Ch.27Chapter 27: Entrance Exam (4)

Lati, the fairy princess who embodies magic, is at 5th Circle, but 6th Circle? And her Aura is at the 5th Floor too?

Such a thing is only possible for someone from the Valentine family….

When Valt looked over, a red-haired dragonkin was glaring at him with a scowl.

‘What are you looking at, punk?’

He was mouthing the same words again.

Dragonkin.

These hybrids of dragons and humans are undisputedly the strongest humanoid race on the continent.

Of course, they’re weaker compared to dragons, but their physical bodies and magical talents, inherited from dragon blood, far exceed those of ordinary humans.

Yet why don’t dragonkin dominate the continent?

Simply because their numbers are extremely low.

Perhaps they inherited the trait from dragons, who only bear a single offspring in their lifetime.

Dragonkin can also only have one child in their lifetime.

Moreover, while dragons can lay eggs regardless of whether they’re in female or male form, dragonkin—being half-human—require sexual intercourse, and only females can become pregnant.

Unlike ordinary humans who find it very difficult to train both Aura and Circle simultaneously without special swordsmanship like the Valentine family, dragonkin don’t have such limitations.

That’s because they possess a third organ called the Dragon Heart, similar to dragons.

Though not as exceptional as a true dragon’s heart, it’s sufficient to assist in managing both Aura and Circle.

“Hmm….”

Not only is he the Sword Saint’s disciple, but that dragonkin must be incredibly strong too.

His body looks solid. Plus, he’s not carrying any weapons.

That means he’s confident in his physical abilities.

The dragonkin who finished his test approaches Valt with heavy footsteps.

“Hey, what’s your problem? Why do you keep staring at me since yesterday? You wanna die?”

His temperament is as fiery as his appearance.

He clearly has Red Dragon characteristics.

“I can’t help where my eyes go. You’re impressive. I’d really like to fight you sometime.”

Solphin Drakan, the dragonkin, found this barbarian contemptible.

He couldn’t sense any Aura from him, and he only had one Circle.

Just a strong but stupid brute, in other words.

Yet instead of being intimidated, this guy was showing fighting spirit.

Maybe he needed to be taught a lesson?

With that thought, Solphin threw a punch infused with his 5th Floor Aura.

Whoosh!

It was just meant to scare him, a punch that would stop right before hitting his face.

Clang!

But Valt caught the punch with his palm.

Surprised, Solphin tried to pull his hand back, but couldn’t.

“W-what?!”

“Hmm, impressive power. Much better than Victor’s.”

Valt gave his honest assessment.

No matter how hard he tried, Solphin couldn’t free his hand. He shouted:

“L-let go!”

Only then did Valt release Solphin’s fist.

“Ah, sorry about that.”

The examiners who had been watching finally approached and said:

“Fighting is not allowed! If you cause trouble, you might be disqualified from the exam.”

At the examiner’s words, Solphin turned around and walked away.

“Tch, see you at the tournament.”

The crowd started murmuring.

“What was that? Did he go easy on him?”

“Yeah, but wasn’t there no Aura in that punch?”

“No way! He caught it barehanded! A 5th Floor Aura would have shattered his hand.”

“R-really?”

Valt looked at his tingling palm and smiled.

“I’m really looking forward to this.”

***

Magical power control test.

Candidates must attack a specially crafted golem to measure their destructive power.

From what Valt could see, anything less than 5th Floor Aura or magic wouldn’t even scratch it.

He spotted Victor taking the test a short distance away.

“Rage Tiger Kick!!”

As expected, Victor shouted his technique name as his kick struck the golem.

Boom!!

The golem wasn’t completely destroyed, but fragments fell to the ground from Victor’s strike.

Though he’s at the 4th Floor, Victor can produce power equivalent to the 5th Floor.

That’s quite a good showing.

Then Valt saw the dragonkin who had confronted him earlier.

“Burning Flame.”

The 6th Circle enchantment magic, Burning Flame.

It’s incomparable to Lisa’s Indu Fire.

Usually used on weapons, Solphin applied this enchantment to his own fist.

A sight worthy of someone with Red Dragon blood.

The flames blazing from Solphin’s fist were so intense that Valt could feel the heat from where he stood.

‘Hmm… could I block that?’

It would be impossible barehanded, but with the gnome’s help, it might be possible.

“Kyaaah!”

Solphin approached the golem in one breath and extended his burning fist.

Kaboom!

With a thunderous sound, half of the golem’s upper body exploded.

The parts touched by the flames even began to melt.

As expected of 6th Circle magic.

The spectators cheered at the powerful explosion.

Though there were multiple testing areas, an enormous crowd had gathered here.

“Woooow!! The golem exploded!!!”

He had also used his Aura to enhance the destructive power.

It wasn’t quite 7th Floor level, but late 6th Floor power.

“Hmph, too soft.”

Meeting Valt’s eyes again, Solphin nodded toward the golem and grinned.

A subtle provocation.

It seemed to say, “You can’t do this.”

Then came the Sword Saint’s disciple’s turn.

“Wow! As expected!”

With all eyes focused on him, the Sword Saint’s disciple slowly walked up and stood before the golem.

Swish!

Then a lightning-fast strike!

His draw was so fast that hardly anyone saw the movement.

But Valt, with his extremely developed eyes, could see it.

‘Fast. It would be hard to block.’

Yet there was no visible change to the golem.

“What? Why did nothing happen?”

As spectators said this, the Sword Saint’s disciple slowly raised his still-sheathed sword and lightly tapped the golem’s torso.

Rumble!

Thud!

Only then did the golem split cleanly in half, separating into two pieces.

“W-woooow!! It split in half!!”

No one had accomplished this before.

The golem was so thick and large that even when damaged, only parts would break off.

“Amazing! That’s incredible!”

The black-haired Sword Saint’s disciple turned away with an expressionless face and left.

A spectacular performance. What could have seemed monotonous was made impressive by that tap with the scabbard.

Exclamations could be heard from other areas too, suggesting there were many strong contenders.

Finally, it was Valt’s turn.

“How much damage can a 1st Circle mage do anyway?”

“Don’t be so sure. He looks incredibly strong.”

“But that thing is super hard! Can raw strength alone break it?”

Various opinions could be heard, but most thought it would be difficult.

‘Come to think of it, that’s not a living being, right?’

“Good.”

If it wasn’t a living being, Valt could strike with all his might.

But even with Valt’s strength, he couldn’t produce 7th Floor level destructive power.

However, what if that tremendous strength was combined with magical power?

Feeling his heart race, Valt took his stance and began channeling power throughout his body.

Grrrr!

As physical power converted to magical power, magic overflowed from Valt’s body.

‘It’s simple—concentration. If I can focus this massive magical power in one spot, I can increase the destructive force.’

Without properly forming an Aura Floor, what Valt was attempting would be suicidal for most.

Concentrated magical power cannot be controlled without a proper Aura Floor or Circle.

This leads to magical backlash.

Concentrated magical power is an enormous energy mass.

Without controlling it with Aura, an ordinary person’s arm would explode before the magic could even backflow.

But Valt’s incredibly durable body could withstand concentrated magic up to the 5th level.

‘Ugh! This is my limit for now.’

Valt’s arm swelled with magical power.

“W-what is that?!”

“W-what kind of magical power is this?”

“How is this 1st Circle?!”

Thud!

With a stomp, Valt’s massive frame leaped into the air.

Valt planned to strike the golem from above, utilizing gravity.

After all, gravity is an excellent physical force that exists in the world.

“Haaah!”

With a rare battle cry from Valt, his enormous fist came down on the golem.

BOOM!!

CRASH!!

“Kyaah!!”

With a tremendous sound, the golem shattered from the top down, with some fragments flying toward the spectators.

“M-my god!!”

Valt’s fist not only pulverized the golem but also dug into the ground.

That’s why there were two explosive sounds.

People fell silent as if doused with cold water as they stared at the golem that had been reduced to rags.

But soon, cheers erupted.

“W-woooooow!!”

The 5th level magical power concentration through physical-magical conversion, the rotational force added to his fist, the force of gravity, and finally Valt’s pure strength.

These forces combined through his physical magic ability, stacking destructive power to reach nearly 7th Floor level.

This was destructive power that could only be unleashed against an inanimate object that could be directly struck.

“Hmm, so this is my limit.”

The crowd was in chaos.

“He’s only 1st Circle?!”

“Didn’t you see the size of that magical power? That’s at least 5th Circle level magic!”

“5th Circle? Even a 5th Circle would only break it a little! That’s at least 7th Circle!”

“No, no, this doesn’t make sense! It must be a special technique only barbarians can use—didn’t you see his arm swell up?”

***

The professors were equally bewildered.

“Hahaha! Did you see that? Is that the destructive power a 1st Circle can produce? Wow! He’s even stronger than before!”

Magic professor Janet was dumbfounded.

“This is ridiculous… A physical-magical conversion item? With such a useless item… Strictly speaking, that’s magic…”

Professor Marcel added his thoughts.

“I can’t understand it. Concentrating unrefined magical power in his arm to increase destructive power? Is this even possible? He’s lucky if his arm doesn’t explode…”

Riman was clearly enjoying the professors’ reactions.

“That guy moved normally even after taking my attack. His physical durability is unbelievable.”

Though he hadn’t used his full power, it was still an attack from a 7th Floor expert approaching the 8th Floor.

Most would be knocked out with one hit, but Valt had withstood several such attacks.

“Kekeke, what a brute. He turned that golem into a rag. Ah, I can’t wait to see him fight the Sword Saint’s disciple.”