Date: The Day After the Challenge
Location: Guild Simulation Grounds
---
I was told the examiners granted the duel request.
Of course they did.
Apparently, "Silver Rank" means "I paid enough coin to be dangerous."
> One of their members was the cousin of a regional examiner.
Another "accidentally" blew up a test room and still passed.
One claimed to have fought a wyvern. We checked — it was a chicken. With paint.
And now, they were going to "teach us a lesson" in a simulated dungeon.
Leander put it best.
> "Ah, my favorite genre. Idiots in denial."
---
Before the Match
They arrived in formation. Or what they thought was formation.
Matching capes. Matching smirks. Zero brain cells.
> "You guys look nervous," their leader said, tossing his sword in the air.
Alice:
> "I'm bored already."
Anna:
> "Can I add fog? I feel like they need dramatic lighting before their funeral."
Even the instructor overseeing the simulation winced.
> "Ahem… Begin when ready."
They ran in like heroes.
We walked in like cleaners.
---
Room One – "Puzzle of Pressure Plates"
The objective: walk across without activating traps.
They shouted commands.
> "YOU, go left!"
"NO, MY left!"
"SOMEONE THROW A ROCK!"
"WHY DID YOU THROW ME?!"
A dart shot out.
Someone screamed.
One tripped over his own cloak.
They blamed the floor.
We, meanwhile, stepped calmly through. Alice memorized the rune layout. Riya melted a trap with water. I tossed a coin, watched where it didn't bounce, and walked.
Leander:
> "I feel like we're in a comedy play... and the clowns don't know they're clowns."
---
Room Two – The Combat Hall
Three summoned dolls. Simulated enemies. Basic stuff.
One of the Silver Fools tried a flashy spin attack.
He hit air.
Another cast a lightning spell — on his own teammate.
We waited.
Riya whispered, "Should we help?"
Lily: "If they're not dead, it's not our problem."
Finally, they called out, humiliated.
> "Can we switch partners?!"
The instructor said no.
So I stepped in. I pointed, and my mana flared.
The dolls turned to ash.
I didn't cast a spell. Just let my mana leak a little — like smoke rising from a long-sealed chamber.
> "HOW?!" one of them shrieked.
> "Control," I answered.
They didn't understand.
Perfect.
---
Room Three – Illusion Depths
Anna was giddy.
> "My turn~"
They started running. The room twisted.
One saw a dragon.
Another saw his ex-girlfriend.
One screamed and said he saw himself — but bald.
Anna looked too pleased.
> "I gave them a chance to walk. They chose madness."
We followed calmly, through the real path only we could see.
By the end, two were crying.
One tried to hug Leander, thinking he was his mother.
Leander pushed him into a wall.
> "I don't do adoption, bro."
---
Post-Dungeon Assessment
Instructor: "Team Nitsuo completed in record time."
Silver Fools: still trapped in the final hallway, arguing with a broom they thought was a cursed sword spirit.
I left them with one sentence.
> "This is what happens when your arrogance outranks your ability."
---
Later that Night
Guild rumors flew.
> "The 'Silver Stars'? More like 'Silver Scraps!'"
"Did you see the one who screamed at a mirror?"
"One of them called Nitsuo 'sir' after the match…"
Leander laughed until he coughed up juice.
Alice said she regretted not humiliating them herself.
Anna's already writing the incident as a short play.
Lily just smiled and said,
> They learned something important."
She looked at me. "You've been holding back."
I nodded.
> "That the world doesn't care what plate you wear."