chapter_0049

Chapter 48 : First, the Golden Badge Mercenary of the Mercenary Test

The new recruits who were watching, as well as the mercenaries sitting in the stands, all watched the sparring match unfolding before them in complete silence.

Kang, Kaga-Kang

The sight of Elia, the woman who was evenly matching Martin in swordplay, was enough to make everyone question if their eyes were deceiving them.

No, not just matching—there were moments when she even overwhelmed him during their sparring. This led people to wonder if Martin was deliberately holding back.

So, to suddenly see a woman who had just come of age overpowering Martin was hard to comprehend.

After all, the only people in the kingdom who could rival Martin were General Zenre Hyde of the Shardena Knights and the war heroes Kael and Ruina, who were said to live in the southwestern region.

It was a scene that was difficult to believe, which is why people couldn’t help but have such doubts.

However, it was clear to anyone present that Martin was giving it his all.

The evidence of this was in the fact that, even when facing Allen, who had been the strongest among the new recruits, Martin had not drawn his sword at full strength.

But now, he was wielding his sword with full force.

As the swords clashed, bright sparks flew into the air.

This was a sign that both combatants were nearly equal in strength, their swords locking with intense force.

In his spar with Allen, this had not been seen, but with Elia, the display was clear: Elia’s skill was nearly on par with Martin’s.

“Impossible…”

The words someone muttered quietly echoed above the sound of their swords.

Yet no one disagreed with those words. Instead, everyone could only deeply resonate with them.

It was astonishing enough that someone so young could handle a sword with such skill, but to be on par with Martin—or even stronger—was beyond belief.

Where in the world had such a recruit come from?

“No, someone like that has been in the kingdom?”

“With that kind of skill, rumors should have spread by now…”

“Is she using some kind of trick? Otherwise, how could someone so young make the Guild Master struggle like this?”

Many people wondered about her identity, but no one connected her to Kael and Ruina’s daughter.

After all, the rumors about their daughter had been circulating in the royal capital for years, and no one had ever shown much interest in her.

As for Elia, she had no intention of revealing her true identity either.

If asked why, it was because revealing it would not help her in any way.

She would just hear things like, “Oh, so you’re Kael and Ruina’s daughter? That explains why you’re so strong!”

Of course, it wasn’t entirely wrong, considering she had received Kael’s teachings on swordsmanship, but Elia’s efforts and achievements would be overshadowed by the name Kael, so she had no intention of revealing the truth.

In fact, she had intentionally kept her identity hidden to avoid such assumptions.

So, instead of revealing her lineage, Elia simply continued to swing her sword.

She didn’t want anyone thinking unnecessary thoughts but instead wanted them to witness her true skill.

Meanwhile, it was Martin who was suffering from Elia’s relentless attacks.

Kaaang -!!!

“Hey! Take it easy! Are you trying to kill me in a spar?!”

“Come on, Guild Master, you’re fine with this much, right? Besides, I can’t go easy on you after you started this without any warning.”

“Well, the Master kind of forced my hand, and I had no choice… Uwah?!”

“You’re making a lot of excuses, Guild Master. Looks like you still have some energy left.”

Their conversation was drowned out by the clash of swords, but Elia’s strike interrupted it, cutting off their words completely.

While Martin struggled to block Elia’s sword, he asked her to go a bit easier, but sadly, it seemed his request would go unheard.

Kaga-Kang, Kaga-Kang –

The swords clashed repeatedly, sparks flying before they locked again, leading to a battle of strength.

The outcome of that struggle became apparent almost immediately.

Elia, who had the strength of an adult male soldier since she was fifteen, now possessed a tremendous amount of power that could easily overpower any knight.

Though her muscles were compacted, which had amazed both Kael and Ruina, that wasn’t the main point here.

What mattered was the sheer strength of Elia, who was in her prime, and Martin, who was aging.

Martin, in his youth, had been strong enough to fight dragons with his bare hands.

Even now, he could probably do it if he really tried, but he was no match for Elia, whose strength was that of youth.

“Ugh… I suppose being young is still the best…”

So, during their swordfight, Martin, using his remaining strength, kicked out with his right foot toward Elia’s leg.

This was Martin’s fighting style—a practical, survival-oriented form of swordplay, honed through years of mercenary work.

It was the perfect combat style for a mercenary.

However, what Martin overlooked was that Elia was Kael and Ruina’s daughter, and she had been trained in their battlefield techniques.

Elia had received all of Kael and Ruina’s combat teachings.

Wham!

The kick charged with mana was easily blocked by Elia’s raised leg.

Boom -!!!

Then, as Elia adjusted her stance, Martin’s body lost balance, causing him to stumble.

“Ugh?!”

“This is the end.”

With that, the match was decided.

Martin’s body, losing balance, was shoved by the sword that collided with it, and Elia’s sword fell in front of Martin, who had collapsed.

Seeing Elia’s sword, which stopped right in front of his face, wrapped in a menacing aura, Martin let out a bitter laugh.

“Heh… This is something.”

It had been almost three years since he had last sparred with Elia.

Certainly, three years ago, he thought she was strong enough, and he thought she might surpass him soon, but he never expected that she would catch up in just three years.

Admiring her unbelievable growth speed, Martin opened his mouth to fulfill the role given to him.

“Looks like I’ve been completely defeated… Elia. From now on, you are a gold-tier mercenary. You have no complaints, right?!”

Following Allen’s declaration of a silver-tier mercenary, this was the first declaration of a gold-tier mercenary in this test.

However, naturally, no one raised any objections to the result.

In fact, some even thought that since Elia had defeated the famous gold-tier mercenary Martin, perhaps she should receive a platinum-tier mercenary title.

Although it wasn’t a life-or-death battle, Elia had defeated Martin in a sparring match, so who would have complaints about the gold-tier mercenary declaration?

And only after Martin’s gold-tier mercenary declaration ended did applause start to sound late.

Clap, clap…

One of the mercenaries who had witnessed this incredible sparring match, which could not even be seen in famous gladiator tournaments, started clapping with a dazed expression.

Then, as if the applause was contagious, it began to spread through the audience.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap—

-!!!

With the sound of applause came cheers pouring from all around.

And even Kael and Ruina subtly joined in, giving a warm applause, as Elia, having sheathed her sword, turned her steps.

“Ha… Really.”

Although she had knocked Martin down out of frustration, this was something that Kael also had to deal with.

However, since it was indeed her who had expressed the desire to become a gold-tier mercenary, she thought it was her responsibility, so hesitation was inevitable.

Moreover, in reality, she became a gold-tier mercenary without any scandals, so it could be considered good.

“…I just need to say a few words.”

Originally, she had planned to use the sparring as an excuse to torment Kael, but with a change of mind, Elia decided to retreat, leaving behind the applause and hiding among the new recruits.

Of course, she couldn’t escape the admiring and awestruck gazes of the new recruits there.

In the end, Martin was the only one who was feeling unfair about the sparring.

Meanwhile, all the mercenaries gathered in the empty training ground, near the quiet mercenary guild.

There, a woman wearing a long silk robe and a large pointed hat carefully opened the door and entered.

She was holding a staff in one hand and a piece of paper in the other, looking around nervously.

Her appearance, looking like a lost puppy unsure of what to do, caught the attention of one of the guild employees who was sitting at the desk.

The employee stood up and approached her.

“Excuse me, may I help you with something? If you need anything, I can assist you.”

“Wha…?!

Perhaps she hadn’t sensed the employee approaching, and she was startled, flustered by the unexpected interaction.

However, after a moment, the woman quickly calmed her startled heart, handed the paper she was holding to the employee, and spoke.

“Umm… I came to submit a request… Should I just hand you the request form?”

“Ah, yes. If you give it to me, I’ll quickly stamp it and post it on the bulletin board. Could you briefly tell me what kind of request it is?”

The employee responded to the woman’s statement, following the standard procedure.

The woman, who had handed over the paper, nodded quietly in response to the employee’s question.

“It… It’s nothing special… It’s a designated request from the Magic Tower. Um… The Lord of the Magic Tower has personally designated a request for Platinum-tier mercenary Kael.”

Despite her gentle voice and stumbling words, the content of the request was something terrifying beyond measure.

“…Pardon?”

The employee, who clearly had heard it properly, unconsciously asked again.