Entrance Exam (2)

The grand front gate of the Sword Dragon Hall.

The new cadets underwent entrance checks and received numbered tickets from the instructors.

The numbered tickets served as seat assignments, handed out in the order of entry.

"Let's go too."

"Yup!"

Ian and Sophia also received their numbered tickets from the instructor.

They were 97 and 98, respectively.

"Uh, huh? Aren't we supposed to be inspected separately?"

Other new cadets had their swords and notification letters from the ceremony thoroughly examined, and those entering through recommendations underwent even stricter inspections. But Ian and Sophia were simply allowed in after confirming their names and faces.

"Is it really okay for us to just go in like this?"

"Yeah, we can just go in. All the necessary procedures were finished two weeks ago."

There had been no problem preparing the notification letter and Vladiark required for entrance, and Sophia's process was handled neatly through Cheryl, the manager of the annex.

From what Ian had heard, the Heavenly Sword Lord himself had directly approved Sophia's admittance.

It was only natural they'd get a free pass.

"Wow, waaah... Now it really feels real. Never thought I'd actually get to learn swordsmanship... and at the Sword Dragon Hall, the world's greatest institution for training swordsmen...!! Woohoo!"

Sophia trembled with excitement as she gazed around the vast training grounds of the Sword Dragon Hall.

"Young master Ian! I'll work really hard! I'll become such a strong swordsman you'll be shocked!"

"That's the right attitude. Never forget that original determination."

"Yup! I'm always sincere!"

"Good, good. Let's find our seats first."

"Yup!"

Looking around the training ground, they saw stone slabs lined up neatly, each with numbers inscribed.

The slab with the same number as their ticket was their spot.

Ian and Sophia each sat down on the slabs marked 97 and 98.

'Yuria...'

As soon as he sat down, Ian looked around for Yuria.

The biggest reason he entered Sword Dragon Hall was to protect Yuria by her side.

'She's not here yet.'

No matter how he looked around in any direction, Yuria was nowhere to be seen.

"What are you looking for?"

Seeing Ian constantly turning his head, Sophia asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just looking around."

"Aha!"

At Ian's reply, Sophia also turned her head, scanning the training grounds.

"It's much bigger than I expected! I think the Greysel mansion could fit right in here!"

"Yeah, really."

Just as Sophia said, the training grounds of Sword Dragon Hall were almost as vast as some city plazas.

"It feels less like a swordsmanship school... more like a fortress."

"Could almost be a giant stadium."

"Exactly!"

The structure of Sword Dragon Hall was reminiscent of a massive rectangular stadium.

On both sides, grandstands housed multitudes, and both in front and back, imposing dormitories and classrooms wrapped around the grounds like a fortress wall.

"Young master, you said the entrance exam is right after the entrance ceremony, correct?"

"Yeah."

Ian remembered from his previous life that the main event of the Sword Dragon Hall entrance function was, in fact, the entrance exam.

The entrance speech would be very short and quickly move on.

'The format of the exam is...'

He remembered this as well, from what Yuria told him in his previous life.

'The magical obstacle marathon.'

Ian remembered everything Yuria had ever told him.

'In my past life, Yuria took first place in the entrance exam.'

It was only natural.

Yuria, now 14, had reached the threshold of an Expert.

Except for Ian, who was currently a low-intermediate-stage Expert, Yuria held the highest rank among all 14-year-olds in the world.

Probably, the only 14-year-old in the world who could beat Yuria one-on-one was Ian himself.

'But she didn't take first place so easily.'

There were some obstacles and several rivals.

'First, the interference from the test's supervising mage.'

According to Yuria, the supervising mage had cleverly concentrated the obstacles on her.

He later learned that the mage belonged to Charlotte's faction.

Charlotte used her faction's mage to keep Yuria, who was monopolizing the Heavenly Sword Lord's attention, from shining.

She wanted the Heavenly Sword Lord to be disappointed in Yuria.

'Now that I have ties to Charlotte too, I need to be wary.'

Charlotte had tried to steal Ian's Vladiark and got caught, receiving heavy punishment and ending up broke.

But she hadn't lost all her supporters yet, so she was likely to seek revenge in some way.

There was a good chance she'd use a mage to get revenge during this exam, so Ian had to stay vigilant.

'Actually, this could be better. If the magical obstacles focus on me, it simply means more mana to feed Vladiark.'

Whether it was fireballs or water cannons, if it was made of mana, Vladiark could devour it.

Try interfering, if you dare.

Vladiark would eat them all.

'And the second factor that troubled Yuria in my past life... that guy.'

The man with blazing red hair standing confidently in the very front row.

'Kargon Hisperion.'

The Heavenly Sword Lord's sixth child and third son.

Fourteen years old, same as Yuria, but born a few months earlier, so formally her older brother.

Born of the Heavenly Sword Lord's second wife, Yuria's half-brother.

'That guy and his subordinates focused all their attacks on Yuria, didn't they.'

Currently Kargon's rank was probably late-stage User.

Considering that the average new cadet's standard was entry-stage to early-stage User, Kargon was far above his peers.

If not for Yuria, Kargon would have been first place in the previous life's entrance exam.

And Kargon knew it.

If he could only get rid of Yuria, the top spot would be his.

So he formed a group.

He knew there was no beating Yuria one-on-one.

He aimed to crush her with sheer numbers.

But.

Each time, he was crushed by Yuria's overwhelming talent.

He had never taken first place in an exam even once, as far as Ian had heard.

'There's little need to worry about him. Yuria can handle him alone.'

But there were two more people to keep an eye on.

'First, that one—Hector Goldhound.'

Rich golden hair and bronzed skin. A larger build than most.

He was the second son of the strongest great family among Hisperion's vassals.

Hector, along with his gang, was sitting together in the shade.

'He's another gang leader, like Kargon.'

His aura rank was the same.

Late-stage User.

But the difference was their temperament.

'Kargon, for all his competitiveness, isn't a brute.'

But this guy—no question—was a brute.

Not only did he constantly bully those around him, but he would stop at nothing to win.

'During the entrance exam, he attacked Kargon, not Yuria.'

Likely, the reason was...

He wanted to make Kargon submit and steal his lackeys.

Probably, his final target was also Yuria.

But for now, knowing he couldn't beat Yuria, he tried to crush Kargon first and build up his own force.

'At least for this exam, I won't need to worry too much about him.'

He would only be after Kargon during this test.

But the last guy was worth caring about.

'Barbarian Kuga.'

Said to have been brought from a slave arena by Aris Hisperion, the Heavenly Sword Lord's third child and first daughter.

There was no need to look around for Kuga.

He stood out so much he was instantly recognizable.

'That guy's supposed to be 14?'

Among new cadets averaging 160 cm, his overwhelming size was obvious.

'He must be well over 2 meters tall...'

Even in his previous life, Ian had been nearly 2 meters tall.

But this guy looked way bigger.

And those muscles.

Even most orcs would look delicate beside that muscular frame.

'He's apparently a intermediate-stage User.'

Above the average of the new cadets, but lower than Yuria, Kargon, or Hector.

But that wasn't his main weapon.

'That overwhelming brute strength overflowing from his barbarian physique.'

Barbarians are classified as demi-humans, like elves or luminaries.

They possess such immense strength that they can hardly be considered human.

Kuga was a physical genius with unprecedented power, even among barbarians.

'According to Yuria, he was more dangerous than Kargon or the mages' interference.'

Brute force that even the entry-stage Expert Yuria struggled against.

That guy would likely survive until the final stages of the exam.

He'd be running into them for sure.

Ian would have to be extra careful with him.

'And finally...'

The existence Ian needed to be most careful with if he wanted to take first place in the entrance exam.

'Yuria Hisperion.'

The top scorer of Ian's previous life and the strongest among the new cadets.

And the one he loved most dearly.

'No matter how much I care for you, I can't yield first place in the entrance exam.'

In this life, Ian needed to become stronger than anyone.

To protect Yuria from the Grand Dukes of the Demon Realm, he'd have to claim every single reward given for being top of the Sword Dragon Hall.

* * *

A little while later.

The new cadets filled their seats without a single absence, and the stands on both sides of the training grounds were packed with nobles and swordsmen come to watch the entrance exam.

Soon, with the Heavenly Sword Lord's grand entrance, the entrance ceremony began.

The entrance ceremony ended in a flash.

A short welcoming speech and a simple oath.

"As a cadet of Hisperion, I swear to devote myself with all my heart to the laws and people of this land."

With that, the entrance ceremony was over.

The Heavenly Sword Lord, Darkan, stepped down from the platform and took the highest seat in the stands, while the MC took the podium and began the proceedings.

"Now, let me explain the format of the Sword Dragon Hall's entrance exam."

—Flash!

With a flash of light, a translucent screen appeared in the sky.

It was a projection magic spell to explain the entrance exam.

"This year's entrance exam is simple."

—Tsk!

As the MC pressed the button in his hand, a line drawn around the edge of the training ground began to glow blue.

"This line you see is the 'dead line'. All new cadets must avoid crossing the dead line and endure inside the area for as long as possible."

—Tsk!

When the MC pressed the button again, a video appeared.

It showed explanations of the obstacles featured in the entrance exam.

"However, the testing ground will do its best to hinder you. The floor will constantly move toward the dead line, and the speed will increase over time. Fireballs will rain from the sky, fierce winds and waves will batter you, and high stone walls will rise to block your way."

—Tsk!

The next video showed new cadets clashing swords against each other.

"This test is both survival and battle royale. You are free to duel and actively interfere with your rivals, even directly knocking them out."

—Tsk!

The further explanations were straightforward.

Extra points for knocking out rivals.

Eliminated cadets would be treated by healers on standby.

Getting knocked out early wouldn't get you expelled, but your score would be affected, so it's best to last as long as possible.

'So to sum up...'

Ian nodded.

'Basically, just beat everyone and survive.'

Currently, Ian was a low-intermediate-stage Expert.

Even higher than Yuria, called a prodigy of the heavens.

And his swordsmanship inherited the swordmaster's insights from his previous life.

Ian was a perfect predator now.

No matter if Kargon Hisperion charged him with his lackeys, Hector Goldhound rallied his gang against him, Kuga the Barbarian pushed through with brute force, the test's mage focused every obstacle on him, or Yuria crossed swords with him wielding her natural brilliance...

Ian could nullify all those attacks and schemes with a casual yawn.

'This'll be fun. Now, let's see... just how capable these kids are.'

With a smile of expectation, Ian slung Vladiark over his shoulder.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Most of the examinees mentioned by Ian will probably get one-shotted by him...

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】