Maximum evaluation [3]

Chapter 11

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Episode 3 - Maximum evaluation [3]

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'Can he fight a solo battle with a different weapon?'

Charlotte, who was preparing to magically assist Lucius from afar, seemed worried.

Even from Charlotte's perspective, Lucius's swordsmanship was astounding.

But would the situation change if he didn't use a sword?

"I'd prefer he borrowed someone else's sword."

Charlotte was stressed.

Thud!

Lucius spun his fingers to rotate his axe as he advanced toward Melancholy.

Despite the weapon's weight, it kept spinning and spinning.

For someone Lucius's age, bearing such weight without Aura would be nearly impossible.

However, it was no obstacle for Lucius, who had been training beyond his body's limits since childhood.

No, rather, the weight of this improvised weapon had become one of Lucius's greatest advantages.

Crack!

As Lucius approached Melancholy, he skillfully manipulated the axe, spinning it at a terrifying speed.

Melancholy charged forward with its mouth wide open, ready to devour.

Whoom!

With one hand, he swung the axe directly at Melancholy's head.

Boom!

The impact of the axe striking Melancholy's head was powerful.

The force momentarily stunned everyone close enough to witness the attack.

Lucius quickly retrieved the weapon and leaped into the air, landing another blow on Melancholy's back with the axe.

Melancholy screamed loudly.

Dozens of Melancholy's hands moved, trying to strike and kill Lucius in a swift attempt.

Clank! Clank!

Lucius jumped to quickly evade the attack.

He took a light step back onto the ground.

"I can't keep this up for long."

He quickly assessed the weapon's condition.

Despite the successful strike, the axe suffered damage after just one attack.

Normally, this wouldn't be a big problem since Aura could preserve a weapon's durability.

Lucius shouted at Charlotte, who was near a pile of cadets' weapons on the ground.

"Charlotte, throw me the weapons near you!"

Charlotte was startled and yelled as Lucius moved.

"W-what weapon do you want?"

"Anything is fine! Hurry!"

At Lucius's words, Charlotte obeyed and threw several weapons toward him, using her gravity magic to increase their speed.

Flap!

A sharp scimitar and a heavy sword flew toward Lucius at an incredible speed.

Thud!

The axe head, which had just struck Melancholy on the head, shattered.

Lucius tossed the handle back, stepped away, and grabbed his new weapons.

'From that sound... is it a scimitar and a heavy sword?'

Lucius realized that, from the sound of the weapons flying through the air, he had precisely identified the type of weapons he was receiving.

Rumble!

Melancholy attempted to strike Lucius with its long hands.

Lucius dodged, spinning as he leaped through the air.

Clank!

At that moment, Lucius skillfully caught both swords.

With the scimitar in his left hand and the heavy sword in his right, he prepared for the next round of combat with Melancholy.

A great force surged through his body.

Lucius, enduring the impact with a grunt, rebounded.

Without hesitation, with a swift motion, he attacked.

Melancholy's defense alone wasn't particularly strong.

Even without using Aura, its limbs wouldn't be impossible to cut with enough force.

Although other cadets' attacks had failed, Lucius understood why.

The monster's rapid regeneration rate exceeded the speed at which wounds were inflicted.

"The Ring of the Stars gave this bastard the ability to regenerate."

Laughing to himself, Lucius quickly increased his pace.

With each step, Lucius pushed his body to the limit, his movements guided solely by his will and experience.

Lucius's body was nothing more than a vessel for Liam's will.

Even without using Aura, Lucius's movement was a spectacle in itself.

At the same time...

...The other candidates watched in astonishment.

First, the axe.

Then the scimitar and the heavy sword.

Then, a claymore.

Next, a dagger.

A longsword, a war hammer, and then another battle axe.

Each time his weapon shattered, Lucius inherited the weapons of other fallen candidates.

And he wielded each one with remarkable skill and adaptability.

Even much better than the owners themselves.

His fluency in handling each weapon was astounding.

It was almost as if he could wield any weapon in the world with ease.

"He's at most our age. How is it possible for him to fight with such a variety of weapons?"

One of the cadets watching from afar murmured.

"Who the hell is he?"

Others wondered who Lucius was.

The other cadets' eyes were wide open, marveling at the battle between Melancholy and Lucius.

Even Charlotte was astonished by his swift and relentless combat prowess.

Initially, she had considered using magic to assist Lucius.

But it became clear that Lucius could take care of himself.

Despite her initial worries, Charlotte felt reassured by Lucius's confidence and ability to face the terrifying monster alone.

It was impossible to look away.

Even in a battle where a small mistake could lead to death, Lucius was simply incredible in her eyes.

Rather, her mind felt at ease.

"I was worried about how things would turn out after fifteen years, but this feeling is the same as always."

She couldn't breathe.

Melancholy faced the overwhelming pressure Lucius exerted using only his physical strength.

Each strike tore through flesh.

No matter how much blood he drew, he didn't stop.

'I have to keep going! Keep pushing forward!'

Every moment of his attack reminded him of a trial from his past.

'If I can't take down a creature like this, everyone will mock me in the underworld!'

This couldn't even be considered a challenge compared to the past.

Crack!

The crunch echoed as the longsword reached its limit.

Dozens of weapons had succumbed to his barbaric tactics in just five minutes.

Just as Lucius searched for his next weapon...

"That's it, it's now or never!"

Ashly's shout stopped him.

And Lucius laughed.

"Ha, ha."

With a sigh, he jumped away from Melancholy.

Ashly's sword shone black, channeling all the power of her Aura into a single strike.

"Gravity magic, increased pressure!"

More than 500 times the gravitational pressure fell upon Melancholy.

Franz poured all his magical power into a single spell, while a few drops of blood trickled from his nose.

"Die, little insect!"

The movement of Ashly's sword tore through the air, its scorching black Aura swirling like a storm.

The intense heat further destroyed Melancholy's body, and the exerted pressure was overwhelming.

It struggled, writhing its burned limbs on the smoldering ground below.

The regeneration ability granted by the Ring of the Stars provided near-infinite healing, but against greater power, it was useless.

However, the combined destructive power of Ashly and Franz surpassed its infinite recovery capabilities.

Boom!

When the pressure disappeared and the storm of black Aura ended...

Melancholy's shattered body came into view.

Flap!

In its wake, a silver ring with a star appeared.

「Fragmented Dimension Simulation: Completed」

A message appeared before all the cadets.

Ashly collapsed, relieved.

"I-It's finally over."

She took a deep breath and looked at Lucius.

Lucius remained unfazed.

Despite the numerous challenges, his confidence remained unshaken.

Struggling to stand, Ashly approached Lucius with a smile and whispered in his ear.

"Great job, brother."

After stepping away, a voice reached Lucius.

"That was incredible! You were like a hero straight out of a story!"

Charlotte joined Lucius, ecstatically raising both hands toward the sky as she jumped with joy.

"That's right."

Lucius shook his hands with a smile.

"You know, I want to become a combat-type mage, so I need to refine my close-combat skills. Will you train me when we reach the Sanctuary of Heroes?"

Charlotte, inspired by Lucius's battle during the trial, eagerly discussed her aspirations.

And Ashly joined them.

"He's not skilled enough to teach a girl from Ares."

Charlotte looked at Ashly with disdain and said,

"Why is a Sephir getting involved?"

This sparked a small argument between the two.

Ignoring the commotion, Lucius moved forward.

He grabbed the Ring of the Stars that Melancholy had dropped after its death.

When he placed it on one of his fingers…

"....."

"What is this... A letter?"

A single word suddenly appeared in Lucius's mind.

That word was the letter "W," as if hinting at a message.

"A W... Why did that suddenly appear?"

Even though it appeared in his mind out of nowhere…

It was because of the Ring of the Stars, Lucius thought.

"What does it mean? Could it be a word, a message?"

He thought it might be a message, a word, or a code left by someone.

But he didn't understand what it was.

"Whatever it is, it's a small clue, like a puzzle."

Lucius looked around.

Suddenly, cracks began to appear in the sky.

The Fragmented Dimension Simulation was collapsing.

"Well, it's all over now."

Lucius took a deep breath.

With a blinding light, everything faded away.

But suddenly...

— — — || Main Mission || — — —

■| Mission Progress

「50%」

■| Reward

「Obtained: Ring of the Stars」

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

"W-what..."

Lucius suddenly opened his eyes.

***

In the heart of the continent.

In the city of Etheria, the center of the world.

A city with over 7,000 years of history.

And the home of the Sanctuary of Heroes.

An old man stood atop the city's walls, stroking his chin contemplatively.

"Well, it seems the exam at Raventhal has concluded."

"I suppose Alex handled it that way."

"He likes to finish things quickly."

The old man chuckled to himself.

Despite being over a century old, his presence was commanding.

The Sword Ruler, Raze Kelian.

A legendary hero who wielded a sword.

A man whose incredible talent surpassed the world's expectations of human limits.

"Let's see... Oh, that's quite something!"

"Really? Alex allowed that? How many candidates passed?"

"Hmmm... 30."

"....."

Raze's indifferent response left the woman stunned.

"Is that... a lot?"

"Indeed, it is. I expected around ten."

Elaria sighed, cradling her head in her hands.

Thirty new cadets had passed the exam at Raventhal.

While other regions admitted a hundred candidates, Raventhal only had thirty.

She could already hear the protests that would soon erupt in the western territories.

"Don't worry too much. It's better than ten, right?"

Raze said with a smile.

"That's true. Much better than ten. Hahaha."

The secretary of the director of the Sanctuary of Heroes, Elaria, forced a laugh through clenched teeth.

"The top choices were Ashly and Franz. Who took the lead?"

However, Raze responded with the least expected words.

"They tied."

"They tied?!"

She shouted.

"Yes, Ashly and Franz tied. They claim they couldn't discern superiority or inferiority."

"Let's see..."

Elaria's eyes gleamed.

"And there's one more."

"Another?"

Elaria said, raising an eyebrow.

"We have a recommendation for a first-year representative."

"One of Alex's candidates?"

Elaria was surprised that Alex, who generally had a poor opinion of others, had recommended a candidate to be the freshman representative.

"Is it Ashly Sephir or Franz Ares?"

Usually, the students with the highest scores were recommended for the freshman representative position.

In response to Elaria's question, Raze answered with a smile.

"It's neither Ashly nor Franz. His name is Lucius Behringer."

Looking at the report, Raze chuckled to himself.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

「Name: Lucius Behringer」

「Age: 18」

「Specialty: Knighthood」

「Objective: Hero」

「Note: Comes from a Duke family in the Radren Empire, capital of Raventhal」

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

"I can't believe Alex chose someone in particular. I wonder what kind of student he is."

With a stroke of his beard, Raze pondered the surprising choice.