Physical Assessment (4)

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Instructor Alicia stood before Group Three, tapping her index finger deliberately against her sleek wristband.

Tap—!

Ting—!

"Now,"

she declared, her voice carrying a commanding tone,

"I will announce which Professor each of you will be facing. Their sage rankings and elemental affinities will also be disclosed."

The floating screen emanating from her wristband lit up, displaying numerous lines of data.

Alicia scrolled through the list with a swift flick of her fingers, the screen shimmering as she approached the final page.

Upon reaching it, her gaze drifted momentarily toward Lily Broom, who stood beside Silas.

Her posture shifted slightly, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her lips as she spoke.

"Lily Broom, temporary rank—4th, Element—Wind."

The group remained silent, save for the faint hum of the screen, as Alicia shifted her attention back to the floating text.

"You will be fighting Professor Amatheous. Element—Fire. Sage rank—478, with a talent rank of S+."

Lyrium, standing a few steps behind, turned his head slightly to observe Lily, who stood beside Silas.

"As expected."

Lyrium mused inwardly, his face betraying neither surprise nor amusement.

"Also… a perfect counter,"

He added, his lips twitching faintly into the ghost of a smirk.

Silas, as predictable as ever, began patting Lily's head in a gesture of encouragement, a boyish grin on his face. "You can do it!" his actions seemed to say.

Lily, however, was less than pleased.

Her cheeks puffed out indignantly, her brows furrowing as she slapped his hand away with a sharp motion.

"Stop treating me like a child!"

She snapped, her voice carrying the slight tremor of embarrassment.

Lyrium, watching the exchange with growing irritation, sighed internally.

'By the gods… my eyes are bleeding from this shameless display of flirtation. Lovey-dovey couples… no—future lovey-dovey couples, acting like this in front of a man who is single… and worse, a virgin? How cruel can the world be?'

He glanced to his side to find Ren, who seemed equally disinterested, though his faintly raised brow suggested he was silently amused.

'Ren, I bet you're thinking the same thing…

'Why am I watching this nonsense?' Admit it.'

Ren, as if responding to Lyrium's silent accusation, rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath,

"You're not wrong…"

Lyrium stifled a chuckle and whispered back,

"This is emotional torture. Someone should tell them public displays of affection are illegal for single men."

Before Ren could respond with a quip of his own, Alicia's next announcement drew his attention.

"Ren Sullivan."

Ren immediately snapped to attention, his carefree demeanor evaporating in an instant.

His gaze sharpened as he focused on Alicia.

"Temporary rank—3rd, Element—Fire," she began, her voice calm yet authoritative. "You will be fighting Professor Shirone. Element—Water. Sage rank—150, with a talent rank of SSS+."

Ren gave a slight nod, his expression now resolute and cold.

The transformation in his demeanor was almost palpable;

The friendly and relaxed Ren was gone, replaced by a serious and intense aura.

Alicia, observing this change, allowed herself a brief, private smile.

'I like this side of him,'

She thought, though she kept her expression neutral.

Unknown to most, this composed version of Ren was not new—it had always been a part of him.

Yet, his past, riddled with shadows and painful history, had forced him to adopt a mask of confidence, friendliness, and charm.

Lyrium glanced at Ren, his thoughts shifting.

'So, the cool façade drops when it really matters, huh? Good to know. But, this guy's scary when he's serious… kinda reminds me of that one uncle at family gatherings who flips the table when someone eats his dessert.'

Ren shot him a brief look, one that seemed to say, "Stop narrating in your head and focus."

Lyrium shrugged in response.

"Fine, fine. No need to glare, Mr. Serious Pants."

Alicia's next words, however, made Lyrium's interest skyrocket.

"Silas Kingslay, temporary rank—2nd, Element—Lightning."

Her gaze shifted toward Silas as she continued, her tone steady.

"You will be fighting Professor Ed Constatain. Elements—Water and Lightning. Sage rank—38, with the talent limit of XX."

The air in the room seemed to shift.

Lyrium's eyes widened, as did those of nearly everyone present.

The name alone carried weight—Professor Ed Constatain was not merely a sage;

He was a legend.

His rank among the top 100 sages made him a figure of awe and respect.

But this wasn't the thing that truly caught Lyrium off guard.

'It's different,'

Lyrium muttered internally, his thoughts tinged with a mix of disbelief and curiosity.

A flicker of realization passed through his mind.

'Silas is supposed to be fighting that Professor first during this assessment.'

He let out an audible sigh, one that was heavy with exasperation, as the full weight of the situation settled in.

"Haaa..."

'Not again… this butterfly effect nonsense.'

Lyrium's mind raced, piecing together the implications.

'But if he doesn't face that guy first, then the entire first arc will never happe—'

His thoughts screeched to an abrupt halt as Ren's voice broke through his mental spiral.

Ren was back to his usual self, his carefree demeanor completely restored.

Lyrium blinked in disbelief.

"Damn, this guy switches modes faster than I change socks."

Ren gave him a side glance, noticing Lyrium's stunned expression.

'What? You look like someone just told you your favorite food got discontinued.'

Lyrium groaned and rubbed his temples.

'It's not that. I'm just... processing things.'

Ren raised an eyebrow, his smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

'Ah, yes. Your usual 'I'm-processing-things' face. Should I be worried? Or is it just more of your overthinking?'

Lyrium glared at him.

"I already said I am not overthinking things here Ren. It's called critical analysis. Something you might not understand with that airheaded routine you put on.'

Ren chuckled, clearly enjoying the banter.

'Sure, sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mte.'

Lyrium shook his head, his focus reluctantly returning to the implications of the change.

'This isn't just some minor detail,'

He thought.

'If Silas doesn't fight that Professor first, everything shifts. Events get delayed… and worse, the foundation of the entire arc crumbles.'

He cast another glance at Ren, who was now inspecting his nails as if the world wasn't teetering on a narrative collapse.

Lyrium sighed again

"Haa....this Airhead"

Ren, as if sensing Lyrium's inner monologue, casually remarked,

"You know, whatever's going on in that head of yours, it's really loud. Try not to explode before the assessment starts, yeah?"

Lyrium groaned inwardly.

'Now I, know Silas was annoyed everytime he talks to Ren'

Then, he shifted his gaze towards Silas's side.

Silas, however, remained composed, his expression unreadable.

Ren leaned slightly toward Lyrium and whispered,

"Place your bets. How long do you think Silas lasts? I'm giving him… ten minutes before Professor Ed wipes the floor with him."

Lyrium glanced at him, the corners of his lips twitching.

"Ten minutes? That's generous."

Ren chuckled softly, but his amusement didn't diminish the gravity of the situation.

No one underestimated Professor Ed Constatain—not even Lyrium, whose humor often masked his own anxieties.

**********

Thanks for reading—!

And guys, i forgot to upload a chapter.

It's bout Silas doing a quest, on how he got the Lightning Element.

I'll be updating it today itself and also official ranking system auxiliary chapter.

Okay, then,

Over and out—!