"Tell us about yourself and show what you can do, briefly," a voice instructed from behind the mirror in front of me. It was a woman's voice, friendly yet firm. This had to be a two-way mirror. I hadn't expected such a thing to exist in this world.

I blinked, trying to process what I was seeing. The entire room was pink. The walls, the floor, even the ceiling, a single overwhelming shade of pink. On one side, a massive mirror covered the entire wall, reflecting my slightly bewildered expression. And in the middle of the room stood a practice dummy. Also pink. Of course.

"I'm a druid adventurer specializing in support magic," I began, pulling out my staff from the pouch. "But I can also take down strong opponents on my own."

As if to emphasize my point, I summoned Gorgroth.

A startled gasp echoed from behind the mirror, followed by frantic whispers. Gorgroth, my monstrous yet oddly endearing companion, wasted no time. It spewed a stream of Viscous Goo at the dummy, immediately followed by Spitfire. The goo ignited, sending flames roaring across the dummy's form. Unsurprisingly, it disappeared just moments later, as if nothing had happened.

I turned back toward the mirror with a smirk. "Was that introduction sufficient?" I paused before adding, "Oh, and don't worry, it's friendly. Well, mostly." I gave Gorgroth's head a pat as he rumbled contentedly beside me.

"We've got a show-off, I see," a second voice chimed in. This one belonged to another woman, but unlike the first, her voice was smooth, almost playful. "I like him."

The first voice cleared her throat. "Ahem. Very well. Let's proceed to the first test." Her tone returned to its strict, business-like nature. "You need to survive for five minutes without getting hit. And unsummon the beast."

I nodded and dismissed Gorgroth, who vanished with a disgruntled huff.

"Are you ready?"

I nodded again.

Silence. A tense moment passed… then, without warning, a blunt arrow shot straight at me.

[Galestride cast]

My body moved instinctively, dodging with ease. But before I could breathe a sigh of relief, more arrows came, fired from all directions. The walls had been modified to shoot projectiles, turning the entire room into a trap.

Pink arrows. Because of course they were.

I twisted, ducked, and sidestepped, fully focused on avoiding every incoming shot while keeping track of my buff's duration.

Then… a shift. Galestride wore off.

My movements slowed. The arrows, once effortless to dodge, now forced me to exert twice the effort. My breathing grew heavy. The challenge was getting harder by the second.

One minute left. A near miss. An arrow whizzed past my head.

Forty seconds. I dove to the floor, barely avoiding a pincer attack from two arrows coming from opposite directions.

Twenty seconds. My chest burned from exertion, my limbs felt sluggish, but I forced myself to keep moving.

Five seconds. One last arrow nearly clipped my arm, but I managed to twist away just in time.

And then, silence. The arrows stopped.

"Congratulations. You've passed the first test."

I bent over, hands on my knees, struggling to catch my breath. Talking was out of the question. If I could, I might have let out a curse or two.

"The second test will begin in ten minutes."

I groaned internally. Great. There was still more to come.

***

"The next test is simple. Protect the practice dummy for five minutes," the voice announced from behind the mirror. "Same as before, projectiles will be launched from multiple directions. The difference this time—"

CLANK! A metal panel slid open in the ceiling.

"—is that the projectiles will be these."

A pink, iron ball the size of a tennis ball shot out, whizzing through the air at alarming speed. It slammed into the dummy with a loud THUD.

I swallowed hard. That looked painful.

"All projectiles will be aimed directly at the dummy," the voice continued. "Begin."

WHUMP!

I barely had time to react before the first ball struck me square in the back. A sharp jolt of pain shot through my spine, but at least my high Vitality stat kept me on my feet. Still, that hurt.

Damn it. I should've worn the custom armor Muradin made for me.

I sucked in a deep breath, gritting my teeth through the pain.

BWHAM!

"Aagh!"

I flinched as another ball smashed into my forearm. Reflexively, I had thrown my arm out to intercept the projectile before it could reach the dummy, but it nailed me right on the elbow instead. The impact sent a fresh wave of pain radiating through my arm.

Okay, this is getting ridiculous.

I hurriedly cast Rejuvenation, feeling the warm, soothing energy spread through my aching body, then shoved my staff back into my pouch.

THUD!

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A sharp pain exploded in my stomach as another ball found its mark. I doubled over, nausea rising in my throat. I nearly threw up right then and there.

I clenched my fists. If only I hadn't shown off Gorgroth earlier… then I wouldn't be stuck in this mess without it. But regret wouldn't help me now. I forced the thought aside and refocused.

BWHAM! DUNK!

Two projectiles struck at once, one to my left ribs, the other to my right leg. This time, I couldn't keep my footing. My knee buckled, and I dropped onto one knee, gasping for breath.

How much longer?

I barely had time to process the thought before I spotted five more balls launching simultaneously toward the dummy.

I couldn't dodge in time. Standing was out of the question.

I had no choice.

[Tempest Shield cast]

A shimmering barrier of wind burst into existence around the dummy. The incoming projectiles veered wildly in all directions, ricocheting off the magical force field.

CRACK!

One of the deflected balls slammed straight into my skull.

My vision spun. My ears rang. The ground rushed up to meet me as I collapsed.

Did I… fail?

The world blurred. Darkness started creeping in from the edges of my vision.

No more projectiles.

A voice crackled through the mirror.

"Congratulations. You've passed the second trial."

I exhaled shakily, then laughed weakly.

"Though you fell, you successfully protected the practice dummy from every attack," the voice added.

I rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. "Please tell me that was the last one…"

"You will have fifteen minutes to rest before we proceed to the third and final trial."

I groaned.

Fuck.

***

I wasted no time. Downing a potion in one gulp, I sat cross-legged and began meditating, trying to recover as much as possible before the next trial.

But my mind refused to settle.

What ridiculous test were they going to throw at me next?

The interview stage had assessed my strength and capability. The first test measured my reflexes and speed. The second test, endurance. That meant the final trial was likely to evaluate something else entirely. Intelligence? Problem-solving?

If it was logic or memory-based, I felt confident. But if it involved spatial awareness or creativity... well, that was another story.

I exhaled slowly, attempting to refocus.

A sharp chime rang through the room.

"Time's up," announced the voice behind the mirror. "We will proceed with the final test."

My heart pounded.

Without warning, a section of the wall shifted, revealing a dark opening. From within, heavy footsteps echoed, growing louder with each step.

Then, he emerged.

A massive barbarian strode into the chamber, muscles rippling with every movement. He looked exactly like the kind of warrior who could snap a man in half with his bare hands.

Except…

He was dressed entirely in pink.

A pink tunic, pink bracers, pink fur-lined boots. Even his belt, which would've looked menacing in any other color, was a deep shade of fuchsia.

I blinked.

Of all the things I expected… this was not one of them.

How in the world did they manage to convince a savage barbarian to wear that?

"Alright, there are only two rules," the woman behind the enchanted mirror announced. "First, no skills or spells of any kind. Second, this will be decided by a slap battle. Whoever falls first loses. You may take the first strike."

I stared at the mirror, my jaw practically unhinged.

A slap battle?

A slap battle?

Who in their right mind came up with this test?!

I glanced at my opponent, the towering, pink-clad barbarian, then back at the mirror. My mind struggled to process the absurdity of the situation.

First of all, what kind of test is this? Second, how the hell am I supposed to win?!

Suppressing my growing sense of humiliation, I cleared my throat. "Uh… may I borrow a chair or something? My arms… can't quite reach his face."

A chorus of muffled giggles echoed from behind the mirror. A moment later, a tiered podium rose from the floor with a smooth mechanical whirr.

So they had it ready all along.

Then why didn't they just bring it out from the start?!

Muttering under my breath, I stepped onto the podium until I was face-to-face with my opponent. Now that we were level, I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at his ridiculous outfit.

"Ehem," I composed myself, setting my expression into one of utmost seriousness.

I pulled back my arm, took a deep breath, then swung with everything I had.

SLAP!

A sharp sting spread across my palm. The barbarian's head barely moved, but his eyes widened in surprise. Clearly, he hadn't expected that kind of power from me.

His cheek turned a faint shade of red, yet he still stood firm.

Crap! If only I could use Inner Beast.

Then, he grinned.

"My turn."

Before I could react, he lifted his massive hand, easily the size of my entire face, and swung.

WHAM!

A fiery pain exploded across my cheek. My vision blurred for a moment. I swear I heard the faint sound of a tooth cracking.

Somehow, miraculously, I remained standing. But I could feel tears involuntarily welling up in my eyes.

The barbarian gave me a look of surprise… then nodded in respect.

Alright. My turn again.

I inhaled deeply, tightened my stance, and twisted my entire body into the next slap.

SMACK!

This time, he flinched. He clenched his jaw, clearly feeling the sting, but still refused to budge.

Then, he smiled.

Rubbing his hands together, he took a step forward.

Oh no.

WHAM!

My skull rattled. The room spun. My body swayed dangerously, but somehow, somehow, I caught my balance before toppling over.

Okay, this is impossible.

I was starting to lose track of time. We kept trading blows, one after another. My cheeks were swollen and bruised. Blood filled my mouth, my vision doubled, and I could barely feel my face anymore.

The barbarian wasn't looking much better. His cheek had started to swell. Not as bad as mine, but enough that I could tell he was feeling it.

I took a shaky breath. Should I just… give up?

No.

I had come this far. I had endured this much. If I was going to lose, I might as well go down swinging.

This was my last chance. There was no way I could withstand another hit.

Summoning every last ounce of strength I had, I pulled my arm back, inhaled deeply, and launched my most powerful slap yet.

SLAP!

The sound echoed through the chamber like a thunderclap.

But something was… off.

For a split second, I saw a small, dark cloud form around my hand at the moment of impact.

What the hell was that?

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