Chapter 182: The Tests [Part 2]
Chapter 182: The Tests [Part 2]
The Wizard was dazed by Jin’s choice of action. This choice of action was standing still, watching the trains run over the people in their way and crushing them to nothing but pulps.
They were once again in the white void of nothingness.
***
“Alright,” the Wizard said, rubbing his hands together as his body manifested before Jin, “that’s the last of the questions. You had interesting answers to them all. Especially the first two. Bravo, I should say—quite entertaining.”
Jin kept his eyes to slits. “When do we get to the fun part? The part where I get the real test—the one that determines what I truly am? That comes up after the background test, right?”
The Wizard clasped his hands behind his back. “Correct,” he said, nodding, “the background is supposed to be happening right now. However,” he leaned in, “I already know everything I must about you. There are only a few things I have to figure out myself. I even know where you lived before all of this.” He circled a finger in the air.
Jin sneered at him. Was he serious? Did he use magic to figure those things out? Or was he lying and just eager to move on to the final test?
“Well,” the Wizard said, “I suppose we can move on now, since the background test is completed. This is the real test. The one that decides your fate. Are you ready, boy?”
Right then, Jin knew an epiphany would be unearthed in a matter of seconds. He perked up, getting ready for what was next. He nodded. “Of course I’m ready. I’ve been waiting for about an hour now—and I’m one impatient guy.”
The Wizard inched toward Jin. “Alright. Then we will begin right now. Pray give your hand to me.”
“Sure,” Jin put out a hand, smirking.
The Wizard pressed his lips together in a line. “I’m not liking this at all. Those smirks too. You’re making my job a lot more difficult, kid.”
Jin grinned. “Part time scarecrow.” He put back.
The Wizard shook his head, taking Jin’s hand. He looked down at the hand, and turned the dorsal view over such that he was able to see palm. He furrowed his brows, staring thoughtfully. This hand was like that of a baby—soft and delicate, not anywhere near calloused. Someone with such hands couldn’t be a murderer, right?
The Wizard took a breath into his diaphragm. There was only one way to find out the truth. He rested the dorsal part of Jin’s hand atop the palm of his left hand. Then, he raised his right and started wiggling his fingers in a strange motion.
Jin grimaced at what he witnessed. What was the Wizard doing? He was obviously using his magic, right? Jin looked down, unblinking. Ever since he was introduced to magic, he was always fascinated by it. Even going as far as to read books about the different kinds of abilities and their history.
The Wizard’s eyes started to glow white as he quickly wiggled his fingers. Finally, he pinched at the fleshiness of Jin’s palm and pulled on the skin, slowly releasing. There was a strange amorphous black smoke amidst the Wizard’s index and thumb fingers. It was as if this enigma was pulled out of Jin’s flesh.
The Wizard slowly raised the now spiraling pinch of dark energy in the air, turning his back on Jin. It raised higher than his chest, eventually reaching overhead. He squinted, peering at the spiraling ball of energy—the darkest darkness got in the midst of a completely white area. “The test,” he said, “is complete.” His voice was different—sounding like whispers. Ominous whispers.
Jin lowered his hands to his sides; getting ready to squeeze a fist close. “The results?” He asked, trying to hint at his confusion, his pretentious confusion.
“Well,” the Wizard started, “I’d say you passed the test. You literally aced it. First, you made quote the impression on me, and the people at this village. Then, you showed your unorthodox morals to me. And finally, I realized that you’re a potential storehouse of energy. You,” he turned around to Jin, “passed for an absolute monster.” He lowered his hand and squeezed it tightly, killing the ball of energy in hand with some of his own.
Jin expected this to happen. And so, his smirk could not be contained. He felt a corner of his lips rising as he peered at the now daunting Wizard. His system was deemed an ‘evil’ one by Tristan.
‘That’s an evil one’ the words came back to him.
The God of Mischief. There was bound to have such dark energy in him. And so, he knew what the test results were before the test was even conducted.
“What now?” Jin asked.
The Wizard stepped toward Jin. “You die,” he replied, pushing at Jin’s chest.
Suddenly, Jin ended up in that room again, right next to Kai. It was as if that push had carried him back to his world. He looked around, retreating a bit.
Looking at Jin, Kai furrowed his brows. He was ready to attack. The Wizard used telepathy to relay the word to him. In other words, he was informed about the test results. And he was ready to do what he had to. His hands trembled, anxious to reach for the dual blades at his sides.
A system screen manifested in front of Jin’s face, throwing off his sight of Kai’s fidgeting hands.
[Successor Revelation in 5 minutes]
He ussually ignored the revelations; and this time was no exception. He closed the screen upon thinking about it alone. And he finally shifted his focus back to Kai. He too was ready to draw his blade.
Suddenly; the Wizard appeared in the middle of the glaring two. His eyes were fierce. He didn’t look at neither of them. They didn’t know what he was looking at.
“We’ll take this outside,” the Wizard said, “atop the walls.”
Jin furrowed his brows. “Why atop the walls?”
“So that I can have somewhere to throw your body off of,” the Wizard said curtly, “after our battle.”
Jin smirked. “Then let’s go.”
“I’m ready as long as you remember our agreement. As soon as you confirm that you remember it, we will leave this building.”
“Then, I guess you’re ready right now. ‘Cause I do remember our agreement.”
***
High in the skies—atop a wide, tall, rocky wall—stood three figures. To amend; one of these figures hovered above the two others, watching down at them. These two figures were none other than Kai as Jin.
Jin stood sternly. He wasn’t smirking, nor grinning. He couldn’t get a reading of Kai’s capability. How strong was he? Jin was incapable of playing around when confused. He kept his hands to his sides, ready to close them at any given moment.
Kai stood just as stern and stiff as Jin. He couldn’t put a smile on his face despite being one who had a tendency to smile all the time. This was certainly a moment to smile for; given that he would finally be able to exhibit his power for the spectating Wizard to see how much he’s improved. However, a smile or smirk was impossible when you had no reading on an enemy. He kept his hands low, remotely reaching for his blades at waist. He was pugnacious.
“A storehouse of dark energy, huh?” Kai asked, sneering mildlt at Jin.
What storehouse of dark energy was he talking about?
Jin looked up at the Wizard in the sky. “The Wizard told you that somehow, didn’t he?”
Kai also glanced up at the Wizard. He wanted to demonstrate his power. But did he have to fight? Why couldn’t the Wizard just end the fight in a few seconds instead of having it carry on for minutes? Why did he let him be the one to fight Jin instead?”
Jin yawned, peering at Kai with drooped eyelids. “Ah, I’m so tired and hungry. This is boring. Let’s hurry up and get this over with.”
Kai raised a brow. “Why? So that you can go back to the village?”
“I’m a hungry guy,” Jin said, smirking, “and that’s not just ‘the’ village. It’s the village loaded with tasty villagers for a monster like me to chew on—”
Kai quickly made cluctches at both handles of the swords at his side. He pulled them out at the same time, drawing them from their scabbards. The blades gleamed, the shiny metallic material making a screeching sound as it ran against the material of the scabbard. Kai crossed his hands, making an ‘X’ with the blades. “You bastard!” He snapped.
A screen manifested in front of Jin’s face.
[Defeat your opponent]
[Reward: 72 Exp]
Jin smirked. He quickly clenched his fists closed tightly. He spun slowly, his green dagger manifesting in his hand. He raised his hand, and whipped the dagger out. His eyes glowing green, and his mask conjuring on his face. “Seventy two experience points? Oh, it’s on now!”
A battle between strangers!