The class placement exams in Midgard Academy aimed to select the best of the students.
Only the most talented of this generation would be able to attend the academy, but still, there would be geniuses amongst geniuses.
"Next, Vernox Mal'Torranoth!"
Julius frowned as he heard that name and glanced forward to see the same demon boy wearing a dark red coat, walking calmly to the magic doll.
He held a long sword in his hand and pointed it at the doll with a serious expression.
A dark swirling cloud of smoke appeared beneath the doll, and more than a dozen grotesque hands sprouted out from it, grabbing the doll in different parts and rendering it immobile.
Vernox then sped towards it, causing dust to rise in his shadow, and made a huge cut across its chest.
A satisfied smile was on his face, but the doll's aura increased, and it began to slice through the cursed hands that bound it.
'Hm. His power over darkness and curses hasn't developed too much. The doll, on the other hand... It's following the same attack pattern as before,' Julius observed very carefully.
The doll this time was much faster, charging towards Vernox and clashing swords with him.
Vernox couldn't land a hit this time, as it got even faster after it was cut on the chest. When he struck the sword forward, piercing toward the chest, a magic field emerged and blocked it, knocking him backward.
"End of the challenge!"
Julius watched Vernox walking back with a satisfied smile and couldn't help but shake his head.
[People are wondering what your abilities would be. Story slightly changed. Plot points +10.]
'The world is about to be turned upside down. Hope I survive...' he put on a light smile.
"Next up, Maru Hercules."
Julius frowned as he looked at the boy in front of him. Long puffy black hair, with yellowish eyes that had a sharpened gaze.
He held a long sword in his hand and then stood before the doll.
He spread his legs and unsheathed the silver sword.
A red aura wrapped around his body, and he boosted forward. The doll, too, went for him with a sword, and they clashed.
Maru suddenly disappeared from the front of the doll and appeared beside it, raising his sword.
"Blade of the Divine."
The red essence around him gathered, and he struck the shoulder.
Bang!!!
Maru seemed shocked as he looked to see only a deep cut in the doll's shoulder. The doll suddenly followed him and struck backward.
In the end, Maru couldn't destroy the doll.
[Item: Magic doll]
[Rank: Epic grade]
[Description: The doll can withstand any attack from first-echelon and second-echelon warriors without being fully destroyed, and it is completely impossible to be destroyed by someone in the first echelon.]
[Weakness (3 plot points)]
'Hm, I've read about these magic dolls while I was at the castle. I already know how to defeat it,' he thought.
Soon, it was his turn, and he stepped forward with his sword. It was within a blue sheath that had the red design of a snake.
He unsheathed the sword to reveal a black blade, and the chief on the stage frowned as he saw Julius pull out the sword.
The man standing beside the chief quickly bent to his ear.
"Chief, that's a mythril sword. The doll might not stand for long against its sharpness," the man said, and the chief smiled.
"We'll see about that. I've activated the secondary protection rune," the chief said, fixing his eyes on Julius.
While at the castle, Julius never thought to actually learn any sword technique, focusing instead on the sword style taught in the royal clan.
His left eye changed shape and had a cross in the middle, and he observed the doll. The edges of the cross spread around his eyeball, and the world became black and white.
He could see parts of the doll where mana wasn't too dominant.
'I'll have to finish it before it upgrades to the second phase.' He rushed forward as a golden light enveloped his body.
He suddenly became faster and clashed swords with the doll. He seemed quick on his feet, dancing around with the absolute defense he had learned.
He stalled for over thirty seconds before he finally found an opening in the doll's technique.
He stabbed forward with all his might, and the doll suddenly reacted, swiping its sword midair.
Julius was now wide open as his attack was knocked away, and the doll struck at his legs.
He was able to see the trajectory, and time seemed to slow down a bit. He flipped in the air and struck its shoulder, cleaving the arm off.
The crowd watching suddenly went silent as they saw the doll not moving for a bit.
'Why aren't they stopping the challenge?' Julius wondered, looking at the chief to see him in a stunned state. He quickly raised his blade.
BANG!!
He remained calm and supported his sword, looking up to see the doll with one arm, now glowing with a blue aura.
'It's using mana now. Why aren't they stopping this?' he thought, then focused.
Pushing the doll backward, he boosted forward, twirling his body and delivering a powerful blow to the doll.
The doll surprisingly blocked it, and then they began to clash swords. The blade in Julius' hand lit up with a white light, and he did a backflip, executing a horizontal strike.
While midair, he struck the sword toward the doll, sending an arc of light toward it.
BOOM!!!
A dust cloud rose, and the crowd couldn't have been more surprised.
"Who is that... prince? I've never heard about him before," Selena asked the girl beside her. Both of her eyes glowed, and within her pupils was a light in the shape of a sword.
She saw a strange energy coming from one of Julius' eyes and frowned at this.
"Him? He's Prince Julius Veloria Augustine. He was just a cripple a few years ago and used the Stone of Rebirth to awaken his essence," a girl beside her said, and Selena couldn't help but cross her arms.
'So he's artificially awakened, and he's able to do all this. Is it because of the God Eye he possesses?' she wondered. She wasn't able to see it clearly, but she knew what it was.
"Did you see that? He was able to cut off the arm, and now he's facing the doll on equal footing."
"This is... Who is he?"
"Isn't he the talentless prince?"
"He recently got promoted to an heir. So he's this strong."
Vernox, on the other hand, could see clearly. He could see the essence emanating from Julius.
'He's way stronger than me,' he sighed at the thought.
Julius, on the other hand, was still looking at the chief to stop it.
'Damn, if I wasn't already at the second echelon, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to stand my ground,' he thought, panting.
He had already expended most of his essence and only had a few more tricks up his sleeve.
'Am I going to have to use it?' he wondered, looking at the doll getting back up from within the dust cloud.
"Ahem, challenge is over!"
Julius relaxed finally as he heard the chief's voice. He sheathed his blade, and it vanished from his hand into the storage ring on his finger.
The chief watched the young prince walk back to the crowd with a smile on his face, and the man beside him could also see a future prodigy.
"Do you think Nime would be interested in him?" the chief asked, and the man seemed shocked by his words.
"I mean, students have had bad experiences with her. Would it be safe for him?" The man seemed deeply concerned, and the chief put on a mischievous smile.