how the first participant was injured by a sudden magic attack.
No one could have predicted that the small kobold was a mage.
"Very well, we'll continue with the test."
The instructor picked another participant, who then descended into the arena.
Upon arriving, he stared seriously at the three paralyzed kobolds—especially the small one.
With the experience from the previous battle, he might achieve a better result.
As long as he was careful with that little kobold.