Chapter 4: Novice Warrior Examination
I woke up early in the morning and began circulating my energy, as I always did.
Inhaling and exhaling—perhaps because my house was on the mountainside, I could feel the cool air filling my lungs.
‘Finally, it’s today.’
The Novice Warrior Examination.
For five years, I had trained without rest, all for the sake of passing this one test.
And yet, for so reason, I felt oddly calm.
As I pondered why, mories of the past five years surfaced.
I had devoted everything to living as a warrior.
As a result, I had partially succeeded in performing the Steel Straw Bundle that Zeke had taught .
That must be why I felt peaceful.
I had done my utmost without sha.
The efforts I had built up steadily over five years had beco a solid foundation that kept my heart from wavering.
After breakfast, I stepped outside.
I glanced at the sword hanging at my waist.
Now that I was ten years old, my old sword no longer suited —it had grown too small for my build.
So yesterday, I had gone to the forge to receive a new one.
Gripping the unfamiliar scabbard lightly, I closed my eyes for a mont before opening them again. Then, with a light step, I began descending the mountain.
When I reached the bottom, a warrior greeted .
“You’re here, little brother.”
The man with crimson hair—Adam.
“I’ll be supervising the exam today. Don’t expect to go easy on you just because we’re family. You’ll need to give it your all.”
I nodded at Adam’s playful warning.
Together, we walked toward the square.
Unlike five years ago, the Warriors’ Square had changed quite a bit.
Seats for elder warriors were arranged in the corners, and vendors selling food could be seen here and there.
“It’s changed a lot since the last ti you ca, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah. It used to be an empty space. Why did it suddenly change like this?”
“It’s because of Father.”
Adam explained that five years ago, Zeke had established a new policy for Elphrel.
It was aid at those who weren’t warriors—offering new jobs to those who failed the novice test.
Elphrel was a nation that didn’t even consider non-warriors as people.
Thus, those who couldn’t pass the novice test were usually stuck doing chores for other warriors—laundry, cleaning stables, that sort of thing.
I looked around the transford square with fresh eyes.
Unlike the desolate atmosphere of the past, now it felt almost festive.
Passing through the bustling crowd, I made my way to the center of the square where the Novice Warrior Examination would take place.
As I reached the center, I felt a strange sense of tension.
But it wasn’t my own.
It ca from those around —
A boy fidgeting nervously with his hands,
another biting his nails, others turning their heads restlessly, unsure where to look.
The unease radiating from the young warriors reached as well.
Yet among them were those who looked completely confident.
Their faces were relaxed, their eyes sharp—brimming with the belief that no trial could stop them.
I, too, felt the sa way.
For five years, I had given everything for this exam.
There was no way my efforts wouldn’t bear fruit.
Rather, I couldn’t understand those who were nervous.
If one had truly endured the pain of effort, one would surely have faith in oneself.
As I thought about it, I sighed.
It wasn’t that they didn’t believe in their efforts—
it was that they hadn’t worked hard enough to believe in themselves.
For the first ti, I understood why Elphrel trained its warriors the way it did.
Anyone could be taught to fulfill a role.
Yet Elphrel chose not to raise warriors by hand—because those truly worthy of becoming warriors would make the effort themselves.
Realizing that truth filled with quiet joy.
Then—
“Attention.”
At the center of the square, Adam looked down at the young warriors with solemn eyes.
“Today, we see the sprouts you’ve nurtured over the past five years. But there’s no need to be nervous. If you’ve cultivated your growth properly, you’ll pass this test with ease.”
He ant it literally.
The Novice Warrior Examination was simple—anyone who had put in even minimal effort could pass.
Which ant that those who had truly worked themselves to the bone would pass without trouble.
Yet most of the warriors couldn’t lift their heads after hearing Adam’s words.
I didn’t bother looking at them.
I had no interest in those who wouldn’t walk the sa path as I would.
“The first to be tested, step forward.”
At his words, a young girl stepped out.
She was slightly taller than , holding a halberd far too large for her body.
Watching her proud stride, Adam asked,
“Your na?”
“My na is Teran. It’s an honor.”
Introducing herself, Teran gripped the halberd with both hands and swung it through the air with a loud shout.
Whoosh!
The powerful gust from her swing tousled Adam’s hair.
He glanced at the halberd’s tip, which was pointed straight at him, and nodded.
“Impressive strength. I look forward to your future. You pass.”
The Novice Warrior Examination really was that simple.
One needed only to deliver a single strike before the examiner and receive their acknowledgnt.
That alone was enough to pass.
“The very first examinee already shows remarkable talent. Next?”
Naturally, many warriors followed, each showing their strike before Adam.
Most received his approval to pass.
It was only natural—this was practically a test designed to be passed.
Failing it would be the real anomaly.
However, none among the hundred or so who followed left quite as strong an impression as Teran had.
Then—
“Oh?”
Adam’s lips curled upward in amusent.
“A dagger, is it?”
The warrior standing before Adam was a slender boy.
One of his eyes was covered by his hair, and with eyes as lifeless as a frozen fish, he stared at Adam.
“Interesting,” Adam remarked. “It’s rare to see soone in Elphrel use daggers. What’s your na?”
“My na is Karlson. It’s an honor to et you.”
Adam nodded.
After introducing himself, Karlson thrust the twin daggers he held in both hands forward.
Fwah!
Adam’s eyes widened as he watched the boy’s strike—the sa expression he had shown when he saw Teran’s blow.
“Your speed is terrifyingly fast. But it’s not just brute strength making you quick. Did soone teach you?”
“I learned it on my own through training,” Karlson replied.
“Well, true. Even among warriors, we don’t easily share our techniques. You pass. You may leave now.”
Karlson bowed deeply and stepped away.
More warriors took the test after him.
Just like with Teran, most passed, though a small number failed.
Before long, only one warrior remained untested.
“Next.”
Yawning as if slightly bored, Adam called the final examinee.
But when he saw who stood before him, his eyes glead.
“So, it’s finally you.”
“My na is Leon. I look forward to your guidance.”
Like the others, Leon gave a polite greeting before slowly drawing his sword.
A longsword—a weapon no warrior in Elphrel ever used.
Every gaze in the square turned toward Leon.
Vendors stopped selling their snacks, staring as if entranced.
Passing warriors halted in their steps, and even Teran and Karlson, who had been observing from the sidelines, fixed their eyes on him.
Anyone else might have felt pressured by the attention, but Leon’s face remained calm.
As if he already knew he would pass this test without fail.
Leon slowly raised his sword.
Lifting it high toward the sky, he took a slow breath.
Then his sword descended diagonally.
It moved slowly—like a butterfly drifting lazily through the air, or like a hawk gliding leisurely through the sky as it searched for prey.
His sword rely fell in a diagonal line, unhurried and steady.
Yet every warrior watching wore an expression of disbelief.
Because the strike had been too weak?
No. That wasn’t it.
Though his swing seed slow enough to fail at cutting even grass, Leon’s sword undeniably carried power.
The reason the crowd was astonished was because they felt sothing—sothing indescribable—radiating from his blade.
It was slow.
Without question, Leon’s sword was slower than anything they had seen.
And at the sa ti, it was fast—so fast that no human eye could follow it.
Power, speed, technique.
Leon’s strike combined all three in perfect harmony—precise, swift, and forceful—as it slashed diagonally through the air.
And when his sword finally cleaved through the empty space—
“…Pass.”
Adam found himself saying it unconsciously.
Not as a formality for a child passing a novice test, but as one warrior acknowledging another of equal standing.
The young warrior’s unbelievable strike froze everyone in the square in stunned silence.
---
‘A satisfying strike,’ I thought.
I had swung slowly on purpose, for Adam’s sake.
The result had been a swing so slow it could make anyone yawn, and yet—
‘It was perfect.’
The sharpness and precision of my movent stood out.
The first form of the Twelve Celestial Sword Styles, Heogong Cheongun (Void Blue Cloud), had been executed more flawlessly than ever before.
I felt true joy.
Without realizing it, I smiled.
Clap, clap, clap—
Adam clapped with an expression of reverence.
“Excellent. I don’t say this because you’re my family, but among this year’s candidates, you were by far the most outstanding.”
In Adam’s eyes shone unmistakable pride.
When I turned my head, I saw that the other warriors were also clapping—just like him.
All with dazed, awed expressions.
“As expected of Zeke’s son.”
“Who in the world said Leon didn’t have talent?”
I didn’t notice it then, but the strike I had just shown was one that even most interdiate warriors couldn’t easily replicate.
For a ten-year-old, it had been an extraordinary display.
Every warrior there acknowledged my imnse potential with words of admiration.
And so, the Novice Warrior Examination ca to an end—with as its final participant.
---
Even after the examination ended, my daily routine didn’t change.
I still woke up early, circulated my energy, ate the breakfast Heath prepared, and trained.
It was only natural.
Even though I had passed the novice exam, I was still only ten years old.
There was nothing else for an unripe warrior like to do but continue training.
So I did.
Following the thods Zeke had taught , I trained diligently and endlessly.
And just like that, five years passed.
At fifteen, I set off for Delline to take the Interdiate Warrior Examination.
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