“!”
Rohan’s longsword cleanly sliced through the test golem.
The instructor’s previously lazy eyes widened in shock, a glint of astonishment flashing within.
The hand that had been scratching his head stopped, and the yawn that had been lingering in his mouth was cut short.
The cadets watching from behind were no different.
Having experienced the terrifying hardness of test golems in their homeland’s education at least once, the current situation was hard to believe even with their own eyes.
If it had been a well-known figure demonstrating this, they might have been amazed rather than just convinced.
But the man’s appearance and the name “Rohan” were completely unfamiliar, leaving them utterly bewildered.
“…”
The person who found this silence and stillness the hardest to bear was none other than Rohan himself.
Ignoring the gazes of the cadets pressing against his back, Rohan spun his longsword and sheathed it.
He looked at the frozen instructor and asked, “Instructor, may I leave now?”
“Ah, yes. Number 99, your name is…?”
“Rohan.”
“Good. You may leave.”
The instructor underlined Rohan’s name, drew a star next to it, and then stroked his scratchy beard.
The fatigue he had felt since the start of the test had completely vanished.
‘This year’s first-years are shaping up to be a bountiful harvest beyond expectations. It’s going to be a lot of work to keep them in check.’
Just the promising cadets he had identified so far were already more than a handful.
In a normal year, having one standout star per grade would be surprising, but this year, they were unusually abundant.
‘Among them, there are two cadets who could be considered legendary. And both of them are inside the gymnasium…’
With the biggest of the big shots, there was no need to even see their faces.
Just reading the information listed in their files was enough to give him a headache and make him tired.
‘Ugh… this is going to be a headache.’
The instructor sighed deeply as he looked at the name and photo of the next cadet in line.
In the northern kingdom where nine out of ten citizens were beastkin, a land of vast snowfields and endless coniferous forests, the nation of Tigroba.
The princess of Tigroba and the youngest daughter of the Snow Tiger Emperor, Lord Seolho, Noah Frozenheart.
And from the eastern federation known as the Tri-Flower Nation.
The heir to the largest corporation in that powerful nation, Tenkaizen, Ichinose Yui.
‘My stomach already hurts. Maybe I should take a leave of absence.’
From the instructor’s perspective, there was only one thing he wished for from these students.
Though the possibility was extremely low, he earnestly hoped that these cadets would quietly spend their two years here and graduate without causing any trouble.
‘…’
In any case, the reality was that a storm was brewing right before his eyes.
Knowing there was no way to avoid it, even though he felt like he was going to die from the annoyance, the instructor called out the next number in a weary voice.
“Next, number 252.”
“Here.”
Yo!
Noah, who had been sitting next to Ichinose, suddenly raised her hand and stood up.
She didn’t head toward the wall where the weapons were hung but instead marched forward with her bare fists.
In front of the newly prepared golem, she wiggled her round ears, waiting for the procedural questions.
*Ahem… Name.*
“Noah Frozenheart!”
Her name echoed boldly through the gymnasium.
The cadets, hearing such a prestigious name, began to buzz like waves in a night sea.
The instructor quickly tidied up the situation, which was exactly as expected.
“Any cadet disrupting the test with chatter will be penalized.”
After warning the waiting crowd, the instructor’s gaze returned to Noah Frozenheart.
She stood there, grinning, clearly eager for the signal to start, regardless of the whispers behind her.
The instructor gave her a formal warning, as she held no weapon.
“Not using a weapon doesn’t grant bonus points or a retry. You’re aware that personal artifacts are also prohibited, right?”
*Nod nod.*
She nodded enthusiastically, as if it were obvious. Her tail swished up and down.
“Then… you have one minute to start.”
The moment the instructor gave Rohan the signal to begin…
*Whoosh!*
Noah, as if she’d been holding back, immediately threw a tightly clenched fist.
The moment her fist touched the golem, a deafening roar and a burst of cold erupted.
*BOOOOOOM───!!!*
A pure white frost sprayed out like a cloud, obscuring vision and filling the gymnasium with a misty haze.
It looked like a massive dry ice block had just collapsed.
Rohan, who had finished his test and was watching, internally exploded with admiration while brushing off the frost accumulating on his uniform.
─ Whoa, that scared me!
─ Wh-what the heck is this!?
─ Is this Tigroba’s…?
As the startled cadets murmured, the instructor channeled his mana and spoke.
“Quiet.”
The scattered frost condensed into a pure white ice block in the instructor’s palm, then dropped to the floor with a *thud*.
At the same time, the spot where Noah Frozenheart and the test golem had been became visible.
Only something resembling the lower part of the golem remained in front of her, with unidentified powder scattered messily on the floor, painting a rough picture of what had happened.
“Should I go down now?”
“Yes. Go down.”
This time, he had expected it. So, the instructor’s outward reaction was calm.
He just poked at the star drawn above her name with his pen, mulling over the scene.
‘Blood will tell, after all…’
Noah Frozenheart had shown…
Explosive release. That’s a different level from the clumsiness of not being able to control overflowing magical power.
Putting magical power into projectiles like bullets, arrows, or daggers is a kind of talent.
She’s in the process of refining her innate talent and power into an ideal form.
“Next, number 253.”
“Yes.”
Ichinose Yui stood up, holding her tachi, and headed towards the wall.
Closing her eyes, she walked briskly.
The girl stopped in front of the wall, gently placed her sword down, picked up a familiar-style sword, and stepped forward.
“Name.”
“Ichinose Yui.”
At the softly spoken name, another stir arose among the cadets.
But unlike before, they quickly quieted down, mindful of the instructor’s gaze.
“Start within one minute.”
“Understood.”
With a small breath, Ichinose pulled her left foot back.
Then, she slightly leaned her upper body forward.
With a flick of her pale thumb, the blade slid out of the scabbard with a sharp *clang*!
“…”
Without a single shout.
The girl’s sword flowed like water from her hand.
*Swoosh—!*
The blade swung diagonally, cleanly slicing through the golem.
A neat slash, completely opposite to Noah Frozenheart’s style.
With a sharp sound, the sword that had finished its draw was already sheathed and resting.
The upper part of the golem, severed at the seam, slid smoothly and fell to the floor.
“I’ll step down.”
“…Alright.”
The instructor kicked aside the golem fragments and scratched his head with a pen.
How did such individuals end up in the early numbers?
It was almost pitiful for the cadets who would take the test afterward.
“Next, number 103.”
“Ah, yes…!”
After that, it went as the instructor expected.
From Ichinose Yui’s turn onward, no cadet managed to cut or damage more than half of the golem, and some couldn’t even leave a scratch.
Some cadets already wore expressions of despair at the overwhelming difference in skill.
But the instructor knew very well.
That their skill level was actually the average, the norm at Orion Academy.
*****
The practical exam ended without a hitch.
No cadets raised objections to the test.
Yet, there was one guest who hadn’t left the gymnasium.
Noah Frozenheart had left to eat, unable to resist her hunger, but Ichinose Yui still hadn’t left the gymnasium where the test was held.
“…”
The girl, having finished the test, was still processing…
I headed towards the pile of golems I had prepared.
Looking at the practical exam reviews posted on the Orion Academy community, there were only two freshmen who managed to slice through the test golems with a sword.
If we include all weapons besides swords, there are probably about five people who managed to split or smash the golems.
Even Noah, whose main weapon isn’t her fists, managed to turn a golem into dust with her punches.
But with swords, there are only two.
Ichinose Yui herself and some guy I’ve never seen before.
‘…Number 99.’
At first, I could feel his and Noah’s blatant stares.
I’m used to being stared at, so I didn’t mind, but his gaze wasn’t lustful—it was clear and warm, so oddly enough, it didn’t bother me.
‘Noah must’ve felt it too.’
I don’t know why he was staring like that.
But I vividly remember the moment he swung his sword.
It was the complete opposite of the gaze he had earlier.
The way he sliced through the golem felt like he was embodying pure killing intent.
It was as if he was someone who had made a habit of taking lives.
‘Whether that was a skill or not.’
It didn’t matter.
Because offensive skills only shine when the basics are solid.
“…”
With her eyes closed, she clicked her tongue.
Standing in front of the golem that Number 99 had sliced apart, she ran her hand over the cleanly cut surface.
The cut was smooth.
A feeling akin to impatience made her bite her lower lip.
*Click.*
The girl took a step back, slowly placed her weapon on the ground, and then.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the sword hanging on the wall.
And swung the blade without restraint.
*Swoosh!*
A sharp slash split the already cut golem in half once more.
The girl immediately touched the cross-section of the golem she had just sliced.
“Ah…”
Compared to what Number 99 had done, it wasn’t as smooth.
It clearly screamed that it had been forcibly severed.
