In that distant scene, we drew our weapons without anyone going first.

I wonder if the soldiers who were hit by a barrage of arrows on the deck of a ship during the Battle of Red Cliffs felt like this.

Under the moonlight, the small boomerang-like things rode the wind and gradually accelerated as they fell. Each with its own spinning trajectory.

It was a truly beautiful scene, but below it, a completely opposite scene was unfolding.

In the darkness, a curved sword mark flashed.

Then the flying boomerang-shaped maple fruit was cut in two and fell, splitting to both sides.

The more precisely it was cut in half, the wider the angle at which the flying maple fruit spread out of the circle, so the precision of the swordsmanship was also necessary.

If this were the case, one might think that it would be better to just lay the sword down and strike it in a surface unit, but if you did that, a vortex would arise in the area, and the surrounding maple fruits would be swept in.

It was a counterproductive effect for a clumsy trick.

In fact, if the exam content was only this, there would be no big problem. Because the people in this place were late-stage martial artists who had already entered the ranks of masters.

They could quickly adapt to cutting flying objects. But the problem here was…

‘The airflow is whimsical.’

The fact that the maple fruits would often scatter, changing their trajectory according to the wind.

If you ignored the wind that would soon come and just swung your sword, looking only at the trajectory that was flying, you would often cut the fruit at an angle.

That’s why a very delicate sense of detection was needed before swinging the sword.

‘It’s tricky.’

It was an exam that required the speed and accuracy to accurately cut the countless maple fruits that were falling at a considerable speed from a high place in half, and the sense of qi to grasp the airflow of the wind in the darkness.

And on top of that, since you had to keep doing this until morning, your endurance also had to be considerable.

Although it looked foolish at a glance, it meant that it was an exam that required a tremendous amount of effort.

‘Of course, not for me.’

I strike my sword. And at the same time, the mana of the third circle vibrates. At the same time as the blade passes through the maple fruit, a wind magic is emitted.

Swish-

Thanks to that, the maple fruit that had been cut appropriately scattered to both sides and fell outside the circle.

‘This is magic.’

After that, I applied a wind magic and subtly twisted the path.

I guided the irregularly flying maple fruits to come in a certain trajectory with a wind magic and cut them, or I twisted the path of the maple fruits and let them flow, protecting the circle that had been given to me.

Thanks to the talent of [Absolute Magic] and the assistance of the third circle, I was able to create a subtle airflow that was difficult for even Namgung Dohyeok to notice.

And so, how long had I been swinging my sword? The sword cries that had been heard from all directions gradually became cleaner, and the sword path began to become sharper.

‘They’ve adapted.’

They had slowly gotten a feel for how to feel the surrounding airflow and cut the maple fruits.

And as the people who had been busy just enduring until now gained some leisure, a change gradually began to occur.

Rustle-

The maple fruits that were falling on the floor began to spread farther away.

‘Is it starting?’

I narrowed my brow, looking at the pieces of maple fruit that were starting to fly near the circle.

Right now, the four of us were standing in a diamond shape, facing the cliff, and the distance between each of us was an ambiguous distance of about 10 meters.

A distance where the swords could not reach, but a distance that was sufficient for the maple fruits that each of us had cut to fly and reach.

And soon, the tips of the swords of the newcomers who had gotten a feel for it began to bend slightly.

Slice-

A maple fruit that was cut in the air. But the two pieces of it, rather than being stuck in the ground, began to fly this way, twisting their trajectory.

‘I knew this would happen.’

I struck the maple fruit that had flown low and looked at the situation around me.

The anomaly was from Baek Cheong’s flexible fast sword. The maple fruits that had been cut like a plum blossom at the tip of the flashing blade were being scattered around.

Meanwhile, Peng Geun-u, who was on the opposite side, was using the shockwave from his strong sword to shoot the maple fruits like fiercely split firewood.

Baek Hasin, who was the farthest away, was already crushing the maple fruit itself with a sword strike that had a black energy.

‘No matter how good your eyesight is, you can’t count the powder, so that’s also a good method.’

And so, as I was thinking, I looked at the maple fruits that were flying at me. A situation of considerable crisis, as much as the masters on both sides had shot.

‘But it won’t work on me.’

The barrier made of wind magic deflected the flying maple fruits as they were.

The scene of the maple fruits splitting like the miracle of Moses was quite a spectacle.

Seeing that, one corner of my mouth went up. To think they would dare to start a mid-range fight with a mage.

‘I’ll crush them.’

I gathered my mana and then swung my sword, imbuing it with a wind magic. Then the maple fruit that was bent with a gust of wind flew away.

‘It should be fine to use it openly now.’

I looked beyond the cliff, where the dawn was about to break, and caught my breath.

It wasn’t that I had deliberately waited for them to adapt.

I had aimed for when the exam was almost over.

‘Because if it becomes known from the beginning that I’m using magic, they might find fault with it for no reason.’

But if it was around the time when the exam was about to end, even Namgung Dohyeok couldn’t say anything.

It’s difficult to cancel the exam at this point. We’ve already proceeded and adapted, so to cancel it now? And there’s still another exam, and even the exam schedule of the senior, Mi Tae-eul, is left?

Although it could have been postponed at the beginning, it’s impossible now.

‘And it’s also ridiculous to limit a student’s abilities while taking an exam. And most of all, if we’ve come this far, this is no longer just my problem.’

Because the fact that they hadn’t grasped the trend of my magic until now was also the responsibility of the exam supervisor.

I swung my sword at the maple fruits that Baek Cheong and Peng Geun-u had sent this way.

At that one swing of the sword, the maple fruits flew away in a shower.

One for Peng Geun-u, one for Baek Cheong, and one for Baek Hasin.

The wind was cold. But the one who should be feeling the chill now was not me.

It was them.

Swish-swish-swish-

As the maple fruits that had been sent away flew back in reverse, their sword movements became urgent.

‘If you’re surprised already, what’s the use?’

I now completely surrounded the area around the circle with a wind magic. And then, for a trick, I swung my sword as if I were performing a sword dance.

Then the maple fruits that would only come around me would circle around like a carousel.

At that sight, Peng Geun-u’s eyes widened, and Baek Cheong’s mouth opened. Baek Hasin was also narrowing his brow.

It had to be.

Because it would look as if I had dominated the wind of the area with my sword.

‘Then, who should I deal with first?’

In the eye of the typhoon, where a gust of wind was surrounding me and the maple fruits were swirling wildly, I looked at them.

In front was a cliff, and behind it was a vortex where the maple fruits were soaring.

No matter where I looked, there was no place to escape.

“What’s wrong? You’re not shooting.”

But the guys who were still frozen. Looking at them, I said calmly.

“If you don’t want to, I’ll go.”

The ending was already decided anyway.

* * *

Beyond the cliff, a reddish-golden sunset was seeping in, painting the ground.

Behind the rough and uneven surface, a puddle-like shadow was cast, and soon, the outline of all things appeared.

“Baek Cheong, 9.”

Namgung Dohyeok’s gaze swept the floor where Baek Cheong was standing. Looking at the area where the maple fruits had landed, he could roughly grasp the student’s weakness.

In Baek Cheong’s case, it was a relatively evenly spread form. Although the overall balance was good, seeing as there were a few missed spots, it seemed he had not yet reached a firm realm.

“Peng Geun-u, 17.”

When he turned his head, this time, he could see the maple fruits that were scattered messily inside the circle. Based on the cliff, the front and back were empty, but since the sides were lined with maple fruits, the tendency to concentrate his strength in a narrow range was prominent.

He was strong in a head-on fight, but he was a type that was weak to changes or a joint attack.

A cold voice continued without hesitation.

“Baek Hasin, 6.”

It was a unique form where the maple fruits were hanging on the edge of the circle. Although he had not allowed even a hint of an approach to his feet, that range was narrow.

It seemed he either couldn’t grasp the sense of distance well, or he was just beginning to build his own territory.

But his growth was clear. To the point where you could see him developing even during the exam.

Although it was a range of less than 3 chi (1 meter), he was completely dominating his area.

It might be because of the ferocious swordsmanship peculiar to the demonic arts, but seeing the sword strike that crushed the maple fruits in the air, it was also chilling in reverse.

What would happen if he were to grow more from here?

It was as if he were facing a spiritual beast that was just breaking out of its egg.

But he was still just a student who had just shed his novice status.

But even Namgung Dohyeok had no choice but to be silent for a moment in front of the last remaining student.

“…Zhuge Cheonwu, 0.”

It was absurd.

He had not allowed a single intrusion.

And even though he had deliberately arranged them to check each other.

‘I can’t believe it even after seeing it.’

Namgung Dohyeok had watched the exam process clearly.

At first, he had thought it was his own misconception. Because at one swing of the sword, which did not seem to have any deep subtleties, the maple fruits had scattered as if they were bent.

He had also suspected a formation or a sorcery because of the strange energy that was sometimes present. But the location and the range of this place were all decided by himself.

Since he had neither the time nor the sign to prepare a formation that was elaborate enough to deceive his senses, it was difficult to call it a formation, and to call it a sorcery, its action was too delicate and immediate.

Because if it were a sorcery that was as fast and sharp as a swordsmanship, it was already in the realm of a martial art.

So from the middle, he had dismissed his suspicion. Because he had thought that it was all in the realm of a swordsmanship.

But in the latter half, he could see that it was a complete misconception.

Because the sight of the vortex of maple fruits swirling around him was close to an astonishment.

‘Was it a sorcery? No, it’s much more delicate and fast than that. Rather…’

Several assumptions and questions came to his mind, but he soon shook off the thoughts.

Because what he had to do now was just to make a judgment as a supervisor. He announced the results under the morning sunlight.

“You all barely passed. The scores will be divided according to your performance, so keep that in mind.”

Originally, a score of 20 or less was a passing score. It was that difficult of an exam, but the fact that everyone had passed like this was a proof that the level of the students who were taking the grade-skipping exam this time was high.

“Now, go down to the examination hall. The final exam will be held there.”

Namgung Dohyeok said, recalling Mi Tae-eul’s words that the final exam would be held in a tired state.

And so, when they arrived at the examination hall, they had breakfast as guided by the instructors who were on standby and then returned, and Mi Tae-eul was standing in the middle of the training ground.

“You’re here?”

““Yes!””

The four students who were raising their voices. Mi Tae-eul, who was looking at them, gently raised the corner of his mouth.

“You all look quite tired.”

“No, sir!”

Whether it was because the martial prowess he had shown through Peng Geun-u earlier was impressive, the reaction was immediate. But since they had been swinging their swords all night, there was no way they wouldn’t be tired.

They all had a clear look of exhaustion. Of course, in my case, who had replaced swordsmanship with magic, it was a little less.

Mi Tae-eul, who had been looking over the students, said.

“The final exam is nothing much.”

But unlike what he had said, the gaze that was opened under his two wrinkled eyes was sharp.

“In the end, only two have to remain, right?”

And an ominous premonition always comes true. In the tense atmosphere, Mi Tae-eul’s mouth slowly opened.

“From now on, fight each other.”

The final exam was a free-for-all.

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep