Chapter 33: Impossible by Design

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Impossible by Design

The manager kept talking. He stood in the open doorway with his back to the arena.

The beast behind him hadn’t moved. It stood in the center of the pit, eyes half lidded, as still as a statue.

"The beast is changed every day," he said. "We have a long list of beast masters who volunteer one of their own for this test. Daily, without fail. So don’t go thinking you can simply come back some other time and miraculously provide a counter to this one beast."

"So it’s different tomorrow?" someone asked.

"Different every morning."

"What if it’s a harder one?"

"Then it’s harder."

" But What if it’s easier?" Another said.

"Then you’re lucky." The manager shrugged. "Should you lose today, there’s no guarantee you wouldn’t lose tomorrow. There’s also no guarantee you would."

A boy near the front let out a nervous laugh. A girl behind him muttered something about fate.

"Now, I want to be clear about something. You don’t have to beat the thing."

A ripple ran through the group.

"In fact, it should be impossible for you. You’re rookies. Noobs, to put it bluntly. Most of you don’t have the mana, the training, or the bond to bring down a beast like this." He swept his gaze across the line. "That isn’t the point. You’ll be judged based on how well you perform against it. How long you last. How you adapt. What moves you try."

"So it’s about effort?" a voice called.

"It’s about your counters." The manager tapped his temple. "Your counters are what’s being evaluated here. Anyone can summon a beast and throw it at a wall. Can you read an opponent? Can you change your plan midway? Can you stay calm when everything you know stops working? That’s what we want to see."

Jared stood at the back, listening, hands clenched at his sides. His eyes hadn’t left the Ground Dragon.

"What about the stuff up there?" a girl asked, nodding toward the ceiling.

The manager followed her gaze, and for the first time, his expression shifted slightly. Something almost like pride crossed his face.

"Ah. Yes. I was getting to that."

He lifted one arm and pointed upward.

High above the arena, a long glass platform jutted out from the wall like a balcony. Behind it, faint and blurry, stood a handful of figures. Their outlines were barely visible, but it was clear they were human. Someone leaned on the railing. Someone else stood with arms folded.

"Those are today’s supervising beast masters," the manager said. "Two of the guild’s finest. You may have heard of them."

A hush fell over the group.

"The very famous Julius, leader of B Team."

Gasps. Someone squeaked. A girl clutched her friend’s arm so hard the friend yelped.

"And Karl Marx, leader of the C Team."

"Karl Marx?" a boy whispered. "The rookie? The one who overtook the old leader?"

"I thought he was just a rookie."

"He’s the C Team leader now."

"I heard he’s only 18."

"They’re both watching us?"

"That’s enough," the manager said.

The whispers died.

Jared hadn’t moved. He stood perfectly still, staring at the faint shapes behind the glass. The tall one on the left, shoulders squared, posture perfect. The slouched one on the right, scratching the back of his neck.

A cold realization slid through him, slow and heavy as ice water.

’Two beast masters volunteered for today. Two.’

The beast in the pit was his SSS rank. It was his Ground Dragon. And the person who’d stolen her had to be standing on that platform.

’It’s one of them.’

His fingers curled into fists.

’It has to be one of them. No one else would have access. No one else would have the gem.’

His gaze locked on the taller figure.

’Julius.’

[That’s a reasonable hypothesis,]

’It’s not a hypothesis.’

’i know it’s him.’

[I think a man who declines a promotion on camera might also pick a pocket in the dark. I’m just saying. I don’t have the data to pin it down.]

"Hey," a voice behind him whispered. "Is that really Julius?"

"That’s what he said."

"I can’t believe it. I’ve watched every documentary."

"I heard his dragon is SS rank."

"It’s called the DragonSlayer Dragon."

"That’s such a weird name."

"Well I like it."

Jared priorities had changed in the space of a breath. He had come here to join a guild. To pass a test. To follow Zoey into a bright new future. All of that had shrunk to a speck.

’I don’t care about the exam.’

He didn’t. He wasn’t going to impress anyone. He wasn’t going to make a team. He wasn’t even going to try. He had one goal now, as clear and hard as a nail.

’I’m getting my Ground Dragon back.’

It wouldn’t be easy. She was a monster, a creature of the elements rage and raw power. She was held in a chamber of iron and chains, in the heart of the strongest guild in the country, under the eyes of two of its finest masters. He didn’t know how he would do it.

He didn’t even know if he could.

But this might be his best shot. His only shot.

’If I can get her back, I become the master of 10 SSS ranked beasts again.’

The thought was fierce and bright, and it burned in his chest like a coal.

[Someone’s focused,] the system said.

’Shut up.’

[I’m only noting it. You look like you’re about to bite someone.]

"All right," the manager said, clapping his hands once. The sharp sound cracked through the hall. "That’s the explanation. Any questions?"

There was none.

"Good." He straightened his jacket. "There are 30 of you. The arena is large enough that you won’t be on top of each other, but be careful where you aim. Friendly fire won’t be penalized, but it won’t be forgiven either."

A few people laughed nervously. The hall was big enough that, even with 30 of them packed in, there was still room to move. Jared could count them, one by one, scattered across the dirt like pieces on a board. A tall boy with a falcon on his shoulder. A pair of twins whispering to each other. A broad shouldered girl rolling her neck.

The manager lifted his chin.

"Best of luck to you all."

He stepped backward, over the threshold. The huge iron door began to swing shut, slow and heavy.

Silence.

Then a faint crackle came from somewhere overhead. A voice, cool and crisp, filtered through a hidden speaker.

"You may begin."

"Remember," the voice said, "it’s how well you do that will determine whether you pass. Passing will not immediately place you in B Team or C Team. It simply guarantees you a spot. What you do with it is up to you."

The speaker clicked off.

"What are we going to do?" Zoey whispered.

She was standing right next to him, close enough that her shoulder brushed his arm. Her hand was trembling slightly.They’d seen that dragon before. They’d trained with it. They’d fought alongside it.

"Jared," she whispered. "That’s..."

"Don’t worry about me," he said.

"But..."

"Focus on acing this thing. You’ve got your own problems. This is your dream first after all" He said smiling at her .

"Don’t worry about me"

"How can I not..."

"We don’t know what’s going on exactly," Jared said, quietly, steadily. He put a hand on her shoulder. "So let’s do what we came here to."

She stared at him.

He held her gaze. She searched his face for a long second. Then, slowly, she nodded. Her jaw tightened. Her shoulders squared.

"Okay."

"Okay."

A sharp clatter rang out across the arena.

It was a small sound at first, then another, then a dozen at once. Gems hitting the floor. Colored light flared across the dirt in bursts of red, green, blue, gold. A roar split the air. A howl. A shriek. Great shapes began to rise from the glow, wings unfurling, claws scraping stone. The others weren’t wasting time. They had come to fight, and they were going to fight.

A cloud of dust rolled across the pit. Someone screamed an order. Someone another order.

At the center of it all, the Ground Dragon lifted her head.

Her eyes opened. Slowly. Calmly. They swept across the arena, taking in the swarm, and for a moment Jared could have sworn they paused on him.

His heart hammered against his ribs.

He looked at Zoey.

She looked at him.

No words passed between them. There was nothing left to say. Her fingers closed around a small green gem. His closed around a damp, mossy one. They raised their hands in unison.

"On three," Zoey whispered.

"Three."

They dropped their gems.

[That’s not how that goes]

Two sharp cracks echoed across the dirt. A burst of dark green light flared from Jared’s feet. A bright, emerald glow rose from Zoey’s. And out of the swirling dust, side by side, a hulking SwampGorilla and a long, glistening Poison Lizard rose to meet the dragon.