“If there’s a preliminary test to enter the climber academy,” he said. “I want to take it.”

13

Sakura stood on the balcony of the battle chamber along with Samuel Archer.

The man stood there looking down at the small arena while resting both his hands on his silver cane.

The bastard, thought Sakura.

She’d never liked Samuel or anyone from the prestigious Archer family. He’d heard of the new citizen in the tower-zone and she had a feeling it was no coincidence that he showed up at the climber’s guild that morning.

“It’s been a while since I watched a preliminary,” mused Archer. “I’m sure this one will be interesting.”

“Yes,” said Sakura, gritting her teeth. “Very.”

Sakura looked Samuel over.

What she couldn’t understand was why this man wanted to thwart Max’s chances at entering the academy. Was it sheer pettiness that his son had to do the preliminary and Max didn’t? Or had it leaked that Max had a unique trait and Samuel was attempting to find out what that trait was.

Either way, she didn’t like that Samuel was meddling in her affairs.

A door creaked open and Max stepped out into the battle chamber.

Sakura thought he looked nervous, but then she thought maybe she was just seeing that because she was nervous for him.

“I hope he’s prepared,” said Samuel. “How much have you trained him, Sakura?”

Sakura wanted to knock the man out there and then.

The patronizing man.

She hated people like him.

How much have you trained him, Sakura?

Samuel knew very well that Max had only been in the tower-zone for three days, half of which was spent in a hospital bed.

Max stood on the waxed wooden floors of the battle room, waiting for the test to begin.

The clerk stepped out onto the arena with him.

“Any minute now,” said Samuel, grinning.

Sakura gripped her hands on the metal bar of the balcony overlooking the battle chamber.

She had planned on training him for the next three weeks before the climber academy term began. Currently, though, Max wasn’t ready for any type of fight. Not with his stats and certainly not against the monster they used for the preliminary test.

Many of the aspiring student climbers had trained for years for their term at the academy.

Max looked up at her, smiled, and gave a thumbs up.

The idiot, she thought. Why had he volunteered so willingly to take this test?

* * *

Max stood in the battle chamber, waiting for his test to begin.

Across the battle chamber from where Max stood was a metal door with the words “Caution” spray painted onto it.

“Are you ready for me to explain the rules of the preliminary test?” asked the clerk.

Max stared at the metal door. Clearly the test wasn’t going to be a written examination. Whatever the test involved lay behind that metal door.