Dark Magus Returns
Dark Magus Returns - Chapter 497: A Crack In the Rock

The test was a simple one. The rocks in question, that were placed, were special rocks that had a unique property allowing them to absorb Qi.

There was a limit to how much Qi they could absorb, so the test was for those taking the assessment to make a simple mark on the rock.

If they were to hit the rock with their Qi and it was too weak, then the rock would absorb all the Qi and only their strength would be used, resulting in no mark being made.

If a person was able to condense their Qi to a single point, then a marking could be made, or if one just had a large enough amount of Qi, due to the limit of what the rock could absorb, a mark would be made.

In Anna's case, though, she didn't know how to use Qi. Her body was more advanced than most, and when she went to throw her fist, she had done so with pure strength.

The rock had crumbled, and she turned to the leader.

"I analyzed what the assessment was going to be. I have damaged the rock, so therefore I have passed, correct?" Anna asked.

The assessor's jaw was ready to hit the floor. Destroying a rock like so, it was something probably only a peak initial stage warrior or a middle stage warrior could do.

He soon moved up to the rock and looked at it.

'It must be a dud, something must have been wrong with the rock, right, right?' He told himself.

"I know what you're thinking," Bargo, the plump man, said, sitting down. "But even if they are lucky, they have still passed. So let them through. Besides, I'm sure you have more than this planned."

The man was at a loss for words, and if it were anyone else but a no name, he would have been jumping to the moon, stating that they had discovered someone so strong willing to join the clan. It was just unbelievable to him.

"You are right. Stand to the side for now while we continue the assessment," the man ordered.

Anna did as was explained, while the head warrior continued to explain the rules to everyone. There was only one stone left, so they would have to take the assessment slowly.

'That went better than I thought. I guess she has survived this long for a reason,' Raze thought. 'She wasn't lying when she said she takes one task at a time and only looks ahead rather than trying to think of the consequences after.'

'I wonder what the outcome of this whole thing will be.'

The non-wanderers and just the local people were failing as they hit the stone one after the other. Some of them knew how to use Qi, but it was at the very basic level.

As for other wanderers who seemed to be around the second stage and third stage level, when hitting the stone, they were leaving small marks and passing, allowing them to go through to the next assessment.

Then it was the person known as 'Man.' It was his turn. He approached the rock, lifted up his hand, and shifted his feet, throwing a fist full force into it.

The Qi was powerful, it was good, and when he lifted his fist off the stone, an imprint of his knuckles could be seen on the rock.

'That was quite good. What was he, at least a stage three warrior?' Raze noticed. 'But then why is he dressed like that and in that current state.'

The other wanderers that were at the same stage were well-equipped. They could make money entering dimensions, fighting beasts, and selling the crystals. It should have been the same for this no name as well.

"It's a pass," the head warrior was reluctant to say, mumbling the results under his breath.

Raze continued to watch as he joined the three others along with Anna, who had passed the selection so far.

'It is not my place to worry about others or to try and find out the situation they are in. I just need to enter and find this killer. After that, we can head to Alter and learn of the situation.'

More people took the test one after the other, with only one more person getting through, making it a total of four who had passed the assessment, which meant Raze was the last person to take part.

"Alright, everyone," the head warrior said, turning to the four who passed. "I'm going to explain the second part of this assessment. After you pass this, you will officially become a guard of the Lethal Bite Clan."

"Each of you will go up against one of the guards in a friendly match. We have tested your Qi, and now we need to directly test your skill. The person you face will tell you if you've passed or not."

"Erghh, wait a second," Raze said, with his hand raised. "You're already explaining the rules to the second assessment. Did you forget about me?"

The head assessor, turning around, did so somewhat for a couple of reasons. No one had passed in a while, and the last person left was a no name.

Two no names had already gone past, which would have been as rare as a red moon. So a third passing, and one that looked as young ashim, he never expected to pass.

"Right, just go ahead and take the assessment then," the man waved his hand.

The head warrior almost immediately went back to the others, explaining the rules. It was clear that he didn't expect much from Raze, but this was perfect because, unlike Anna, Raze didn't want to stand out.

Although the head warrior and the other clan members seemed to not be paying much attention to Raze, there was one person who was sitting in his chair, with arms folded, Bargo.

Reaching the large rock, Raze placed his hand out, and instantly he could feel the Qi that was coating him being drawn into the rock.

'I watched the others carefully, so to not stand out, all I need to do is use stage 3 Qi. That should be enough.'

Bracing himself, Raze was ready as he placed the Qi in his fist and then threw it out. He didn't use all his strength; he held back quite a bit, and his fist had cleanly landed right on the rock.

His knuckles were flush with the surface. Slowly Raze lifted his hand off, and when he did, he saw no mark on the rock whatsoever.

'Did I hit the rock too weak? Did I hold back too much?' Raze started to think, shaking his head. At least one of them was in the clan; maybe Raze could go ahead and join up with Himmy and Charlotte if that was the case.

One of the clan members came to look at the rock, and they saw no new markings. Raising his hand, he was ready to call the result of the assessment.

"Fa-"

"Pass!" Bargo said. "That one passed."

The clan member was wondering why Bargo would say such a thing. He walked over to try and speak with the elder from the other clan.

as him, but he didn't damage the rock?"

"Didn't he?" Bargo replied, as he gestured his head towards the rock. Now looking at it from behind, the Clan member could see a large crack and dent made in the back. It was the only one on the other side of the rock.