Overwhelming Firepower

Alexander and Mina barely arrived on time. The instructor assigned to score their practical exam simply glanced at them but said nothing.

Once they arrived at the designated area, Alexander and Mina looked around. Unlike the time with the written examination, it looks like there were fewer applicants present now.

It would seem quite a few had failed the written exam. To Alexander’s surprise, based on the people present, many noble children had failed.

He had thought those noble children would automatically pass, but he guessed he was wrong.

He looked around and saw one of the people everyone was paying attention to. It was a boy with silver hair and deep, icy blue eyes.

Among the noble children present, he stood out without trying to.

He was not laughing loudly like some of the others. He was not surrounded by a crowd of flatterers either. In fact, he stood alone.

His silver hair caught the light, and his deep, icy blue eyes were steady and unreadable. He looked younger than some of the others, yet no one treated him lightly. Even those standing nearby seemed careful not to invade the space around him.

But that wasn’t what caught Alexander’s attention; what made him stare at that person was that, for some reason, he felt oddly familiar.

”That’s Cael Thornehart, the younger brother of Lucen Thornehart. It’s said that his talent with the sword is unmatched, and he’s also the only child of the ducal house in our year.” Mina, noticing Alexander’s stare, whispered in his ear.

It was then that Cael turned his head and looked directly at Alexander. The two of them stared at each other for quite some time. The voice of the instructor then rang in everyone’s ears.

”The practical exams are about to begin. Aura users form a line to the left, and Mana users form a line to the right.”

The applicants moved without saying a word. There was no pushing or shouting. The shift was almost instinctive.

Some stepped left with firm strides, shoulders squared, hands already brushing the hilts of their weapons. Others moved to the right more quietly, staffs and spell catalysts held close to their bodies.

Alexander and Mina both moved to the left side. Once everyone was in position, the instructor nodded his head.

”Aura users, follow me to the test area.” The instructor spoke.

”Mana users, follow me to your test area.” Another instructor stepped forward and spoke.

The two lines then went their separate ways, heading to their respective testing areas.

The aura applicants were led toward a wide, open training yard enclosed by stone walls etched with defensive runes. The ground was reinforced, clearly built to withstand heavy impacts.

At the center of the yard stood several upright mannequins. They were not made of wood. Each one was fitted with a torso piece of dull-gray armor, its surface etched with rune-engravings.

”The first test is simple. Just try to cut this armor. For absolute fairness, everyone here will use the weapons on the rack over there.” The instructor pointed at the weapons rack at the side.

”Alright, let us begin the test. Examinee Rowan Feld, step forward and show me what you can do.”

A tall boy stepped forward, stiff with nerves. He chose a standard longsword from the rack and walked toward the rune-engraved armor.

Rowan enveloped his body and sword with an aura mantle that was only the first mantle. Most of the examinees were aura users at the first mantle, and they were already considered geniuses, but only the best of the best can enter the Royal Academy.

Rowan inhaled sharply and steadied his stance. His aura flared outward first, bright but uneven, before he forced it down toward the blade. The light gathered along the edge in a trembling layer.

He shouted as he swung. The sword struck the rune-engraved armor with a loud metallic crash. Sparks jumped from the impact point. The armor did not even rattle.

”Alright, next. Examinee-”

After Rowan, several other examinees tried their luck, yet none were able even to leave a mark on the armor.

It was at that moment that a haughty-looking noble girl stepped forward. She took a rapier from the weapon shack, which surprised a few.

In Norvaegard, where most enemies were monsters, the rapier, which was a dueling weapon meant for human enemies, was not that popular here.

Still, the confidence the girl exuded was unlike the others. When she showed her aura mantle, most of the examinees were quite shocked to see that she was at the second mantle.

She was the daughter of the Marquis Cyrant Drexford, Nina Drexford. The others started whispering to each other, but Nina did not care for that as she was accustomed to such things.

She then looked at Cael, who seemed not be that interested in what was happening. She looked a little displeased.

’Hmph, let’s see if you remain so stoic after seeing this.’

Nina then enveloped herself and her weapon with her aura mantle. Unlike the other examinees, her aura did not burst outward all over the place; hers was more focused and intense.

She then got into a stance, her hand holding the rapier was pulled back, and then with a sudden burst, she lunged forward.

The tip of her rapier made contact with the rune-engraved armor. In Nina’s mind, her rapier would pierce through the armor, but unfortunately, reality was slightly different.

The tip of her rapier did damage the armor unlike the other examinees, but it did not pierce through it; instead, it made a visible dent.

The instructor was slightly surprised. This armor was specifically made to be able to endure the normal third mantle aura user. This meant that a single strike from Nina Drexford was nearly the same level as a third mantle strike.

The instructor then nodded his head. ”Alright, the next examinee, please step forward.”

Nina glanced in Cael’s direction and saw that his expression did not shift in the slightest, which made her grit her teeth.

The following examinees were unable to do the same as Nina, and aside from her, not one was able to even scratch the armor.

After a while, it was finally Mina Escartin’s turn to take the stage. She picked up the heaviest-looking spear on the rack.

She, like the others, enveloped herself and her weapon with her aura mantle. She then took a stance, but to the surprise of everyone, the stance she took was that of her about to throw the spear.

”Is she going throw the spear?” A few of the examinees said.

Mina ignored the whispering and exhaled. She then stepped forward and flung the spear with all her body weight.

The spear made an incredible sound as it tore through the air. The ground cracked faintly beneath her footing as the spearhead struck the rune-engraved armor.

The spear bounced off the armor, but it left a dent. It was not as much as Nina’s, but it was the second time the armor was damaged.

Several of the nobles frowned. Throwing a weapon shouldn’t be as strong as if she had stabbed it forward, but the effect was obvious.

The instructor was once again surprised, but more so than he was when Nina did it. Unlike Nina, who was surely trained from a young age, but either her father, herself, or an excellent knight, Mina was from a commoner background, meaning most of her techniques should be self-taught.

The instructor nodded his head as he wrote something down. ”Next, examinee, Alexander Wyrd, step forward.”

Alexander stepped forward and picked up the heaviest-looking sword on the rack. The blade was broader than what most examinees had chosen. Its weight pulled slightly on his arm as he tested it once in the air.

Alexander got into a stance, holding the heavy sword with both hands and pointing the blade upward to the heavens.

This was not his usual stance that he had practiced, but for some reason, he felt like this was the correct stance to take.

He breathed in as he enveloped his body and sword with his first aura mantle. He was making his aura mantle as thin as possible, thinking of making it sharper.

Right now, all the noise had disappeared; all that was left in Alexander’s world was his sword and the armor in front of him.

Cael looked at Alexander, seemingly with much more interest than he did with the others.

Unaware of that, Alexander exhaled slowly, then he moved. His foot stepped forward, and the sword descended in a clean, controlled arc.

There was no shout, no explosive flare of aura. There was only a quiet, focused strike. The blade met the rune-engraved armor with a sharp metallic sound.

For a brief moment, the sword stopped, then it pushed forward slightly. Sparks scattered across the ground as the edge bit into the armor.

The resistance of the armor surged back. The blade could go no further. Alexander pulled back his sword as he could go no further.

A long cut stretched across the armor’s surface, deeper than Nina’s dent, but far from piercing through it. This was completely different from what everyone else had done.

The instructor had almost had his mouth open from the shock. Nina could not believe her eyes either. Someone had done better than her; it wasn’t Cael Thornehart, but some random nobody she did not even know. This had inflicted a great blow to her pride.

”Instructor, I apologize. I was unable to cut the armor.” Alexander bowed his head, sounding a little disappointed.