Chapter 177 (1/2)
Chapter 177
Chapter 177: Greying Glimpse
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“Next! Cadet Grey, no surname Please step onto the platform,” said the male researcher with the ilass
The researcher’s half-closed eyes never left his clipboard “Please place your dolobe and wait for further instructions”
I did as instructed while broadening oing to solobe is a sensor that will measure your ki level Please inal to stop”
Taking a deep breath, I siphoned the ki out of ht ar measured inside the sensor, looked like droplets of ink inside water Swirling and expanding inside, I saw the researchers jot down notes with looks of disappointment
Barely aprofusely, lobe
“You h the interco even less i “Please proceed to the training grounds for the final part of your assessh, taking a peek back as the researchers discussed iven h and shook his head
Walking through the brightly-lit corridor, I stopped at the back of a line that had for their turn for the final portion of the assessment
“Hey… do you knohat the last test will be?” The large, bulky young man in front of h tests that th and just now our ki Just by process of elimination, this last one can only be that”
The rinned sood at that”
I let out a se in attitude It was the saood at that
The line started e auditoriuh There were already a fair anated locations with an instructor leading each group My eyes scanned the area in hopes of finding Nico or Cecilia, but I couldn’t find either of them
There was also an instructor at the front of our line, guiding each of the new cadets to a different group The instructor pointed to his right at a crowd of nervous cadets near the far corner and the bulky boy in front of roup
“Cadet Grey, no surnae to scowl every time a faculty member pointed out the fact that I had no family name Why did that matter here?
“Proceed to Group 4C halfway to the far left corner of the auditorium The floor isto the appropriate location
I gave hie of approximately a dozen irl that looked around e stood confidently with her arms crossed She purposely leaked traces of her ki so everyone around her could feel it A toned boy with neatly cropped hair stood tall with an arrogant s by the crest pinned to his chest pocket, he was from a military family No doubt he was raised to be a prominent e the spot for king
Aroup was our instructor—a heavyset roo hair
“Cadet Grey?” the instructor asked with a raised brow as he read off his clipboard
“Yes, sir,” I nodded respectfully No point in being brusque with themy stature inside this military academy
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“Okay! Looks like everyone’s here then,” he said, tucking his clipboard in his ar his hands “hello everyone You in, I’d like to say a feords”
The cadets in our group shuffled around him in a circle so everyone could see
“As uessed, this last portion of the entry exaroup’s ki level results here and, while I will not disclose anyone’s ki level, I’ll tell you now that they all differ Part of practical co able to fight someone with the same level of ki as you Sometimes you will be lucky and be faced with an opponent that can barely strengthen his fist—”
A few cadets in our group snickered at that
“Other times, you will coer ki pool than you do,” the instructor continued, holding up his clipboard once ed on your ability to adapt accordingly and lances aroup before a scrawny teen that looked a few years older than me raised his ar this test true?”
Instructor Gredge scratched his beard “Highly unlikely The weapons here are blunted and softened Also, I’ll be carefully hts and intervene when necessary”
There were a few cadets in the group that were still anxious despite the instructor’s reassurance I couldn’t blae difference in strength and agility—enough that even a softened weapon could be deadly
The instructor cleared his throat to get our attention “As all of you know, the entry exa a cadet’s future in this academy Those who do well here will be well supported by the acadeiven resources to further their skills while those who fail will be neglected and eventually expelled It’s unfair but that’s also the way of life I’d ask if any of you have any questions but we’re short on tiin”
Our plu for soet out of the way He then dug out a key from his pocket and inserted it into the wall That hen I noticed the faint searound
The wall slid open to reveal a weapon rack, while at the salass-like round Within seconds, an area of roughly thirty square feet was enclosed by the clear walls that rose dozens of feet high
“First up will be Cadet Janice Creskit against Cadet Twain Burr Pick out a weapon of your choice and enter the arena” Instructor Gredge motioned at the door and the panes slid open
The s her ki picked out a blunted spear while the scrawny teen that had just asked the instructor whether it was possible to die carefully handled a shi+eld and sword The two of them followed the instructor inside the enclosed area, the panes closing behind hie whether or not the ht to your heart’s content” Our instructor placed hiin!”
Twain jumped back and ilass shi+eld up while keeping his blunted sword close to his body
Janice, on the other hand, lunged at her opponent A muted thud resounded as her spear clashed with Twain’s shi+eld, but she didn’t relent With no regard for her safety, she let loose a wild set of thrusts, pushi+ng back Tith each one
The petite girl lashed out like a cat, quick and agile but too eh his knitted brows showed uncertainty, seeht on to this when he timed his next block to parry away Janice’s spear
She staggered just a step, but that was all Twain needed He quickly swung his sword and hit her square in the shoulder I expected her to writhe in pain or at least recoil, but despite the direct hit, a translucent layer of ki protected Janice’s shoulder
With a srin plastered on Cadet Janice’s face, she smacked aain’s sith her hand and tackled him with the same shoulder that had just received the hit Twain buckled Janice followed up by swiping her weapon at Twain’s legs, sweeping him off his feet—literally
The scrawny teen fell to the floor and just before Janice brought down the head of her spear into Twain’s face, Instructor Gredge intercepted
“Match over Both cadets return to the rest of the group,” he said uncereo of the spear
There was a s onto his clipboard while Twain and Janice walked out of the arena
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“As this is an exas of this st yourselves In the meantime, Cadet Grey and Cadet Vlair of House Ambrose, please pick out a weapon froroup upon hearing the na boy that looked just around e walked over to Janice
“May I use the spear?” he asked, holding his hand out
The girl that had just fought like a feral cat suddenly turned tame as she handed him the blunted spear “S-Sure”
I picked out a sword about half the width of the one that Twain had used before walking into the enclosed area
“That’s it, Cadet Grey?” Vlair asked with a raised brow “The sword you chose is usually paired with a brace or another sword”