Chapter 48 - The Meeting (Part Two)

"The Growth Zone is the zone, in which there will be immense growth in your performances. As you guys have must have noticed, you must have aimed for something, but you were just a teeny bit away from achieving the goal. This is why The Growth Zone was found by The Adventurer's Guild", he explained.

"In this time, we will review every one of your mistakes here, and we will tell you what you could have done better and saved a bit of time. We will start a bit later. But for now, just take a minute and think what you might have done to perform better", he said and everyone began to look at each other in confusion.

Lucas began to think back to all the things he had done since the start of the test. "Well, if I had mastered Mana Manipulation, or maybe moved up in the Stage of Aura, I might have been able to perform better. Or if I had more spells?", he began to think hard and he began to crease his brows, which was something he usually does when he begins to think.

After five minutes, the glass that they could see through turned translucent. Then, a projection was faced on that glass, allowing them to look at their performances. "Now this will be a learning moment not only for each of you individually but as a whole too. Make sure to pay close attention", he said as he began to play the first recording.

It was of a boy who was in the A+ Rankings. The boy was tall as Lucas, and he was a swordsman. He used a katana, and he had impeccable skills with the blade. He swiftly killed all the Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Tier Beasts. He struggled very little while killing the Legendary Tier Beasts. When he went to the King Tier Beasts, that's when he started to struggle. His weapon was unable to cut through and it made him get hit quite often.

"This is your problem. You are skilled with the blade, but you do not have a good blade that suits you. As much as you have mastered the path of the sword, the blade chooses its master and not the other way around. try finding the right weapon for you, and you go a long way ahead in the future", said Steve.

The boy that he was talking to was quite handsome and had fair skin. He was similar to Lucas in terms of height and stature, but his hair was tied into a man bun. He had round deep green eyes and had an earring on his right ear. His hair was black, and there were streaks of maroon in them. His eyes were sharp, and he quickly turned and flashed a smile at Lucas.

"That's quite the perception. He has indeed mastered the way of the blade. Only a master will be able to sense what I was trying to do", smiled Lucas as he turned his head away. He was trying to use the [Inspect] skill on him to see what his stats were. he had never tried it on people before, and he was curious how it would work.

But before it could complete its analysis, the boy sensed him. "I should be wary of this guy. Should he be friend or foe, only time will tell", he thought as he shifted his attention to the screen again.

It once again lit up, and another recording began to play. This time it was a girl. She was swinging around her scythe, cutting through any enemy that stood in her way. "Put on a black hood and she'll be the female version of a Grim Reaper", whispered Emilia as she was watching the clip. The same thing happened with her, and she began to struggle at the same level as the previous boy.

Lucas smiled as he heard the comment. "Well, if she's the reaper, then I guess many guys would be willing to die in her hands", he chuckled. "Hmph, boys will be boys", retorted back Emilia. She was concentrating on the screen and whispering with Lucas. When she was about to fight against the Emperor Tier, her weapon was the same, but something weird happened to it.

The weapon began to bend and twist flexibly. Lucas instantly recognized what it was. "That metal! Ingenious!", he laughed out loud as he began to hit his thighs in amusement. He quickly cleared his throat and apologized for his actions. "Should stop this bad habit that I picked up from Forge Master", he thought as he watched. Soon, the clip ended and Steve turned towards him.

"Mr. Smith, would you happen to know the metal that was used in this weapon? And the method that this metal could achieve this?", he asked as he eyed Lucas with suspicion. "If he knows, then that means he is truly a Blacksmith", he smiled as his thoughts began to run wild. His lips curved upwards, revealing a challenging smile.

"You're challenging me? I have studied under the Iron Forge's Top Master, and you think you can challenge me in Blacksmithing?", he thought as he gathered his thoughts. "This is an alloy, made from Titanium and Copper being mixed in a specific ratio. Titanium is very hard and durable, while Copper helps to add the flexibility required to the metal. If the ratio is too much, then the weapon will become like rubber, making it hard to wield", said Lucas as he answered. A smirk formed on his face as he returned the look Steve gave him.

Steve nodded his head, acknowledging his answer. "As you can see, the same goes for you. The weapon that you use is indeed good, but the problem is your style. It still hasn't adapted to your scythe's design. Work on it, and you will be able to surpass your limits", said Steve.

The girl was short and cute. She had long hair, and it was dyed pink. She tied her hair into twin tails. She had round pink eyes, and her stature made her look like a middle school student. She had a round face and slightly chubby cheeks. "I think I've seen this face somewhere. I just can't seem to remember where though", thought Lucas as he looked at her intently.

The next recording popped up, and this time it was a boy fighting with his bare fists. He had white hair, and there were streaks of flashy yellow in between them. His fists and legs were covered in lightning, and he was moving fast. His hands ripped through his enemies, making anyone who stood in front of him feel extreme fear. "He doesn't need a weapon. He is the weapon", gulped Lucas.

Everyone in the room gulped in fear as they looked at the recording. It finished quickly than anyone else's that was played. "You should have a weapon on your fists. Going bare fists here is alright, but going bare fists in the real world, you can crack your knuckles against a King or Emperor Tier", advised Steve as he watched the vicious way he killed the beasts.

He was tall and muscular. The shirt he was wearing was barely fitting him. His face had minor scars here and there, but the most noticeable one was the one above his left eyebrow. It was an x shaped scar, and it cut through his eyebrow, reaching near his eyes. He had a slight beard, and his skin was tanned to a light brown.

"Wow, what did that guy go through to have become like this? But those techniques, are definitely from the School Of Lightning Combats. I've seen those moves before. My eyes can't be mistaken", thought Lucas as he analyzed him. "A pair of gauntlets would seem cool on him", he thought. Lucas was already sketching in his mind a design of gauntlets for him.

Next up was Lucas's recording. While Lucas was imagining the gauntlet, his recording brought shock to the whole room. Although the three of them performed extremely well, they were taken aback by Lucas's performance. The way he analyzed his situation and acted accordingly was what shocked them.

"A warrior with brains. This guy is scheming and dangerous", they all thought. Little did they know that Lucas was the opposite of the people he cared for and cherished about. After the recording was over, Steve turned to Lucas.

"Your problem lies in your weapons. You have impeccable skills, and you have mastered the way of the blade like this guy. You have also mastered Martial Arts too. But the problem lies in you not using your Magic and Aura often. You only use it late and thus end up getting damaged beforehand. You must overcome these points to move further ahead", he advised.

Next came Emilia. They saw the way she killed her opponents with her Gunslinging skills. "Badass!", thought everyone as they were watching. Emilia then tagged along with Lucas, and there they saw even more of her shooting skills. Some even piercing through the head of the enemies. "She knows Boxing too?", they thought as they watched her fight toe-to-toe with the Martial Ape.

"Now, this meeting will come to an end. You may leave from here, and may you have great adventures ahead of you.. Good Luck!", he said as he sent them off.