Jin wakes up with a slow yawn as he sits up and looks out at the familiar surroundings of their inn room. To his side is the other bed with Marim and Lileen sleeping. Lileen is sleeping gracefully while Marim is splayed out, snoring loudly in her underwear.
Jin gets out of the bed with a smile. Today was the day he would take his test. Lileen had stopped him from taking it yesterday after they came back from the slime quest since he was tired and Marim had beat him to a pulp.
Jin takes a deep breath as he grabs a cover and lays it over Marim's outstretched form. He then heads towards the small table where Lileen had been teaching him writing and reading with the Empirical alphabet over the past month. Jin scans over the parchment, repeating the symbols he had written over and over again in his head. Tree, Ranger, Coin, Man.
After his practice, almost no errors in his reading, he grabs the ink-tipped feather and writes out a couple of the symbols, his penmanship was sloppy at best, but it could be understood. The syntax of the written language was different from how it's spoken since it came from the language used by the Empire's predecessors.
And once even that was done, Jin didn't stop. He went out of the inn to the grassy hills of the nearby park, bringing his sword with him. There, he swung the sword, still struggling to control the blade properly. It looked more like the blade was controlling him than he to it. But he continued to swing it, leveraging the weight to swing the blade swifter than otherwise possible.
By now, Marim and Lileen had woken up. Lileen went out to the town's market while Marim went to the park where she usually trained Jin. On top of the hill stood the little boy swinging his sword in futile attempts to muster more strength. Marim came up with her usual grin.
"Come on, kid. It's time for your test." Marim says with a wave. Jin pants a bit then wipes some sweat off his brow before heaving the sword over his shoulder into the scabbard. He looks at Marim with a nervous expression.
"Wh-What if I fail the test?" Jin says as he walks with Marim along the town's streets. It was not incredibly early, but the streets were mostly empty at this time. Only the occasional old lady or early merchant with a small cart would pass by.
"You said you grew up on a farm, right? Is that why you can wake up so early?" Martin says with a yawn. Jin blinks at the sudden question and he thinks back to it. Jin did grow up on a farm but why does it feel hazy to remember? He has a family but…
Jin's memories shift and blur and meld like murky water whenever he thinks about that topic. Marim, realizing what she had done, quickly changed the subject.
"All you need to remember for your test is to remain calm and do as you've practiced!" Marim says loudly as she grabs Jin by the neck and shakes him out of his confusion. Jin looks at her for a second then smiles and nods.
"Just remain calm and do as you've practiced." Jin repeats as he steels his nerves for the test. His attention shifts away from the strange hazy memories.
###
"Hey Lileen!!" Jin says with a cheery smile as he runs up to the blonde elf as she waits outside the adventurer's guild holding a small wicker basket covered with a cloth. Lileen smiles and greets the two as they walk up.
"Good morning, you two." She says in her usual kind manner. Marim looks at Lileen with a silent conversation passing between them.
'We need to talk while he's busy.'
'Understood.'
And just like that, they return to smiling and cheering on Jin.
"Say Jin, you think you've seen the adventurers guild, right?" Marim says with a grin as she pushes the doors open and brings him in, Lileen following in shortly after bringing her basket.
"But all you've seen is the lobby. Wait until you see the adventurers only area." Marim says as they walk up to the familiar receptionist.
"Here for that adventurer's test, correct?" She says in her professional manner. Marim puts her hand on Jin's head and ruffles his hair up.
"Hell yeah he is. He's gonna be a swordsman, so should be a copper fang test." Marim tells the receptionist who writes the information down with swift ease, leaving Jin in awe. Lileen giggles at Jin's shocked expression.
"Yes, a swordsman falls under the fang class. Will he be taking up a shield as well? It is not uncommon for swordsmen to have a few minor tiers in the shield class as well." The receptionist asks as she looks at the boy with a smile. Jin thinks about it, imagining a massive heavy shield along with his heavy sword. He quickly shakes his head, denying the idea.
"No way. I don't want a shield!"
Marim grins and looks up at the receptionist again. After filling out more information, the receptionist leaves to get the proctor for Jin's exam. Marim and Lileen talk about their predictions as Jin waits nervously.
The door behind the counter opens and the receptionist comes back out alone. Jin worries for a second but then the large door from the adventurer's area opens and a tall man dressed in all black steps out.
His attire was loose flowing robes and a thin slightly curved blade at his hip. He had his straight black hair pulled back into a ponytail.
"This will be your proctor for the fang exam. Tokimichi, a swordsman with one diamond fang." Jin looks at the man with part shock and part fear. The fear quickly becomes the more intense reaction as the man walks up and stands in front of Jin.
"So you're the boy?" He says in a calm deep voice, his accent foreign to Jin's ears.