Chapter 4: Placement Exam (2)

“!”

As Rohan’s Long Sword sliced through the test Golem cleanly, the Instructor’s lax eyes flashed with astonishment.

The hand scratching his head stopped, and the yawn lingering on his lips was cut short.

The cadets watching from behind were no different.

Having personally experienced the terrifying hardness of the test Golem at least once in their home country’s training, the current situation was hard to comprehend even after seeing it with their own eyes.

If it had been someone well-known, they might have been able to move past comprehension to admiration.

But they had never heard of the man’s appearance nor the name ‘Rohan,’ so they couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

“···”

And the one who found this silence and stillness the most unbearable was the person involved.

Rohan sheathed his Long Sword with a spin, ignoring the cadets’ gazes piercing his back.

Then, turning at the frozen Instructor, he asked,

“Instructor. May I take my leave?”

“Ah, yes. Number 99, your name is…”

“Rohan.”

“Good. You may go.”

The Instructor underlined Rohan’s name, drew a star next to it, and stroked his rough beard.

His drowsiness had completely vanished from the start of the test.

This year’s first years are a better crop than expected. It’ll be a struggle to control them.

There were already one or two promising cadets he had identified.

Bright stars, the kind that only appeared once a year, were strangely abundant this year.

Among them are two cadets who can be considered all-time greats. Those two cadets are inside the gymnasium…

He didn’t even need to see the faces of the biggest names.

Just glancing at the information listed in the documents gave him a headache and made him feel exhausted.

Oh dear… This is a headache.

The Instructor sighed deeply, looking at the name and ID photo of the next cadet in-line.

The Northern Kingdom where 90% of the population were Beastkin; Tigrova, a nation with vast permafrost and expansive Coniferous Forests.

Noa Frozenheart, the princess of Tigrova and youngest daughter of the Grand Emperor of Snow.

And Ichinose Yui, the heir to Cheonocheon, the largest corporation in the Three Kingdoms Union, called the Eastern Federation.

My stomach already hurts. Should I just request a leave of absence?

As an Instructor, he only wanted one thing from them.

Although the possibility itself was extremely low, he earnestly prayed that these cadets would spend these two years quietly and graduate without any trouble.

‘···.’

In any case, the storm had arrived right in front of him.

Knowing there was no escape even if it was a pain, the Instructor called out the next number in a tired voice.

“Next, number 252.”

“Here!”

Noa, who had been sitting besides Ichinose, raised her hand and stood up.

Instead of heading towards the wall where the weapons were hung, she strode forward with her bare fists.

Standing in front of the newly prepared Golem, her round ears twitched, waiting for the procedural question.

“Ahem… Name.”

“Noa Frozenheart!”

Her name echoed energetically through the gymnasium.

Hearing her esteemed name, the cadets began to murmur like waves in the night sea.

The Instructor quickly put an end to the situation, which hadn’t deviated from his expectations in the slightest.

“Any cadet who disrupts the test with chatter will be penalized.”

After giving the waiting students a firm warning, the Instructor’s gaze returned to Noa Frozenheart.

Regardless if they were talking about her behind her back or not, she had her lips curled upwards, giving off an air of urging him to hurry up and give the signal.

The Instructor gave her, who was holding nothing in her hands, a formal warning.

“There are no extra points nor any chances for retakes if you do not use a weapon. Are you also aware that you are not allowed to use personal Artifacts?”

Nod, nod.

She nodded vigorously as if it were only a matter of course, her tail swished up and down.

“Then… Begin within one minute.”

The moment the Instructor gave the start signal, the same one he gave Rohan,

“Hooo!”

As if she had been waiting for long enough, Noa thrust her clenched fist without hesitation.

The moment her fist connected with the Golem, a roar and a wave of cold erupted.

Kuuuuuooong—!!!

White cold air gushed out like a cloud, obscuring the view and filling the entire gymnasium.

It was like a scene of massive dry ice settling down.

Rohan, who had finished his test and was watching, exploded with admiration internally as he brushed off the frost accumulating on his uniform.

─ Whoa, that was surprising!

─ Wh, what was that!?

─ Is that Tigrova’s…

As the startled cadets began to murmur, the Instructor channeled his Mana and spoke.

“Quiet.”

The spreading cold air gathered into the Instructor’s palm, forming a lump of pure white ice before dropping to the floor.

At the same time, the spot where Noa Frozenheart and the test Golem had been was revealed.

Only what appeared to be the lower part of the Golem remained in front of her. The unidentified powder scattered across the floor allowed them to imagine what had happened.

“Can I go down now?”

“Yes. You may go.”

This time, he had expected it. Therefore, the Instructor’s outward reaction was calm.

He simply poked at the star drawn next to her name with his pen, recalling the scene.

As expected, blood doesn’t lie…

The explosive power that Noa Frozenheart displayed. That wasn’t any clumsiness of being unable to control the overflowing Mana. Just as imbuing projectiles like bullets, arrows, and hidden weapons with Mana was a kind of talent…

She was in the process of honing her innate talent and power into an ideal form.

“Next, number 253.”

“Yes.”

Holding her Greatsword, Ichinose Yui stood up and headed towards the wall.

Walking with her eyes closed.

The girl stopped in front of the wall, gently placed her own sword down, and picked up a similar sword before stepping forward.

“Name.”

“Ichinose Yui.”

At the softly spoken name, the cadets stirred up a commotion once more.

However, unlike before, they glanced at the Instructor and quieted down quickly.

“Start within one minute.”

“Understood.”

With a small nod, Ichinose stepped back with her left foot.

Then, she slightly leaned her upper body forward.

With a flick of her pale thumb, she drew her blade with a clink!

“···.”

Without a single battle cry,

The girl drew her blade as smoothly as flowing water.

Ping—!

The blade, swung diagonally, passed cleanly through the Golem.

A refined cut, the complete opposite to Noa Frozenheart’s style.

With a sharp sound, the drawn sword returned to its scabbard.

The severed upper part of the Golem slid down and fell to the floor.

“I’ll go down now.”

“…Yes.”

The Instructor kicked a Golem fragments away and scratched his head with his pen.

How did such individuals end up grouped together at the front?

He felt sorry for the cadets taking the test after them.

“Next, number 103.”

“Ah, yes…!”

After that, it went as the Instructor expected.

Starting right after Ichinose Yui’s turn, no cadet managed to cut or damage the Golem more than halfway, and some couldn’t even scratch it.

And it also seemed that some cadets were already starting to feel despair at the overwhelming difference in skill, but…

The Instructor knew very well.

That their skills were actually the average, the expected level, for Orion Academy.

＊＊＊＊＊

The practical exam concluded without incident.

No cadets raised any objections to the test.

However, one guest remained in the gymnasium.

While Noa Frozenheart, unable to bear her hunger, left to eat, Ichinose Yui stayed behind at the gymnasium where she had taken the test.

“…”

The girl walked towards the pile of Golems that had been gathered for disposal after the test.

According to the practical exam reviews posted on the Orion Academy Community, only two new students had cut the test Golem with a sword.

If she took into account all weapons other than swords, there were about five who had split or shattered the Golem.

Even Noa had pulverized the Golem with her fists, which weren’t her main weapons.

But with swords, there were only two.

Ichinose Yui herself, and one unfamiliar man.

…Number 99.

She had sensed his blatant stare directed at herself and Noa at the beginning.

As someone used to receiving attention, she didn’t mind it, but strangely, his gaze, clear and warm rather than lustful, hadn’t bothered her.

Noa must have felt it too.

She didn’t know why he stared at them that way, but…

She vividly remembered the moment the man swung his sword.

The complete opposite of the gaze he had sent their way.

The act of cutting itself felt like the embodiment of killing intent.

It was as if he were someone well-versed in ending lives.

Whether it was a Skill or not.

It didn’t matter.

Offensive Skills only shined when backed by solid fundamentals.

“…”

Click, clack. With her eyes closed,

She stood in front of the Golem split by number 99 and touched the cut surface.

The surface was smooth.

A feeling resembling impatience made her bite her lower lip.

Click.

Taking a step back, the girl slowly placed her weapon on the floor,

Then, without hesitation, she grabbed the sword hanging on the wall and swung it without restraint.

Ping!

The sharp slash split the already cut Golem in half once more, and the girl immediately touched the cut surface of the Golem she had cut.

“Ah…”

Compared to the cut made by number 99, it wasn’t smooth.

The screams of being forcibly severed were clear.