A Little Test

King Avanindra gazed sharply at the participants kneeling before him. "Thank you for answering my call." His voice was calm and authoritative. "As you know, today you all will be taking the military entrance test."

As we know? Aray frowned, clearly unaware of this. He glanced at Ms. Daiva with a questioning expression.

Ms. Daiva just shrugged, as if to say, "I don't know either."

Damn. Aray muttered internally.

"But, from what I've briefly seen," King Avanindra continued, "it seems someone has done something useless before I arrived." His gaze turned to Badhra, who was kneeling helplessly in the middle of the hall, his body trembling.

"Y-Yes... Your Ma-Majesty... Forgive me for not being able to properly pay my greetings to you," Badhra coughed, trying to look up.

Aray inwardly held back laughter seeing Badhra's still helpless condition. Relax. 24 more hours and you'll be able to freely move, he thought.

"Enough," King Avanindra said flatly. "Putting that aside, it seems we have a new genius here." The king's eyes searched until they finally stopped on Aray.

"So, you're the candidate Daiva mentioned? You're very young... how old are you?"

Aray straightened his body slightly, then answered calmly, "16 years old, Your Majesty."

"Oh? Younger than I thought. I thought you were at least 25 years old." The king looked surprised, making him appear innocent.

Huh? Aray was a bit shocked.

Wastu, the king's loyal servant, quickly approached the king and whispered, "Your Majesty, they're all high school students. None of them are 25 years old."

King Avanindra chuckled, realizing his mistake. "Ah, right. It's just that I felt he looked older than his age."

What kind of nonsense is this guy saying? Aray thought. He began to think that the pressure he felt earlier was just his imagination.

King Avanindra stroked his thin beard while saying, "I don't like things that are too complicated. So, the selection will be very easy. You just need to withstand the magical pressure I give."

His calm aura created the impression that this test was a trivial matter. Aray snorted softly, not too interested. Aura pressure? This sort of thing is too common for him. However, some participants around him looked like they were underestimating it. Their eyes showed confidence that was clearly misplaced.

"Before I begin, all of you, stand up!" The king's command came out gently, but there seemed to be a magical force accompanying each of his words. The king's hand rose slowly, and at that moment, the bodies of the participants seemed forced to stand upright, like puppets moved by invisible strings.

"Let's begin," the king announced with a low trembling voice, and instantly the atmosphere in the hall changed. He leaned back in his throne, closed his eyes, and began to concentrate.

The hall floor began to vibrate, little by little, as if responding to the invisible power slowly being released. A thick black aura crept from the king's body, encircling the room, as if the entire palace was alive and responding to the king's power. The air became heavy, denser, pressing on every inch of the participants' bodies. They felt tremendous pressure, as if something was pressing down on them from above, slowly but surely, getting heavier every second.

Not bad, Aray thought with a bit of admiration. However, his face remained flat. But I know the trick. This is easy.

"Soul Protection."

With one simple magic spell, Aray protected his soul, wrapping it in an invisible magical shield. With that, no matter how hard the magical aura produced by the king, it wouldn't be felt by him. Aray understood that what the king was attacking was not their bodies, but their souls.

While Aray stood firmly, like an unshakeable iron pillar, other participants began to feel their suffering. Faint screams and groans full of pain began to be heard. Their hands and legs trembled, as if every step and every breath demanded extraordinary effort.

"What is this? The pressure is too strong!" One participant began to lose balance and fell face-first to the floor.

One by one, those bodies began to fall. Their faces kissed the cold, vibrating hall floor, their hands gripping the ground, begging for mercy. Their heavy sighs were heard increasingly loud, their breaths gasping, their eyes bulging in fear. Meanwhile, Aray stood calmly, observing coldly.

Amidst the mounting panic, only a few were able to withstand. One of them, as Aray had expected, was Devdan. That figure still stood upright, even looking bored yawning, as if this test was just a small exercise for him.

King Avanindra opened his eyes, observing those who were still able to stand. He smiled thinly, full of enthusiasm.

"I will increase the pressure. Get ready!" His voice was full of joy, as if enjoying seeing the participants suffer under his pressure.

Instantly, the pressure doubled. The air felt more suffocating, their bodies more compressed. The walls of the hall seemed to shriek, the floor cracked in several places, but what was most felt was how their souls were squeezed by the tremendous power of the king's aura. Screams grew louder, more participants were thrown down, their bodies pressing hard against the floor, shivering in fear.

However, Aray still stood upright, calmly. His trick was still working perfectly. The pressure surrounding his body was no more than a gentle breeze. While others wrestled with their suffering, Aray even had time to observe King Avanindra's expression.

Truly amazing, Aray thought while watching the king's magical aura which looked very majestic with its golden color. I rarely encounter such magical manifestation.

When the king saw that almost all participants had fallen, he laughed with satisfaction, then with one hand motion, he stopped the pressure. "Alright, this is enough."

Out of dozens of participants, only 10 were left standing, including Aray and Devdan. Devdan, as usual, yawned lazily. He was clearly unaffected at all, considering this boring.

King Avanindra nodded with satisfaction. "Good. You are the 10 people who managed to survive." He smiled broadly, his stroking of his thin beard looking increasingly silly in this serious atmosphere. "From now on, you are granted the rank of Lieutenant and will become part of 'The 10 Elite'!"

The failed participants could only look enviously at the 10 people who managed to stand until the end. However, one of them dared to ask, "Your Majesty, what about us?"

The king chuckled. "Don't worry. You will all still be part of the royal army. However, you will be divided into 10 platoons. Each platoon will be led by a Lieutenant."

In the military of the Neutral Kingdom, the rank structure is divided into six clear levels, each with its own responsibilities and roles. At the lowest level, Magic Soldiers are beginners who are just learning the basics of magic. They are tasked with carrying out simple missions and are incorporated into platoons led by a Lieutenant who is a more experienced magus.

Above them, Lieutenants lead platoons consisting of several Magic Soldiers. They function as a bridge between soldiers and higher officers, ensuring each unit member functions well in carrying out missions. After that, there are Majors, who oversee a battalion, which consists of several platoons. Majors are responsible for planning strategies and ensuring coordination between units under them.

One level above Major, there are Generals who lead several Majors and battalions, taking a more strategic role in larger battles. They formulate tactics and ensure each battalion operates in synergy to achieve common goals. The highest level, Grand General, is the highest leader in the military, namely King Avanindra himself. The Grand General has the power to make important decisions and lead all the military forces of the kingdom, maintaining the security and sovereignty of the Neutral Kingdom.

Aray stood upright, though in his heart there were mixed feelings. So I have to become a Lieutenant now? The peak of his misery, it seemed, had just begun.

The failed participants looked relieved to hear the king's explanation, their faces beaming with bright smiles. Some of them began to cheer happily, as if the heavy burden they had been carrying all this time had been lifted. Amid the commotion, Wastu gave instructions for the participants to return to their respective homes. In that noise, Ms. Daiva and Devdan approached Aray, their faces full of enthusiasm.

"That was pretty tough, huh?" said Devdan, while placing both hands behind his head, in an unbelievable tone. His expression seemed as if he didn't understand how serious the situation the miserable people behind him had just faced.

"How about you?" asked Ms. Daiva, hoping to hear Aray's enthusiasm.

"Very easy," Aray replied coldly, uninterested in sharing his feelings.

Devdan smiled broadly, chuckling. "So, we're going to be Lieutenants, huh? Sounds fun!"

Suddenly, King Avanindra approached them with light steps. The three of them immediately bowed, respecting the king's presence.

"Ah, no need to be too formal. I just want to greet the youngest Lieutenant in the history of this kingdom," said the king with a cheerful laugh, which made Aray shudder.

"What's your name?" asked the king, looking directly into Aray's eyes, as if penetrating into his soul.

"Aray. You can call me that, Your Majesty." Aray answered, trying to hide his family name from the king, who might know them.

"What a beautiful name! I expect a lot from you," said the king while patting his shoulder, making Aray feel uncomfortable.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"You have to practice more. There will be many hardship you'll face in the future."

Hardship? What a joke. Aray snorted inwardly.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty... but, such things won't happen to me."

The king smiled wisely, his gaze deep and full of meaning. "Remember, Aray, sometimes our beliefs can become a fog that hides reality. Life is full of surprises, and often, we find valuable lessons in mistakes we don't expect."

Aray fell silent for a moment, believing that there was truth in that statement. His face showed deep sadness, thinking about how many things he had gone through in his long life.

Noticing the change of expression on Aray's face, King Avanindra asked, "Hm? It seems there's something bothering your mind."

"Ah... It's nothing, Your Majesty." Aray snapped out of his reverie.

"Really?" asked the king, his eyes observing Aray carefully. "Well then, good luck with your work!" The king waved his hand, then walked away accompanied by Wastu, leaving the three of them in confusion.

Aray, Devdan, and Ms. Daiva just stood silent, pondering what had just happened. Although this person keeps smiling, Aray felt there was something deeper behind that smile; he knew... this king was rotten to the bone. For the time being, Aray would work for him.

"I heard you'll be leading Platoon Number 1 with 4 people as your subordinates," said Ms. Daiva while raising her eyebrows, her face seeming to hint at something.

"I don't know. Shouldn't you know more about that?" Aray answered half-heartedly, trying to be nice before walking away leaving Daiva and Devdan.

As he walked away from the royal palace, Aray frowned, looking annoyed. He waved his hand in front of his nose, trying to dispel the strange smell that had been lingering and bothering his senses. In his mind, one question kept haunting him:

What's up with that king? Did he forget to brush his teeth? His breath stinks.