"Hey, both of you — stop right there," said the head instructor, Cladwill.
Vairan and Kairoz felt a chill run down their spines.
"It's Cladwill..." Vairan muttered.
Kairoz narrowed his eyes at him, then lowered his sword.
"Damn, the best part was just getting started... why did he have to show up?" Vairan grumbled.
"Your battle is already over. Go stand over there," Cladwill ordered, his voice sharp. "Do you even realize what would happen if your families found out what you were doing here?"
Vairan finally calmed down, though the frustration was clear on his face.
"We'll continue this later, nox," Vairan said under his breath
Then Drex finally got up, his face bloody and swollen.
"Hey! How did he even get up?" said one of the soldiers, surprised.
"Let us aid you first," another soldier said, rushing over.
"I'm fine," Drex muttered. "Just wrap some bandages around me." After getting bandaged up, Drex stood firmly on his feet again.
The crowd stared in shock.
"I can't believe he got up after taking such a beating," Jack said, wide-eyed.
Vairan glanced at Drex, then smirked.
"Heh... I knew that bastard wouldn't go down so easily," he muttered.
"You're bleeding too much. You should get bandaged too," one of the soldiers said, looking at Vairan.
Vairan shot an annoyed look at the soldier, then chuckled.
"Sure, why not," he said with a crooked smile.
Would you like me to help you continue the next
"I gave you one job—and you couldn't even stop two brats," Cladwill snapped.
"T-they were nobles," the soldier stammered.
"There are no nobles in this fortress," Cladwill said, voice cold. "Teach and judge everyone equally."
"Sir, the test is over," the soldier ventured.
"Good. Return to the inner grounds," Cladwill commanded. "Soon we'll announce who's passed and who's failed."
With that, all the recruits filed back toward the fortress walls. Samaira and Jack fell into step together.
"Finally—getting to see Duke again," Jack said, relief in his voice. "I hope he's doing all right."
"And I'll finally get to meet my bestie," Samaira added, grinning.
Side by side, they headed back into the fortress.
After some time, Touka sat outside the medical room, gazing at the fortress courtyard. She spotted the others returning down the path.
"So they're back?" Duke asked, leaning beside her at the window.
"Looks like it," Touka replied. "But why are you up? Aren't you supposed to rest?"
"I'm fine," Duke said, pushing himself to his feet. "Come on—let's head down. We'll get our test scores soon."
All the recruits finally reached the fortress. Jack and Samaira spotted Touka and Duke, who were waiting for them outside.
Samaira immediately ran toward them.
"Yeahhh! Finally, I get to see you again!" she shouted.
Touka was stunned, watching Samaira rush straight at her. Before she could react, Samaira hugged her tightly, almost knocking her over.
Crap... Touka thought, struggling to keep her balance. I really hope she failed the exam. I want her out of here.
"I really missed you, Touka!" said Samaira, beaming.
"Alright, alright," Touka said, awkwardly patting her back. "Now tell me, how was your test?"
Samaira's face turned sad.
Seeing her expression, Touka thought, So she failed. That's good.
"I'm really sad," Samaira said with a sigh.
"It's okay, Samaira. It happens sometimes," Touka said, hiding a satisfied smile
"I'm really sad you weren't able to see my battle—the way I beat him!" Samaira said proudly, her sadness vanishing.
Touka blinked, confused.
"So... you passed?" she asked.
"Of course!" Samaira said, puffing out her chest with pride.
Touka forced a smile.
"That's good," she said flatly, though inside she was disappointed. Why did she pass?!
Samaira turned to Duke.
"So, how's your head?"
"I'm good," Duke said casually.
"That's alright then," said Samaira, relieved.
Jack finally caught up, panting slightly.
"Hey, are you alright?" he asked Duke.
"You're not feeling low?" Jack asked.
"I did my best," Duke said, glancing at Touka remembering her words. "At least now I know what my strengths are... and what my weaknesses are."
Touka just gave him a quiet look, saying nothing.
Jack let out a breath of relief.
" Thank goodness you're okay."
Duke glanced around at all the recruits' faces, noticing how exhausted and beaten they looked. He spotted Drex with heavy bandages wrapped around his head, and Vairan's nose was clearly broken, swollen and bruised. As Duke scanned further, his eyes landed on Kairoz, who looked completely untouched — not even a bead of sweat on him — walking confidently beside Darius.
"Look at him... he's not even tired," Duke muttered, staring at Kairoz in disbelief.
"Tch, how much do I have to train to even reach his level?" Duke said, clenching his fists.
"Are you giving up already?" Jack teased, smirking.
Duke looked at him and grinned back, his eyes burning with determination. "Of course not."
"He's dangerous too," said Samaira, her voice unusually serious. She glanced at Vairan, who still looked fierce despite his injuries. "He's a monster."
Seeing her serious expression, Touka thought to herself, Then he must be something truly terrifying.
Duke shifted his gaze toward Vairan. Their eyes locked for a brief, intense moment. Duke could feel the raw pressure in Vairan's glare.
"He beat Drex... the number one," Jack said quietly.
"What? For real?" Duke replied, his voice full of shock.
Even the number one was beaten down, Duke thought, feeling a mixture of awe and determination.
"Hey! Everyone get in line!" shouted Cladwill, his voice echoing through the courtyard. "We are announcing the scores!"
All the recruits quickly gathered, forming a rough line as anticipation filled the cold air. One of the instructors stepped forward, holding a long sheet of paper with the results. Clearing his throat, he began announcing:
"The highest scores — Kairoz! Ten out of ten in the first test... and nine out of ten in the second test."
Kairoz's expression barely changed, but a small twitch in his brow showed he was disappointed with the nine.
"Vairan! Nine out of ten in the first exam... and a perfect ten out of ten in the second!"
The two of them clearly stood above the rest, their scores towering over the exhausted recruits.
Darius's scores were announced next: first test — 8 out of 10, second test — 10 out of 10.
The soldiers continued calling out names until a familiar one caught our attention.
"At 11th place — Samaira! First test score, 7 out of 10; second test score, 9 out of 10."
"That's impressive," Duke said, smiling at Samaira.
Touka nodded slightly. "Well, you're quite a fighter, I have to say."
"Hehehe, stop, you're embarrassing me!" Samaira laughed, scratching the back of her head.
"I'm happy for you," Jack added warmly.
"At 12th place — Jack Orins! First test score, 7 out of 10; second test score, 8 out of 10."
"Impressive," Duke said, as even Samaira clapped lightly for him.
At 15th place, the soldier called out, "Touka Howards! First test score, 7 out of 10; second test score, 7 out of 10."
That's what I wanted, thought Touka, hiding her relief behind a calm expression.
Samaira slapped her back playfully. "Don't worry! We'll both train even harder and get to first place next time!"
"Yeah..." Touka muttered annoyingly, forcing a small smile.
"Still, that's a solid score," Duke added encouragingly.
"Heheh... thanks," Touka replied with a fake laugh.
Then came the next announcement: "At 16th place — Duke Vento! First test score, 10 out of 10; second test score, 4 out of 10."
"16th, huh?" Duke muttered, scratching his head.
"We actually got the same total marks," Touka said, smirking.
"Yeah..." Duke chuckled lightly.
"Remember when I said I would beat you after learning Kendra energy? And you lost even before that! Ahahah!" Jack teased.
Duke shot him a sharp glare.
"Ah—just joking, hehehe," Jack said quickly, backing off.
"At 20th place — Drex! First test score, 12 out of 10; second test score, 1 out of 10."
"Of course," Jack said. "He couldn't even touch Vairan with his sword... but wait, why did he get 12 in the first test?"
"Bonus points," explained one of the soldiers. "For reaching the top almost breaking the previous students' records. He's officially the second-fastest student to ever reach the top."
"Second?" Duke blinked, surprised. "How far off was he from first place?"
"Forget it," the soldier said, shaking his head. "It's impossible. The record-holder reached the top in just thirteen minutes."
"Whatttt?!" gasped the crowd.
"It took me hours!" one recruit shouted in disbelief.
"For Drex, it was 32 minutes," the soldier continued. "Still extremely fast. Even Duke and Kairoz are on the record list — both at 33 minutes."
"Who was the previous student?" asked one of the recruits.
The soldier smiled proudly. "The legendary hero of the Stromspire Kingdom... Commander Marcus."
Marcus... the one who kicked me straight in the guts, Duke thought bitterly, remembering the endless mountains he had to climb afterward. Crap... I have to beat him someday, Duke clenched his fists, determination burning in his eyes.
After that, the soldier continued announcing the results until all scores were revealed.
"The top 100 recruits have been selected!" he declared loudly.
Cladwill stepped forward. "Those who have not passed will have another chance... but only next year," he said in a firm voice.
Disappointed faces filled the hall. Many recruits, their heads hanging low, silently picked up their luggage and left the room.
Meanwhile, the selected ones remained behind, a mixture of excitement and nervousness buzzing in the air.
"There are exactly 100 students here now," Duke thought, glancing around at the new competitors who would become their allies—or rivals—in the coming days.
"I will be dividing you into parts," Cladwill announced, his voice echoing through the hall. "The top 30 will be placed in a separate class. They are the ones with the highest potential. The rest of you still need refining."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"Top 30 will be in Class A. Those ranked 31 to 60 will be placed in Class B. And the remaining will join Class C," Cladwill finished.
A quiet buzz of murmuring spread among the recruits—some faces lit up with pride, others tightened in frustration.
"Now, go eat dinner," Cladwill ordered. "Starting tomorrow, your real classes will begin. You will learn about Kendra Energy."
"Finally!" Jack said under his breath, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Yeah," said Duke, clenching his fists slightly, feeling the excitement rush through him.
Finally, it was starting — real training, real Kendra Energy.
No more running up mountains or swinging wooden swords all day. Now it would be different.
The recruits slowly began moving toward the dining hall, their footsteps heavy from the long day. Some were smiling, some were silent, and others just looked completely exhausted.
Touka walked beside Duke, sneaking glances at him.
"He's really fired up," she thought, seeing the small grin on his face.