CH 47

The Silver Exam

A week has passed since then. In preparation for the Silver Exam, I had to redo the dungeons I had dived so far so my body wouldn’t be too slow.

I was also in that dungeon association branch of a religious group. They were also in the dungeon I went to. It was just as I heard, or worse than I had seen.

First, people who seemed to be believers were conducting a negative campaign against explorers. That alone was beyond troublesome.

At that time, most of the people who heard what they were saying did not stop to listen to what they were saying, but for explorers like us, of course, it was not a good feeling.

They didn’t seem to get involved with the explorers who were going directly into the dungeon, but still, if the explorers looked uncomfortable, the people who saw them would get on their bad side and make even more of a scene.

It was a real hassle.

And I think I saw more and more of it as the days went on.

“Well, I don’t have that hassle today, so that’s good.”

It had been about two weeks since I applied for the Silver Exam.

The time had finally come.

“Well then, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience. We will now begin the Silver rank certification exam!”

The staff member of the association raised his voice, and the people around him got excited at his declaration.

Yes, the Silver exam had finally resumed. At last, the Silver exam resumed.

It was a long or short time for me.

I think I spent quite a lot of time on the exam, but does it seem long to the people around me? Or is it too short?

I was at the training center of the Explorer Association branch where they held the exam.

“We have a record number of examinees this time, almost twice as many as last time. Please make sure there is no trouble.”

A staff member reads out a warning.

The staff member read the warning, and everyone seemed to be listening, but no one was making a sound.

“Now then, let’s begin the first test. This time it will be this way.”

The staff member moved to the side, and several men and women were wearing protective gear.

“Since there are so many candidates for the practical test for this Silver exam, I’m going to keep it simple. I’d like you to fight against the Silver-qualified explorers requested by the association.”

I see. If I recall, as in previous years, they were going to dive into a C-rank dungeon and have them fight monsters to see how well they could fight. Well, it’s impossible, isn’t it, with this number of people?

There are a few explorers who take the Silver exam, even if I take a quick look. Even if I count the number of cancellations, there must have been many explorers who took the Silver exam.

Even if there were this many people at the party, it would be hard to watch and evaluate every battle, so it was probably inevitable this happens.

If that were the case, it would have been quicker to have a direct fight.

“I will now call everyone who’ll take the practical test in turn, so please come forward if we call you. The first group to be called is the “Red Lotus (Guren)” group. Please come forward.”

“”””Yes!””””

When the staff member said so, three men and women came out among the many searchers.

“Then, all of you who are candidates except for Red Lotus, please leave the training center and stand by.”

The others left the training center, leaving only Red Lotus to wait.

Now, I wonder how long we will have to wait.

The Silver exam went smoothly, and the first party, Red Lotus, was the first to take the practical test.

I was allowed to observe the exam, so I decided to sit on a chair and watch the exam through the glass.

I had to observe the test, or I would have too much free time until my turn to take the test. Also, I was simply a little concerned about the silver searchers.

Well, it turned out to be a good decision.

I had expected it, but I knew that the explorers holding the Silver qualification were competent. It is natural to say that they are different in age as explorers, but there were still many things that were helpful to me.

First of all, they are good at fighting. For example, the man who seemed to be the leader of the Red Lotus has a specialty in high-speed combat, using twin swords to run around in all directions, but after seeing a little of that, the silver explorer was defeated by them before he could move.

Furthermore, all coordination with the party was handled and ultimately ended with them not being allowed to do anything.

The others were similar and almost completely sealed off.

I thought this was because the explorer holding the Silver qualification was standing up well. But even so, it seemed that winning was not a requirement, and the Explorers Association officials were handing out passes.

Well, it was only natural. If such a victory were a condition for passing the exam, the number of applicants who passed would be small.

Also, some people were rejected, but this is a perfectly acceptable reason.

Because, from my point of view, I can see that they only use their skill. It was obvious that they were only power-leveling and not getting used to the skills in their bodies.

On the contrary, all the people who had fought well on their own received a pass.

I don’t want to fail this one by any means.

“Let’s see, next is …… Amamiya-san! Please!”

The staff called me. I’m sure I’m the one who was called, because I’m called by name and not party name.

I looked around and saw that everyone was talking. It seemed like I was the only one solo.

……But I’m not a loner! I’ve been called, so I’ll go to the training center.

I got up from my chair and walked to the training center, where I saw a staff member and a man standing there.

“Amamiya-san, is that you?”

“Yes. I am Amamiya Kaede.”

The staff member asked me to confirm my name, so I answered the staff member by showing my explorer certification.

“Yes. I have confirmed it. Then, we will begin the practical test immediately. In the actual test this time, Amamiya-san will be fighting against the explorers who belong to the association and hold the silver qualification. Even if you lose, you will not be rejected, so please fight without being nervous.”

“Yes.”

The practical test this time is a mock battle. I’ve been briefed, and I’ve seen people who have done the practical test before me. So I knew what to expect.

Before I acquired the [Lock-On] skill, my fighting style was like using [Magic Arrow] to attack my enemies with long-range attacks.

But now, while using the [Lock-On] skill, I can fight to some extent without using the [Lock-on] skill because my skill levels in [Archery] and [Dagger Art] have improved.

That much is fine. That much is fine.

The problem is the[Magic Arrow].

My magic arrow’s power has increased due to the increase in the skill level of magic arrows.

This time, I’m fighting against a human opponent. I have to shoot that [Magic Arrow] at the man I’m fighting.

Moreover, Silver-qualified searchers are supposed to use their training weapons against me.

Can you catch my [Magic Arrow]? Or, can you avoid it?

If he can’t avoid it. Woah, I don’t even want to think about it.

I’m sure there’s a difference in level, so even if it hits, I don’t think it will be that bad, but be careful.

“Now then, about the position of both of you.”

The staff told me to move away from the man.

The man who will be my partner is looking at me with a training axe on his shoulder.

“I’m looking forward to working with you this time.”

“Oh! I’ll lend you my chest, so give it your all!”

Saying that the man laughs loudly.

Yes. For the time being, if that person’s attack doesn’t hit, it doesn’t seem to matter.

Okay, let’s go for it. Let’s go for it.

“Then, let’s start ……!”