B-Rank Adventurers

Two seasons passed since the party Amstec failed the B-rank exam. Everyone in the party had practically changed overnight after witnessing Stu defeat a God, either from respect or a mental breakdown. They trained and practiced their teamwork every day, incorporating new techniques while improving their skills. And now, on their second attempt of the exam…

“Aster, the wings!” Rufus yelled, blocking an incoming flame breath with a burst of wind. The party was currently in a valley near the Mixing Point fighting three phoenix-like beasts – one of fire, earth, and water. They were B-ranked beasts, able to use their claws, beaks, or magic to attack with no discernible pattern. It was a struggle for them to dodge any of its attacks. Their guide, on the other hand, hid behind a rock, cowering and cursing his bad luck.

Normally, a C-rank party would have no chance of beating a B-rank threat, much less three of them. However, Amstec were anything but normal.

“SQUUAAAKKKKK!”

A needle flew past Rufus’s head, embedding itself within the eyeball of the fire phoenix. Aster didn’t need to look at her target anymore to throw her needles; she only relied on her Mana Sense. Her attention was focused on the water phoenix, slashing it with a well-maintained iron sword. Her D-rank Swordsmanship skill had improved exponentially. Though the water phoenix was a terrible matchup for her fighting style, she easily kept it occupied. Her outfit, a mix between a soldier’s and general’s garb, had nary a scratch.

Aster’s poison turned the fire phoenix’s movements sluggish, forcing it to land. Because of its absurd regeneration, poison didn’t work for long. Still it was more than enough to regroup.

The fire phoenix breathed flames at Rufus once again, attempting to use his Wind Magic against him, but his punches countered the flames easily. Any flames that did touch his body were instantly snuffed out by a thin wind barrier.

“Heads up!” Emma tossed over a water crystal from the back using a slingshot. She didn’t have enough training to use the slingshot as a weapon yet, but there were plenty of other things she could do, like delivering items or causing a distraction.

“Thanks!” Rufus caught the water crystal before whipping around and tossing it once again. He surrounded his fist with Wind Magic before shattering the crystal into dust. A torrential hurricane spawned from the combined wind and water, swallowing the fire phoenix whole. After a few seconds, it dissipated, leaving behind the fire phoenix’s organs – the only parts not made of mana.

“Rufus!” Aster yelled. Rufus turned around, coming face-to-face with a beam of water. The phoenix managed to line up a shot that would hit both of them. Rufus sighed at his own naivety, but he wasn’t worried in the slightest.

Vines shot out of the ground, blocking the beam of water from making contact. Ai guarded him from the surprise attack, all the while keeping the earth phoenix occupied. After an immense amount of training, Ai’s could control up to four spells of the same skill. Not only that, but she was more popular in town now because of her etiquette classes. There were even a few who had proposed to her. Of course, she still spoke normally with her team.

After Rufus took down the fire phoenix, Ai could focus more of her attention on the earth phoenix. Her vines wrapped around its body, squeezing tightly. After a few seconds, dirt and rocks exploded out of the gaps between the vines, leaving only its organs behind, crushed.

Then, Ai sent her vines over to assist Aster. The water phoenix couldn’t avoid the sheer quantity. A few managed to hit the phoenix’s body, absorbing its mass. With Rufus and Aster keeping it confined, it didn’t take longer than a minute to defeat the water phoenix.

Emma handed out some mid-grade healing potions while everyone congratulated each other on a job well done. They then immediately began evaluating their performance, trying to find where they could improve.

“We should’ve taken down the water phoenix first with all three of us. The fire and earth phoenix might have gotten off a few attacks, but we could’ve ended the fight quicker.”

“The earth phoenix could’ve been a bigger threat though. It might have ruined our footing if we hadn’t kept it pinned down.”

“We should be glad that it ended with no major issues.”

“Agreed.”

As they spoke further in depth about our tactics, the guild proctor slunk over from his hiding spot, mouth wide open. “Y-you managed to not only defeat a single phoenix, but three of them at once?!? Who in the world are you guys?!?”

They all looked at each other before nodding.

“Just an average party.”

“A party.”

“A C-rank party.”

“Weird.”

The guild proctor remained flabbergasted.

“...so, did we pass?” Emma asked, curious about their score this time.

“Wha…? Seriously?!? Of course you did! You took out three phoenixes in less than five minutes!! With that kind of strength, how did you even fail the first exam??? Your proctor must’ve hated you or something!”

They gave an awkward laugh. “We were a lot weaker back then. It’s because of that proctor that we improved so much.”

The guild proctor doubted them, but he didn’t make any further comments. “Whatever then. The sun is beginning to set. Let’s head back to Akamai.”

“Right!”

Before leaving the valley, the party bowed towards the peak of one of the mountains. Well, Rufus got down on one knee and prayed as the fanatic he was.

Even though they couldn’t see him, they knew he was there, watching over them from afar. No matter what, they would forever be grateful to that man who showed them their weaknesses and helped them discover their strengths.

That man, Stu Isu, who wielded nothing but a chair.