Joseph continued, "Another requirement will have to be utilising a newer style, compatible to the individual's traits."
"…"
"It sounds like you know a lot Joseph." Doni continues to eye on the fight.
The two blades clash at each other, the battle rampantly increases in intensity.
Propelling the force of the blade with the wind, Bruno gradually pushes Arte back.
The leathered boots of Arte scrapes hard across the cement, trying their best to withstand the pressures from above.
However, Arte with her blazing pink eyes, pushes the blade against hers to the side, offsetting Bruno's balance, and then with a wide back swings, she strikes the neck of Bruno.
Thinking that the attack was swift and accurate, he forms a barrier of wind to push back her counter attack. Lifting his sword back, he then aims for her legs with a diagonal slash.
Using the force to push back her sword, she accelerates this process, planting her sword hard to the cement with a sickening thud. In order to dodge the incoming attack to her legs, she back flips with grace while maintaining the firm grip to the blade, taking it with her as she distances herself with Bruno.
'She's good!' Doni was thinking that this Sword Trainee was a good potential sparring partner.
"Good agility, swordsman." While it was known by all that Bruno was going easy on her, Bruno felt incredibly happy that such an applicant would apply for Ertree Academy.
"Entrant no.18, that will be enough for this duel." Bruno sheathes his blade, giving Arte a recommendation note.
"Here." Using the wind, he pushes the note towards Arte with precision.
Grabbing the note, she thanks for the lesson upfront. With the crowd dispersing for Arte, she quickly finds a spot to sit on at the side lines waiting for the exam to be finished.
'She skipped the entire exam!' Scrunching his face, Doni felt that this was incredibly unfair.
"We shall continue this, Entrant no.2, come forth." His tone loud, his action before made him increasingly imposing. Like a wall to climb, the eyes of the entrants blaze with a fiery passion wanting to be like him.
—-
The exam continues to run, more and more people have failed the first test, which was to nick the boulder atleast five centimetres.
However, nearing the end of the exam, there were three candidates who managed to do that.
"This person right here is Buster, a Swordsman Trainee." Joseph points toward the long, blue haired swordsman.
Surrounded by individuals with various intentions, he seemingly indifferent to all of them.
He is tall, pale and handsome, his cold, blue eyes stare towards the sky, and only to the sky. He wears leather armour while strapped in thick leather boots exerting a mercenary feel to his outfit. The man who has gotten fifteen centimetres nicked on the boulder.
'This guy looks like a walking stud.' Doni prasingly thought.
"Here we also have Jean, another Swordsman Trainee who nicked twelve centimetres." Joseph looks at her with slight awe.
As strong as she was, she was just as popular as Buster, attracting the attention of the crowd.
Jean pleases the crowd with her soft voice, mending the tension and nervousness this exam has brought upon each applicant.
She is about neck tall with Doni, she oozes kindness with her fluttering eyelashes. She has a gentle demeanour, making her all the more approachable. Her crimson eyes hints at a past sorrow, gripping the hearts of many. The same as Buster, she wears a leather armour and thick leather strapped boots. Many of the male audience approach her with various methods of wooing. But to their demise, they get rejected with sadness, running off into the crowd.
"She seems alright. I rather get to know someone than approach with only their looks in mind." Doni stated with a slight chuckle.
"I can't agree more Doni, you are a fantastic candidate to be one of my followers." Even with Joseph's incredible charisma, he was ignored when he brings up the follower topic to Doni.
"Uhm… Moving on to the last person who past the first test." Joseph then tries to point towards a tiny figure, a human with dwarf height.
"This is… Where is he?" Looking for him on his tippy toes, Joseph scans around and then points towards a tiny individual in the crowd, sitting on the sidelines with Arte.
"This is Freg, he isn't acknowledged as a Swordsman Trainee. However, he did manage to nick thirteen centimetres off the boulder."
The two, Arte and Freg, in the distant were cheery and were having a conversation.
Arte caresses Freg's orange hair, causing him pout in annoyance by flailing his arms.
But in comparison to his annoyance, Arte had a calm and sweet moment with him.
'How nostalgic.' Doni gazes towards their cherishable memory. As he continues watching their banter with one another, he looks away with his eyes showing signs of desperate sorrows.
Freg is wearing kid sized leather armour with thin leather strapped boots.
"I just came back from the dumps, glad I got some free information broker right next to me."
Realising what he had just said, his expression widens and tries to ask Joseph before he got called to come to the stage.
Making his way up and next to a boulder with multiple nicks and cuts, his face ridden of nervousness.
"You know the drill, Entrant no.77."
'What technique should I use…' Doni ponders while steadying a stance, steadying his breath and steadying his blade as he points it down behind him.
'Not bad.' Bruno intriguingly thought.
Tensing his leg muscles, he firmly plants his two boots on the ground, cracking it beneath.
"Cleave." Doni swings his blade with two hands, creating a thunderous clap against the wind. Before the point of contact with the boulder, he tightens the grip to the handle instantaneously.
Boom!
It was loud, capturing the attention of everyone watching the exam. Doni managed to crumble the boulder accidentally as he looks at the boulder in shock.
His eyes radiates a different shine, a combination of white scattering veins and a black and white dart board at the epicenter.