The fighting area fell into a tense silence as Kael stepped forward to face the flesh golem.
Professor Kate raised her staff and calmly poured a stream of mana into the grotesque construct. Veins of pale light pulsed beneath its stitched skin. With a grinding sound, the flesh golem twitched, then slowly pushed itself upright. Its hollow eyes locked onto Kael.
Moments later, the golem charged.
It raised its massive fist high into the air, muscles swelling unnaturally as it barreled forward. Each step shook the ground, sending faint tremors through the spectators.
Kael, however, remained completely unbothered.
He stood there casually, his claymore resting across the back of his shoulder, one hand tucked lazily into his pocket. His posture was loose, almost bored, as though he were waiting for something trivial rather than a violent construct rushing toward him.
He spoke under his breath, his voice low enough that no one else could hear.
"Ha… this examination is a pain in the ass. My ability can't even be used properly here."
The flesh golem closed the remaining distance and swung its fist down with crushing force.
At that instant, Kael calmly removed his free hand from his pocket.
With one hand, he caught the incoming fist.
The golem's attack stopped.
Its massive arm froze midair, halted as if it had struck an invisible wall. Kael remained standing there, relaxed and unmoving, his expression unchanged.
The golem force its fist forward, muscles bulging grotesquely as it strained. Yet instead of advancing, the creature was pushed backward.
All because of Kael's hand.
Step by step, the flesh golem was forced back, its heels digging into the ground.
Kael spoke again, his tone indifferent.
"Aeon Sync."
A circular white zone field bloomed outward from his body. The luminous field expanded rapidly, covering Kael and the flesh golem within its boundary. The air inside the zone felt heavier, denser, as though space itself had subtly shifted.
Without changing his position, Kael swung his claymore.
A single, heavy slash.
The blade cut through the golem from left to right. The impact echoed like a thunderclap, and a violent gust of wind blasted outward, forcing examinees to shield their eyes.
Kael returned his free hand to his pocket.
Then he swung again.
And again.
He did not move his feet. He did not change his stance. Only the arm holding the claymore moved, each swing precise, efficient, and terrifyingly fast. With every slash, another powerful gust of wind swept across the field.
Kael's face remained unfazed—bored, even—as though he were performing a repetitive chore.
The flesh golem tried to regenerate. Torn flesh wriggled, attempting to knit itself back together.
But it failed.
After several consecutive strikes, the golem's body finally collapsed, its regeneration completely halted. The massive construct crashed to the ground and went still.
The white zone field faded away.
Silence followed.
Professor Kate glanced at her timing device, her brow twitching.
"Finished at fifty-eight seconds…" Professor Kate said flatly. "Did the exam perhaps bore you?"
Kael turned away without hesitation.
"Why would you care if I'm bored during this stupid exam?" he replied calmly. "I don't see any reason to answer you."
With that, he walked away from the fighting area, his expression unchanged.
Around him, the examinees stood frozen.
Every examinee—except Robrecka, who had failed earlier and barely passed—wore dark, stunned expressions. Even Phoebe was speechless.
"He was able to use an ability by using mana," muttered the murlok examinee. "Based on what he showed, he's a field caster… but the ability isn't clear. Was it some kind of enhancement?"
"A field caster?" Claude said, his antlers faintly glowing. "I sensed mana with my antlers, but I couldn't understand what his ability actually did."
"That Kael… the Rivera race does possess great strength," Sera said slowly, "but not to the point where violent gusts are created with every swing. And it didn't even look like he was trying."
"Amazing," Phoebe said softly. "He can use abilities too, and he swung that heavy white claymore with one hand… just how much strength does he have?"
"With a small body like that," Ammy added, "even someone from the ogre race would struggle to wield that weapon so casually."
"There's not just one who passed effortlessly," the troll muttered. "but t here are two. They're both monsters."
Headmaster Andrew wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.
"So he's a field caster… but what exactly did that zone field do?" he murmured. "The only clear change was that his strength multiplied drastically. No—his speed and mana output increased as well. Is it enhancement? Or something beyond that?"
As Kael walked past the other examinees and moved toward an empty area away from the crowd, a woman approached him.
Robrecka.
"I know you're strong," she said, her lips curved in amusement as she held her closed bladed fan at her side. "But even so, you surpassed my expectations. For that, I applaud you."
"Thank you, my lady," Kael replied politely, bowing his head slightly. "But compared to you, what I showed was nothing."
"I wonder what you mean by that," Robrecka said, smirking.
"I believe that if my lady wished it," Kael said calmly, "you could have defeated that golem in less than a second."
Robrecka's eyes sharpened.
"Really? From my perspective, you were capable of doing the same."
"I would never dream of overshadowing you, my lady," Kael replied, avoiding her gaze. "Especially when you clearly held back."
Robrecka chuckled softly.
"Then let me ask you something else," she said. "How is your leader?"
"He is doing well, my lady," Kael answered. "Everything is proceeding smoothly in our side."
"Good," Robrecka said, her tone turning cold. "Then listen carefully. Do not act rashly or thoughtlessly when executing your organization's plans while I am here. If you interfere with my plans, both of our organizations will suffer. Relay that message to your leader. Do you understand?"
"Understood, my lady."
Satisfied, Robrecka turned and walked back toward the fighting area, her steps elegant and unhurried.
The examination continued.
Other examinees—including Ammy—faced the flesh golem one by one. When the current student finally brought the construct down, Professor Kate announced the result.
"Eighteen minutes. You passed."
A small, shaky voice followed.
"Good for him… he got eighteen minutes," Ammy said, her eyes teary.
"It's okay, Ammy," Phoebe said gently. "You passed too. Twenty-four minutes is still good. You did well."
"Still… it's so far from your score," Ammy sniffed. "One minute and forty-five seconds…"
"B-But look at the bright side," Phoebe said quickly. "We both passed. That's what matters."
Ammy wiped her eyes and straightened.
"You're right. I'll do better next time and make my parents—and everyone—proud."
"That's the spirit," Phoebe said with a smile. "Let's improve together."
Professor Kate glanced around the field.
"I won't toss the dice anymore," she announced. "There's only one examinee left. Examinee Lucas Vaste of the murlok race, step forward."
Lucas entered the fighting area.
As Professor Kate poured mana into the flesh golem, the construct rose and charged once more. Lucas immediately drew two flintlocks from his holsters and fired.
Beams of condensed mana shot forth like lasers, striking the golem's legs and sending it crashing to the ground.
"Woah, Isn't that the latest invention of the Hydro Sovereign?" an examinee exclaimed. "The mana flintlock?"
"It consumes a lot of mana," another added. "I've never seen one in action."
Phoebe stared at the weapons, her expression tightening. She had seen something similar back in the Outer Continent—used by cloaked figures bearing a winged spear emblem.
Lucas raised his voice.
"Alter Ego."
Four Lucases appeared across the field.
All of them fired continuously, riddling the flesh golem with holes. When the golem struck one of them, the body dispersed into black smoke.
"Alter Shift," another Lucas said calmly, vanishing at the moment of impact.
Only one remained.
"Good," Lucas said. "I swapped positions with my clone. Alter Ego."
Three more appeared.
This time, they completely blew off the golem's limbs.
"He can use ability too?" the troll said in shock.
"Which one is real?" Ammy asked.
"By the mana flow," Claude observed, "the three clones are pure mana. He's a materialization type."
"So this is what a materialization can do…" Phoebe whispered, eyes shining.
As the clones continued firing, one Lucas drank a bottle of blue liquid.
"Oh! it's a mana potion," Ammy explained. "It restores mana."
"I didn't know those existed," Phoebe said.
"There are health and status potions too," Ammy added. "They're sold by the Nature Sovereign."
"That's amazing," Phoebe said. "If you want, maybe we can visit sometime?"
"Sure," Ammy replied with a smile.
At last, the flesh golem collapsed.
"Finished at one minute and forty-five seconds," Professor Kate announced. "You passed."
Lucas laughed breathlessly. "If this were the sea, I'd do better."
As he left, he glanced at Phoebe.
"Same score," he said with a grin. "Guess we're rivals now."
"Huh?" Phoebe blinked, clearly confused. "N-No… why would we be?"
"Because it's fun," Lucas said, walking away.
The examination finally came to an end, the flesh golem lying broken on the ground as the examinees gathered before the professors.