"What the hell..."

It was hard to describe the scene that was unfolding before their eyes. From the focus of everyone's attention to the fact that the surroundings were eerily quiet.

"....."

"....."

No one said a single word and focused on the cadet who sat by the chair with a stoic expression.

His back was straight and so was his breathing.

It was strange.

From the way he was sitting, it didn't seem like he was in any pain at all.

"What sort of..."

Olivia Kelson stood by the side with open eyes.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"7.9"

"8.0"

The disbelief became more apparent with each word that came out of Gilbert.

It was just...

"....Unbelievable."

Mental fortitude was an extremely important category. To be able to remain clear-headed under pain was extremely important during raids and fights. But not only that. Several known monsters had the ability to 'brainwash' and 'manipulate' humans at will.

A strong mental fortitude would prevent one from falling into such a skill.

It was normal for mental fortitude to rise with time and strength. Generally, the stronger one was, the stronger their mind was.

That was generally how it worked, and yet...

"How...?"

How was this even possible?

"8.1"

"8.2"

The numbers continued to rise.

".....That's enough."

It was only after his voice echoed that the counting finally stopped.

However,

"8.23"

The assistant professor spoke.

"...That's your final score."

There was nothing Olivia could say about the score.

8.23

It was an absurd number.

A number that was almost unheard of with only a few people capable of achieving such a feat.

'Unless someone has suffered an incredible amount of pain in the past, it's almost impossible to achieve such a result.'

No, rather.

It was impossible for someone so young to have suffered through so much pain.

Even if he were to have been afflicted by the worst of diseases, it still wouldn't be enough to be able to help him achieve such a score.

So,

"How?"

How was it possible for him to achieve such a score?

The Professor wasn't the only one who was baffled by the results.

The ones who were most baffled by the results were none other than the cadets. They had, after all, gone through the same examinations just moments prior.

They all understood just how painful the examination was.

"Crazy bastard."

Kiera grumbled under her breath while staring at her hand.

It was shaking slightly.

Her turn had yet to come, but just recalling the pain she had gone through the first time around, she found herself shaking.

Back then, her score had been 2.93.

It was a great score.

Amongst the very top of the year.

And yet, here she was, staring at the anomaly who scored a ridiculous 8.23.

".....Maniac."

Such was the only word she could use to describe him.

Kiera wasn't the only one who had such an evaluation of him.

Aoife shared a similar opinion to hers.

But at the same time, her gaze couldn't help but drift slightly towards the man on her right.

"....."

He had been standing quietly the entire time while staring at Julien who had an indifferent gaze. She had a hard time understanding his thoughts, but that wasn't an issue for her.

Shifting her attention elsewhere, her gaze locked onto Evelyn's.

Unlike Leon, her expression was like an open book.

There was visible confusion etched on her face as she looked at Julien.

It was intriguing.

Especially since Aoife was still hung on the words that she had previously told to her.

'He's different.'

...And not only that.

For a cadet to be able to reach such a score at such an age...

He was definitely hiding something.

Of that, she was sure.

It made her more intrigued.

***

My hands felt like jelly.

No, rather, my entire body was like jelly. It was hard for me to stand, and if not for the Professor's help at the end, I would've been in trouble.

"Are you alright...? Should I send you to the doctor?"

".....I'll be alright."

Shaking my head, I rejected the Professor's good intentions and found an area to sit on.

As I moved, all gazes fell in my direction.

The looks the cadets were giving me. I was already familiar with them.

"Haaa...."

Sitting down, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

My mind was exhausted and I could hardly think. Despite that, I couldn't help but feel excited at the score that I received.

8.23

It was significantly higher than I had anticipated.

With my body sturdier than before, and the fact that I carried with me all sorts of pains from all sorts of people, I was able to achieve such a score.

As of right now, that was my limit.

I knew that if I were to push myself further than this then I would've been in big trouble.

It was a satisfying result.

One that didn't leave me feeling like shit like the previous one.

"That will be it for today's Progress Analysis."

Professor Kelson's voice broke me out of my thoughts.

Before I knew it, a few hours had passed and all the examinations were done.

".....You should all have received a score. Please make sure to train hard for the following one which is set at the end of the year. It's just right before the Draft."

Speaking, Professor Kelson made sure to emphasize the last part.

There were certain criteria that a cadet needed to have in order to become eligible for the draft.

One such criterion was a minimum score of 3.0 in either the physical or mana examination.

I had yet to reach either, but I was confident that by the end of the year, I'd have my mana score at around 3.0.

Clap, Clap Clapping twice, Professor Kelson gathered the attention of all cadets present before speaking again,

"Do take what I said to heart. For now, this is the end of the class. Since it is the last one of the day, you're free to do whatever you want after this. Have a good day."

And with that, the cadets proceeded to leave.

Well, except me who remained seated on the ground.

What else could I do....?

I could hardly move.

"Do you need a hand?"

Thankfully, I had a knight for these types of stuff. Lifting my head, I reached out for the outstretched hand and helped myself up.

"....."

Once I was standing, I thought about taking a step forward, but I only stopped at the thought.

As if they were made out of lead, my legs refused to budge.

Taking note of this, Leon shook his head.

"There was no need for you to go that hard. Just staying at the same score as before would've been as impressive."

"...I guess so."

But that wasn't the point.

I just wanted to test myself.

"Still...."

Leon scanned my body from top to bottom.

"....Seeing the state that you're in. I don't think it was the right idea for you to push yourself to this extent. Next time try to moderate yourself."

"I'll try."

"Don't try. Actually do it. You might end up crippling yourself if you go too hard."

"....."

How long was he going to nag me for?

"You understand that"

"I've been wanting to say. I've got a new joke that I've been meaning to tell you. Do you want to hear it?"

"..."

"Is that a yes?"

"...Why do you do this to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm helping you out."

"And? Aren't you supposed to be my knight?"

"I am."

"Okay, good. Are you ready to hear it?"

I cleared my throat.

Just before I could get my words out, Leon spoke.

"...What do you want from me?"

I paused and looked at him.

He looked like a defeated man.

Such a look.

Yes, this is how it's supposed to be.

"Stop speaking for a while. My head hurts."

"On it."

Leon pursed his lips and stopped speaking.

Staring at his figure from the side, I finally felt a little sensation in my hand as I brought it to a close.

...I felt oddly powerful at the moment.

With that, he helped me back to the dorms in silence.

***

The next day.

My body was still extremely sore from the mental examination, but I felt a lot better than before.

"Huuam."

Sitting in the classroom, I yawned.

The classroom was unusually quiet today. Apparently, there was an important announcement. I was a little curious, but I was in no state to properly focus.

"huaam."

Especially when I couldn't stop myself from yawning.

I was too tired.

"May I have your attention?"

The Professor in charge of the announcement was...

"Hm?"

Professor Hollowe.

I sat up slightly.

In the meantime, Professor Hollowe placed a stack of papers on the podium before speaking.

"Some of you may already know what's going on, but I'll say it for those that aren't aware."

His gaze swept the classroom.

"After witnessing impressive performances from several cadets during the mid-terms, the Guilds have reached out to us to collaborate on a program tailored for these promising cadets."

The faces of the many cadets in the classroom changed.

I couldn't quite understand why they were reacting the way that they did, but I soon understood.

"Remember, achieving a specific perimeter score and meeting draft eligibility criteria doesn't automatically ensure selection by a Guild. Another crucial aspect influencing their decision is personal preference. This underscores the significance of this opportunity for each of you."

The air grew tense at his words.

".....For that reason, when you enter the Guild for the experience, you must do your utmost to impress them. We're talking about your future here. Don't throw it away."

Reaching out for the papers on the podium, Professor Hollowe waved them in the air.

"I don't need much from you. Once the lesson is over, come over to the podium and select which Guild you want to enter for the experience. There's no guarantee that you will be able to enter your selected Guild, but it doesn't hurt to give it a shit."

With that, he placed the paper back on the podium.

"Wait, don't stand up just yet."

The cadets had just started to head for the papers when Professor Hollowe raised his hand and stopped them.

At that moment, I felt his gaze pause on me.

....Me?

"One last thing."

And then, it paused on someone else.

"Uh?"

I was starting to get a bad feeling.

"...There's another request from the Guilds."

All cadets stopped whatever they were doing and looked up.

"Leon."

Professor Hollowe called out his name.

"Julien."

And then mine.

I swallowed my saliva.

"They've specifically requested the top two cadets fight each other in a demonstration. They want to properly assess your skills."

I turned my head and I met gazes with Leon.

He also seemed shocked. But within the shock, there was something else...

I then recalled what had happened the day prior.

Ah.

F*ck...