The next few days went by in a flash. After defeating the goblins, Ray and the others' impression of me improved greatly. A couple days ago, the rest were discharged from the hospital but more energetic than before. It has only been less than a week since Greenfield was destroyed by wyverns and everyone was trying their best by moving one. For some, it was difficult but for the optimistic ones, it was quite easy but buried in their hearts, is the memories of Greenfield. Other than that, I've been working to refine my spearmanship skills by taking on higher quests and completing the [Hundred Quests] list. So far, I've completed twenty quests: mostly gathering and hunting low ranking monsters. Nothing as dangerous as an Orc. Additionally, the Adventurers Guild contacted me, the night before, telling me that I was eligible to rank up. I was elated. They discussed with me the time I wanted to have the assessment, so I told them as soon as possible. As a result, they told me to come at ten in the morning. Since I had just completed my latest set of three quests, I was practically free and I agreed immediately.

The next morning, I woke up at eight. My mother was already fixing breakfast in the kitchen humming a local hymn while flipping the buttermilk pancakes with her spatula. Sitting down at the table she greets me with a smile.

"Good morning." She says.

"Morning," I respond in kind seating myself down at the table as I let the aroma of pancakes fill my body.

Hatsu, jumping on my lap, props his tiny furball head on top of the table, sticking his tiny pink tongue out. Mom brings out a towering plate of pancakes along with the usual sunny side up eggs and chorizo sausage. I immediately attack the stack of pancakes while Hatsu points to the plate of sausages with his paw.

"Arf! Arf!" He barks.

Patting Hatsu, I grab him two fatty sausages and place it on a western saucer*.

*(A/N: In terms of our world, when the characters refer to the west, they refer to Eastern Asia and east is Europe. North is Western Europe and the south is India/Africa. I'll let you guys figure out which region the Central Continent is based on).

Salivating, Hatsu leaps off my lap, following the plate of sausages until I place it gently on the ground. With his mouth open, Hatsu begins chomping on the sausages happily. Turning back to my own breakfast, I pour myself a cup of hot water letting the heat warm me up.

Suddenly, Ethan barges into the dining area with full armor with golden engravings, quite flashy. A sword in a red sheath was at his side while the bulky red armor enhanced his body making his head seem not proportionate to the rest of it. A helmet with a white mane was placed in his right arm while crimson cape flowed from his back.

"Good morning." He greeted in his lump of metal.

"Good morning," I muttered with a mouthful of pancake.

"Arf!" 

He drags out a chair from the table and plops himself down resting his shiny boots on the thin rim of the table. Leaning over, he pours himself a cup of hot water.

"So," he initiates the conversation, "now that I'm off suspension, I can finally go back and hunt!"

"Good for you," I spoke indifferently munching on my pancakes looking at the news on my phone, "just don't do anything stupid."

"You're not mother or father!" He retorted.

"Oh," I lifted an eyebrow and wagged a finger, "I may not be but they always find out. There's no use hiding the fact that you try to slay high ranking monsters. That's not good. Also, your mother is my mother."

Glaring while pointing his fork fiercely at me he cocks a grin, "Psh, Lil'bro, I'm much stronger than you! I'm a Swordsman that can take down an orc while you're a Healer that is only at Green Rank. Plus, I've been in this profession longer than you have."

"We'll see," I scoffed.

With an astonished look he questions, "What?"

"I'm going in for my Ranking Exam." I told him.

"Aw, I was planning on taking you hunting."

"So you have an excuse to face mother and father." I sighed cutting a piece of chorizo.

"Dang it! How did you know?" He gasped almost inaudibly.

"You're too predictable."

"And you are just a mind reader. Why didn't you become a Guide?"

"The classes are a nightmare. I only took one at the Academy and it was terrible."

"Anyways, can you please, at least, accompany me after your Ranking Exam?" He pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

"I'll consider it but most likely, I won't." I sighed placing my plate into the sink.

"I'll pay you." He waved four, one hundred Kala bills.

Placing Hatsu on my shoulder and grabbing my bag that was hanging off the side of the chair. Opening the door, I spin my head around facing my brother.

"For you, that's not nearly enough. Bye." I waved slamming the door in his face.

From behind, I hear my mom laugh.

"He got you good despite being away from home for ten years. He sure has matured." I hear mom from behind the door.

>>>

It was nine-thirty and I was waiting in the examination's waiting room with three other examinees. Hatsu was not allowed in the room so I left him with a receptionist who brought out a ball for him to play with. The atmosphere in the room was tense. One was tapping his leg furiously causing the water in the glass on the wooden table in front to spill. Another was bitting her fingernail while clutching her staff. The last one was a guy sitting in the far corner, leaning on his chair with his legs crossed and face covered by his fedora. Myself, on the other hand, palms were sweating as I clutched [Cyrst] in spear form. We were all Green Ranked and this would be our first ranking examination so it was expected to get nervous. Honestly, I didn't feel as nervous as I thought I would be but this is a new experience for all of us. However, I keep getting the impression that the fedora guy is here for some other reason, his aura felt weird. What was it? Considering his motives, it probably has nothing to do with me so I'll just ignore it and focus on the exam instead.

Suddenly, the door to the room is slammed open. A receptionist barges in with a clipboard in her arms.

"All examinees please follow me to your examiner." She announced while stomping her six-centimeter heels.

Following her instructions, we follow her to an elevator. She presses the down button and we wait in silence, the tension from earlier still lingers in the air. The doors of the elevator open and we walk inside. There, I felt the intensity of the fedora man's gaze as it sent chills down my spine. This man was not a Green Ranker, he was much higher than that. A False Ranker, perhaps!

>>>

False Rankers are people who intentionally conceal their Rank. It's not uncommon but usually False Rankers are about ten times as strong as their rank they are and most of them are bloodthirsty madmen. Rumors have floated around from guild to guild about these false Rankers. For instance, a False Ranker at the Bronze Rank killed his examiner because he did not like his face. Another time, a False Ranker at Iron Rank killed both his examiner, who was a Gold Rank, and the examinees justifying that it was fun. Point is, if you encounter a False Ranker, run, if you can.

>>>

The elevator went down four floors to the examination hall. The elevator doors opened, welcoming us to a blank, white, tiled room with walls reinforced by mana with nothing but the examiner and the examinees. In the center of the room, about fifty meters away, a tall dark man with bulging muscles stood with his back facing us. He wore a camouflage tank top with a bulky green chest plate enhancing his six-pack and exposing his muscles. His legs were the thickness of tree trunks to the point where his pants could not conceal that fact. They looked like they were about to rip at any moment. On his hands were brass knuckles that shone brightly despite there being no natural light. He probably spent hours polishing them. Without even seeing his face, we all knew who he was, the Diamond Ranked Adventurer, Brass Knuckle Cena. Famous for his dominating aura and power that brought him to the top ten most promising candidates to receive a Holy Blessing, an ability from a God. According to rumors, he punched a high ranked dragon to death, thus, he was not a force to be reckoned with.

The receptionist clicked her heels over to Cena and coughed, "Mr. Cena, you have four examinees for the Iron Rank Promotion Examination today."

Cena bent his head back and took a glance at us.

"Hah," he bellowed hurting my ears, "They're all scrawny kids!"

Shivering in fear, I wanted to retort but this man could pulverize me into mincemeat with his finger alone. To him, the examinees were just lambs to the slaughter.

"I will be taking my leave, you know the procedures. Guild Master is monitoring you." She warned.

Waving his hand indicating that she should leave, Cena whined, "I know, no one has authority over that old coot besides the Pope. This exam will be done in fifteen minutes."

"Don't get too arrogant. It might damage your reputation." She sighed as she clicked her heels back to the elevator.

Looking at us with his small eyes and menacing mustache face, he scanned us one by one.

"Name, Age, and Position." He ordered.

The spectacle, ponytailed girl who was biting her fingernails stepped forward first. Inhaling a deep breath in to calm herself down she raises her voice.

"Karmen Gonzales! Seventeen! Position: Healer!"

Finishing, she steps back into her spot. The next guy follows in kind. He was an orange hair guy who was a bit taller than me. On his sides were two sabers, sheathed.

"Mitch Fey! Nineteen! Position: Swordsman!"

It was my turn. I step up glaring at Cena with my lively emerald eyes.

"Andrew Halycon! Seventeen! Positions: Healer and Spearman!"

Census rose his brows with interest. Placing his hand on his chin he mutters with a mischievous grin which I didn't like.

"Dual Positions? How interesting."

Finally, the fedora guy steps up. I could see his face clearly now. A  blonde with black eyes wearing business attire and leather shoes, unsuited for an examination like this.

"Froy Damocles. Eighteen. Position: Unspecialized."

Cena smirked, "A jack of all trades? What is your main hand?"

"Daggers." He replied in a halfhearted tone.

"More of an Assassin, I see?"

"You can say that." He clicked his tongue.

No longer focused on Froy he takes one last look at us.

"Very well," he began, "there is no need to introduce myself so I'll get to it. Based on your position, I will test you to see if you are qualified to advance to Iron Rank. If you are a non-combat class, your test will be different so sit back for a little until I finish the others."

Understanding him, the spectacle girl moves to a bench next to the elevator and sat down.

"Now I will commence the exam! This will be a sparring exam so I will match you up. Since there are only three of your combatant classes, one of you will be sparring with me but don't worry, I will suppress my ability to Iron Rank. The other two will spar until I find it satisfactory."

Gulping a mouthful of saliva, I prayed that I wouldn't be paired up with the fedora guy. Unfortunately, my prayers were not answered.

"Andrew and Froy will spar first. Showcase all your abilities because I will know if you are holding back."

Readying my spear, I bent my legs into a basic stance. Twenty meters away, Froy held two curved daggers in his gloved hands standing tall. Off to the side, Cena and Micheal were watching intensely both with their arms crossed. Then, silence. Cena raised an arm and yelled: "Begin!" The moment his arm touched his thigh, Froy and I were already ten steps away from each other. The battle had begun and Froy took the initiative to attack. Twirling his daggers to divert my attention, he leaped into the air, building momentum to cleave at my spear. However, I figured out his trick and sidestepped to dodge it. He wasn't done. Landing nimbly on the ground, he swiftly swings his dagger towards my neck which I barely parry with the tip of my spear. His strike was heavy as I could feel the blade intent touching my neck. On top of that, I was using my [Eye of Flaws] at the Intermediate Level. Even with that, it was rather difficult.

On the other hand, Froy's fedora flies off his head due to the wind caused by the clash, small sparks began to fly. A twisted smirk of amusement crawls onto his face. To my surprise, he was not a beastman, if so it would explain his heavy strikes, but a human but my suspicion has been confirmed. He was a False Ranker with high physical capabilities at least Silver Rank. He backed off from me laughing maniacally.

"Oh, you blocked it. Most people would have died if I used that." He whistled without letting Cena hear us.

Not responding to him, I brace myself for another heavy strike. My spear was still vibrating from the first one.

He was testing me! I have to be wary! I nervously thought trying not to show any weakness while furrowing my brows.

"Interesting," he laughed, "but how more can you take!"

He rushes towards me with twice the speed as he did the first time. His body became a blur. I clutched my spear, bracing myself for the next few exchanged.

After exchanging a few more blows that seemed just a powerful, I was beginning to hit my limit until the System sent out a notification.

[Notice: From observing the opponents movement, [Eye of Flaws] has been upgraded to [Eagle Eyes]]

[Skill Description: This is the skill used by a legendary hero before he ascended to the Gods Realm. This eye allows the user to perceive events one second into the future. Every level you increase it, the duration gets longer. It also allows the user to see everything within a ten-meter radius.

Special: The gods have found you to be a worthy candidate for ascension. [Eagle Eyes] is granted another ability! The user can copy Skills the same Rank or lower just by looking at it once. Coupled with the Hero Game System, the user can copy Skills a Rank higher than the user's Rank.]

Let's test it out.

Pushing a chunk of my mana to my eyes, my vision became sharper. I focused [Eagle Eyes] on the room. Everything in this room was my zone! Nothing could escape my eyes! Heck, I could even see a speck of dust flying near the elevator. One other thing, time seemed to slow down as I could see Froy's next move.

There!

Spinning my spear, I change my grip and thrust the spear behind me. Suddenly I hear a clash and bent my head back. I got him. I found Froy's strike stopped by the tip of my spear and he couldn't seem to force it. His dagger was even coated with blade intent and mana. Even if you have an immense amount of strength, there is always a weak point to stop that overwhelming strength. In Froy's case, it was the middle section of his blade.

Froy's expression turned ugly. His face turning green.

"You were bluffing," I spoke with [Eagle Eyes] still activated. The prediction time had ended but I could still see everything, even the small twitches from Froy's arm.  

"Tch." He spat while retreating from me.

"The first strike was to test my power. Once you figured that out, you could adjust accordingly to take me out with a hundred percent of your power in the next few strikes. However, you were overconfident. By using overwhelming strength, you thought you could overpower me. Unfortunately, that power only lasts briefly, approximately 20 seconds. You have been striking with that same power for fifteen seconds and the effects are beginning to fade."

With his fist clenched even tighter on his daggers he bit his lip, "How did you know? Are you a mind reader?"

"No, it's rather simple to figure it out once you catch on to a couple of clues. You even gave me the false impression that you were a False Ranker of the Silver Rank when in fact you are only about Bronze Rank, at most, in terms of overall power. Not something that I can't handle." I thrust my spear at him catching him off guard.

Since when have I became so cocky. I thought.

"Damn you!" He yelled with infuriation as his veins began to pop from his forehead while parring my strike.

Good now that he's angry, he will start making rash moves. I smirked internally continuing to attack him relentlessly.

"You forced me to do this!"

Suddenly, his blades became a mirage. There were two, no, four, no, six! It just kept increasing. What was this skill? Through the corner of my eye, even Cena seemed somewhat amused.

[Notice: By observing this skill you have learned [Hundred Strikes]]

[Skill Description: Only works with Daggers. The skill is too old but since the user's comprehension is high, this skill will automatically be upgraded to Max. Level!

Special: Because you possess the [Eagle Eyes] Skill, this skill now works with all weapons]

[All stats increase by 30]

With no time to plan my next move, I instinctively thrust my spear to the eye of Froy's flurry of blades. All of a sudden, I realized I've copied Froy's skill. Hundreds of spear tips clashed with Froy's twin daggers breaking them one by one, shattering them like glass. Since my strength has increased another 30 points, it was easier to break Froy's strikes. With one thrust, I broke five. With another, I broke the sky. With ten, I pierced the heavens. The silver mana coating Froy's weapon faded away and at that moment, I pushed out one last thrust towards Froy's abdomen. Froy stumbled onto the floor with his eyes shut tightly.

"Checkmate." I grinned.

"How...could you use my Skill." His voice wavering as he collapsed on the ground.

Cena walked over to me clapping slowly.

"Incredible, newbie!" Cena wholeheartedly laughed.

"Thank you, sir!" I bowed in respect.

Cena fishes something out of his pocket. It was a stamp.

"Hand me your license."

Opening my storage space, I hand him my license which he stamps. Handing my license back to me, I observe the spot he stamped. The stamp was an iron colored shell enclosed in a circle.

"Congrats, newbie. You are officially an Iron Ranked Adventurer. The benefits of being an Iron Ranked Adventurer include access to more difficult quest and higher base pay. Additionally, you get free access to all commoner transportation methods in all cities and a twenty percent discount at restaurants. You may now leave."

"Thank you, sir." I bowed once more before leaving the room.