The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 36: Chapter 35 — Assessment

Zephyrion and Lumi were led away from the main training ground, toward the edge of the mountain and down a stone stairway carved into its side.

Zephyrion stared at the yawning drop below with an unfazed look. A thick fog obscured his vision, making it impossible to see the bottom. But there was no doubting its depth.

Eventually, they entered an opening in the mountain that led into a vast, brightly lit cavern.

A large building stood at its center, with smaller ones sprawled around it.

Zephyrion could see older men wandering about.

’Instructors.’

They were clad in the midnight blue uniform of the Discipline Line, the same shield sigil pressed into it.

His arrival drew curious glances from the instructors, and it wasn’t long before murmurs began to spread.

Eventually, they were led behind the massive building, where, to Zephyrion’s surprise, a large forest stretched out.

As they stopped at the forest’s entrance, Kons, the instructor, bowed.

”I will begin the assessment now, young lord.”

”Go ahead.”

Kon straightened slightly after the bow.

”We’ll be running a series of tests to determine your current level and placement.”

He raised a hand, pointing toward the forest.

”The first will test your speed and reaction. Once you step inside, projectiles will be launched at you at random. I’ll be observing how quickly and cleanly you evade them.”

”I understand.”

Zephyrion gave a small nod in acknowledgment.

”Are you ready to begin?”

”Yes.”

Giving Lumi a reassuring nod, Zephyrion stepped forward and entered the forest.

’Speed and reaction test.’

Zephyrion slowly scanned his surroundings.

A gentle breeze moved through the forest, brushing past the trees. They were large and thick, enough to obscure his sight the moment he passed them.

Too many blind angles. Too much uncertainty.

’I can’t predict where they’ll come from.’

Right now, he could only feel.

One of the reasons he had always been feared as an assassin was his ability to vary.

Metal Ascendants were usually more durable and brutal. Fire, fierce and explosive. Each element had its strengths and weaknesses, but the ability to use multiple placed him on a level rarely seen.

Zephyrion shut his eyes, drawing in a slow breath. He let the quiet of the forest settle over him; the rustling leaves, the stillness, the calm.

Then he pushed past it all and focused on the air. He felt it.

The way it brushed against his skin, moved around the trees, slipped through the leaves... and finally, the subtle disturbances around the bodies of the instructors hidden across the forest.

He sank into that awareness, completely still.

...

Perched atop a tree, Kons frowned deeply.

’What’s he doing?’

Other trainees would have been cautiously scanning the forest, their bodies tensed and ready to react to the incoming projectiles, but Zephyrion instead appeared relaxed.

He had even shut his eyes, as though the test held no weight at all.

’Is he not taking this seriously?’

Zephyrion had been praised as a prodigy never seen before his disappearance. He must have thought the test was beneath him, clearly looking down on it.

’Hmph.’

With a cold gaze, Kons gestured toward the instructors hidden across the forest.

Whoosh!

Multiple whizzing sounds echoed, and in the next instant, several projectiles shot toward Zephyrion from different parts of the forest.

Kons’ eyes narrowed. The projectiles were already meters away from hitting Zephyrion, yet he still hadn’t moved.

’He’s done for.’

He was just about to shake his head when the motionless Zephyrion finally moved.

His stance shifted, his body tilting slightly. Every single projectile whizzed past him, brushing against his hair as they passed.

’What!?’

Kons’ eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. There had been at least a dozen projectiles, each moving at a speed difficult for even Mark five to follow, yet Zephyrion, whose eyes had been closed, had evaded them? Just like that?

Kons quickly gestured again, and another volley of projectiles shot toward Zephyrion. But the young heir simply shifted once more, evading them with the same ease.

’...Is it the sound?’

Zephyrion’s eyes were closed, yet his ears were not. Ferrans usually relied heavily on their sight and their sense of metal during battle.

Though rare, the truly gifted veterans had also learned to rely on sound. But those were veterans, not seventeen-year-old children.

Kons swallowed and gave the signal once more, his gaze fixed on Zephyrion.

As the projectiles closed in, Zephyrion’s head shifted slightly, as though acknowledging their approach. Then his body followed, adjusting just enough to evade them once more with ease.

Kons felt his heart begin to pound in his chest.

’Impossible!’

What sort of seventeen-year-old was this?

’So the rumors were true...’

The monster prodigy of house Calderalth... The lightning prince...

Kon drew in a sharp breath, then shook his head.

’I still have to assess him.’

Though it was already clear his reaction time was extraordinary, he was barely moving, making it difficult to gauge how fast he truly was.

Kons gestured to the other instructors, signaling them to increase the pace.

The next moment, the whizzing of projectiles rose sharply, echoing like a symphony across the forest.

Zephyrion’s movements shifted. They became erratic, almost like a dance. His stance adjusted rapidly, his arms and body twisting in seamless coordination with each motion.

He became a blur.

To an outside observer, his movements appeared strange, even ridiculous. Yet, there was not a trace of amusement on Kons’ face.

Everything... despite their numbers, despite their speed, Zephyrion evaded every single projectile.

This... this was insane.

’But...’

Kons’ fists tightened as he focused on Zephyrion’s movements. Now that he was actually moving more, he could finally gauge his speed.

’Mark three.’

Kons frowned. This same boy had reached the Vessel rank at eight, had he only advanced twice in nine years? He shook his head, deciding to hold off on his judgment for now.

Eventually, having gathered what he needed on his speed and reaction time, Kons stopped the test.

As they gathered outside the forest once more, Kons’ eyes remained curiously fixed on Zephyrion, unable to make sense of the anomaly before him.

”Good work, young lord.”

”...Mm.”

The young heir gave a curt nod, his expression unmoved. There wasn’t a single drop of sweat clinging to him. It was as though he hadn’t done anything at all.

Kons swallowed.

He then turned toward Lumi, who seemed far more focused on plucking the leaf fragments from Zephyrion’s hair than on the test itself.

Her small height, and Zephyrion’s clear lack of cooperation, made it an impossible task.

”...Next.”

Not long after, Kons found himself facing yet another shock as he observed the little girl, Lumi.

Unlike the young lord, her eyes remained open and alert, but it was her movements that stunned him. She moved like an arrow, darting through the forest at blurring speed, evading every projectile thrown her way.

Kons had never witnessed such refined movement from someone so young in his life.

He shook his head, disbelief written plainly across his face.

’Also Mark Three.’