Vaelion Crest...
Kaelen pressed his advantage, spinning his nunchaku in a blur. He moved into the third form, Viper's Fang, delivering a series of rapid strikes to the jackal's legs and neck. The beast collapsed with a whimper, unable to stand.
Kaelen stepped back, twirling his nunchaku one last time before tucking them into his belt.
"Impressive," Seraphine said, her voice neutral but her eyes approving. "Your precision is commendable, Kaelen."
He grinned, exiting the arena with a slight limp—one of the jackal's claws had grazed his leg.
---
"Finally," Seraphine called, "Dren Morvak."
A tall, broad-shouldered boy with piercing blue eyes and a shaved head stepped forward. He wore a pair of clawed gauntlets, their sharp, gleaming tips designed for slashing and tearing.
"My technique is the Razor Talon Claw Style," he said, his voice deep and confident.
Seraphine gestured to the attendants. "Release the next beast."
The heavy doors opened once more, and a wild cougar prowled into the arena. Its golden eyes glinted with predatory intent, its muscular body coiled and ready to strike.
---
Dren entered the arena, flexing his fingers to test the fit of his clawed gauntlets. The cougar hissed, its tail flicking as it circled him.
The beast pounced first, its claws outstretched. Dren sidestepped, his claws slicing through the air in a calculated arc. The cougar landed with a snarl, one of its ears nicked by his counterattack.
Dren smirked, moving into the first form, Razor Slash, which focused on swift, precise cuts. He darted forward, his claws slashing across the cougar's side. The beast yelped but recovered quickly, lunging at him again.
This time, Dren used the second form, Hooked Talon, catching the cougar's leg mid-air and pulling it off-balance. The beast crashed to the ground, its claws scraping wildly at the dirt.
Dren didn't let up. He transitioned into the third form, Savage Rend, delivering a series of powerful, tearing strikes to the cougar's exposed flank. The beast writhed, trying to escape, but Dren's relentless assault left it too weakened to fight back.
As the cougar lay panting on the ground, Dren stepped back, his chest rising and falling with exertion.
"Well executed," Seraphine said. "You've clearly trained hard, Dren."
He nodded, exiting the arena with only a shallow scratch on his forearm.
********
As the last student stepped out of the arena, the anticipation only grew thicker. The students were eager to showcase their skills, knowing that this test was not just about passing, but proving their worth.
Instructor Seraphine glanced at her list and called the next name.
"Vaelion Crest."
A tall, lean young man stepped forward, his pure white hair cascading over his shoulders like silk. His piercing blue eyes were as sharp as the arrows he carried, and his presence exuded a quiet but undeniable confidence. Across his back rested a sleek, rune-engraved longbow, its design intricate and polished, a weapon meant for a true marksman.
Seraphine's gaze lingered on him for a moment before she spoke. "Your chosen technique?"
Vaelion gripped his bow, drawing an arrow with ease. "The Spiral Piercer Arrow Technique."
Murmurs rippled through the class. Spiral Piercer was a technique renowned for its ability to generate incredible piercing power by making arrows spin like drills, allowing them to tear through even the toughest hides. It was a technique that required absolute precision and control, traits that not many archers could master.
Seraphine turned to the arena attendant. "Prepare the beasts."
--
The arena gates creaked open, and this time, seven wild beasts rushed in.
These weren't just any honey badgers—they were monstrous in size, with fur as tough as iron, razor-sharp claws, and an unyielding aggression that made them some of the most fearless creatures in the wild. Their low growls filled the arena as they spread out, encircling Vaelion.
Despite facing multiple foes, Vaelion remained completely calm. He took a deep breath and pulled back his bowstring, his arrow glowing faintly from the runic engravings.
Then, the first honey badger lunged.
Vaelion released his arrow with flawless precision.
The moment it left the bowstring, it spun violently, generating enough force to drill through the air.
The arrow punched clean through the badger's skull, piercing from the forehead and exiting out the back in a spray of crimson. The beast collapsed instantly, twitching for only a moment before going still.
The others charged all at once, their beady eyes glinting with primal fury.
Vaelion didn't hesitate. He spun on his heel, firing three arrows in rapid succession.
Each arrow whistled through the air, their spiraling motion enhancing their penetrating force.
One struck a badger in the heart, instantly stopping its movement.
Another tore through the leg of a second, crippling it before a follow-up shot finished it off.
The third shot pierced straight through two badgers at once, impaling them into the ground.
The final two beasts snarled and leaped toward him from opposite sides.
Vaelion jumped backward, flipping mid-air as he loosed his final arrow.
It spun like a whirling drill, burrowing into the last honey badger's skull and slamming it to the ground with the force of impact.
The arena fell silent as the last body hit the dirt.
Vaelion stood tall, unfazed, lowering his bow with the same poise he had when he first entered.
Seraphine studied him for a moment before nodding. "Excellent. Precision, speed, and composure. A well-executed demonstration."
Vaelion gave a polite bow before walking out of the arena, without a single scratch.
--
One by one, more students stepped forward, showcasing a variety of techniques.
A spear-user demonstrated a spiraling thrust technique, impaling his opponent—a savage mountain wolf—with sheer force.
A student wielding a massive warhammer used crushing force to shatter the legs of a wild boar before finishing it with a devastating downward slam.
Another student used dual short swords, moving with blinding speed to weave between a charging beast's attacks before landing precise slashes that incapacitated it.
****
A/N
Sorry for the late post, I have been busy as of recently...