Super Tier

Slyvia was deep in thought about what had just happened. She had expected Ray to do well in the test. She even wondered if he was someone special. Anyone who could go out every day and hunt magical beasts had to be skilled. Unless they were lying, but Ray didn't seem like the lying type. And he had even claimed to have hunted an intermediate beast.

The thought wouldn't leave her mind, so she decided to find Gary and ask him a few questions.

"Hey, Gary, how strong would you say Ray is?"

Dan, Ian, and Monk had a habit of sticking together, and when they saw Slyvia approach Gary, they followed behind, curious to hear the conversation.

"Ray? He's really strong," Gary answered without hesitation.

Dan, who had overheard, couldn't help but laugh. "Him? Have you seen the test results? I know he's your friend, but you need to look with your eyes, not your heart."

Slyvia shot Dan a sharp glare. He quickly fell silent, recalling the previous tension in the dorm.

"That's why I wanted to ask you, Gary," she continued. "I thought Ray would do well. What makes you say he's strong?"

Gary scratched his head, deep in thought. "It's hard to say. I haven't fought him in a long time."

"Maybe I can rephrase the question to make it easier for you. If you and Ray fought now, who would win?"

"The last time I fought Ray, I won easily."

"But you still say he's strong?" Dan interrupted again.

"There's something strange about him. I think if I fought him now, I would lose nine times out of ten," Gary admitted. "When we were kids, I was attacked by an Intermediate Black Wolf. I thought I was going to die that day. Then Ray came along and saved me."

"You need to make your tales more believable. There aren't even many squires who have trained for a year that could take on an intermediate beast solo," Dan scoffed.

It was a reasonable doubt. Most people would find it hard to believe that someone at their age could defeat an intermediate beast. The idea that Ray had done it as a child was outright ridiculous.

Most of the group dismissed Gary's words, assuming Ray had exaggerated the story. Perhaps it had just been a large basic-tier wolf.

But Slyvia thought differently. She recalled the night she had caught Ray sneaking out of the castle. He had told her he had defeated an intermediate beast before.

She kept this thought to herself, but something else about the test also concerned her. A mage from Roland Academy would know their limits well during an exam. It was hard to believe they would make a mistake and cause magic sickness. And with the bow—if a human tried to break a bowstring using pure strength, it would be nearly impossible.

She couldn't shake the feeling that Ray had just been unlucky.

Ray leaned against the wall, lost in his own thoughts.

I must be unlucky, he thought to himself.

Though a little disheartened, he reminded himself that the rank he received after the test didn't matter. It was just a shame that he hadn't been able to showcase his skills in at least one of the trials.

The amount of strength he had gained after absorbing the beast crystals had surprised even him. In his haste to shoot quickly, he had pulled too hard, breaking the bowstring.

The final testing area was led by Delbert. His stage was almost bare—just him and a sword. It wasn't his usual sword; this one had a different design. Embedded in the hilt was a red gemstone.

"This is the final test, called the Will of Truth," Delbert announced. "This test is about Ki. Though most of you may not have learned to control your Ki yet, it exists within all of you. This test is about willpower."

Delbert raised the sword for everyone to see. "This sword was crafted using a super-tier beast crystal from the Firebird."

As he spoke, flames erupted along the blade.

"When this sword touches you, it will react to your Ki, drawing power from it. Your task is to use your will to subdue the flames."

Delbert demonstrated several times, showing how, upon contact, flames would flare up along the sword. The objective was to suppress the flames using sheer willpower.

Most students performed well. The most talented among them managed to extinguish the flames entirely, while others at least dimmed them. Compared to the previous trials, this task seemed relatively simple.

Then it was Ray's turn.

He stepped forward, once again last in line, having failed to show anything in the previous tests. He grasped the hilt of the sword, and then—something strange happened.

A system message appeared before him, stating that he had obtained the crystal. He quickly dismissed it, realizing there was a bigger issue.

Nothing was happening.

Ray held the sword with both hands, yet no flames appeared. The blade remained dormant, failing to react to his Ki at all.

He turned toward Delbert. "I think it's broken."

Delbert's expression darkened. "Don't be a fool. This is a super-tier beast weapon. It reacts even to the smallest amount of Ki. Give it to me."

Ray handed over the sword. The moment Delbert grasped it, his eyes widened in shock. He tried stimulating his Ki, but no flames emerged.

"What have you done?!" Delbert roared. "This is a treasure of the Alure Kingdom!"

"You were watching me the whole time. I didn't do anything," Ray said calmly.

In truth, he was pleased. He didn't know why the system had allowed him to take the super crystal, but he had just obtained a priceless treasure—for free.

Delbert's fury boiled over, and for a moment, it looked like he might strike Ray with the very sword in his hands. But before he could act, Wilfred, who had been monitoring the tests from the viewing platform, approached the fifth test site.

The two whispered briefly before ending the test without further incident.

Wilfred then addressed the students. "You have all done well in today's test. I am proud that you will become knights of Avrion Academy. Please return to your rooms until you are called to the dining hall. You will receive your obtained rank before dinner and then be sent to the appropriate training locations."