"I passed?" Ronan stopped and asked in confusion.
Seeing Ronan regain his composure after a few deep breaths, the soldier replied with admiration, "The Deputy Commander said that with your level, there's no need for further testing."
"I see."
Ronan nodded and walked over to the rest area to recover.
He glanced at the platform and noticed Erwin watching him. When their eyes met, Erwin gave a faint smile and nodded.
Seeing this, Ronan nodded back in response.
Just then, several familiar faces appeared among the spectators gathered outside the field, waving to him.
"Can I go over and talk to them for a few minutes?" Ronan asked the nearby soldier.
"Go ahead."
After getting approval, Ronan walked over.
"How did you all get here?"
"Stinky brat, we're just here for the show, not for you," said Uncle Harry with mock arrogance.
But Aunt Martha, standing beside him, smiled warmly. "Don't listen to him, Ronan. We're here to cheer you on."
"Brother Ronan, why didn't you run with the others?" asked Eren in confusion.
Armin and Mikasa also looked puzzled.
Seeing their expressions, Ronan smiled and explained, "I passed the first round of tests already, so I don't need to run again."
"So cool!" said Eren and Armin in unison, their eyes shining with admiration.
Even Mikasa, who rarely showed interest in anything outside of Eren, gave Ronan a thumbs-up.
As for Grisha and the others, they offered encouragement—but not without some stern warnings not to slack off.
After a few brief moments of chatting, Ronan returned to the rest area and quietly observed the other applicants while waiting for the second round to begin.
Half an hour later, the first round officially ended.
Of the original two hundred applicants, only one hundred remained. Those who passed were visibly thrilled, while the eliminated ones looked dejected—especially as the onlookers' silent judgment became increasingly hard to bear.
For the older candidates, it was particularly humiliating to be constantly compared to Ronan. No one felt the shame more deeply than they did.
Soon, however, attention turned to the second round of tests: body coordination.
A thick rope, about the width of two fingers and 100 meters long, had been stretched taut between two tall pillars.
The crowd stared, puzzled.
"What's that for?"
"Isn't it obvious? They want us to walk across it."
"Makes sense. This round is for testing physical coordination, after all."
"But the rope is 100 meters long! We're not expected to walk the whole thing, are we?"
"If that's the requirement, barely anyone will pass."
"There are only three spots available anyway..."
As the murmuring continued and more eyes turned to the high rope—suspended over two meters above the ground—Ronan grinned to himself.
"They're testing for adaptability to the vertical maneuvering equipment. Let's see how far I can go with my current coordination."
Just then, Erwin stood up on the stage, and the crowd immediately went quiet, lining up in the same order as before.
Naturally, Ronan was in first place.
As the youngest candidate present, he had already drawn plenty of attention. Even Erwin studied him with extra interest.
Ronan felt relieved he hadn't tried to hide any of his strengths. Unless something unexpected happened, he was nearly certain of being accepted.
"Might as well use this chance to get familiar with the future leaders of the Survey Corps."
While Ronan was lost in thought, Erwin surveyed the group and addressed them loudly:
"First of all, congratulations to all of you who passed the first round. I believe you've already seen the setup for the second round. Yes, it's exactly as you suspect."
After a short pause, Erwin continued:
"The second round is to walk across this rope. Anyone who makes it to the other side will pass."
"What if no one makes it?" someone from the crowd asked.
Erwin didn't take offense. Instead, he patiently explained, "If no one completes the full distance, the three candidates who make it the farthest will proceed."
"Three people?!" gasps echoed through the crowd.
"What about the third round?"
"This is only the second round—weren't there supposed to be three slots?"
Sensing their confusion, Erwin smiled.
"The third round is a background check. As long as you don't have a criminal record, you'll pass that part easily."
With that clarified, everyone understood.
As the top candidate from the first round, Ronan would be the first to attempt the second test.
From the crowd, Eren, still closely watching the situation, turned to the others.
"Mikasa, Armin, do you think Brother Ronan will pass?"
"He should… Brother Ronan is amazing," Armin said with growing confidence.
Ever since Ronan had saved him from bullies in the alley and given him that life-changing pep talk, Armin had become his biggest fan. Mikasa nodded silently in agreement.
Watching from the sidelines, Carla and Martha exchanged a glance, then quietly clasped hands and prayed that Ronan would fail the test.
They still believed the Survey Corps was far too dangerous and didn't want him to join.
As for Harry and Grisha, Harry might've joked around, but he was deeply worried. Grisha, on the other hand, was conflicted.
Ever since their previous conversation, Grisha had a nagging feeling that Ronan somehow knew his secret. That night, as he mulled it over, sleep had eluded him for days...
Unaware of all this, Ronan stepped up onto the platform.
With dozens of eyes watching, he positioned himself carefully and planted his foot on the rope, standing tall—ready for the second challenge.