Breaking the Trial's Limit

Rian, thinking as cleverly as he could, struck the surface of the orb with the back of his hand. Seeing no immediate reaction, he gradually increased the force of his hits.

"Huh?"

At some point, the mist inside the orb disappeared, and a transparent number "1" appeared on its surface.

"1? What does this mean?"

At Rian's words, Shirone suddenly realized something.

"They said the Language of the Gods would respond, right? That must mean numbers. Rian, step back just in case."

As Rian casually took a few steps back, the orb began to glow red.

"Disqualified."

That was the only result.

They waited for about three more seconds, but nothing threatening occurred.

"Hmm, I get it now. If you apply force, a number appears on the orb. And a white light must mean a passing score, right?"

Understanding the rule, Rian returned to the center of the altar and drew his massive greatsword.

The mercenaries were visibly startled.

"What the hell? He's actually going to swing that thing?"

It was obvious that he carried it for a reason, but seeing it in action was another matter entirely. The sheer presence of the blade was overwhelming.

A burly warrior furrowed his brows.

"Must be an alloy. If that entire thing were solid iron, it'd be impossible to wield properly even with Schema."

Regardless, Shirone and his companions were excited.

"Rian! Smash it with all your strength!"

Since they had confirmed there were no dangerous traps, all that was left was to see what kind of score he could get.

"Don't worry. I'll break it completely."

Rian gripped his sword with both hands and lowered his stance.

Embarrassingly, his heart was pounding.

'The sword my grandfather passed down to me.'

…Though he technically stole it.

'This is the perfect situation for its debut. A chance to measure my full power.'

Rian's eyes sharpened.

"Alright! Here I go!"

With all his might, he kicked off the ground and charged. Raising his arms high, he brought the greatsword down with a powerful swing.

The sheer force instinctively made the onlookers shut their eyes, but surprisingly, instead of a deafening crash, a deep, resonant thud echoed.

The orb did not budge an inch. There wasn't even a recoil. It had completely absorbed the force of his attack.

"Uuughh!"

Rian remained frozen in his downward striking stance.

All the strength in his body was being drained away.

Even as it happened, a single question filled his mind—what number would appear on the orb?

Pass or fail?

The mist within the orb cleared, revealing the number 241.

Mathematically, it meant his strike had been 241 times stronger than his initial punch, so he had done fairly well.

However, the orb once again glowed red.

Rian clicked his tongue in frustration.

"Ah, so close! Shirone, can I try one more time?"

He had approached this scientifically, for information gathering, but now that he had failed, his competitive spirit flared up.

"Are you sure? Your legs look shaky."

Indeed, as Rian stepped away from the orb, his body seemed completely drained of strength.

"Ah, this? The orb absorbed all the impact. It's not dangerous though. I'll recover after a short while."

Shirone nodded.

"I see. So that's how it works. It's a handicap, but nothing too serious."

Rian couldn't let it go.

"This is seriously pissing me off. Damn! If I could use Schema, I'd definitely pass."

A mercenary warrior suddenly burst into laughter.

"Puhahaha! So it really was an alloy after all. Acting all tough when you don't even have Schema? Move aside, I'll show you how it's done."

Since the mercenary willingly stepped up, Rian reluctantly gave way, though he kept muttering, "Just one more time..."

The warrior smirked.

"That kid got 241, right? Then I'll easily surpass 2,000."

Rolling up his sleeves, he swung his flail around, testing its weight.

Though he had a hand axe strapped to his waist, it seemed a blunt weapon would be more effective based on Rian's attempt.

"Hoo... Hoo..."

Taking deep breaths, the warrior's muscles began to swell.

Though his muscle fibers did not visibly thicken, a transformation was evident—his body appeared at least 1.5 times larger.

Amy tilted her head slightly.

"Tess, that guy…"

"Yeah. He's a Schema user. Looks like he built his Schema around strength enhancement. Not surprising for a warrior."

"Hiyahhh! Here I come!"

With a roar fitting his massive frame, the warrior charged forward, still spinning his flail.

'I'll shatter it!'

Even without a two-handed weapon, the added momentum of his spin would grant him devastating power.

Swinging as though aiming to kill his worst enemy, he slammed the flail down onto the orb.

Another deep, resonant sound rang out, and he froze mid-motion, just like Rian had.

"Uuugh!"

As all his strength was absorbed, he finally regained control of his body and shouted.

"It's done! I hit it perfectly!"

The spectators, impressed by his technique, eagerly watched the orb.

The number 248 appeared.

"W-What?! That's ridiculous! 248?! I only beat that brat by 7 points?! This thing must be broken!"

Tess walked up casually.

"You think that's some cheap store toy? Just step down already. The red light's on."

"No way! Let me try again! Just once more!"

"Fine, fine. Get off first. Rest up and challenge again later."

The warrior stomped down the altar, face twisted in frustration. He couldn't believe it.

'This doesn't make sense.'

He had never lost in raw strength before. Even after reinforcing himself with Schema, he only got 248?

"Wait a second."

A realization struck him, and he turned toward Rian with wide eyes.

That brat wasn't using Schema, was he?

'Then how did he score 241?!'

That meant, purely through his natural physique, he had come close to the warrior's own enhanced strength.

"Y-You! You really don't have Schema? You're lying, aren't you?! You must be lying!"

Rian clicked his tongue.

"Why would I lie about that? If you failed, just shut up and let the next person go."

Now that he was disqualified, he had no interest in debating it further.

More importantly, his eyes were on Tess.

What kind of score would she get?

Tess stepped onto the altar and drew her rapier, the cold steel letting out a crisp, chilling sound as it left its sheath.

Her graceful movements captivated the crowd.

Even Rian offered, "If you're worried, want to use my sword? It's heavy, but with Schema, you should be able to handle it."

Tess flicked the tip of her rapier, producing a sharp, vibrating hum.

"I'll be fine. I have a good feeling about this."