Ice entered the exam room after getting his exam materials and scanned it for a vacant seat. He found a spot near the front and proceeded to make himself comfortable. He was, however, stopped with a yell from somebody who just entered.

“Hey! New guy! Yeah, I’m talkin you! That’s Mr. Nigel’s seat. Don’t you just go ahead and take it for yourself.”

The voice came from a mean looking young man that seemed to have his face permanently fixed into a scowl. Ice directed questioning eyes towards an exam participant nearby that seemed to ask ‘The seats are designated?’ and found him shaking his head slowly but shrugged afterwards seemingly saying ‘No. But these kinds of things happen. Best of luck.’ and turned away.

“What’s wrong squirt? What’s with that stupid look on your face? Don’t tell me you didn’t know this seat was reserved for my master huh?”

Ice had pretty much guessed what this development would lead to next, but tried to appease the scowling man anyway. It won’t be good to cause anymore of a scene.

“I’m sorry sir. It’s my first time taking the exam so I didn’t know this seat was taken. Please pardon my rudeness.”

It seems the man wasn’t convinced and still kept his confrontational attitude.

“What do you mean new? You think that’s enough of an excuse?! I think I still need to drag you in front of my master so you can apologize proper and all. And even then, I’m not sure he’s gonna let this insult pass so easily.”

Ice tried not to let the guy’s juvenile behavior get to him too much and fought the urge to punch him square in the face. He continued to apologize and hoped this incident would just pass unnoticed.

A young man with an arrogant air entered the room a few moments later and went straight to where the pair was arguing.

“Is something the matter Lem? What are you doing with this sorry looking chap here?”

“Master Nigel! I was just lecturing this fellow about how rude it was to try and take a seat in your personal chair sir! Hey you! This here is my esteemed master, Lord Nigel Falwynd Garland. Bow your head good and proper and pay your respects commoner!”

Ice glanced at the young man the guy with the constant scowl introduced as his master and came to one conclusion:

“___Oh boy. Odious jerk detected. I bet he’ll be all condescending and stuff. I see your type a lot idiot. And you’re usually two-bit side characters or villains who only have minor roles and serve as punching bags. YOU bow down before ME twerp!”

“Greetings my lord. I’m truly sorry about this matter. Can you find it in your heart to forgive this humble commoner.”

A complete 180! Ice completely suppressed his urge to go all ‘rage mode’ on these guys. He thought it unwise to make enemies this early. He felt it’ll save him a lot of trouble later on if these guys didn’t pay any unwarranted attention towards him.

“Hmmm… No matter. You don’t seem very bright anyway. Let him go Lem. Talking to him would be just a waste of time.”

It seems he dismissed him as nothing special. Good.

“You got lucky punk. Don’t let me catch you again or you’ll be sorry!”

“Certainly. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Ice hurriedly went over to the back of the room and looked for any more available seats. Then someone called him over in a low voice.

“Hey! Heeey! New guy! Over here. Sit beside me. This one’s empty.”

It was a slender young man with delicate features. Or so Ice thought. Actually, closer inspection revealed an all too feminine face. She was wearing something like a flat cap and masculine clothes so one would mistake her as male if one only gave her a quick glance.

“Thanks miss. That’s really kind of you.”

“!!!…”

The girl suddenly made a surprised face after Ices’ words of thanks.

Ice made a surprised face himself, but for an entirely different reason. “___Don’t tell me she really expected that get up to fool anyone.” he thought, slightly amused by the silliness of the assumption.

“…How did you know?”

“Huh?”

“How did you know I was a woman? Even the staff didn’t notice!”

“Eh? Seriously? But, I mean, you have a really pretty face so…” A bit taken aback by her sudden outburst, Ice just blurted out what was in his head without much thought.

“!!!…”

The girl made another surprised face, this time with a hint of redness in her cheeks and turned away.

“But Rosseane said this disguise was perfect…” she mumbled.

“Umm… Miss?”

“Y-Yes? Ugh, never mind. You have a really good eye.”

“Uh, yeah. My name’s Ice. Pleased to meet you miss…?”

“Oh, I’m Th-…”

The girl hesitated when she was about to introduce herself, puzzling Ice. Suspicious. Very suspicious.

“T-Thalia! Y-Yep. My name’s Thalia. Pleased to meet you too Ice.”

“___That’s obviously a lie. You just averted your eyes miss. Oh, well. I guess she has her reasons. And she did invite me to sit beside her.”

Ice decided to not sweat the details once again and made himself comfortable. Besides, he’d rather sit with a pretty girl than a bunch of stern looking guys. Still though, he was curious as to why this girl would want to do something as silly as dressing up as a boy. Most of the anime heroines that do that turn out to be royalty on the run or something. Ice decided to probe a little bit after all.

“Is it your first time taking the test too?” he asked

“Well… kind of. I’ve had the chance to observe the test proceedings a number of times but this is the first time I’m actually taking part in the test myself.”

Ice was surprised by her answer because of the implications it entailed. He probed further.

“Eh? You can do that? Well sure I heard that the test procedure hasn’t actually changed all that much, but you can

actually just come in as a spectator? That still seems far too lax for a so called test.”

“Err… Well… Y-You still gotta have the right connections in order to be allowed to watch.”

“Connections? What kind of connections?”

“J-Just connections. Y-You know… The super special ones.”

“So does that mean you’re actually from a family that can afford to make these so called ‘super special’ connections’?”

Thalia averted her eyes from Ices’ curious gaze and trembled slightly, hesitating about how to respond. She just went into an outburst once more after not being able to think of any suitable excuse in her panic. “Eh? N-No! Well… Uh… Umm… Aaah! Don’t ask so many questions! Don’t you know it’s rude to ask about a lady’s secrets?”

“So you do have secrets. And I thought you were actually trying to hide the fact that you were a lady.” Ice teased in a wry tone.

“Meanie! Hmph! Why did I even bother helping someone like you.”

Thalia pouted and turned away with a huff. Ice decided to stop teasing her and erased the wry smile plastered on his face.

“___Geez. This girl is just so fun to tease. I was doing it before I even noticed. She’s really just like Mary…”

Mary L. dela Cruz was Ice’s 6 years younger cousin who lived just beside their home in Pangasinan. They’ve been pretty close since they were kids. She was very gullible and he really liked leading her on and teasing her because of her reactions. Their spats would generally be resolved with some chocolate chip cookies anyway.

She was a bit cheeky and they also had some pretty nasty quarrels from time to time but Ice loved her like the little sister he never had nonetheless. He was constantly worried about her because she just really wore her heart on her sleeve and was really easy to read. He was a bit of the same though so it’s not like he had the right to lecture her.

This girl, Thalia(?), had the same feel about her as his cousin. Ice felt a bit of nostalgia and melancholy while looking at her sulking figure.

“I’m sorry Miss Thalia. Maybe the thing from earlier still has me on edge. Sorry for using you to blow off some steam.”

“Oh honestly! You shouldn’t do that! It was pretty rude!”

‘Yeah. I’m reflecting on it. I really am grateful for your help.”

“Hmph! O-Okay. I forgive you. You should be thankful I have such a tolerant heart.”

“Haha. Yeah. Anyway, hope we get along from now on.”

“…Likewise.”

The little argument finished with a curt handshake, and, feeling silly about the entire exchange, both of them had wide grins appear on their faces and shared a quiet laugh.

“What was up with those two back there anyway? Do you know them Miss Thalia?”

“Thalia’s fine. Gives me the shivers being addressed as ‘Miss’ all the time. Yeah, I know them. That insufferable, disgustingly pompous and pretentious idiot over there is Nigel Falwynd Garland. He’s the heir to the Garland household. His father and the current prince reagent are cousins. And that rude thug with him is Lem Richardson. Believe it or not, he’s actually a butler apprentice, as utterly absurd as that sounds.”

As she described them, Thalia’s face contorted to one filled with utter disgust. It seemed she and them were at least acquainted.

“So he’s pretty high up in the social hierarchy ladder. Guess that explains why he’s acting like he’s the most important person in here.”

Thalia held an appalled look on her face after Ice's comment. It seems that statement struck a chord with her.

“N-Not everybody acts as disgustingly arrogant as he does. We may be nobles but we don’t see acting all self-important as a positive thing either. Please don’t lump us up with that idiot!”

“…So, you were a noble lady eh? Now that’s interesting.”

Ice didn’t even mean to lead the conversation in that direction, but Thalia went ahead and spilled the beans on her own.

“___She really is just like Mary. Never knows when to keep mum for the life of her.”

It seemed that Thalia was only just now realizing her blunder and her brow slowly creased in frustration.

“F-Forget what I said just now! You heard nothing!” she frantically replied, a blush noticeable on her well featured face.

She was desperately trying to gloss it over. Ice just decided to let it slide after all.

He gestured towards his ear and stuck his finger in slightly. “I heard nothing. I seem to have something stuck in my ear…”

Thalia gave an awkward smile. She apparently knew just how unreasonable she was being and was grateful to Ice for letting go of the matter.

Ice, in turn, gave her a ‘think nothing of it’ look and he saw her smile blossom into one so enchanting, he forgot to breathe for a moment.

“___Gaaah! Why are 2D girls so damn cute?! They tear through my defenses like it was paper...”

(In truth, Ice already had paper thin defenses against a woman’s smile, but let’s just leave that matter be as well and allow him to keep his small measure of pride for being a ‘mature individual’ shall we.)

***

All the chatter in the room died down as soon as Misha entered and stepped up to the podium in front. She eyed the entire exam room and began speaking after coughing slightly in order to clear her throat a bit.

“Good day ladies and gentlemen. My name is Misha Klein and I’ll be your Test Administrator for this year’s Class Change Test. As you all might very well know, we are starting with a written exam. I’ll be explaining things for the benefit of the first time takers.

The questions are all about the basics of being an adventurer and a general test of character. This will not be officially inputted for evaluation by ‘The System’ but will instead be reviewed by a panel of CQMA officials and judged accordingly.

All those who do not pass will of course not be given the right to participate in the test proper. So please take this seriously and answer to the best of your knowledge. The exam will be over in exactly 20 minutes. All those who fail to submit their answer sheets within the allotted time will also automatically fail so do not tarry and try to finish it as soon as possible.”

Misha handed out the questionnaire to every table without missing a beat in her explanations. She really fit the strict teacher archetype to a tee. Several people who acted as proctors stood near the walls and made sure that no one made a head start by opening theirs ahead of time.

“Do you all have your materials ready?”

Everybody nodded their heads in affirmation.

“Very well, begin.”

Ice quickly turned to the first page of the questionnaire and started answering.

***

Ice was doing pretty well. Most of the questions were about things that were familiar to him – basic knowledge like the functions and effects of the different stats, an Initiate's two basic skills, monster drops and the like. He was breezing through the questions with a delighted look that seemed to imply he still had plenty to spare. It didn’t take all that long for him to arrive at the final question.

“___’What does becoming an adventurer mean to you?’ huh. Sure feels like a standard written exam just before a job interview. It even has an essay question.” he mused as he marveled at the peculiar resemblance.

Ice answered it immediately, not taking much time to pause for thought. For him, the answer was already given. It was not that grandiose a reason. One might even call it petty or selfish. But right now, he didn’t care. He was just being honest with himself. He’s failed to do that for the longest time after all.

He was the very first one to finish.

***

A number of people were seated around a long table in a large room located on the second floor of the CQMA building.

This was the main conference room and it was presently occupied by several individuals who were busily checking the papers of those who took the exam.

“Do we have the results?” asked a well-built middle aged man whose unruffled beard sported shades of gray. He looked more akin to a mercenary than anything else and looked quite out of place in the academic robes he was currently donning.

A bespectacled young man nodded and answered in the affirmative.

“Yes director. All in all, there is a total of 22 participants who passed the written exam.”

The man who was called ‘director’ stroked his unruly beard and closed his eyes in thought.

“Hmmm. An average number this time. There really seems to be quite a steep drop in the quality of applicants in these past few years. It’s a little worrying how they care so little for the fundamentals and only put emphasis on things like who has the bigger sword. Haah.”

He made a disappointed sigh and looked to the man seated beside him with curious eyes.

“I must say Your Highness, you look mightily pleased after perusing through those test papers. Did you find anything interesting? Your daughters answer to the final essay question perhaps. Did she write ‘So I can please my wonderful daddy’ as the answer?”

He lightly teased his friend, knowing full well how much of a doting parent he was.

The man addressed as ‘Your Highness’ looked back and faced his old friend with an incredulous face. He was Lord Alder Falwynd Ricksvale III, current Prince Reagent of the Principality of Ricksvale and long time comrade of the managing director of the CQMA Ricksvale branch, Roald Danhurst.

“Roald, I’m not that much of a doting father you know. And you certainly have the nerve to tell me that considering you also adore your daughter to the point that she already hates you for it.” Lord Alder shot back with a mischievous grin.

The pairs’ loud laughter echoed throughout the room. They once traveled El Fabula together as adventurers and shared a deep friendship. That was why they could point out each other’s troubles and tease the other with them without much reservation. They were already akin to brothers.

“But, honestly speaking, both of them really take after their mothers so much. Their willfulness knows no bounds. To think Rosseane would even help her put on a sloppy male disguise and gave her a recommendation letter… My word.”

Director Roald pressed his temples and let out an exasperated sigh.

“Ahaha. Well, all we can do is watch over them old friend. It’s not like we can win against teenage girls impulses can we.”

Lord Alder patted his friends back, consoling him.

“You know Roald, my daughter really isn’t the reason for my interest.”

“Hmm? You mean there’s something else?”

“Well, yes. There’s someone whose answer to the final question was the same as mine when I first took the Class Change Test with you way back. It intrigued me a bit.”

Amazement colored the directors face after hearing Lord Alder’s reason.

“Hooh. The same answer as yours back then is it. I wonder what prompted him to give such an answer.”

“That’s what I’m wondering myself. Looks like the test this time will be quite interesting.”

“Indeed.”

The two smiled in anticipation as they looked at the paper of the participant named Ice.

There was only one phrase written at the bottom of the answer sheet – ‘A shot at redemption’

***

As Misha announced the results, it elicited different responses from the people gathered in the room. Some were jumping up and down in happiness. Some were unabashedly crying their hearts out – either from joy or disappointment. Others kept still in their seats indifferently, waiting for further instructions. Ice was among them.

He knew this was just the beginning. He took a quick glance at Thalia and found her doing much the same. She glanced back and nodded slightly, acknowledging the fact that she passed herself. Basing from what she said earlier, she’s already witnessed these tests several times as a spectator so she should have also understood that this wasn’t even considered much of an accomplishment. It wasn’t even inputted into ‘The System for one, meaning that this was more likely nothing more than a formality or a way to weed out the unworthy early.

Misha motioned for them to settle down and issued the next set of instructions.

“The ones whose names I called out earlier will follow me to the next test location. The ones who were not called will be escorted out by the staff. This shouldn’t even need any mentioning but I’ll say it just in case: Do not attempt to sneak in with the ones who passed the written exam to try and take the next phase of the test along with them. If you do, we WILL find out. And when we do… Let’s just say it wouldn’t be all that pleasant an experience shall we. Is that understood?”

Her last few words were delivered in such a cold tone, it felt like the temperature in the room dropped significantly. It certainly got the point across. Misha meant business. Everybody (including Ice) was drenched in cold sweat.

Her lips curved in a thin smile soon afterward, seemingly satisfied.

“Well, I think we’re all clear regarding that matter. Now then, let’s proceed. All who passed please follow me.”

Misha gestured towards the door and started walking. Ice and the others followed suit. They were lead into a large open room without any decorations or furniture. The floor was inscribed with a large magic-circle like engraving.

Ice thought it was somewhat familiar. He remembered why after a few minutes of searching his memories. This was the symbol he sees on the surface of a transport point.

The test proctors closed the doors after confirming that everyone had arrived. Misha promptly issued the next set of instructions afterward.

“We will now immediately proceed to the second phase. As you can see, this room is one large transport point that will send you to the location where the second phase of the test will take place. Your goal is to hunt down as many monsters as you can in ten minutes. There will be no restrictions on items and equipment so go all out and use everything at your disposal. Good luck ladies and gentlemen.”

After Mishas explanation, the floor glowed brightly, indicating the start of the transport procedure. Ice grasped his weapon tight and his body trembled lightly from anticipation. Now this was more up his alley.

“___Alright! Now that’s more like it.”

His heart rate increased and sent his burning blood coursing through the rest of his body. His senses were heightened. It was the product of weeks spent tracking, tailing and hunting monsters in the wild as well as Seas battle training.

His body was tuned into a state of battle preparedness. Though not in the level of seasoned veterans, it was still an impressive feat, considering it’s barely been a few months since Ice got any formal experience in real battles. Perhaps the enhanced traits of an adventurer’s body played a part in it as well.

He was completely engulfed by the light and once again found himself experiencing that weird sensation of floating on an empty void as he was transported to what will be his hunting ground for the next ten minutes.

***

Ice came to in the middle of a dense forest. He immediately scanned the surroundings to search for any presences.

“___There. 12 o’clock. Four small shadows within the trees. Closing in fast. Judging from their speed, size and movement patterns… Forest Lynx huh?”

Ice readied his Dirk and braced himself for the incoming monsters. It seemed these ones were already [1]aggroed from the start. It suited Ice just fine and he thought this saved him a good amount of trouble.

“___Heck, if you come running in after me like that then alright. Let’s go fur-balls.”

He was familiar with this type of monster since he’s already encountered and hunted them before. But he still kept his guard up. There was no guarantee these ones would be exactly like those found near Maleena. This was a test after all.

The lynx jumped out from within the foliage and went after Ice immediately. Ice fended off the first one by stepping aside to the left and kicking its exposed flank, sending it on a collision course with a large tree. A pair attacked from two directions simultaneously, jumping towards him with claws and fangs bared.

Ice launched himself forward with a kick and slashed the one coming up from the front right in its abdomen, bisecting in an upward diagonal direction. He used the momentum to jump with a spin using his left foot as a pivot to launch him to a position above the one trying to take his back, catching it behind the neck and slamming it down on the ground belly-first when they fell. He then stabbed his weapon directly on the creature’s forehead.

Since his Atk stat was high enough, Ice was able to deliver fatal blows just like what Sea did with the Sable Wolf if he struck at critical points or did massive damage to the body of the monsters. The two lynx who got fatally wounded immediately turned to dust. The one he kicked had about 40% of its HP shaved off.

The one who held back growled defiantly at Ice. It let out a piercing cry that echoed throughout the forest. Not long after, several figures started to appear all over Ices’ surroundings and completely encircled him.

Ice’s mouth curved into a savage grin, fully engaged in the feeling of battle.

“___Oh? Attacking in waves in order to tire me out huh? Fine by me. Let’s see who can hold out in the end.”

He relaxed his body to prepare for the incoming attacks. The lynx started to move without any warning, swarming from every direction with every intention of tearing him to shreds. Ice reacted accordingly and countered with a flurry of slashes, punches and kicks. His Dirk flashed, tracing a multitude of arcs in the air. It hit its targets with perfect accuracy, as if following a set path, leaving a trail of dead monsters in its wake.

Ice’s ability to read the lynx’ attacks was employed to its fullest. He brought all the data in his head about them to the forefront and dutifully used them as reference in order to avoid the monsters attacks and launch well timed, deadly counters.

It wasn’t all that easy though. The Lynx dealt considerable damage after all. His HP neared critical more times than he could count. At that point, he’d devote all of his energy into stalling and chugged health potions as fast as he could. He was thankful for the fact that the potions were only the size of a 100 ml. [3]Lipovitan bottle so they were relatively easy to down.

Still, drinking while being swarmed by monsters gave him major openings so his situational awareness and multi-tasking skills were put to the ultimate test. He didn’t care at all if his desperate dodges looked unsightly or if somebody else saw him. All he cared about was passing the test.

After a fierce struggle, every single one of the monsters was finally downed. All in all, a total of twenty two kills. Ice smiled in satisfaction.

“___Well… That was a good start. Let’s go with this momentum and hunt for more.”

Ice decided to move in order to hunt more monsters to increase his kills. There was no merit in not going all out in this situation anyway. He began to run and moved further into the forest.

***

Not long after Ice started running, he heard several voices just a few paces ahead of him – two males and a girl. They seemed to be engaged in an argument judging from the tone of their exchange.

“___Must be some of the other participants. No use sticking around then.”

Ice was about to turn around and head towards another direction but stopped in his tracks abruptly, realizing that the voices were actually quite familiar. Curiosity got the better of him and he moved in closer to observe.

“What were you thinking princess, coming all the way out here disguised like that?! Taking the Class Change Test of all things… Please just stop this nonsense. It’s terribly unbecoming.”

He’d recognize that arrogant tone anywhere – it was that Nigel fellow together with his lackey. They were bearing down on another person he was familiar with – Thalia.

“___Princess?… I had a hunch she was from some sort of noble house but… princess huh?”

Ice decided not to make a move yet and kept observing them. He needed a better handle of the situation. They were obviously acquainted so there was a chance he would just be doing unnecessary meddling.

Thalia raised her voice in indignation and retorted angrily. “Who gave you the right to decide what I can and can’t do Nigel? We may be related but that doesn’t mean you can just meddle in my affairs as you please.”

Nigel answered back with a slightly condescending tone. “You wound me princess. ‘Right’? ‘Right’ you ask?! Of course I have the right my lady. I AM your fiancé after all. I am just worried that something unfortunate may befall you in this dangerous place. Can’t I even feel concern for my future spouse?”

Thalia’s face turned several shades of red and blue from a mixture of embarrassment and disgust. “W-Wha- ? Since when was this engagement ever decided?! I don’t even remember any arrangement like that taking place. And father would never decide anything concerning me and my future without consulting me first!”

Nigel’s haughty looking smile widened. It seemed he was actually amused by Thalia’s reaction. “Princess, you know very well that would more than likely be the case in the end.”

He cupped her chin and stared at her with uncharacteristic fervor.

“The only heir to the throne of Gran Sirius is actually a woman herself. No matter how you look at it, a political marriage is out of the question this time. Your father, the Prince Reagent, should know that best. The heirs of the other top noble houses are either too young or too spineless to even be considered.

If that is the case, then you and I marrying each other would be the best course of action. With that, we would be preserving the proper bloodline and could, together, help your younger brother Prince Ricard in running the country until he is old and wise enough to hold the reigns of power on his own.”

Nigel’s tone was getting more feverish. Even Ice, who wasn’t at the receiving end of the tirade, was feeling really uncomfortable. There was a crazed light in Nigel’s eyes, although almost imperceptible. His words reeked of ambition.

He let go of Thalia’s chin and spread his arms wide.

“There is no better choice that I, Nigel Falwynd Garland, to be the rightful partner of an esteemed person such as you, my fair lady – Princess Thelma Falwynd Ricksvale. Thus, our engagement is nothing less than a given. And I will strive to fulfill my obligations as your consort to the best of my abilities.”

He finished his speech with a flourish and bowed. Lem followed up with a scripted one-man applause routine.

Thalia, or rather, Princess Thelma was trembling. She was unable to retort and only stood still in confused silence.

Various emotions were welling within her; surprise, fear and disgust foremost among them. She already knew of Nigel’s arrogance and his family’s desire for more authority. But she never expected him to be this blatant about it.

Ice was also disconcerted.

“___Marriage to your own kin? Preserving the bloodline? That’s a thing over here? Well, it’s not like I have the right to judge considering I’m not even from this world in the first place but seriously?”

Princess Thelma finally broke from her earlier bewilderment and proceeded to deny Nigel’s statements in a panicked tone.

“S-Stop deluding yourself Nigel. Who would even follow those kinds of old customs now? And besides, I would never agree to it in the first place. There’s absolutely no way I’ll even consider marrying you. Y-You stupid man!”

Nigel’s smiling face turned stiff, betraying his annoyance. He approached Thelma and forcefully dragged her towards him.

“What are you doing?! Unhand me! Let me go!”

“Now princess, don’t be so difficult. Here, just let Lem watch over you for the time being until all of this is over.”

Nigel shoved Thelma toward Lem with an indifferent expression and proceeded to walk off. Thelma’s eyes were tearing up as she struggled to free herself from Lem’s grasp.

Ice finally decided to make his move after seeing Thelma like that.

“___Rescuing a damsel in distress… and a princess to boot. What am I, a [2]shounen hero or something? Still though, it’s not like I’m apathetic enough to ignore something like a girls tears….. Damn I’m corny! Geez…”

He approached Lem with a complicated look on his face and tapped him in the back to get his attention.

Lem was surprised and turned around to find Ice sporting an immaculate smile. “The heck?! Wait, you’re that spineless twerp from earlier. The heck do you think you’re doing?!”

Ice continued to smile and replied in a nonchalant tone.

“Oh, nothing… I was just passing by and witnessed a young lady being harassed by two perverts so I decided to step in for a bit.”

Lem’s expression immediately colored with rage. “The heck you just say runt?! I’ll kill you!” He shoved the princess aside and threw a punch aimed at Ices’ face.

Ice avoided it by stepping lightly to the side. “___Too slow. Is this guy even trying?” he mused. Ice felt even a Pon-Pon could do better.

Lem’s breathing got rougher after a few missed swings. “Y-You runt! S-Stay put while I sock you dammit!”

Ice grinned mischievously and taunted him further.

“Are you stupid? Who would even get hit by those sloppy punches of yours.”

Lem was pushed to the boiling point and threw all his weight into a straight punch. Ice decided to stop avoiding and let loose an accurately timed cross counter (not that it was particularly difficult to match the timing considering their difference in speed).

Ices’ counter landed squarely on Lem’s face with a loud ‘thud’ immediately followed by an audible cracking sound. It seemed Ice broke his jaw. Lem fell down on the ground and clutched his face while he writhed in pain.

Ice knelt down on the ground and whispered words filled with contempt into Lem’s ear.

“Not as tough now are you big guy. Ever heard of the phrase ‘picking on someone your own size’? Well newsflash: It doesn’t always apply.”

Thelma was lying on the ground motionless. It seemed she was still confused. Ice gave her a reassuring smile and faced the only other person left who was with them.

“Greetings my lord. I was just wondering if I could also join in the fun.”

Nigel’s stare was fixed on Ices’ face. There was cold indifference. But there was also quiet rage.

“What are you doing, interfering with the affairs of those higher in station? Do you even have a concept of shame?”

“Well my lord, my mother did indeed instill me with the values of tact and respect. I just wasn’t taught that harassing a girl until she was brought to tears was actually something praise worthy. So forgive me for my lack of manners. But I’m afraid that in my ignorance, I can’t really help but interfere.”

Sarcasm was laced in Ices’ reply, earning a twitch in Nigel’s brow. There was no further reaction however. Nigel just simply drew the rapier from his waist and pointed it strait at Ice. The air around him changed, exuding a palpable amount of hostility.

“No need for further discussion my lord? Fine by me. Let’s do this.”

Ice readied his Dirk and prepared for the clash.

Nigel initiated the attack first. His rapier thrusts were both quick and accurate. They often came from unexpected trajectories and proactively aimed at openings in Ices’ stance.

Ice had a hard time deflecting or avoiding Nigel’s thrusts and slashes. He had practically no data regarding his opponent this time so he was forced to analyze on the spot and react accordingly, resulting in a comparably slower reaction time against his opponents attacks.

The barrage continued and Ice was slowly pushed on the defensive.

“___Damn! This guy’s tough. Guess he can actually walk the talk. This isn’t going very well…”

After enduring a couple of exchanges, Ice was almost certain Nigel was using some kind of uniform sword style. His attacks had a peculiar rhythm and form. Problem was, Ice still couldn’t completely read them. For one, he had little to no experience fighting human or humanoid opponents except for Sea. He sparred with her unarmed as well.

This time the opponent was using a weapon – a rapier. Ice was wholly unfamiliar with its attack forms and range so he couldn’t properly gauge the distance in order to successfully avoid Nigel’s attacks. He was barely managing with the Reaction bonus he gained from Unarmed Combat Mastery.

Of course Ice wasn’t able to do anything like completely understanding everything about the opponent and his or her style after just a few minutes of fighting. He was no master. He’s just barely gotten the hang of battles.

His earlier feats can be credited to ample time for planning and preparation as well as having enough material to study so he could get an accurate picture of his opponents – both of which he wasn’t able to do now. Nigel was just one step above him in technique and Ice fully acknowledged that. Still, he couldn’t just back down now.

Something about the fight bothered him though…

“___This guy’s just too skilled. I’m just being pushed around here. But still… it’s strange…”

His brain was running on overdrive, trying to find out just what exactly felt wrong. After a few more exchanges, Ice understood.

“___This guy… He’s obviously several steps above me. He’s managed to pry open my guard more than a couple of times now. He did attack those openings but… he didn’t fully commit. He’s hesitating. I don’t really know why but if that’s the case…”

Ice decided to go for broke. It was a desperate gamble but if this went on any longer it’ll eventually result in his defeat.

He was sure of it. So he was left with no choice.

“___Now or never. This is definitely gonna hurt though. Hoo boy…”

Ice immediately proceeded with his plan. After narrowly avoiding a couple of attacks he deliberately opened up his flank.

“___Alright sir. Here’s a perfect opportunity. Now go for it.”

Luckily, Nigel did take the bait. He aimed his thrust at Ices’ side and as he did so…

“___Spot on. Let’s do this!”

Ice suddenly moved toward Nigel’s attack. As he expected, the speed of Nigel’s thrust suddenly slowed down, giving Ice enough leeway to just barely avoid the tip of his rapier from piercing his side by quickly shifting his weight. Thus, the attack only managed to graze him. However, he still received quite a nasty cut. Taking advantage of Nigel’s few moments of hesitation, Ice gave him a full on shoulder tackle.

“Gggh!”

Nigel’s back collided with a tree. And before he could recover, Ice rushed toward him and slammed the tip of his Dirk’s hilt directly on Nigel’s chin, successfully knocking him out.

***

“Damn! I can’t believe that worked!” An ecstatic Ice exclaimed in half-surprise. Thelma rushed to his side with a worried looking expression.

“What was that?! What the heck were you thinking you idiot! One wrong step and you could have been skewered alive!”

Thelma immediately proceeded to scold him. Ice scratched his cheek and looked at her with an incensed face.

“I don’t really know myself princess. Excess adrenaline?”

Thelma’s gaze shifted upwards in a fed up expression and sighed.

“Ugh, men.”

“What? It worked didn’t it?”

“Aah! Fine. Let’s just take care of that injury of yours.” She looked at Ices’ wound uncomfortably.

“Ew. Nasty. Here, drink this. It should take care of that wound right away.”

She handed Ice with an ornate bottle that contained a fizzy ruby colored liquid.

“Wait. Isn’t this a high grade recovery potion? This is expensive right?”

Thelma placed her hands on her hips and replied with a slight frown. “You’ve already heard who I really am right? You still think money’s an issue?”

“___But it’s such a waste…” Ice thought. This particular potion restored about 800 points of HP. He only had a maximum of 420 points of HP after reaching level 20. It was overkill no matter how one looked at it.

Plus, this particular potion actually costs about 1 silver. Ice could only barely afford the ones which restored about 60 HP that went for 100 Bronze a bottle. If one looked at cost efficiency, this was clearly a waste of resources. Ice, who was so used to living in a tight budget could not bear this kind of luxurious over spending.

He made a hesitant expression and offered an alternative. “How bout I just cover this with spit and wrap it in some bandages. That should do the trick. Yep, let’s do that.”

Thelma’s frown intensified. “Are you crazy?! That’ll just hasten the possibility of getting an infection. It’s very unhygienic. Stop making such a fuss and drink this up already!” She thrust the bottle to Ices’ face with an indignant expression.

Overwhelmed, Ice was forced to just go with Thelma’s offer and grabbed the potion with trembling hands.

“___This baby’s worth one silver. One silver! It’s like I’m throwing away money. Damn…”

He downed the potion in one quick gulp.

“Well? How are you feeling?” Thelma made an anxious expression and checked on Ices’ condition.

Ice dropped on his knees with a face that was drained of all color.

“Eh? Eeeeh?! What’s wrong? Was that the wrong potion? Was the product expired?”

“…No… There was nothing wrong with it. It was delicious. Tasted like strawberry soda actually. My penny pinching soul just received plenty of damage that’s all… Just give me a moment...”

“I already told you money’s not an Issue.”

“It’s a matter of principle…”

Thelma waited for Ice to recover with a confused look.

***

“Alright. All good.” Ice had mostly blocked out all the negative feelings from earlier and had a refreshed face.

Thelma had her arms crossed and still looked confused. “Honestly. What’s wrong with you? You’re weird.”

“Ahaha. I get that a lot. Now then princess, what should we do with these guys?”

“Oh them? Don’t worry. People will be automatically transported out if they happen to lose consciousness or their HPs fall below a certain threshold.” Thelma explained with a ‘matter of fact’ expression.

“Hey, wait. I didn’t catch that bit from the explanation earlier.”

“They didn’t include it intentionally. Something about ‘recklessness not being akin to bravery’ and ‘properly assessing risk’ or something.”

Ice whistled, impressed. “Heh. Quite crafty of them. But I guess I can see the point. There’s no use for an adventurer who has exploring uncharted lands as one of his or her future responsibilities who can’t actually return alive. If we get drafted as pioneers they expect us not to just explore and discover but to bring back crucial info in order to asses potential benefits and establish a firm foothold. Can’t do that if you’re dead.”

“That’s it more or less.”

Thelma nodded in agreement.

As they talked, the bodies of Nigel and Lem were covered in light and vanished. “See. I told you. But how did you come up with what you did earlier? I still think it was really reckless.”

“I agree actually.” Ice replied with a slight grin.

“That guy was really skilled. He practically forced me to do that.”

“How’d you know it would work?”

“I wasn’t really sure. But I noticed that he had an aversion to fully landing critical blows. So I figured he’d pretty much get shaken up if I actually moved in towards an attack rather than step back. I honestly couldn’t win in technique so I had to resort to that to rattle him up a bit. I was also banking on the fact that since we were both Initiates, he wouldn’t really have much resistance to status ailments. So I aimed for his chin. I was lucky he was afflicted with ‘Concussion’ with just one hit.”

Thelma made a look that implied she wasn’t convinced. “But what if you were wrong? What if that was actually a bluff?”

Ice made a bitter smile and explained further.

“It was his expression. It wasn’t that noticeable but he actually cringed a bit every time he drew blood. I guessed he might have properly learned fencing but had little opportunity to engage in a real battle against another person. I’m kinda the same so I figured we were sort of similar in that regard.”

“So he was all arrogant and stuff and it turns out he can’t stomach blood. That’s just pathetic.” Thelma spat out with a venomous tone.

Ice shook his head while smiling bitterly.

“Nah, I wouldn’t say that. Like I said, I’m actually pretty similar. I also had plenty of opportunities to retaliate but I didn’t. I guess, subconsciously, I was also uncomfortable with the idea of attacking another person with a weapon that was actually fatal. I was kinda okay with monsters but yeah… Guess we were both just raised in a pretty peaceful environment.”

Thelma raised an eyebrow at that statement. “The Garland house? Peaceful? I just can’t imagine that den of wolves to be anything even close to ‘peaceful’.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s kind of hard to explain…”

Ice had a troubled expression as he searched for a way to explain things more clearly. Thelma just waved the matter off with a frown and looked towards the distance.

“Don’t trouble yourself anymore. I probably still won’t get it anyway. Besides, we’re running out of time and monsters to hunt. They don’t [4]respawn quickly here after all.”

Ices’ eyes widened in surprise.

“Say what?!”

“Something about the miasma here not being thick enough. It takes a fairly long time for this place to teem with monsters you see - probably a couple of months. That’s why we can’t hold these tests that often.”

Ice made a frantic expression and hurriedly re-equipped his Dirk.

“There’s no time to lose then. How many have you hunted princess?”

“About thirteen before those idiots interrupted me. Don’t worry about me. I’m pretty good with my bow here.”

Thelma proudly showed off her weapon – a beautifully crafted short bow – and grinned.

“A bow huh? Right then. I’ll be the vanguard princess. You go ahead and follow a bit behind me and snipe those I fail to kill. You can finish them off if you want.”

“What? Wait, I can’t be more indebted to you than I already am. I can hunt on my own.”

“Nah. This is still give and take. I would feel more at ease if someone were to guard my back and it would make it easier for me to commit to a full frontal assault. We need to be quick after all. There would be no time for waiting for an opportunity to strike.

And besides, you’re also going to vouch for me just in case I get into any trouble because of today’s little incident. What do you say princess?”

Thelma smiled mischievously after understanding what Ice was getting at. She lightly nudged him on the elbow and let out an amused laughed. “Ahaha. Clever aren’t you. Alright, I’m in.”

“Great! Let’s go then.”

The pair sprinted towards the trees and began to hunt.

***

After a few minutes of frantic speed hunting, Ice and Thelma managed to get a total of fifty four kills. Ice got thirty six , bringing his total kill count to fifty eight while Thelma got a total of thirty one after adding in her previous thirteen kills.

Their bodies began to glow a short while after.

Ice wiped off some sweat from his brow and looked at the similarly exhausted Thelma. “Guess this is it huh. You think we’ve done enough?”

“Who knows. Guess we’ll see soon enough. Anyway, thanks Ice. And good luck.” Thelma smiled cheerfully and gave Ice a thumbs up.

Ice gestured back with a wry grin. “You too princess. Be sure to invite me to a palace feast or two sometime.”

He was teleported while being sent off by Thelma’s smile.

***

“Huh? What the…?”

As soon as Ice opened his eyes, he found himself in a peculiar place.

“What’s going on? Where am I”

There was absolutely nothing around him – just pure white ‘space’. He tried moving around and found that there was at least a ‘surface’ to walk on – if one could even call it that.

“___This feels like walking on air. I’m definitely standing on ‘something’… But I can’t see anything below my feet. Actually, I can’t see anything around me at all… What is this place?”

Ice felt a mounting sense of apprehension each passing moment he spent within the white void. There was no sense of direction. No sense of time. Only stillness. Only silence. A really uncomfortable and strangely ‘artificial’ sense of tranquility. It was highly disconcerting. He felt that he would gradually lose himself the longer he lingered.

“Just what the heck is going on?!”

His confused howl was mercilessly swallowed up by the void. There were not even echoes. The only thing that allowed him a flimsy grip of his state of mind was the feeling of cold sweat that dripped down his face.

“Why the panicked state young man? Is this place that uncomfortable for you?”

Ice was startled by a voice suddenly coming from behind him. He frantically turned around to find the source. But what he saw only furthered his confusion.

There was definitely ‘someone’ or ‘something’ there. But he could not properly make out the features. It was like looking at a blurred image on a static filled TV screen.

“Who-? What are you? What do you want with me? Just where the heck am I?!”

“Easy now young man. There is no need to be so afraid. I will not keep you for long. I only wish to talk. For my own curiosities sake.”

It was definitely strange. Ice could not make out the face of the ‘image’. But he felt the impression that the ‘figure’ smiled in reassurance. He forced his panicked mind to calm down in order to come to an understanding of what was going on.

“Answer my questions first. Who are you and where is this place?”

“Here? It’s a bit difficult to explain exactly ‘where’ ‘here’ is but… Let’s see… Ah, that’s right. This is both ‘here’ and ‘nowhere’. A by-product of the past attempts to successfully create and mass produce sandbox ADs. A ‘leftover’ if you will. And as for me, I have long since discarded my ‘identity’. Or rather, I was forced to discard it. So I am simply ‘me’. I do apologize if that answer proves rather… unsatisfying.”

The confusion in Ices’ face didn’t disappear from the vague answers the figure gave. He just continued to stand stock still, trying to figure out what to do next.

“I see you’re at a loss. If so, then please humor me for a little while. I only need ask a few things. Then, I’ll send you back.”

The figures voice was strangely coercive. It was akin to a ruler issuing a command to his subject. Ice felt compelled to agree despite himself and nodded weakly.

"Good. Now then young man, I only wish to know your views regarding a certain matter. Please do answer truthfully and without pretense.”

Ice nodded again, completely under the figures influence.

“If you were to live in a world where you were bound to follow certain courses of action – that is to say a ‘script’ if you will – would you blindly follow? Or would you aim for something beyond ‘fate’? Something… ‘different’?”

Ice proceeded to ponder the question and answered in a steady voice.

”Most of my life I’ve practically drifted in the current. I didn’t have to concern myself with anything too complicated. What happens, happens. It was a pretty simple way of life. But it was… unsatisfying. Frustrating. I’d like to think I want to be the master of my own fate. Making that an excuse for failure… I’m fed up with that.”

“What if blindly following would lead you to a better life. What if those who write the script led you towards a ‘happy ending’?”

Ice smiled bitterly and replied. “Y’know, one thing I’ve learned from reading and watching a lot of stories is this – writers are fickle creatures. They have pretty nasty mood swings too. Leaving your life to someone like that… I can’t imagine anyone that’s actually sane doing that kind of thing.”

“Even if your actions lead to someone else’s misfortune?”

“Would it make any difference? You can’t write a story where everybody has his or her personal happy ending. That would be pretty bland. It wouldn’t go over well with the audience. There always has to be one sacrificed in the end. That’s why we have things like antagonists and tragic protagonists right? I’m not so full of myself that I can be absolutely confident I won’t be cast in that role.

Misfortune would always be present – even in a life that followed a fixed script. And if you take out misfortune – if you take out the one thing that contrasts with happiness – just what kind of life would that be? Would you even recognize happiness? Will it still carry as much meaning? Will it even matter at all?

At the very least I, for one, can’t imagine such a life. And if I do fail, I’ll fail on my own terms instead of hiding behind a concept like fate or destiny.”

Ice’s expression darkened as he realized the irony in his words.

“___Perhaps there really was no easy answer…”

Contradictions piled on top of contradictions. It was pretty confusing after all.

Silence reigned between the two once more. After a seeming eternity, the figure broke in a fit of uncontrolled laughter.

“Hehehehehehe. Hahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Interesting. Truly interesting! Now I understand why she was so taken by you. That’s right young man. A stagnant utopia is not worth living in! It’s out of the question! Nahahahaha! I look forward to the future you would bring about…

Counterpoint.”

Ice's consciousness slowly faded. As he held on to its last vestiges, he felt as though he saw the figures eyes for the first time. Mad light danced within them. Then there was darkness…

***

“***! **e! ICE!!!”

“Uuuuuh….”

Ice found himself sprawled on the cold floor of the transport room with a really major headache. Thelma was frantically shaking him awake and that act made his head hurt more. He brushed her aside and slowly started to get up while clutching his head with a grimace.

“Ugh… W-What happened?..”

“That’s what I’d like to know! We were transported out of the hunting grounds at the same time and I went ahead to finish the test. But when I came back I didn’t find you with those who’ve successfully completed the test beforehand so I figured you still weren’t done with it. I waited and waited and you still wouldn’t come back! I asked the staff and they told me they couldn’t find any trace of you coming to the final test location.

And then you just come dropping down unconscious in here all of a sudden! No matter how tried to wake you up at first, you just wouldn’t come to. I even felt your pulse stop for a moment! You really made me worry so much dummy! Idiot!”

Thelma shouted at him angrily while sobbing at the same time. There was even some snot coming out of her nose. It was pretty unbecoming of a princess. Ice felt somewhat guilty for being the one responsible for reducing a pretty girl like her into such as state. He was also a little touched that she was genuinely worried about him despite the fact that they were just recently acquainted. He motioned to wipe away some of the tears from her face and bowed in apology.

“I don’t really get what’s going on but… I’m really sorry. And thanks for worrying about me that much princess.”

“Y-You better be! Really! I was so worried I thought my own heart would stop… B-But what exactly happened to you? By the looks of it, you were never able to take the final test. D-Did you really fail? Was it because of what happened in the forest? If so I…”

Thelma looked really troubled by her conjecture. Her face was ashen with worry from the possibility of her being the cause for Ice missing the final test and failing. Ice patted her shoulder and reassured her.

“I don’t think that’s it. I somehow feel there was a different reason but… I can’t quite place why…”

Ice felt that he was forgetting something really important. But the more he pondered on it, the more his headache intensified. He decided to just stop for the time being. He was feeling really exhausted after all for some reason. Ice tried to stand up with slightly wobbly legs. Thelma hurriedly supported him by letting him lean on her shoulder.

“A-Are you okay? Is it really alright for you to move around like this?”

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine after getting some rest I think.”

They went out of the room and headed to the building lobby.

***

A distraught looking Misha went over to them once they got to the lobby.

“Mr. Ice! Thank goodness you’re alright. We lost all traces of you after the second phase concluded. What happened?”

Ice made a strained smile as Thelma let him down on the sofa.

“Thing is… I’m not too sure myself. I don’t really remember what happened after I got transported from the forest grounds.”

“You… don’t remember?…” Misha’s brow creased as she fell into deep thought.

“___Could it be? But I never heard this from Sea… No, if it’s her then it’s actually likely she forgot to tell me such a crucial detail like that… Really, that girl… But if it were true…”

She looked at Ice with a complicated expression on her face and made a request.

“Sir Ice… If you wouldn’t mind, could you show me your status window. I need to confirm something.”

“Well, sure. I don’t mind.”

Ice opened the menu and changed the display setting to ‘Public’. Misha sat beside him and moved closer in order to look at it. There was practically no distance between and Ice felt something incredibly soft pressed on his arm. He tried not to show it, but of course he was enjoying it. He’s a healthy, inexperienced, late blooming male after all. His nostrils flared up involuntarily.

“___This world may appear to my eyes in 2D… but this sensation is undoubtedly 3D! No, it might even reach 4D! Hmmm, interesting…”

Thelma pouted and made an increasingly irritated expression but held back her desire to scold Ice. Of course she was planning on giving him a good earful later – only to correct his ungentlemanly behavior with women of course. After all, what else would be the reason for her sour mood.

Misha’s gaze wandered to the top left corner of Ices’ status window. Her eyes instantly went wide in surprise. She hurriedly stood up, looking really nervous for some reason.

“Mr. Ice… Could you kindly wait here for a moment. I need to report something to my superiors. I will get back to you shortly after. We might be needing you to meet up with the director later so please refrain from leaving the building until I come back.”

“Uh, sure. Do whatever you need to do.”

Ices’ head still hurt and his mental faculties were still a bit sluggish so he wasn’t really registering everything that was currently happening. He just nodded in agreement since he also wanted a bit more time to rest and settle his headache. The high grade sofa felt really comfortable after all.

Thelma, however, was taken aback by Misha’s behavior.

“___Meeting with uncle Roald? But he doesn’t usually allow for guests even among the current active top ranking adventurers. Something about them just being ‘all flair and no substance’… But why would he want to meet Ice? This is really suspicious…”

She decided to check Ices’ status screen as well and leaned in close – just as close as Misha was earlier actually. Ice was surprised by her sudden action.

“___Oooooh! She looks really slender at first glance but she’s surprisingly full figured after all. Is it the clothes? Or the angle of lighting? We have another profound mystery Mister Sherlock! Might as well call [5]Conan-kun too… Truly mind boggling…”

As Ice had one of his pointless (and slightly perverted) inner monologues, Thelma’s gaze was busy scanning his status screen and got quite a shock from what she saw. Now she understood why the CQMA Ricksvale branch's managing director would want to meet with him.

“Hey Ice… stop your perverted daydreaming and come look at your status screen.”

“E-eh?! What are you talking about? I-I wasn’t thinking anything perverted!”

“Sure you weren’t. Anyway, just look will you!”

Thelma cupped Ices’ head from behind and moved it towards the top left of the status screen – to where his Class was indicated.

He was formerly an Initiate, but it seemed he was actually able to successfully promote. Ice blinked his eyes a few times as his gaze was fixed on his newly gained Basic Class.

***

Name: Ice

Level: 20

Class: ★Summoner

-Unique Class End-

*Notes

[1] Aggro – In MMORPG’s, it means that an NPC will attack preemptively, instead of only returning an attack.

[2] Shounen – it literally means ‘few years’ and generally refers to a typical boy, from elementary school through high school age. In the story, Ice is actually referring to the protagonist of a Shounen manga (comic) or anime. Shounen, in this case, refers to a demographic that targets the previously mentioned age range. Shounen heroes are typically a bit (or maybe more than actually) simple minded, bold, have strong senses of justice and, in a lot of cases, dense. Goku, Naruto and Luffy are some of the more known examples of this type of protagonist.

[3] Lipovitan – (リポビタン ripobitan?), marketed in English-speaking countries under the name Libogen and Livita, is an energy drink manufactured by Taisho Pharmaceutical Co. and its licensee Osotspa. Widely available in East Asia, it retails in brown-colored translucent 100 ml bottles, and its contents has a distinctive bright yellow color. Lipovitan is marketed to alleviate physical and mental fatigue

[4] Respawn – recreation of an entity after its death/destruction.

[5] Conan – Ice is not referring to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle but Edogawa Conan – the protagonist of the detective manga series Meitantei (Detective) Conan (or Case Closed in the serialized English edition) written by Aoyama Gosho of Yaiba fame.