The moment Gray opened his eyes, the salty sea breeze hit him in the face. He found himself standing on a small island surrounded by seawater. Blue water stretched in every direction, and waves gently lapped against the beach with a rhythmic splashing sound. A golden beach lay ahead, while a lush little forest stood behind him. At the center of the island was a low mountain.
"An island? Pretty suitable for a vacation." Gray shrugged, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. Then his gaze was quickly drawn to a huge creature on the beach.
It was a gigantic sea turtle with a deep-blue shell and two enormous cannons mounted on its back. Their barrels were large enough to inspire fear. Its four limbs were tucked inside its shell, as if it were resting, but Gray could sense the powerful magic emanating from its body.
Gray had already looked around carefully. There were no animal cries on the island, nor any trace of birds in the sky. Since this was the only living creature in sight, it had to be his examination opponent.
Gray therefore walked forward. After he had taken two steps, a line of text suddenly appeared before him:
Exam requirement: Defeat Wartortle using your own magic within one hour!
The text vanished after ten seconds, and a countdown began in the sky.
At that moment, Wartortle seemed to notice Gray's presence. It slowly extended its four limbs and stood up. Its eyes locked firmly onto Gray, and two streams of white vapor blew from its nostrils. It had clearly entered battle mode.
"Roar—!" Wartortle let out a low growl, and the two cannons on its back quickly aimed at Gray.
"Whoosh—!" Two high-pressure water jets shot from the cannons, heading straight for Gray.