She drew her spear back, hoping it might at least cut his hand, but it was completely untouched.

  Okay, it's time for plan B. I need to use my power, somehow. He is probably using some sort of power to enhance his physical abilities.

  Liz retracted her spear back to the short sword form. She circled around him like a wolf hunting its prey. Hat-Man stood presenting himself with a certain measure of authority. He didn't react, not even when she was behind him.

  I just need to touch him for a second, and I can make it work. Then, on second thought, the doubt followed. But what if it’s his own strength? Then I'm screwed. Damn, there is no time for doubt. I just got to try.

  The third attempt was the most successful yet. She didn’t waste her stamina in the first few seconds. Her attacks were more thoughtful and strategic. When she saw an opening, she decided to bet everything on that and seized the opportunity.

  She released her anti-magic power. Purple lightning was escaping from her left hand, randomly sparking and flickering.

  Everyone had their unique source current running through their veins, and each source had a different color when the magic was released. Even if someone’s magic was about creating physical objects or controlling something like telekinesis, their body radiated with their source being released. So, many strong, experienced sorcerers could hide their source release, and some could not only prevent leaking it from their body, but they were able to hide the presence of the source itself.

  This was exactly what Liz thought he was doing. He must be a very strong securer, and she was not able to detect his source.

  She grabbed him by the wrist, and the purple, flaming aura surrendered his hand.

  Gotcha!

  At this moment, Liz thought that she won, but the next second, he just brushed her off as if she were a mosquito. Hat-Man sanded her flying to the nearest tree. She hit her back, then fell to the tree’s roots. She was in pain, never after a sparring session she had with Zywa, she had ever been beaten up so badly.

  “I think that's enough,” Hat-man said.

  Liz used all of her remaining strength to get to a sitting position and lean against the tree.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “What kind of power do you have? I thought I got you when I grabbed you.”

  “Power, you mean like magic, or sorcery, or whatever you guys call it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t have any.”

  “What do you mean you don’t have any? Is it your raw strength?”

  The hat moved up and down.

  “I’ve never seen someone that strong. You are maybe, in terms of raw power, as strong as Ogg.”

  “Ogg? Oh, no, I’m way stronger than Ogg.”

  Liz was flabbergasted. Who is this guy?

  “You were obviously holding back. Can you please show me what would’ve happened if you fought in your full strength?”

  The Hat-Man considered it for a second, then he came to Liz and picked up her sword. He turned away and powerfully swung the sword against the air. All the trees, rocks, and bushes on the way were cleaved for the next hundred yards. Creaking, groaning, cracking, and snapping, followed by a loud thump of falling trees, disrupted the peaceful evening.

  There is no way…

  After that, Liz had no doubt she had no chance to begin with. She couldn’t understand why someone with so much power was doing the rookie exam. It was obvious he had his reasons. She wasn’t that clueless to ask; he wouldn't answer anyway.

  “So what was the point of this sparring?”

  “I wanted to see how strong the child of an oracle is.”

  Liz had mixed emotions. She hated the fact that he knew who she was, knew about the Great Prophecy, and she felt judged. But on the other hand, Liz was glad that regardless of who she was, he treated her like a person, not the Savior of humanity.

  “You know who I am?”

  “Who doesn’t? You are probably the only person in the world who has purple eyes.”

  She felt like the biggest idiot in the world. This is probably why when she tried to recruit someone, they all had that look. Was it disdain or jealousy? She couldn’t figure it out, but they all had the same look.

  “I should probably also wear a hat like yours.”

  That made him laugh. She also laughed after him.

  “So, how was I? The Chosen One.”

  “Hah, okay. The Destined One was pretty bad.”

  “Hah?” she interrupted.

  “Let me finish. Basically, from what I see, it’s like you never had a proper trainer or someone to look up to. The good thing is that you learn fast. I just showed you the basic stance, and you improved so much in an instant. Which means you have great instincts. You also don’t rely on your anti-magic too much, and only use it as a last resort, thinking I might have hidden powers. That’s good ‘cause whoever you face in the future will not be able to use it against you, and if you build a good base right now, they won’t have a chance.”

  “To the bed things.”

  Oh no.

  “You lack everything else. You’re weak, slow, and unconditioned. It took you three attempts to stop wasting your small energy reserve. You overestimate yourself, rush into a fight without any strategy, and have no experience. I don’t know why, but you have no defense whatsoever. I could've killed you over a hundred times if I wanted to, and not only me, you anti-magic wouldn’t help against even the weakest demon, it would murder you on the spot.

  “So basically, you have a lot of work in the future if you really want to become a demon hunter.”

  If someone said something like that to her even two days ago, she would throw hands, but now she just took it as it was. Liz wasn’t mad. She was just tired, and she didn’t feel bad. She was inspired to improve.

  She had to change, and she was already changing.