—-

Initially, Kieran was taken aback by this individual’s inclination to drive him away, but after remembering their behavior engraved in his memories, Kieran chuckled softly and remained in place. Soon after, the other side chuckled and scanned over Kieran silently. Eventually, his chuckle morphed into a frown as he shook his head softly.

“Tch, why is everyone becoming weaker and weaker. What do you wish to accomplish with that fragile frame? How about you go down the hall and ask for guidance on the path of a Thief,” the individual said.

They paused for a moment before continuing, “It looks as if it will suit you well.”

Kieran’s current appearance was an identical reflection of his body in reality since he was only a basic character with standard stats. Therefore, Kieran was on the slender side, lacking the robust musculature that the individual before him sought.

After all, they possessed a physique resembling a lion. The attire worn was barely enough to hide the concealed ferocity hidden within this man’s eye. Kieran remained in the Warrior Hall despite the delivered suggestion, looking directly at the person before.

The path of a Warrior wasn’t something a frail body could withstand. However, Kieran didn’t move an inch from his spot. ‘Just as difficult as I remember. This harsh fellow is the only one who can give the class I wish for.’

“While becoming a Thief isn’t a bad idea, it doesn’t align with my intention. Besides, as the mentor of the Warrior class, shouldn’t you assess my power before making this assumption?” Kieran responded.

His response gained some reaction from the other party as they raised their eyebrow slightly. “Oh? Are you calling my eyes bad and insinuating that I can’t judge your ability with a mere glance? You’re nothing more than a beginner. Heh, to think you believe yourself to have more experience than myself.”

The individual gave Kieran a once over before quickly clicking his tongue in annoyance. “Nevertheless, since you seem insistent, it’s only right that I entertain you. Tell me, what is your name?”

“Aatrox.”

“Very well, Aatrox. You can call me Scar. Your confidence is the only thing interesting right now. So, let’s see how much your abilities are geared towards becoming a Warrior,” Scar said with a faint grin. The grin was unusual, but Kieran remained calm.

Scar slowly stood up and approached Kieran until they stood face to face or chest to face, seeing as Scar’s height eclipsed by an entire half a meter. While Kieran was over 1.85 meters tall, Scar stood over 2.3 meters tall with an outrageously robust physique.

“Are you up for a small challenge? You’re the first to come to this place today, so I might as well indulge myself. However, if you’re not up to the task, then so be it,” Scar shrugged nonchalantly. Whether or not Kieran accepted this was none of his concern.

But, in Kieran’s view, the result was much different. A small notification appeared before his eyes.

〈System: A quest has been generated.〉

「Quest Name: Scar’s Unique Test

Quest Difficulty: C

Recommended Level: ???

Objective: Scar’s opinion of the recent generations of warriors has diminished over time. However, being the first individual with a Strength of at least 10 to request the Warrior class, he is taking a chance with you. Pass the test to receive a unique reward that only the first to clear this quest with satisfactory marks can receive.

– Persist through Scar’s short evaluation. 0/1

Rewards:

– 100 Experience

– Warrior Class

– Unique Warrior Package

-???

Failure:

– Class Rejection

– Negative favorability with Scar 」

Kieran felt some initial shock while glimpsing through the quest details. The issue with this quest was that it didn’t follow the typical style of the quests in Zenith Online. Usually, the quests would highlight minor details of the task; however, the one before Kieran was very vague. It wasn’t enough to draw any conclusions.

To make matters worst, Kieran couldn’t remember any insider information regarding this quest. Eight years was far too much time to remember something as little as a starter quest he didn’t complete prior. At least, not this way. The quest in Kieran’s memories was simply to kill monsters to prove his worth, but judging from Scar’s body language, it didn’t seem like he was directing Kieran to kill monsters.

Nevertheless, Kieran didn’t dwell on this issue. He simply returned the same intense gaze while giving a faint nod. “I’m ready when you are.”

Scar chuckled in response while patting Kieran’s shoulder. “That’s more like it. What a satisfying response!”

Although the pats appeared soft, Kieran’s eyes widened further with each pat. It felt as if someone was slapping a brick on his shoulder. More importantly, his status screen reflected a slight decrease in Health.

-10

-10

-10

‘Damn… just a pat can decrease my Health? What the hell does he have in store for the test?!’ Kieran wondered. Kieran dumped all of his available points into Strength as a precaution, immediately elevating it to 14. He could have invested those points in Defense, but it wouldn’t yield Kieran’s desired effects.

“Oh? Do I feel a small increase in your power? Sadly, such a minor increase won’t help you much.”

Suddenly, Scar extended his arm and flicked Kieran’s forehead.

Kieran was sent flying back until he miraculously stopped five meters away from the entrance. Shockingly, this flick, unlike the pats, didn’t inflict any damage to Kieran. It marked the beginning of the quest, thereby negating any damage related to Kieran’s repositioning.

“We begin,” Scar said before lightly punching the air before him. A blast of pressure similar to air cannon surged towards Kieran. While the attack seemed frightening, Scar controlled his Strength to remain at a level that was only slightly higher than Kieran’s.

Either way, Scar’s understanding of battle tactics was not to be overlooked.

Bang!

The aftershock of Scar’s attack landed on Kieran’s body, forcing him back one meter. Kieran barely recovered when Scar’s voice echoed in his ear.

“This test is considered failed if you’re forced out that door. But, if you manage to remain inside by some stroke of luck, I’ll make this all worth your while,” Scar said.

“So this is the test?” Kieran muttered with a look of understanding. It seemed Scar wanted to pressure him and force him away. The power behind his attacks amounted to no more than a Warrior with 40 points invested in their Strength, but that was still nearly three times Kieran’s current Strength attribute. Dealing with these attacks would not be a walk in the park.

Regardless, Kieran just couldn’t give up. He narrowed his eyes and rushed forward, advancing almost a meter. However, just as he managed to return to his original position, a wave of force smashed against his body.

Kieran slid back until his foot neared the different color stones meant to differentiate between the inside and outside. The attack had shocked Kieran because he didn’t expect Scar to employ this underhanded method. After all, this was a type of attack not accessible to players at this time.

‘No way… this dude is using aura attacks!’ Kieran groaned inwardly. In simple terms, aura attacks meant an individual manipulated their pressure to be wielded as a tangible attack. If one’s Perception were too low, it’d be difficult to sense the utilization of this attack.

“Oh? I didn’t expect you to do something like that. Are you scared that I’ll complete your task and you’ll be forced to change your attitude?” Kieran said with a faint smirk. At the same time, a piercing glint surfaced in his eyes.

After reaching 25 points in Perception, one could empower their vision at the cost of 1 Mana per minute, increasing ocular range and depth by 15%. While it wasn’t at the level of providing an overwhelming advantage, it was a practical application.

“Oi, kid. Are you trying to annoy me? Name one thing I should fear about you?”

“For one, I’m more handsome, and your tactics are weak, truly,” Kieran taunted.

A savage gleam appeared in Scar’s eyes for a second, but he calmed down and grunted. Even Kieran felt a cold sweat seep down his back when he detected the crimson tint hidden within that savage gleam.

‘I almost overstepped there. I must remember that this is not a fellow I want to anger since the beginner village limits sparsely bind his hidden Strength,’ Kieran thought internally while releasing the breath he subconsciously held. However, Scar seemed more vigorous than before.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three hollow explosions sounded in quick succession, but Kieran crossed his arms and held a sturdy stance as the attacks landed against his body. Compared to before, he only slid back a few centimeters.

However, the sound of a blade being dragged across the ground made Kieran’s ears twitch. Once he looked up, he saw a massive plain-looking greatsword in Scar’s hand. A shred of fear rose in Kieran’s mind as he remembered the one piece of advice written on the beginner’s forum in the past.

“Don’t allow Scar to wield a weapon,” Kieran muttered with a grim look.

“Withstand this last attack, and you gain my approval.”

A barbaric aura enveloped Scar’s weapon as a surge of oppressive aura bore down on Kieran’s body. It was so tyrannic that Kieran lost all ability to move while watching Scar with a severe expression.

‘So… this is why it’s rated as a C Rank Quest despite being for beginners. It’s not that I angered him at all; he intended to unleash an attack with a heavy weapon all along. Also, judging by this situation, it can’t be a simple attack available to all warriors,’ Kieran groaned.