The scaled wolf lunged the instant the young man stepped forward, its massive body tearing through the mist with frightening speed. The candidate's pupils contracted as he raised his sword and met the attack head-on.
Clang!
The collision sent a sharp metallic sound through the forest, and the force behind the beast's charge pushed him several steps backward. His boots dug deep grooves into the damp earth before he finally managed to stabilize himself.
The wolf didn't give him time to breathe. Its claws swept toward his chest, forcing him to twist his body sideways. The attack passed dangerously close to his clothes, and before the beast could recover, he slashed toward its exposed flank. The wolf reacted with astonishing speed, twisting its body in midair and narrowly avoiding the blade. Its hind legs touched the ground for less than a breath before it launched itself forward again.
The candidate gritted his teeth. This wasn't the same opponent he had faced earlier.
Its movements had become faster, its attacks more precise, and its reactions sharper. Every mistake he made was being recorded and exploited. The longer the battle continued, the more difficult it became to find an opening.
He lowered his center of gravity and watched the wolf carefully.
"So that's how you're going to fight?"
The beast responded with another roar before charging.
This time, the candidate didn't swing his sword immediately. He waited until the last possible moment before shifting his body to the side. The wolf's claws passed inches from his shoulder. Instead of attacking its body, he deliberately struck the ground beneath its front legs.
Boom!
The sword smashed into the earth, sending dirt and stones flying upward. The wolf's vision was temporarily obstructed, and the candidate used that brief opening to move behind it. He swung his sword toward its hind leg, but the beast sensed the attack and turned violently.
Its tail struck his abdomen.
The candidate was thrown backward and crashed against a tree. Pain exploded through his body, but before he could recover, the wolf was already coming toward him.
He pushed himself away from the tree and rolled across the ground. The wolf's claws shattered the trunk where his head had been moments earlier. Wood splinters flew through the air.
The candidate's breathing became heavier.
He had finally understood the real purpose of the battle. The Academy wasn't interested in whether he could defeat an opponent stronger than himself from the beginning. It wanted to know whether he could remain calm when everything went wrong.
He tightened his grip on the sword and slowly stood.
The wolf stared at him. For several seconds, neither side moved.
Then the candidate smiled.
"You've been learning from me."
His gaze became sharper.
"But I've been learning from you too."
He lowered his sword slightly and waited.
The wolf's muscles tightened. It charged.
The candidate didn't move.
Three meters. Two meters. One meter.
The wolf suddenly leaped.
At that instant, the candidate stepped forward instead of backward. The beast's claws passed behind him, and he drove his shoulder into its chest while simultaneously hooking his sword beneath its foreleg.
The wolf's body twisted awkwardly. The candidate used the momentum to throw it aside.
The beast crashed into the ground, rolled several times, and immediately attempted to rise. But the candidate was already there.
His sword flashed. The blade stopped just before the wolf's throat.
The beast froze.
The candidate stood over it, breathing heavily. For several seconds, the forest remained silent.
Then the wolf's body began dissolving into countless particles of light.
The candidate stared in surprise as the creature vanished completely. The dense forest around him followed, fading into shimmering fragments until the entire environment disappeared.
The pain in his body vanished at the same time. The bruises disappeared. The blood on his clothes disappeared. Even the deep cuts he had received during the battle were gone without leaving the slightest mark.
When the illusion completely disappeared, the young man was standing exactly as he had been before entering the formation. His sword remained firmly in his hand, his body completely unharmed.
Only his exhausted expression revealed what he had experienced.
Outside the formation, the candidate staggered slightly before catching himself.
A silver-robed official glanced at his jade tablet and announced, "Candidate One has completed the first stage."
The young man looked down at his untouched body, then back at the formation.
Everything had felt real. The pain. The exhaustion. The fear.
Yet not a single injury had followed him outside.
Kellan stared at him with widened eyes. "That was only the first candidate?"
Mira nodded. "And the opponent became stronger halfway through."
Zion's eyes remained fixed on the formation. "The Academy is going to make them fight until they either prove that they can adapt or reach their limit."
Kellan swallowed. "I suddenly don't feel hungry anymore."
Mira glanced at him. "You just ate enough for three people."
"But not like someone who eat enough for six people"
Zion chuckled, but his attention soon shifted when another formation began glowing.
"Candidate Two."
◆ ◆ ◆
A young woman stepped forward. She appeared completely different from the nervous candidate who had just finished his battle. She was dressed in simple dark clothing, with a pair of short blades secured around her waist. Her expression was calm, and there wasn't even a trace of hesitation when she entered the formation.
The illusion immediately transported her to a rocky valley. A gigantic armored creature stood waiting at the other end. Its body was covered in dark metallic scales, and every step it took caused the ground to tremble.
Unlike the first candidate, the woman didn't immediately draw her weapons. She simply watched.
The creature charged. The woman moved.
Its enormous fist smashed into the ground where she had been standing, sending stones flying. She slipped around the attack and moved several meters away, but she didn't counterattack.
The creature turned and charged again. She continued retreating.
Kellan frowned. "Why isn't she attacking?"
Mira shook her head. "She's observing."
The creature swung again. The woman ducked beneath the attack.
Another punch came. She shifted sideways.
A third attack followed. She stepped backward.
Her movements were extremely economical. She never retreated farther than necessary, never wasted energy, and never made an unnecessary attack.
Zion narrowed his eyes. "She's not adapting to the creature."
Mira looked at him. "Then what is she doing?"
Zion watched the woman's feet. "She's forcing it to adapt to her."
As if confirming his words, the woman suddenly changed direction. Instead of moving away from the creature's next attack, she stepped directly toward it.
The armored beast's fist came crashing down. She slipped underneath it. Her hand struck its elbow — not with enough force to injure it, but precisely enough to alter the direction of the attack.
The creature's own fist slammed into the ground beside its body.
The woman immediately moved behind it. Her short blade flashed from its sheath.
Slash!
A thin wound appeared across the creature's back. The beast roared and spun around.
She was already gone.
Kellan's eyes widened. "She's playing with it."
"No," Zion said calmly. "She's controlling the pace."
The creature became increasingly aggressive. Its attacks grew faster. Its movements became more unpredictable.
Yet the woman remained calm. Every time it attacked, she moved just enough to avoid the blow. Every time it attempted to corner her, she changed the angle of the battle. Gradually, the enormous creature was becoming frustrated.
Then the woman suddenly stopped.
The armored beast charged with everything it had. At the last moment, she stepped aside. Its enormous body passed her. She grabbed one of the armor plates on its back and used its momentum to leap onto its shoulder.
The creature roared and violently shook its body. She remained attached.
Her second blade finally left its sheath. With both blades in her hands, she crossed them before her chest and drove them toward the narrow gap between the creature's armor plates.
Boom!
The impact forced the creature to stagger. The woman immediately released her grip and landed several meters away.
The creature turned. For the first time, hesitation appeared in its eyes.
The woman smiled. "You're getting predictable."
The battle resumed.
Outside the formation, Zion's expression became increasingly serious. This woman wasn't merely strong. She understood combat. She knew when to attack, when to retreat, and most importantly, how to control the opponent's decisions.
Above the platform, one of the academy officials looked at his jade tablet.
"Candidate Two's combat evaluation is already above seventy percent."
Another official raised an eyebrow. "Already?"
The elderly examiner watched the battlefield without speaking. After several seconds, he finally said, "That girl has experience."
The official looked at him curiously. "She's only sixteen."
"Experience doesn't always come from age." The examiner's eyes remained on the battlefield. "Some people are simply born understanding how to fight."
The woman's battle continued for several more minutes before she finally found an opening. She moved beneath the creature's arm, turned around it, and drove both blades toward the exposed joint behind its knee.
The creature lost its balance. It crashed heavily onto the ground.
Before it could rise, the woman placed one blade against the back of its neck.
The illusion froze. A moment later, the creature dissolved into particles of light. The rocky valley vanished. The woman's injuries disappeared along with it, leaving her body exactly as it had been before she entered.
She stepped out of the formation without even looking back.
A silver-robed official recorded her result. "Candidate Two has completed the first stage."
The woman simply nodded and returned to her seat.
Kellan stared at her. "That one is scary."
Mira smiled faintly. "You're only realizing that now?"
"I was hoping she would be friendly."
Zion glanced at him. "Why?"
"In case we become classmates."
Mira laughed softly.
But before Kellan could say anything else, another formation lit up. Then another. And another.
◆ ◆ ◆
The candidates slowly began realizing something terrifying. The first two battles had only been the beginning.
There were monsters hidden among the remaining candidates.
Some relied on overwhelming strength. Others possessed astonishing speed. Some fought with weapons. Others relied entirely on their bodies.
One young man wielded a heavy spear with such precision that his opponent couldn't approach him. Another girl fought almost entirely through footwork, defeating a Spirit Beast without suffering a single direct hit. A broad-shouldered youth took several devastating attacks head-on before counterattacking with enough force to crush his opponent's defenses.
The atmosphere inside the hall gradually changed. At first, the candidates had watched the battles with curiosity. Now they watched with caution.
Everyone had begun measuring the people around them.
Who was strong? Who was dangerous? Who might become their rival? And who might become their future companion?
Zion remained silent as battle after battle unfolded before him.
Then his gaze suddenly shifted toward the far side of the platform.
◆ ◆ ◆
A young man had just stepped into one of the formations. He was tall, dressed in a simple white robe, with long black hair tied behind his head. Unlike many candidates, he carried no visible weapon.
Kellan frowned. "Who is that?"
Mira's expression became thoughtful. "I don't know."
The formation activated. The illusion swallowed the young man.
A moment later, the enormous display above the platform revealed his battlefield. A massive Spirit Beast stood before him. The creature roared and charged.
The young man simply punch out.
Boom!
A terrifying shockwave erupted. The Spirit Beast was blasted backward before it could even reach him.
The entire hall became silent.
The young man lowered his hand. His expression remained completely indifferent.
Zion's eyes narrowed. *That wasn't ordinary strength.*
The elderly examiner's gaze also sharpened. "Interesting."
For the first time since the Battle Talent Assessment began, several academy officials exchanged serious looks.
The young man hadn't even drawn a weapon. He hadn't used a complicated technique. He had simply released his power. Yet the Spirit Beast had been unable to withstand it.
Kellan swallowed. "Okay..."
He stared at the battlefield. "That guy is definitely not normal."
Zion's eyes remained fixed on the formation.
"No." His voice was quiet. "He's just getting started."
The Spirit Beast slowly rose from the ground. Its body trembled. Then its pressure began increasing.
The young man's expression finally changed. A faint smile appeared.
The battle continued.
And somewhere among the hundreds of remaining candidates, another monster had just revealed himself.
---