The Elemental Relics

In the weeks leading up to the promotional exam, Ali established a routine he followed every single day. He always got up early to avoid the rush and finish his breakfast as soon as possible. Then, he would start classes with Juraj who was willing to start early. After his literacy skill class, Ali would be at the race room pushing his limits every single day. Following lunch, he would make small but noticeable improvements in Caelan's class where the golems had consistently beaten him. Once in bed, he would train with Tian to achieve more synchronization between them in combat.

The teenager was slightly teary on his final day because he knew he would miss his instructor and the vast collection of books in the room. Having reached advanced levels, Ali decided this would always remain his favorite class because, through the books, he explored other parts of the world he might never visit and experienced things he could never envision himself doing.

“Take this,” said Juraj before he left his class.

Ali put out his hand to see his instructor placing a tiny beetle in it. Juraj chanted something quietly and the beetle disappeared. When asked, he said the beetle was his gift for one of his best students.

“If you ever encounter a puzzle that involves clues in books, the beetle may be of use. You may summon and unsummon it with the same command I just gave.”

The teenager thanked Juraj before they parted ways. He then arrived at the track room where the pool was back. Ali, having trained extensively for more endurance and speed, finished the fifty laps easily so he could proceed to the pool which he had fully adjusted to. He learned as many swimming techniques as he could and, by now, he could swim until lunch without feeling exhausted at the end.

I should be ready to fight a golem now.

When he met with Caelan, he was assigned a golem to fight. In addition to improving his reflexes through his training in the summoner realm, Ali had, in the previous couple of days, discovered the weaknesses of the golems bit by bit with each encounter, allowing him to possess the means of finally beating the golem. With one air slash at a time, he broke pieces of the golem off until he was the sole victor.

I’ll be faster next time.

Ali walked up to Caelan who handed him a gem the size of his thumb.

“That’s your prize for beating my golem! While you are in bed, break it and see the surprise within.”

After thanking his instructor, Ali headed to the cafeteria where he met the third member of his team for the first time. Not all the D rank members were participating in the promotional exam and, for those who made up their minds, the members had already registered before Ali arrived on the airship. Belen took up the task of scouting those on the fence and succeeded with only an hour left in the registration.

“This is Kurata,” introduced Belen. “And this is Ali. I hope we’ll work hard to finish among the top groups.”

Despite their desires to reach S rank, both Ali and Belen knew that they still lacked the abilities and experience to promote to C rank. While the promotional exam provided much needed experience, they should still strive for one of the prizes that could speed up their growth. They needed to finish in the top ten which, with twenty or so other groups, should be achievable. After the introduction, Ali and Kurata exchanged some words. He realized that his new squadmate didn’t like talking much. Therefore, he got straight down to business.

“What is your element?”

“I…I’m good with nature...and fire....”

“Welcome to the team,” said Ali after a short pause.

The teenager was sincere in his welcome too. He looked forward to the healing spells that nature users were so well known for. In situations where HP regen took too long, Kurata could be their solution. The three then rushed to the registration office where they entered their group into the promotional exam. While they would have preferred to have time to train and learn about each other’s abilities, they were content they could assemble the group in such a short notice.

“We can always adapt and learn as we go,” said Belen who could barely contain her excitement.

“We…we should get to sleep early so we… we are rested tomorrow,” said Kurata quietly.

With that, the three of them headed to their sleeping quarters. Ali immediately laid down on his bed and held out the gem given to him by Caelan. With a tiny bit of force, he shattered the gem with just his fingers.

<

Stat boost gem activated!

Permanent Stat Boost….

Rolling stat boosts….

Strength: +4

Constitution: +2

Intelligence: +1

Survival: +3

Wisdom: +5

Updating user info….

Name: Ali Cissoko

Level: 1 ( 20 / 26 XP to Level Up)

HP: 29/29

MP: 6/6

Strength: 6

Constitution: 8

Intelligence: 5

Survival: 9

Wisdom: 10

User info fully updated.

User has achieved 10 in Wisdom. Granted XP.

( 23 / 26 XP to Level Up)

>

Ali! I got stronger too!

<

Checking stats of air serpent…

{

Creature: Air Serpent

Level: 1

HP: 7/7

MP: 0/0

Strength: 3

Constitution: 2

Intelligence: 2

Survival: 4

Wisdom: 3

Attack Type: Blade (Melee)

Damage: 3

Defense Type: Arcane

Defense: 3

}

>

Wow, you’ve become so powerful! We are ready for tomorrow! We ca-

Ali suddenly felt all of his strength leaving him. His eyelids became so heavy he couldn’t keep them open. He hadn’t felt this drained since his first time swimming in the pool.

Is that why Caelan told me to do it in bed? The gem has such a nasty side effect.

We won’t be training tonight, Ali! Get plenty of rest! Once you are taking part in the exam, stay on the alert!

Ali wanted to ask for more clarification but he felt darkness swallowing him up. Accepting that he couldn’t fight it, he allowed sleep to take over.