HP: The Arcane Thief

Chapter 171: Trial II

A.N.: Here's the chap. Enjoy!

....

How much should I show?

It was something to think about. Truthfully, Axel would have liked to have kept his powers a secret.

He was a bit conflicted about this. He wanted to go all out. At least for once.

Right now, he was under a disguise. He wasn't Axel, who was being targeted by the Organisation, but Chris, an identity he could discard without consequences. Showing off his power won't impact his real identity.

It is also a fact that the more power he shows, the higher he'll be able to rise, which would make it easier for him to accomplish his goals.

That's why, he definitely had the license to flex.

But the problem is, this place isn't exactly safe for him. From what he has gathered so far, the king is sick, the Princess does not have too much power, and there is something called the council of elders who wield considerable power. That is not even mentioning the relic wielders present on their side.

Between all these people, with his past record, Axel is completely certain that at least one of them would want him dead at some point. Thus, it would be for the best if he doesn't show everything.

'60%'

60% of his total power. This is the max limit Axel has drawn for himself in this war. But, that 60% is more than enough.

Considering the fact that he has only shown 2-5% to take out the whole Mahoutokoro team, it can be estimated just how high he is going to go this time.

Sylthia first took him to an area where tens of transparent cylindrical pods were arranged in rows. She tapped a few times on the screen of one of them, and it opened from the middle with a swoop, its surface lighting up.

Axel pursed his lips in distaste. "Don't tell me I have to go inside."

"You have to go inside," said Sylthia firmly. "It's to check whether you are a squid or not."

"...A what?" Axel was stumped. Isn't squid just a tentacles sea creature? What does she mean by that?

"A squid. Meaning if you are not a member of Kraken or not."

'Oh.' Squid is a derogatory term for members of Kraken.

It made sense now. No wonder Sylthia got suspicious when he expressed reluctance over going into the pod. If this device can check if he's from the kraken then it seems he really has to go in. But,

"How does it distinguish between someone who is from Kraken and someone who is not?" He asked.

[Silver Tongue]

"Every Kraken member has a particular energy inside their bodies. This machine can detect traces of that energy inside you—" Sylthia paused as she gritted her teeth, realizing that she had yet again revealed secret information to him. The look she gave him could kill him a hundred times.

'So, it's like this.' Axel paid no attention to her. He was still analyzing the new information he just got. So, the members of Kraken have a particular energy inside them. From theron and Nerio, he had already deduced that they had been granted some special powers that weren't their own. Those tattoos for example, and those mental barriers.

Theron's armor took too much power to control. It wasn't something that a person can do by themselves. And the reaction speed of Nerio was unreal. Furthermore, their mental barriers were powerful enough to defend against even his legilimency. This must be the energy Sylthia is talking about. The question is, how?

"Why aren't you going in?" Asked Sylthia, her jewel already glowing. She was growing more and more suspicious of Axel. First he asks so many questions, then he wants to contact someone in the outside world, and now he is stalling to get checked.

Axel was really hesitating to enter the pod. Of course he did not have the tattoos, neither did he have those mental blocks. But there was still some risk. His father was a fucking member of the organisation. A very powerful one at that.

So he wondered, is it possible that Axel might have some of that energy inside him?

Axel only entered the pod after confirming with the system. Fortunately, he was found to have passed the test.

'Strange.'

Sylthia was still a bit confused. Even though he passed the test, there were faint traces, ones which can only be found in people of Atlantis. If this guy really has had no contact with Kraken or Atlantis, then how come he has them?

'Maybe, its influence is spreading faster than we had anticipated,' she thought gravely.

"What's next?" Asked Axel, snapping Sylthia out of her thoughts.

"Now, I will take you to the Trial rooms."

"The trial rooms?"

It has been mentioned many times, but Axel still doesn't know exactly what the trial really is.

"It's essentially a set of tests that you are going to take in order to judge your overall capabilities. The rest, you'll understand when you see it," she said meaningfully.

Their destination was at the opposite side of the huge hall. Upon arriving here, Axel realized that the crowd here was second densest after the fighting rings. Large doors were built into the wall side by side, and above each door was a wide screen that displayed different kinds of footage.

In one was the screens, a student could be seen shooting a horde of creatures, in another, a student was fighting soldiers in close quarters. In some they were running through different types of obstacles. From time to time, they would die too. Sometimes they would revive while sometimes they would quit.

The students standing outside were spectating the participants while discussing among themselves. They would cheer and exclaim from time to time when something surprising happens.

"By Magledon's teeth! The way he's running. Edir might break the record soon."

"He's not there yet. The running record has been unbeatable for 5 years straight."

"What a shot! Keep shooting!"

"Nert's fighting power seems to have increased again."

"Uh… Calton died horribly this time. That must have hurt like Painifera."

Listening to the conversation, Axel was able to guess what the trial rooms seem to be about, and his gaze flickered with astonishment.

Sylthia looked at the country bumpkin by her side. "A trial room is an advanced atlantian technology that simulates real life situations through which you can test and improve your overall combat abilities without any risks. Do you understand now?"

Axel nodded his head, still looking at the screens.

Sylthia was satisfied with his bumpkin-like reaction.

"I've heard from the shinobis that the outsiders are still far from developing any such technology, so be grateful that you're getting a chance. Since the rooms are limited, even the students of the royal academy get a fixed quota of how many times they can try this. If it were in my hands, someone like you would have never gotten a chance." she said, going towards one of the rooms that had just gotten empty.

Axel seemed to not mind her insulting words at all. Sylthia has been nothing but unhelpful and annoying so far. By now, he had already thanked the system for having him purchase the Zen focus. After training that skill, Axel was able to control his temper much better. Otherwise, he would have lashed out by now, no matter the consequences.

Even though he could calm his mind through occlumency, the source of his unstable emotions has always been his messed up soul. Now that he has adjusted it somewhat through [Zen Focus]. he can stop himself after considering the overall situation.

But of course, his extremely petty and vindictive nature is still unchanged. The most Zen Focus can do is delay his revenge.

'Well, when I become the king, I know who to pick as my cupbearer.'

'I'll have her wear that emerald bracelet she likes to flaunt so much around her neck, like a pet collar while she serves me drinks.'

'I'll slowly crush that pride until there's none left.'

That's what he was thinking while walking with light steps, his expression serene.

…Ahem, it seems that he has only become a more dangerous enemy to have. Previously, the retaliation would have been swift and shallow. But now, it is going to be long and extremely tortuous.

Unaware of the future humiliation she had secured herself during this half an hour of company, Sylthia walked straight towards the crowd.

"Out of the way." she said, blowing a gust of wind. Suddenly, the students who were busy looking at the screens, turned to find Sylthia walking over. Flabbergasted, they all stumbled to make way for her while saluting her.

They weren't prepared to see someone high as like Sylthia so close to them. The crowd parted to make way for her. Walking through the path created like it was a matter of course, Sylthia flashed the communicated device on her wrist to the control screen, and the interface flashed with a [Welcome, Sylthia Eryndor].

"So, which path do you want to choose?" She asked him over her shoulder.

"What is this path now?" Asked Axel in annoyance. First, there are various enclaves like Military, Mending, Technomancy, Court Official, etc. Then in the Military, there is the Frontline and Logistics division. Now, what are these paths?

"There are four basic paths to choose in the frontline division: shooter, gladiator, spell caster, rider. Which ones of these would you like to try?"

"I can select more than one?"

Sylthia clicked her tongue. "Someone explain it to him," she ordered, gesturing towards Axel.

The students hesitated at first due to nervousness, but knowing that it was a good opportunity to curry favour with Sylthia, a student stepped forward. "You can choose more than one, but only if you are capable. The more paths a student or soldier is proficient in, the better his or her prospects will be," he explained.

'More the merrier, huh?' Axel pondered over what to choose.

Warrior? He could dabble.

Shooting? His aiming has been honed for years. How difficult can it be?

Rider? World famous Quidditch player here.

Spell Casting? He could see that the Atlantia spell Casting was a bit different, but it seems he can try those as well.

"I'll choose all four," he decided.

Everyone looked at him strangely and Sylthia snorted.

Another student stepped forward to explain. "I don't recommend you choose all. The trial will be designed to test all the aspects of the paths you've chosen. So, the more you choose, the more difficult it will be."

Axel nodded. "I choose all."

??

Those words made Axel look ignorant and overconfident, and their impression of him fell several degrees.

"You should not underestimate the trials. Since it's safe, their difficulty level is beyond even 2 star soldier level. Students die many times while attempting it, and even though the death is not real, the pain you'll feel is very real," one of the more empathetic students kindly explained.

If Axel is someone important enough to be escorted directly by Sylthia Eryndor, then it's better to make a good impression. That's why, several students seemed to want to persuade him further. After all, facing those situations and 'dying' is no joke. Lots of students get traumatized due to it every year. If it's too much, they stop even going to the trial room.

On the other hand, many others were just happy to see him make a fool of himself.

Why?

'The bastard is able to be so close to Sylthia!'

That's right, they were just jealous. Who is he?!

But, Axel was thinking of something else entirely. 'Only 2 Star?' Since the difficulty level only reached two stars, it seems that he won't be able to show off much after all.

"So, what will happen if I clear it?" He asked, but maybe the question was ridiculous, because several snickers were heard from the surroundings.

'This again?' Sylthia was exasperated by Axel's delusional questions. Most students can't even pass the endurance test, or die at the second stage. The trial is just to test how far a student can go, not if they can clear it. If they perform decently, they will be admitted, and then they train for years so that they can get a satisfactory score and graduate.

So, his question about clearing it is just plain ridiculous.

"What is your full name?" Sylthia asked, tapping the control screen.

She no longer cared if Axel died many times inside and failed. She just wanted to get this over with.

Axel clicked his tongue. Would it kill her to give him a straight answer to his questions for once?

"Chris Martin." Axel gave out a random surname.

Sylthia quickly entered his name, selected all of the basic paths and tapped [simulate trial].

"Just go in already. And be warned, don't blame us if you get trauma from dying," she said, turning to Axel.

'Maybe, she'll be more cooperating after the trial.'

"Fine."

Axel decisively walked into the Trial Room. The door closed behind him, and the screen above lit up, showing Axel.

Inside was pitch black, except for these words.

[Welcome, Chris Martin.]

[Your very first attempt will begin now. Are you ready?]

"Ready."

[3]

[2]

[1]

Slowly, a narrow path appeared in front of him being cleared out of nothing and stretching out for a distance.

[First Stage, Obstacle Course.]

[Start Running]

...

A.N.: Chris Martin is the name of the protagonist of my previous fanfic. I used it here because, well, why not?

Anyways, next chapter: Showing Off.

(Sorry, I thought it was this one.)

Next next: First Few Followers

Next next next: Aerial Combat

The War arc is going to be an absolute banger! Come read /Snollygoster