Path to Transcendence

Ashton POV

Ashton liked his job. The guild gave him and his family some really nice benefits. It was also much less stressful than delving into rifts all the time. It let him relax and hang out with all of his friends.

They had a nice group at the guild. It was like one big happy family, and they spent a lot of time outside of work with each other.

Peralt was a unique town though. With them being so close to the boundary of the Endless Forest, it was inevitable that there were some interesting things happening within the town. Monster floods were always a threat and every so many years, there would be a new one.

The most recent flood had been quite bad even compared to previous years. There had been a larger number of new monster species and monster lords than in most floods. This had caused a huge conflict to ripple throughout the entire forest and dramatically affected those who were around it, like Peralt.

It was only thanks to the sacrifice of many fighters and adventurers that the damage hadn't gotten any worse. He knew more than one noble house had been essentially wiped out by the flood.

Normally, there was an established hierarchy in the forest. Kings or leaders of various species all had their own territories, and for the most part, had an agreement with the humans. They knew as long as they didn't go out of their way to hunt humans outside their territories, they would be left alone.

It was easier this way. There were many Tier 6 monsters out in the forest who were terrifyingly strong. There were even rumors of there being multiple Tier 7s hidden deeper in the forest.

These monster kings and lords were very different from most other monsters. They had actual intelligence that rivaled and sometimes even surpassed humans. This made it easier to negotiate with them or, at the very least, allowed for some type of communication.

The reason why the Empire allowed these lords and kings to remain was because they were the first line of defense when rifts broke open and monsters came out in hordes. Instead of having to use their own people to kill the monsters that flooded out of the forest into nearby towns and regions, the residents of the forest often took care of a large chunk of them. Meaning that the rest of the monsters were normally taken care of without too many problems. These monster lords didn't mind this agreement either. They knew humans were using them to protect themselves, but they also used these breakouts to train their young.

It had only gotten so bad the last time because these lords and monsters were too busy fighting each other, so the monsters coming out of rifts weren't being taken care of. This meant that humans had to pick up the slack.

However, they were still unprepared for just how many monsters came out of the forest. They couldn't contain them and countless powerful beasts were allowed to roam to other territories, razing countless towns and innocents.

It was why this year everyone was serious in being prepared. So despite their normal relaxedness, his coworkers knew that these next few years could be the start of the new flood. Other organizations knew this as well and were preparing.

Although, to be honest, most of the people who lived in Peralt or around the area, were mostly simple folk who wanted a relatively peaceful life and to take advantage of the Endless Forest's massive stock of resources. Peralt remained relatively unharmed during the last flood, their defenses were specifically made to defend against a flood unlike other towns.

As such, some of the citizens didn't quite appreciate the level of the danger this upcoming flood could present.

On top of that, he knew places like Peralt were hubs for scions and nobles. As one of the managers at the guild, he saw more Tier 3s coming to the Endless Forest to train than he could care to count. Many of whom were children of powerful people.

Not as many as some of the defensive towns bordering the forest to the west, but there were still many who came out here.

It was why he had developed a certain knack for sensing who were hidden scions, who were weak, and who were actually strong.

For example, the girl he had just evaluated was definitely a scion and was strong on top of it. He could tell that she was hiding many of her abilities, but her skills were much too polished to be those of a common girl. Even her movement skill said a lot about her actual strength. She never used more mana than needed and was precise.

People could hide their flashy skills, but it was hard to hide habits that had been ingrained in their bodies. He also had a feeling that she wasn't from the Empire. She could be from a family located in the Alliance or Corvus. Maybe even a smaller country further north.

She was easy to guess, but the boy in front of him was not. At first glance this black haired young boy was a newly advanced Tier 3. His first thought immediately went into feeling bad for the kid. It wasn't uncommon to see kids his age try and get stronger right away without realizing that it would limit their path down the road.

But there was something off about the boy. He was too confident and too relaxed. Even the girl from before was a little anxious.

He checked the name written down on the form.

Julius Snow.

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It also said that he was a close combat fighter. But Ashton didn't see any armor or weapons on the boy when he walked in, and he hadn't taken any out when Ashton explained the evaluation process.

Which made him believe the boy was a barehanded fighter. Something scarce in this day and age. Sure, most people knew how to fight barehanded, but their primary weapon was usually some sort of blade or spear at the very least. Fighting monsters barehanded was usually not the best idea.

Ashton had learned that only the extraordinarily stupid or extraordinarily confident people used this style to fight. And for some reason, despite all evidence pointing toward the first kind, he had an inkling it might be the latter.

There was only one way to find out, though.

"Are you ready, Mr. Snow?" He asked the young boy in front of him.

He got a firm and calm nod in return. Still, no weapons or armor were taken out of the storage ring, which confirmed that he would be fighting bare-handed.

There were also no fluctuations in his aura or on his face, if he had to guess, this kid had a focus skill at the very least. A good skill to have as a close combat fighter. It allowed you to remain calm even when being in the midst of all the chaos.

Ashton mentally checked that box on his list of requirements for the examination. Then, without giving any notice, he burst forward and threw a decently fast jab at the examinee's face.

He nodded to himself when he saw Julius react quickly, slipping the jab with a simple step back and a tilt of the head. The teen hadn't moved extremely fast, but Ashton could sense the quick reaction of mana that betrayed the seemingly slow movement. But what was more impressive was how unfazed the boy was.

Okay, so he is calm, and he has quick reflexes. Let's see what else he has, he thought to himself as he cranked up his speed to force Julius to block his next strike.

He saw the youth frown and threw up a forearm to smack aside the punch, letting it go right past his head. However, just from that little interaction, Ashton was able to determine that the boy had a sturdy body. It had no issue deflecting his fist and was able to push it aside without being staggered.

Okay, so strong as well… Definitely not a weak Tier 3 like his aura might hint at, Ashton determined quickly.

He then went on to pressure the examinee with a little more aggression, wanting to test how skilled he was in martial arts. He didn't go all out, but he used just enough that he ensured the boy was forced to keep up.

Since Julius was strong and fast, the only way for Asthon to see if he had any deficiencies in combat was to physically overpower him. After a few moments, he realized that the boy definitely had some training. While not the most talented he had encountered, there were good habits ingrained in his form.

He also didn't fall for any feints, which was impressive and usually indicated a good perception skill that relied on aura or some similar ability.

The boy had already passed the exam in his mind. Undoubtedly, he had the proper abilities to handle himself out there. Despite a lack of a weapon, he was also certain that the boy would find a team more than happy to take him on.

A good barehanded frontliner was always a treat to have on a team. They usually could take a beating, which was why Ashton would test Julius's endurance next. He cranked up his strength a little bit more and started to go faster.

Ashton slowly backed him down with brute force despite the boy's efforts. The teen started to take more and more hits to the body. But the entire time, he wasn't allowing Asthon any chances to finish him off. He showed no reaction to the pain of the hits or flinched away. His stamina and endurance were definitely very good as well.

However, Ashton couldn't help but feel like the boy was still holding back. He also felt like the boy was tracking his movements more than well enough, but was preventing himself from taking action. But it wasn't Ashton's business why the youth wanted to do that.

His job was just to make sure that the kid wouldn't die out there in the first few minutes. On that account, he had passed with flying colors. He was even going to keep the boy on a list of people whom he would recommend to established teams who were looking for a close combat teammate to fill a missing slot or position.

He would be a valuable person on any team. A person willing to take a beating was surprisingly hard to find nowadays. Most people wanted to stay further back and spam their long-range attacks. Being bloodied and bruised wasn't something most people sought to become.

So with a calming breath, he took a step back and held up his hand. "Okay, I think I have seen enough," he said with a bright grin.

He hadn't realized it at the moment, but he had gotten caught up in the fight and almost forgotten his purpose. He had been having more fun than he expected. It had sparked a little fire in him that hadn't been fanned in a long time. He would have to go and delve a rift when he was free. He had suddenly gotten an itch to go and fight something.

"Did I pass?" The young boy asked, relaxing his posture.

Ashton shook his head, incredulous. It was unbelievable, the boy still wasn't panting or out of breath. He was covered in bruises, and Ashton actually felt bad for going a little overboard. But Ashton was more than impressed at how fresh he seemed despite being all battered.

Even though he was strong, fast, and calm, the boy's endurance was on a next level.

"Yes, you definitely passed. Well fought," he said to the teen and threw over a healing potion, which the boy caught without barely looking.

"Thank you," the black-haired youth said, but Ashton noticed that he hadn't actually drunk the potion.

"Are you interested in joining a team?" Ashton asked.

Julius looked away thoughtfully and eventually looked back at him before shaking his head. "Not really. Why?"

"I was wondering if you would mind if I put your name on a list of people we use for teams looking for a specific member or role to fill. I thought you would be a perfect candidate for those looking for a frontliner," he explained.

He saw the boy shake his head again. "I'm good. I was planning to go solo most of the time."

Ashton smiled in understanding. "That's fine. But if you ever change your mind, just let me know. I think many teams would love to have you on their team."

"I appreciate it," Julius said with a grateful smile.

Ashton went on to explain where to go next and how to get his guild card before sending him on his way to the next person who would help.

However, as he watched the boy leave, he couldn't help but think that he should keep an eye on this boy. Julius Snow was likely a fake name, but it was fine. A lot of people choose to do this. As long as they weren't bad people, the guild didn't care.

Regardless, it would be interesting to see what he was going to do in the coming months and see if his gut feeling was right about him.