“!”
When Rohan’s longsword cleanly severed the test golem, a flash of shock lit up in the instructor’s previously dull and disinterested eyes.
The hand that had been scratching his head froze mid-motion, and the yawn lingering at the corner of his mouth abruptly stopped.
The students watching from behind were no different.
Having experienced firsthand the terrifying hardness of test golems during their training back in their homeland, they found it difficult to believe what they were seeing.
If someone widely known had stepped forward and performed such a feat, they might have reacted with admiration rather than disbelief.
But the man’s unfamiliar face and the name “Rohan” didn’t ring any bells, leaving them only baffled.
“.…..”
Among everyone present, the one most uncomfortable with this silence and stillness was the person in question.
Avoiding the stares of the students boring into his back, Rohan casually spun his longsword before sheathing it.
He looked at the instructor who remained frozen in place and asked,
“Instructor, may I step down?”
“Oh, yes. Number 99, your name is…?”
“Rohan.”
“Alright. Step down.”
The instructor underlined Rohan’s name and drew a star next to it as he stroked his rough stubble thoughtfully.
The lack of energy he’d felt since the start of the test had completely vanished.
This year’s first years are shaping up to be a bumper crop. It’s going to be tough keeping them under control.
Even based on the few promising students he had already identified, this year’s grade was something extraordinary.
Usually, having just one rising star per grade was surprising enough, but this year, there seemed to be an unusually high number of them.
Among them, there are even two students who could be called exceptional, even by historical standards. And those two are right here in the gym…
When it came to the truly outstanding ones, he didn’t even need to see their faces.
Just reading the information listed in their files was enough to give him a headache and leave him feeling drained.
Good grief… This is going to be a pain.
Sighing deeply, the instructor glanced at the name and identification photo of the next student waiting for their turn.
The northern kingdom where 90% of the population is beastkin. The country of Tigrova, with vast snowfields and vast coniferous forests.
The princess of Tigrova. The youngest daughter of the Snow Tiger Emperor, Noah Frozenheart.
And from the eastern federation known as the Three Nations Alliance.
Ichinose Yui. The heir to Tenkaichen (Heaven beyond Heaven), which was the largest conglomerate of that powerful country.
My stomach already hurts. Should I take a leave of absence?
As an instructor, he had only one wish for these students.
Though the odds of it happening were exceedingly low, he fervently hoped that these students could spend the next two years quietly, without causing any trouble, and graduate peacefully.
“……”
But regardless, the reality was that a storm had already arrived right in front of him.
Even though it felt unbearably tedious, the instructor knew there was no way to avoid it, so he called out the next number in a weary voice.
“Next, number 252.”
“Here!”
Noah who had been sitting beside Ichinose stood up while raising her hand high in the air.
Instead of heading toward the wall where the weapons were hung, she strode forward confidently with her bare fists.
Standing in front of the newly prepared golem, her round ears twitched as she waited for the procedural questions.
“Ahem… Your name.”
“Noah Frozenheart!”
Her name echoed through the gymnasium with a lively vigor.
Upon hearing the rare and illustrious name, the students began murmuring like waves rippling across a night sea.
The instructor, as if anticipating this exact reaction, quickly brought the situation under control.
“Any student who disrupts the exam with idle chatter will receive penalty points.”
After warning the waiting students, the instructor’s gaze returned to Noah Frozenheart.
She didn’t seem to care whether the others were talking about her or not; her lips curved into a smile. She was giving off the impression that she was impatiently waiting for the signal to start.
The instructor addressed her with a formal warning, noting that she held nothing in her hands.
“There are no bonus points for not using a weapon, nor will there be an opportunity to retake the test. You do understand that personal artifacts are also prohibited, correct?”
– Nod, nod.
She nodded energetically as if the reminder was a given. Even her tail flicked up and down in a lively wave.
“Well then… You have one minute.”
When the instructor gave the same starting signal he had given to Rohan earlier—
“Phew!”
Noah, as if she had been holding back for too long, hurled her tightly clenched fist without hesitation.
The moment her fist made contact with the golem, a thunderous roar and a cold chill erupted.
Boom───!!!
Blinding white frost poured out like clouds, obscuring the view and filling the gymnasium with swirling cold.
It was as if an enormous block of dry ice had collapsed.
Rohan who had stayed to watch after finishing his own test, marveled silently. His admiration flared like fireworks inside as he brushed frost off his uniform.
– Oh, geez, that scared me!
– Wh-What is this!?
– This is Tigrova’s…
As the startled students broke into murmurs, the instructor used his mana to amplify his voice.
“Silence.”
The spreading cold gathered in the instructor’s palm, condensing into a solid chunk of pure white ice, which then dropped to the floor with a thud.
At the same time, the area where Noah Frozenheart and the test golem had stood came back into view.
Before her stood only a portion of what seemed to be the lower half of the golem, while some kind of unidentified powder scattered across the floor hinted at the aftermath of what had just occurred.
“Do I go back down now?”
“Yes, you may step down.”
This time, it was expected. The instructor’s outward reaction was calm and he showed no surprise.
All he did was tap the star drawn next to her name on his clipboard, going over the scene in his mind.
As expected, blood doesn’t lie…
The explosive energy Noah Frozenheart had displayed wasn’t the clumsy recklessness of someone unable to control their abundant mana.
Just as imbuing mana into bullets, arrows, or other projectiles was a type of talent—
She was in the process of refining her innate talents and power into an ideal form.
“Next, number 253.”
“Yes.”
Ichinose Yui rose to her feet while holding her katana in her arms, and made her way toward the wall.
With her eyes closed, she walked with purposeful strides.
When she stopped before the wall, she gently set her own katana down and picked up a sword of a familiar style.
“Name.”
“Ichinose Yui.”
At the sound of her softly spoken name, a ripple of murmurs spread once more among the students.
However, unlike before, they quickly quieted down after stealing glances at the instructor.
“You have one minute.”
“Understood.”
With a slight nod, Ichinose stepped back with her left foot.
She then leaned her upper body forward ever so slightly.
With a flick of her pale thumb, clang! the blade slid free from its sheath.
“……”
Without a single shout, the girl’s draw stroke flowed like water.
Piiing──!
The blade swept diagonally and cut cleanly through the golem.
It was a stark contrast to Noah Frozenheart’s explosive style. This was a more refined and precise slash.
With a sharp, ringing sound, the sword was already back in its sheath and resting quietly.
The golem’s upper half was severed at the joint and it slipped smoothly and fell to the floor with a dull thud.
“I’ll step down now.”
“…Alright.”
The instructor kicked aside the shattered golem fragments and scratched his head with his pen.
How did figures like this end up grouped among the early numbers?
It almost felt unfair to the students who would be tested later.
“Next, number 103.”
“Ah, yes…!”
And as expected, the day continued just as the instructor had predicted.
Starting exactly from Ichinose Yui’s turn, no student managed to cut through or destroy more than half of the golem. Some couldn’t even leave a scratch.
A few students already wore faces of despair. They were overwhelmed by the glaring gap in skill.
But the instructor knew very well.
This was the average level of Orion Academy, the standard norm.
***
The practical test concluded without any issues.
No student raised any objections regarding the results.
However, there was still one visitor who hadn’t left the gymnasium.
While Noah Frozenheart had gone off to eat, unable to resist her hunger, Ichinose Yui remained in the testing gym.
“……”
The girl walked toward the pile of golems that had been stacked up for disposal after the test.
Based on reviews posted in the Orion Academy community, only two freshmen had managed to slice through a test golem with a sword.
If all other weapons were included, there were about five who had managed to split or smash the golems.
Even Noah, despite using fists instead of her primary weapon, had reduced a golem to powder.
But with a sword, there were only two.
Ichinose Yui herself and one unfamiliar boy.
…Number 99.
At first, she had noticed his blunt gaze directed at her and Noah.
She was accustomed to being stared at, so she hadn’t paid it much mind. Still, his eyes hadn’t been laden with lustful intent but rather clear and warm.
Noah must have noticed it too.
Why he had sent such a gaze her way, she didn’t know.
She vividly remembered the moment that man swung his sword.
It was the complete opposite of the gaze he had sent her before.
The motion of his blade felt like the very embodiment of killing intent.
He seemed like someone who was good at ending lives.
Whether it’s a skill or not.
It didn’t matter.
An offensive skill only truly shines when it’s built on solid fundamentals.
“……”
With her eyes closed, she stood before the golem that had been cleaved apart by Number 99’s sword.
Her hand brushed over the cut surface.
The cut was smooth.
An emotion, akin to anxious frustration, made her bite her lower lip.
Click.
Taking a step back, the girl slowly set her own weapon on the ground.
Without hesitation, she reached for the sword hanging on the wall.
Then, she swung the blade with unflinching resolve.
Whoosh!
A sharp slash split the already cleaved golem into two once more.
The girl immediately reached out to touch the severed surface she had just created.
“Ah…”
Compared to the cut made by Number 99, hers was far from smooth.
The jagged edges screamed of forced effort.
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