No one could say a single word in front of what was happening. Only Principal Selize ate a piece of cheese and arched her eyebrows somewhat interested.

"Oh my... that girl know how to throw a punch."

Bairon approached Kaito with a silly grin on his face.

"Look there, Bloodless! She's really going to handle the monster! We got along great!"

Kaito put his dazzle aside and took a closer look at that scene. Her blow had been very similar to what warriors use. The flow of blood rushed hard and heaved her body at the moment of the blow. But there was something else there. She was too fast and the way she moved looked like a rogue.

"Speed plus strength and weight..."

The hypothesis crossed Kaito's mind in the same instant. A monk was someone with warrior and rogue traits. Speed and weight, but not the maximum of each. That was why Opame's blows were so powerful.

The troll attacked the girl with all its strength and speed, slamming from side to side and hitting only the ground and the bars, which twisted more and more. But Opame dodged and counterattacked with ease, reading every move the monster displayed. Kaito realized at that moment how experienced she was in combat, but there was something else that he had noticed as well.

"Get ready, Bairon. I want a strength and endurance enchantment on me, the best you've got."

"Why would I do that if she's beating the monster?

"Because she's going to lose."

Kaito realized that even if Opame was dominating the fight, this would not last for long. The troll was not getting hurt because of its regeneration, and the monk was getting slower and more tired as time goes by.

The girl was panting and with every painful minute of kicking and punching she was getting more tired. Opame wiped the sweat that dripped from her chin and realized the situation was not good for her.

"To hell with all that..."

If her attack had no effect it was because she didn't attack hard enough. The monk dodged the club that passed over her head and in one motion concentrated her strength in her body, throwing herself upward in a hook with all the impact she could generate.

"Ascending Fist!"

The blow hit the troll directly in the chin, lifting it off the ground into the air and leaving everyone there dumbfounded. No one could believe that a B rank girl could lift a creature that weighed over half a ton with just her fists.

But something went wrong. Opame landed and felt fatigue punish her legs, and soon a shadow covered her. Looking up, she saw that the creature had not felt the blow as it should have. He was still in the air and had come down with his club above her. If it hit her it would be her end, and somehow Opame accepted that.

"Yeah... I guess it didn't work out, Grandma..."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She couldn't dodge it, her body was exhausted, so she would just accept her end.

"I told you this was a team battle!"

That voice and the sound of metal clanging made her wake up. As she opened her eyes she saw something she couldn't believe. The F rank, the Bloodless boy, that pale being with no powers was in front of her and with his spear he parried the creature's blow. A golden energy glowed giving him the strength to push the heavy club back and unbalance the troll.

"You have to retreat and recover! We'll still need you to win!" ordered Kaito as he spun his spear and prepared for combat.

For some reason Opame couldn't help but stare into his eyes. They were serious, grayish, but she could swear she saw a brief glimpse of red. Everything about that boy made her want to believe him, but her beliefs still weighed heavily.

"I already told you... stay back there and watch..." she said panting and getting up.

"Opame, you will stand back and wait your turn!" ordered Kaito again, firmer and more irritated now "You're in our way!"

That offended her. She was in the way? She with a rare class that she had trained extensively for years was getting in the way of a C rank and a Bloodless? She wanted to respond and prove him wrong, but she didn't. Something inside her made her step back and wait. Her instincts said something was coming and she should see it up close. Was it the look in the boy's eyes in front of her? His aura? Opame couldn't tell, but she felt she should listen.

Kaito felt relieved to see that the girl stepped back and waited as he had asked. He felt guilty that he had been too forceful, but he knew he should make her listen somehow.

In front of him the troll was rising from his fall after being repelled by Bairon's barrier plus Kaito warrior’s strength. The F rank had little chance of winning now. Five minutes had passed and they had only five more minutes to finish off the creature. From now on everything should be perfect.

The creature got up and ran to Kaito, roaring in intense hatred. His club was high and ready for a powerful attack, but what happened next stumped everyone. Kaito threw his spear directly into the troll's eye, just as the monster was lowering his club. The attack was perfect, calculated and wounded the target just the way he wanted it to, leaving the troll kneelingon one of its legs.

"NOW, BAIRON!" shouted Kaito, running at the monster and climbing on its bent leg for a final blow.

"Bless!" conjured Bairon, using all his power to increase Kaito's strength.

Kaito felt his body grow stronger. He could do that! It would work! The light of the blessing enveloped him while he was still in the air, and with one swing using his weight, the boy kicked the spear handle with all his might, driving the weapon deeper into the troll's skull.

The monster howled in pain and went backwards, falling on top of the bars of the cage and destroying its thick bars. There was no longer a barrier separating the monster from those standing there, but it would no longer be needed either, for a Bloodless had just killed a troll that even an A rank couldn't hurt.

"He... he really did that?"

"But he's not a Bloodless..."

"That's impossible..."

Voices were piling up around Kaito, but he was still serious and focused on what he should do. Bairon ran up to him elated and hugged him excitedly.

"WE DID IT! WE KILLED THE TROLL!"

Kaito watched the motionless creature and felt some relief. It had been much easier than planned. Actually he had many more things to do, but if it ended that way, it was for the best.

But still he felt that something was wrong. It shouldn't be this way. For a moment Kaito looked at the principal and saw her sipping her wine and smiling calmly. There was something else in that expression. Something that made Kaito's heart squeeze.

"Opame, Bairon, it's not over! He's still alive!"

As soon as he finished warning everyone the troll moved his arm, withdrew the spear from his eye in a roar of pain, and threw the weapon forward, close to Opame. The creature stood up and its eye began to regenerate immediately, as if nothing had hit it.

The other candidates were panicked as they scrambled to the edges of the hall in desperation, but the principal's voice sounded crystal clear and audible.

"You don't need to worry! The beast will be put down!" she smiled at Kaito, as if teasing him personally "That is... if the team of our friends here manage to finish this off."

"You have to be completely crazy!" squirmed Bairon in disbelief.

"I've never been very good in my head, I admit. But I assure you I am lucid." she raised her wine goblet as a toast "The test continues and the clock is ticking."

Kaito looked around and saw the desperate students. Analyzing his team he realized that they were fine and ready to fight. The biggest problem was the lack of time. They had close to two minutes to defeat a powerful beast like that. Maybe it would be better just to give up.

"I hope this plan of yours is a good one indeed." said Opame approaching him and giving the spear into his hands "I don't want to come back empty handed after giving my all."

Kaito saw the monk smile at him in a sign of respect. It was a look of recognition as an equal and that touched him in a different way. He turned to the troll, who seemed ready for combat, and smiled confidently.

"Bairon and Opame, get ready! We will kill this monster in two minutes!" he said, clasping the spear in his hands.

"And how are we going to perform such a miracle?" asked Bairon overcome with fear.

Kaito closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and felt his blood vibrate. Energy flowed through his body, and the next moment his spear was engulfed in a flickering, orange flame. He opened his eyes again and felt the momentum burn into his soul.

"Burning that thing from the inside out."