Date: Summer's Fifth Morning
Location: West Branch of the Elareth Adventurer's Guild
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When we walked into the guild hall, I wasn't expecting a lecture on punctuality, manners, and why "kicking bandits in the spine too hard" was apparently frowned upon during official missions.
Leander yawned halfway through.
Anna asked if illusions could be used to fake a better smile.
Gideon stood like a statue.
Elric whispered, "I have a bad feeling about this."
So did I.
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Guild Iron Plate Exam – Format Overview
Part I: One-on-one duel against a designated Guild Examiner.
Part II: Practical field test (monster subjugation or rescue simulation).
Team coordination is scored during Part II.
Pass rate? Less than 40%.
Failure? Wait two months to retake.
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Part I – Individual Combat Evaluation
First Up: Anna
The proctor didn't even finish his greeting before she cast a triple-layered illusion that turned him into a blushing chicken.
He failed to dodge the mirage blast.
She bowed. Politely.
> Examiner: "…Pass. Please leave."
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Second: Leander
His strategy? Flashy entrance, two spinning strikes, and a joke halfway through.
> Leander: "If I lose, I'll personally wash your boots with a toothbrush."
He won. Barely. His blade did shave off part of the examiner's mustache.
> Examiner: "Pass. Don't ever come back."
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Third: Riya
She summoned three elements at once and turned the training field into a sauna.
> "I got nervous," she said, smiling.
The examiner — soaked, singed, and stunned:
> "…You passed. Please dry the next field."
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Fourth: Gideon
He didn't move.
The examiner attacked.
Then hit a wall — literally.
Gideon's shield didn't budge.
Then came the arrow barrage — blunt version.
Examiner was winded, bruised, and impressed.
> "Pass. And thank you for not killing me."
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Last: Me
Technically, I already had a provisional rank through the Academy's endorsement.
But protocol demanded I "demonstrate sufficient magical control."
So I did.
Just a whisper of Overflow mana — enough to crack the circle beneath my feet.
They agreed.
> "Pass. Very pass."
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Part II – Team Coordination Simulation
They took us to the simulation grounds. The mission:
Rescue a trapped caravan from illusion-generated monsters while ensuring zero civilian casualties.
Timed. Tracked. Graded.
Anna's illusions lured half the monsters into a dead end.
Gideon's shield protected the civilians.
Riya doused the field in water and froze it.
Leander dueled the largest ogre... while narrating the fight out loud.
I drew the map in my head. Called positions. Moved like I was playing chess with a battlefield.
Alice, Lily and Elric? Watching. Judging.
Already passed theirs long ago.
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Later That Day
We sat outside the guild, holding our new Iron plates like they were golden tickets.
Except Leander, who kept spinning his like a coin and muttering:
> "They called me a 'menace to protocol' — that's a compliment, right?"
Anna beamed.
Riya smiled shyly.
Gideon sat quietly polishing his.
Elric just sighed.
Alice and Lily waited near the board — already holding their plates like veteran adventurers.
Alice: "Took you long enough."
Lily: "I saved your seats at the request board."
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Tomorrow, we take our first real job.
The board was cluttered with E to C-rank quests —
Monster nests. Caravan guards. Bandit hunts. Escort missions.
We'll start small.
We'll grow.
We'll survive.
One step at a time—
like iron turning to steel.