All the trainees of the cradle gathered at the central training ground for the swordsmanship evaluation.
"Everyone line up!"
More than a hundred trainees lined up with nervous expressions.
Although pankration was also an evaluation item, the most important thing was fencing.
The cradle trainees, who were only twelve years old, already had the eyes of warriors.
Other instructors, along with Instructor General Van Mark, checked on the trainees.
At that moment, Pan looked at the students lined up and his eyes lit up.
"Zeke! Where is Zeke?"
No matter how much I looked around, I couldn't see Zeke.
Then the other trainees started to look around and mutter.
The instructors shouted.
"Be quiet!"
"Who is chatting before a divine judgment!"
The trainees stared straight ahead again with tense expressions.
That was when.
Crunch! Crunch!
At the end of the training ground, someone was walking with a claymore slung over his shoulder.
It was none other than Zeke.
Everyone was speechless when they saw Zig, who had arrived late for the evaluation period, walking confidently.
Zeke stood somewhere in the back row.
Pan, who saw that sight, glared at Zig.
"Zeke Draker. You're so late, you can't even find your seat?"
If I were a normal student, I would have been scared just by the low-pitched sound of the board.
But Zeke was a man who had been through all sorts of hardships on the continent for 20 years.
It was not possible for him to shrink to the extent of the pressure of the board.
Zeke turned his head quickly and walked back to the empty seat in the front row.
thud!
He took his seat, planted the claymore he had on his shoulder into the ground, and looked up at the board.
'Zeke Draker. What the hell happened?'
Pan was annoyed by Zig's behavior, but since he couldn't do anything about it at the time, he decided to proceed with the evaluation.
"Now we will proceed with the most important swordsmanship training in the completion evaluation of the cradle trainees."
It was a brutal evaluation method in which it was not surprising that there were deaths because it was done with real swords rather than just words.
Pan continued speaking slowly.
"Whether you will advance to the Academy or not and what class you will be assigned to will be determined based on your scores from the year-end evaluations and the results of your Auror awakening after the blessing ceremony next month."
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At the end of the board, all the trainees except for Zig gulped.
While other trainees were focused on advancing to the academy, Zig was different.
'Auror awakening.'
It was one of the main reasons he was treated like trash in his previous life.
The problem was that in this life, Zig was also a healer class.
Zeke, who had the talent of a healer rather than an inspector, was unable to awaken his aura.
Zeke's heart pounded.
'I can't be treated like trash in this life like I was in my previous life.'
There definitely needed to be something shown before the blessing ceremony.
After a tedious explanation of the cradle completion procedure, Pan looked around at the trainees and opened his mouth.
"We will begin the final evaluation test, the swordsmanship duel."
Pan turned his gaze and looked at Zig in the front row.
"Zeke, come up to the training ground."
Although his name was suddenly called first, Zeke went up to the training ground without saying a word.
Pan frowned at the sight of Zigg slung the claymore over his shoulder.
"Are you really going to use that sword?"
Zick said, looking at the board.
"Is there a rule that says you can't do that?"
There is no rule against using claymores, but there was no one in the Drake class who was supposed to be the knight of knights and walked around looking like a mercenary bum.
The trainees also laughed at Zig's attire.
"I guess the bigger the sword, the stronger it will be."
"As expected, the pankration was a stroke of luck."
Pan also clicked his tongue inwardly upon seeing Zig's behavior.
'Was it a vain expectation?'
It was when he was about to call out Zeke's opponent's name.
"Instructor."
Someone called the board.
Pan looked at the trainee who had called him.
"Raina Tourn."
A genius who had already awakened his aura before the blessing ceremony.
He was a talented person who was noteworthy even in the Draker family.
"Please allow me to spar with Zeke Draker."
Pan hesitated slightly at Reina's words.
Although I was curious about Zeke's skills, I wondered if Reina would be a suitable opponent for Zeke.
'How many of the trainees would be able to block even three strikes of Reina's sword?'
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There was a time when Pan couldn't give a ready answer.
"What are you worrying about? You said you wanted to spar with me."
Zeke, who was on the training ground, said while looking at Reina.
Pan spoke to Zig.
"Are you really going to spar with Reyna Tourn?"
Zeke raised his sword without answering.
When things got to this point, there was no way to stop it.
He nodded towards Reina.
thud!
Reina came up opposite Zeke.
Unlike Zeke, who was holding a claymore, she was holding a normal arming sword.
Zeke felt a strange excitement when he saw Reina.
'Sparring with the Knight of Flash. What an honor.'
Reina drew her sword without saying a word.
Zeke also picked up a claymore.
Reina felt something strange when she saw Zeke's posture while holding his sword.
'different.'
Cider, who was educated together from the cradle for 5 years.
I had already seen Zeke wielding his sword many times before.
Zigg couldn't even do the phage method properly.
The sword was so heavy that he even made a separate sparring sword that was half the weight.
But now he was naturally holding a claymore, which was larger and heavier than a normal sword.
'It's subtle, but I feel bigger and more muscular than a week ago.'
Common sense would suggest that it would be impossible for the body to undergo dramatic changes in just one week.
'You'll know when you see our swords face to face.'
Reina took a step forward.
Despite his calm appearance, Zeke was actually nervous on the inside.
'Rayna Turn. The best of the next generation Drakers who awakened as purebloods in the blessing ceremony.'
In her previous life, she couldn't even follow the tip of her toes from the cradle.
But now it was different.
Zeke felt the heat radiating from his entire body.
Then Pan shouted.
"Start sparring!"
As soon as the shout was heard, Reina moved first.
Pot!
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She kicked the ground and ran towards Zigg, swinging her sword at him.
A sword strike with great force struck Zeke's claymore.
Zzz!
Swords clashed with swords, and the sound was like the ringing of a giant bell.
Zeke was pushed back, holding the claymore.
Reina turned sharply to the side and struck again.
Zzz!
As expected, a sharp, crashing sound rang out as Claymore and Reina's sword clashed.
Zeke simply blocked Reina's sword without moving.
Among the cousins watching the two men's duel from the stands, Leon was the first to speak.
"That guy Zeke is already finished."
Leon taunted, the corners of his lips twisting.
Jaken, sitting next to him, just watched Zeke without saying anything.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Even as Reina's fierce attacks continued, Zeke only stepped back and did not attack even once.
Leon, who was sitting in the stands, shouted at Reina.
"Reina! Don't play with me. Just kill me quickly!"
That was when.
"Idiot."
Jaken, who was standing next to him, gave Leon a sharp rebuke.
Leon glared at Jaken's words.
"What? This kid… … ."
Then Jaken turned his head and glared at Leon.
Whenever he got angry, Leon would flinch and step back.
It was because he knew that his skills were not comparable to Jaken's.
"Does that look like Reina playing with it to you?"
It was only after hearing Jaken's words that Leon realized something was off about the atmosphere.
Owen's expression on the other side, and that of the instructors, especially the head instructor, Pan, were frozen stiff.
No, it would be more accurate to say that he was surprised.
Jacken spoke as if driving a wedge into the ground.
"That guy Zeke… … is completely toying with Reina."
Leon's face turned pale at those words.
In reality, Zeke, who was receiving Reina's sword, was taking it easy.
'This is the sword that the Knight of the Flash wielded during the Cradle Period.'
It was a sword that was so accurate and powerful that it was hard to believe it was wielded by a twelve-year-old.
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Naturally, the past Zeke could not have wielded such a sword at the same age.
But to Zeke, who had returned after living a life of unimaginable hardship for 20 years, Reina's sword was just child's play.
The initial tension and excitement had long since disappeared.
Before he knew it, he was sparring with Reina's sword, guiding her to better swordplay.
'It's fast and strong, but that's it. Rather, it's too exemplary and lacks individuality.'
It's good to stick to the basics, but you swung your sword too strictly according to the rules.
Reina, who had been swinging her sword following Zeke's guidance, also seemed to have realized something strange.
She quickly put away her sword and stepped back.
"Hoo… … Hoo… … ."
Reina took a deep breath, picked up her sword, and glared at Zeke.
Reina never once lost her breathing while sparring with her peers.
But the Zeke in front of him now didn't seem like his peers at all.
Rather, it felt like I was practicing sparring with the instructors.
Zeke held the claymore a little lower as he watched Reina hesitate.
'Let's break the mold a bit.'
In an instant, Zigg moved quickly and closed the distance between himself and Reina.
Swish!
Pan was surprised to see Zig's technique of closing the distance as if he was sliding.
'Is that breaking news? How did you do that technique?'
In fact, breaking news was not a technology at all.
It is a basic technique that closes the distance in an instant by moving the feet quickly and puts the opponent within one's attack range.
Although it may seem like nothing special when explained in words, it is a skill that can only be acquired through practical experience that crosses the line.
At that moment, something appeared before Zeke's eyes.
Zeke read the message that came to his mind even as he closed the distance between himself and Reina.
[Active skill 'Breaking News' has been registered.]
'So you can register skills like this?'
Zeke's breaking news was different from the usual.
He closed the distance in an instant, as if he were a ghost, without leaving a trace.
This technique was possible because Zig had several times more muscle fibers than other people.
Whoosh!
Ziggy suddenly leapt forward, as if he had folded space.
At the same time, Zeke's claymore flew in.
Reina quickly took a defensive stance.
bang!
Claymore struck her sword hard.
'Ugh... ... .'
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I blocked a sword strike without getting into the right stance, and my wrist started to feel numb.
But that wasn't the end.
Zeke's claymore traced a strange trajectory and struck her sword repeatedly.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Zeke moved the huge, heavy claymore as if it were his own hand.
Reina couldn't help but be flustered as the sword strikes came from an unexpected direction and angle.
Before she knew it, she had lost her pace.
Phew!
Zeke's claymore flew from the front.
'no!'
Reina instinctively raised her auror power.
bang!
Reina's sword, imbued with the power of Auror, deflected Zeke's claymore.
Bang!
Zeke was unable to withstand Reina's sword strike with Aura and lost his Claymore.
Whirlyrick!
Bam!
The claymore that bounced off landed on the floor of the training ground.
Everyone thought that it was Zeke's defeat when he dropped his sword.
But then something shocking happened.
"This is… … ."
As soon as Zeke dropped the claymore, he ran straight towards Reina.
Zigg, who had closed the distance with a quick attack, struck Reina's neck with his sword.
"Coolook!"
Reina grabbed her neck and stepped back.
Jaken and Leon also opened their mouths wide at the sight.
A knight was taught not to let go of his sword even when he was dying.
In fact, even as she was grabbing Reina's neck, she was still holding the sword tightly.
Leon jumped up from his seat and shouted.
"You're crazy! This is a swordsmanship showdown! I can't accept this kind of dogfight!"
Zeke turned his head and glared at Leon.
Leon flinched and stepped back as he was met with the icy gaze of Jik.
Instructor Pan was also at a loss as to how to judge Zeke's irregular attack.
That was when.
Reina lowered her sword with a stern expression.
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And then slowly opened his mouth.
"I lost."
Reina Tourn admitted her own defeat.
Even though she used her Auror, which she had decided not to use in her sparring with the trainees, she was unable to defeat Zeke. However, that was not the only reason she admitted defeat.
'If it wasn't the capital but a dagger... ... .'
It was her complete defeat.
Not only the trainees in the training hall, but also the instructors who were evaluating them were left speechless.
Zeke picked up the fallen claymore, slung it over his shoulder, and descended the training ground in the same manner as he had ascended it.
Finally, Pan came to his senses and announced the results of the sparring.
"J, Jik Drake wins!"
Everyone in the training ground was shocked by Zeke's victory.