chapter_0046

Chapter 45 : New Mercenary Test (2)

Clank-

If it were in the past, it would have been a somewhat intimidating sight, but for Elia, who already comes and goes through the Mercenary Guild as if it were her home, it was a scene she had grown accustomed to.

As she walked to a place where others’ gazes were less likely to reach, some mercenaries recognized her first and greeted her.

“Hey, Elia. Are you here to take the test today?”

“Ah, yes. Uncle Denolt. I’m twenty now, so…”

The mercenaries Martin had introduced her to, who were trustworthy among the many mercenaries, were of Golden Badge caliber and not only skilled but had decent personalities as well.

Martin had introduced them as people with whom he wanted her to build connections.

And when Denolt greeted her first, Mars, a mercenary standing next to him, also turned his head and looked at Elia.

“Wow, Elia, you’re here to take the test today too? It seems like there’s a lot to see in the mercenary test today?”

“A lot to see… Is there someone famous taking the test today?”

Elia tilted her head, asking after hearing Mars’s comment.

Now that she thought about it, it did seem like there were more people at the Mercenary Guild than usual.

Listening to the noisy conversations, half of them were surprisingly about the mercenary test.

Mercenaries, who were always interested in money-making matters, were suddenly this interested in the mercenary test?

It was quite a surprising sight, and Elia widened her eyes. Mars, who had first sparked her curiosity, explained the reason.

“I heard that someone famous from the south came up to take the test today. If I remember correctly, his name was Allen.”

“I heard that, at just twenty years old, he can already use Sword Aura. If that’s true, he’s really talented. There are plenty of people in their forties who still can’t use Sword Aura.”

“… That was definitely a story that many mercenaries would take interest in.

The person from the south who had a record of hunting strong monsters, and a mercenary candidate who, at the age of twenty, had the talent to use Sword Aura.

As Denolt said, most people over forty still couldn’t use Sword Aura.

Considering how many couldn’t even properly use Sword Qi, the preliminary stage of Sword Aura, by their thirties or forties, it made sense.

In fact, simply using Sword Qi cleanly at twenty would already be considered a talent.

Most mercenaries only manage to use Aura, and if they’re at the Silver Badge level, about half of them can use Sword Qi.

At the Golden Badge level, most of them are talented enough to use Sword Aura.

This is the basic average among mercenaries.

So, someone at twenty who can already use Sword Aura means that their promotion to Golden Badge mercenary is almost guaranteed.

How great would it be to add someone like that to your party?

That’s probably why so many mercenaries are interested in today’s mercenary test.”

However, when Elia looked surprised after hearing about Allen, Denolt and Mars looked at her as if she were being ridiculous.

“Elia, you can already use Sword Aura. Why are you making such a surprised face?”

“Huh? Ah, haha…”

“That’s right. You were already able to use Sword Aura since you were seventeen, so don’t pretend to be so surprised. It just makes us old guys feel bad.”

“Heh… haha.”

At their words, Elia awkwardly smiled and answered.

Indeed, Elia was a genius among geniuses. She had felt mana at the age of ten through Kael, started using Aura a month later, used Sword Qi at thirteen, and could use Sword Aura by seventeen.

So, seeing her surprised at Allen’s story was an absurd sight to others.

It probably looked like a greater genius mocking a lesser genius.

For Elia, it was a gaze she had grown used to from those around her who were aware of her abilities.

“Well, I’m a genius, so… I guess there’s nothing I can do about it?”

And because she was used to such gazes, she could pass it off with such a cheeky remark.

It was a playful answer, not out of teenage arrogance.

When she made this joke to Zenre, she laughed a lot, and Denolt and Mars couldn’t help but laugh as well.

“Ha ha ha! Yeah, that’s it. Show that country bumpkin from the south how things are done!”

“Exactly. Show them how bright the future of our kingdom is, Elia!”

“Well… I wasn’t planning on getting involved that much. And what do you mean by showing them? It’s not like we’re going to fight.”

She’s not someone who enjoys trampling on others, so was there really a need to do so?

Of course, since the two had only said it as a joke, Ellia let their words pass without much thought.

And as she was chatting with them for a while, the voice of an employee sitting at the desk in the distance echoed throughout the mercenary guild.

“All those who came to take the mercenary test, please gather over here!! We will be moving to the training ground, so please assemble!!!”

The employee’s voice rang out loud enough not to be drowned out by the noisy chatter of the mercenaries.

Hearing this, Ellia bid farewell to the two she had been talking with and turned to leave.

“Well then, I’m off to take the test. If you both have time, feel free to come and watch.”

“Sure, we’ve got plenty of time today, so we might as well check it out.”

“Well, there’s no point in watching since you’re obviously going to pass, but I’m a bit curious about that guy, Allen, so I guess I’ll take a look.”

The two already assumed that Ellia would pass.

Of course, Ellia herself also thought the same.

Still, she took a step forward with a formal remark and approached the employee who was waving his hand, gathering the newcomers.

And as she reached the employee, she noticed other recruits gathering around as well.

Unlike the more experienced mercenaries, Ellia glanced over at the faces of the recruits who seemed to be around her age.

Saaaat—

‘Most of them are… well… they’re all about the same.’

Ellia analyzed the newcomers with her eyes.

Muscle mass, mana levels, the flow of mana, overall body movement—Ellia observed them based on these factors.

Seeing that they were all quite similar, she nodded slightly.

As expected of new recruits taking the mercenary test, they were physically less trained than well-disciplined veteran soldiers, let alone knights.

Their mana flow was inconsistent, and their footsteps were clumsy, showing that they hadn’t undergone professional combat training. Their eyes also trembled with nervousness.

However, knowing that this was the average state for most recruits, Ellia didn’t think much of it.

After all, looking down on others and being disappointed without reason was rude.

She had always been told something by Kael and Ruina.

‘Don’t look down on others so easily.’

Kael and Ruina had corrected all the bad habits Ellia had during her adolescence, constantly reminding her that complacency and arrogance were the greatest weaknesses.

Thanks to them, Ellia had grown into a lady with an admirable personality in this medieval continent, never underestimating others or becoming arrogant about her own skills.

And just as she was about to wait for the upcoming test without much thought, she spotted one last person in her field of vision, and she couldn’t help but be impressed.

‘Oh?’

Unlike the other recruits, he had a well-trained physique and a refined mana presence.

That overwhelming aura one could only feel from a strong person made Ellia fix her gaze on the man’s face.

‘Is that Allen?’

His platinum blond hair was unkempt yet somewhat neatly maintained, and his deep blue eyes stood out.

Like Ellia, he had a sword hanging at his waist, and the two people standing behind him also possessed stronger physiques and mana than the other recruits.

With these three being the last to arrive, all the recruits had now gathered.

Which meant that the Allen who had drawn the attention of the mercenaries today had to be that man.

‘He definitely seems capable of using sword energy.’

It was just speculation since she hadn’t seen it firsthand, but with mana that refined, it was believable.

His mana was well-controlled to the point where it would be natural for him to wield sword energy—there was no reason to doubt it.

Although the rumors Denolt and Mars had mentioned seemed to be true, Ellia couldn’t sense anything beyond that.

She let out a small hum.

“Hmm…”

Even compared to the knights of the Shardena Order, he was somewhat on par but certainly not beyond them.

Of course, having the skills of a Shardena knight at the age of twenty was already an incredible feat, but Ellia’s thoughts didn’t quite extend that far.

Because at fifteen, she had already defeated knights from the Shardena Order.

It wasn’t arrogance or conceit—it was simply a fact. Since she had done it herself, she momentarily forgot to consider the standards of others.

‘Well, it’s nothing to worry about.’

But since there was no one here to correct her misunderstanding, Ellia simply let go of her rising expectations and turned her gaze away from Allen.

‘I thought he’d be as strong as me, but I guess not.’

Once again realizing her own genius, she turned her head away from Allen.

If Zenre had been there, she would have smacked Ellia on the head for being so cocky, but unfortunately, she wasn’t present.

“Now, we will be moving to the test site! Please follow in an orderly manner!!”

Letting her naturally arrogant thoughts slip away, Ellia took a step forward, following the staff member leading the way.

To take the mercenary test and become a mercenary.