"May I ask what your profession is and what level you've reached?"
The young woman replied skillfully.
"I'm a swordsman, approximately at the level of a swordmaster."
I concealed my true strength and claimed a lower rank, which caused a commotion among the nearby mercenaries.
"A swordsman at such a young age! Could I see your swordsman emblem?" the girl asked in surprise.
"I haven't undergone the swordsman level test, so I don't have the guild's emblem," I honestly replied.
Upon hearing this, the mercenaries burst into laughter, and some even shot me disdainful glances. A young mercenary with golden hair sneered, "So you just proclaimed it yourself? Then I suppose I'm a Sword Saint!"
He burst into laughter.
"I'm sorry, without the swordsman guild emblem, we can't acknowledge your swordsman level. You should first go to the nearby swordsman guild for a level test before registering. If you have the swordsman emblem, I can register you as a D-rank mercenary directly. Without it, you'll only qualify for the lowest F-rank," the girl explained patiently despite her surprise.
I glanced angrily at the mocking mercenary, then thanked the girl gratefully and turned to leave.
The young mercenary, seeing me leave without a word, became even more pleased. Pointing at my back, he continued, "No strength, yet pretending to be a swordsman! Such disgrace!"
Initially embarrassed by the mercenaries' mockery due to my lack of common knowledge, I found it difficult to accept. However, knowing mercenaries were generally straightforward, I shrugged off the embarrassment.
But the young mercenary continued to taunt, and I could no longer tolerate it. Even if I were Elder Black Dragon, I would still confront him for his disrespect. He was just a weakling in my eyes.
I turned coldly, facing the young mercenary. "Whether I have strength or not, you'll find out soon."
With a casual gesture, a stream of true energy shot towards him, aimed directly at his body. I had no intention of harming him; I simply wanted to demonstrate my capability. Therefore, I exerted minimal force in the energy.
The mercenary didn't expect me to turn back and shoot a strange energy directly at himself. He had never heard of energy being used without weapons, directly from the hand. The energy was as fast as lightning. He only saw a flash of blue light and couldn't react in time before being hit in the chest.
Instantly, it felt like his chest had been struck by a sledgehammer, and blood gushed out. He staggered backward, colliding with other mercenaries in the crowded hall.
"Oh heavens! Blue energy! He's a grand swordsman!"
Surrounding voices exclaimed in astonishment.
I coldly glanced at the young mercenary lying on the ground, unable to get up, and snorted disdainfully. Then, I turned and walked out, ignoring the mercenaries who hastily made way for me, afraid of provoking me accidentally.
Though I had only used soft energy, I had caused the mercenary to spit blood and retreat. He had no internal injuries; his inability to get up was due to fear alone.
Provoking such a skilled person without reason would leave anyone deeply regretful. The faint snort I left behind rang like thunder in his ears.
Looking at his now pale face, I knew his fear wouldn't dissipate for days.
I left the mercenaries' guild slowly, paying no attention to those trailing behind me. I headed straight to the adjacent swordsman guild.
Compared to the mercenaries' guild, the swordsman guild was much quieter, with only a few staff members casually chatting.
After a quick glance, I approached the one with the deepest aura of power.
"Here stands a seasoned warrior."
Upon seeing him clearly, I sincerely praised.
He appeared no younger than fifty, with a rugged face bearing a long scar almost dividing it in two. It gave him a somewhat fierce aura. He wore thick armor and carried a giant sword that stood taller than a person. It was likely made of high-grade dark iron, now showing fine cracks along its broad blade, indicating its long use.
Encountering such a warrior, I couldn't help but develop a favorable impression of the swordsman guild.
"I wish to undergo a swordsman level test," I directly told the warrior.
"You should go to the youngster in front for that. Why come to me?" He was curious, as few ever voluntarily sought him out due to his scarred face.
"Because among those here, you exude the greatest strength. That's why I've come to you for the test," I stared directly at him, speaking firmly.
"Oh! I only handle tests for swordsman level. If you don't have enough strength, I won't conduct the test for higher levels," he said with evident interest, smiling.
"What qualifies as enough strength? Must I defeat all of them?" I smiled. "Or is this already enough?"
I activated two layers of true energy, waving my right hand. A dazzling blue light flashed briefly in the air.
"Blue energy?" He exclaimed, rising from his seat, eyes bright with excitement and regret.
"I'm just a swordsman, not qualified to test a grand swordsman's strength. I can give you the swordsman emblem, but for a higher emblem, you'll need to test at the swordsman guild in the capital, Karianca."
I smiled and said, "I'm not after a mere emblem. Right now, I want you to test me, and only you."
"Why?" He was puzzled.
"Because you're a warrior worthy of respect," I said calmly.
A hint of excitement flashed in his eyes. "Thank you! Follow me."
I followed him to a combat arena, where several other swordsmen and the mercenaries who had followed me saw me unleash purple energy earlier were now focused entirely on us. They could watch from outside the arena due to the barrier, but they couldn't hear anything inside. The swordsman jumped into the center, swinging his greatsword in a flourish and calling out, "Swordsman Roger, please enlighten me."
Instantly, a chilling aura of killing intent swept towards me!
Ignoring his aura, I retrieved a wooden sword from my ring—a branch of the Dragon Giant Tree, fashioned like the longswords I used to wield. It was handy, so I hadn't discarded it.
The branch was extraordinarily sturdy, comparable to a regular iron sword but far inferior to the dark iron greatsword.
With a couple of swings, I said, "Edmund, please instruct me."
Roger knew his killing intent would have no effect on an opponent with blue energy, so he didn't let it discourage him. He raised his heavy sword high and charged at me. Despite his bulky armor, his movements were agile and unaffected.
As he neared, a flash of blue light, my green energy was close to my limit, and I deftly struck the midsection of his greatsword. It was the most challenging spot for him to manage, and every time, I'd hit it before he could complete a move.
His energy was repeatedly cut off halfway, causing him unbearable frustration, seemingly unable to even breathe properly.
In his perception, my energy wasn't particularly strong, nor was my speed remarkable. Yet, regardless of his changes in tactics, I consistently hit the difficult midsection of his sword, extending his annoyance.
Whenever he attempted to use his ultimate move, I was always one step ahead, completely suppressing him.
When I felt I'd pushed him enough, I suddenly exerted my full energy, the blue light shining brightly. In just one strike, I forced him to retreat.
He barely steadied himself, ready to continue attacking, when he suddenly felt an overwhelming force bearing down on him.
Before this force, he felt like a helpless rabbit struggling under a wolf's claws. The seemingly soul-piercing pressure made it hard for him to breathe. His fighting spirit, painstakingly gathered, melted away like snow in the sun. His entire body seemed to struggle to remain standing.
In the face of this intense pressure, he staggered back, helpless against my prowess.