21 Bravery Test.

A terrifying 'bang' reverberated across the field, and the candidates' faces turned white as sheets. The military man was also stunned to hear the raw force a candidate had. In just one action, Cain had shut them all up.

Charon, who stiffened upon seeing the scene, clenched his teeth in anger—never thought that someone as proud as him would be defeated by an unknown commoner and one who holds an inferior creature like Cain.

His red eyes burned with intense hatred, but he knew too well that Cain probably gained that power with sheer grit or even luck. So, he had nothing to do except lament his cowardice to not explore the outside world. 'I am too lenient in my training!'.

As for Lisa, who felt the shudder the moment she saw Cain's expressionless face, she gulped her saliva, and dread washed away her curiosity toward the boy. Even now, she could hear her heart thumping wildly; it almost burst her eardrum.

"Woah, amazing! He is so strong! Then, Sir, how was his score?" Mina erupted in cheers, chirping toward the military man who had been stoned since earlier because he couldn't believe what he saw on the screen.

"...The score is… 18,7. It broke past the record of the previous candidates who hold 17,9 points".

"Yippee!".

After hearing the point Cain gained, Mina jumped from her spot while raising her hands in the air. Clearly, she felt happy for the event to turn out this way.

Meanwhile, Cain sheathed his anger and recalled all of his power before secretly whispering.

{Thanks brother}

*{Woof!}

With a flick, he turned to the side before walking toward the back of the line, ignoring even Mina's glittering eyes and Lisa's conflicted gaze. When Cain settled himself in the back, Mina, who curiously tilted her head, slowly whispered something to Lisa.

"Lisa, did you know the boy from earlier?".

"..Eh? No, not at all". Lisa flusteredly shook her head, trying to hide her cold sweat.

"But, it's strange, from the start, you seemed overly conscious about the boy. Oh, is it perhaps, ouch!?".

"It's nothing like that!". Before Mina could finish her speculation, a chop landed on Mina's forehead, making her shrink in pain while Lisa was holding her veins bursting out from her temple.

"Ouch, eeeh, it's boring!".

"Ahaha, you two should probably stop. We will go to our next test." Rinda calmly reprimanded them from the side, making both girls stop in their tracks.

"Okay, listen to all of you. We will conduct the next test here!"

Another tension rose as the military man ended his speech. Every candidate began to gulp their saliva, trying to prepare their own heart. Although some of them were born from renowned families, their nervousness was due to how secretive the test was and how random it was when held.

The Academy has an annual clock that would accept a new batch of students every year at a fixed time. But in many cases, there are tests that are basically randomized, depending on how many people awoke as resonators.

If the quota reached more than ten people, the Academy would hold a test for receiving new students. If the quota is not reached, they must wait until it is fulfilled. Also, the test that was held with a small number of people would likely be much more challenging compared to an annual one.

Cain, who luckily joined a batch of annual recipients, is now starting his second test.

The military man loosened his military uniform and began stretching his joints and stiff muscles. He twists his wrist, hand, and shoulders before other body parts. The students stood in silence, watching the man do a warm-up.

In the back, Cain, who recognized the mood of the military man, had knitted his brows in annoyance. He started to regulate his breathing and let his mind sharpen.

"I think it's enough; your second test is to show me just how much capability you have."

One by one, the candidates who understood the meaning of the man began to sweat profusely. Their eyes darted toward the man's physique and their own, comparing it. One of the male candidates raised his hand while trembling all over.

"If my assumption is right. Does that mean we are going to spar?".

"Yeah, that's right!". The man grinned while exerting a bit of pressure.

With those words as a cue, the candidate quickly hid his hand back and started to gaze down. Not only him but also the other candidates started hesitating on this part. Their gaze was down to earth, unable to bear the pressure the man had exerted.

Even the mighty Charon, Rinda, and Mina. All of them could only clench their hands in hesitation, except for Lisa, who worried about something else.

Seeing all of this happening before his eyes, the military man sighed in deep regret inside his heart. The reason for this test being held is not to see just how good a person could fight but to see a brave and fearless youngster who does not hesitate to plunge onto the battlefield.

'Is this their limit, huh? ' The man sighed for the second time. He intended to open his mouth and say all this was a joke, but he soon held his tongue to see a single candidate coming forward.

Lisa, who deliberately raised her hand and decided to enter the stage, must hold her tongue to feel the heavy atmosphere that walked past beside her. 'Huh, Cain?'

Cain prepared his heart all long before the other candidates stepped forward. Hearing the firm footsteps that echoed in the place brought a little salvation from other candidates as their gaze lifted. They were shocked to see Cain was the one who stopped in front of them, showing his small back.

'I'm confirmed now, it's truly him!'. Lisa saw the bravery of a single boy who had earlier showered by ridicule and now stood imposingly in front of the man. She couldn't help but let out a chuckle filled with a sneer for the spiteful fellow who ridiculed him. 'Foolish, they are nothing but a bunch of cowards and hypocrites'.

In front of the man, Cain could fully observe his features. The man stood 180 cm, was in his mid-thirties, and had a thin beard covering his handsome, stern face. His hair was short brown, and under the military uniform, hidden from his eyesight, was a firm muscle fit for battle.

"Let me go first!". Cain spoke his mind while also beginning to prepare his fighting stance.

Because of his poor upbringing, Cain had never learned martial arts properly, but he got his fair share of fighting with other people on the outskirts. Cain stood vertically, his feet spread aligned with his shoulder.

*{Woof!}

{No, brother. I want to deal with it myself. Just let me borrow your power for a bit}

*{Woof!}

After getting confirmation from his partner, Cain focused his mind, and the shadow beneath his feet began to ooze black substance. It crawled toward his skin and settled itself in his hands. 

[Soul Armaments Equipped]

Cain looked toward his black hands and clenched them a few times. He looked toward the black cloth tips that were hidden from everyone's eyes. 'Good, everything is normal. I could fight!'.

He raised one of his fists and another down, facing the man. Cain inhaled a deep breath to clear his unnecessary thoughts, then exhaled.

"Come! Let me see just how brave you are!".

The first move belongs to Cain, who dashes forward with fists ready. When he arrives at the man's range, the man is simply standing. So, Cain delivers his first blow, a straight jab, but the man can easily dodge it.

Cain didn't stop and kept connecting each attack, but the man easily neutralized it. His attacks were dodge, block, and deflect, and each time the two fought, Cain could faintly see just how to bring himself closer to the man's level.

Slowly, he threw away the unnecessary large movement he always had and moved only with efficiency in mind. With the help of man, Cain managed to grasp the essence of martial arts, albeit only at the tip of it.

However, that is more than enough for the current Cain, who never had a proper teacher who would teach him about Martial arts.

'Kuh! Damn it!'. The longer they spar, Cain realized that the intensity of each strike from the man began to corner him.

A huge fist blocked his sight, making Cain tilt his head to dodge it. However, the motion itself was fake, as it stopped midway. Then Cain felt a tremendous chill wrapped around his neck, so he ducked down, and the fist that had gone straight to his face now swung to the side.

"Good, keep it up, Cain!".

In fact, the man began to call Cain by his name while sparring. Cain could see the man was brimming with Joy at seeing himself improving in such a short amount of time, so the spar itself began to intensify.

The man began to deliver a barrage of blows that rained down on Cain, relentlessly pushing him to the brink of exhaustion. But he prevailed and kept dodging the attack even though the sweat that streamed down from his forehead stung his eyes; in fact, he was drenched from head to toe.

All candidates watched the spar with awe and a bit of tension in their faces. They could feel instinctively that each punch the man struck could break their skull easily, for they were still unranked. 

[Innate Talent Tenacious]

Cain's innate talent pushed his determination through the roof, and he convinced himself that he wouldn't lose to the challenge.

A chill ran down Cain's spine as the man raised the hurdle to a notch. 'This is bad!'.

Before Cain could back away, the moisture from his body that fell to the floor disrupted his footwork.

"Watch out!".

Along with the shout that alarmed him from the attack, Cain could only see a fist approaching his face in a fast manner. 'Ah, crap!'.