Aluis tilted his head slightly. "Do you wish to proceed with the third phase?"
Kai swallowed once, then nodded. "Yes."
A low murmur rippled through the crowd.
"You've come empty-handed. Do you want to use a weapon?" he asked, almost politely.
Kai's eyes flicked down, then up, as if he was weighing his words.
"A sword," he said.
Aluis smiled.
Then he stomped.
The stone under the platform pulsed. Dirt and earth rose like a tide, coalescing into shapes in front of Kai. Not one weapon, but several, lined up in a neat row. Different lengths. Different weights. Some broad, some slender, some curved, some straight.
'Amazing', I mumbled to myself. Aluis's use of magic was something phenomenal. It almost felt unreal seeing it before my own eyes. This was magic? It wasn't conjuration or transfiguration in the way I'd imagined it. It seemed far too fast. Unlike the spells I had seen in the game.
Kai stepped forward, eyes scanning. He picked a slender blade, light enough to move quickly with.
Aluis nodded once, like he'd expected that choice.
"The only rule," Aluis said, voice flat, "Neither side is allowed to use mana."
Kai nodded, and the uneasiness on his face seemed to loosen just a little.
Then, Aluis clasped both hands behind his back.
"For a second handicap. I will not use my hands. I think this is a fair matchup." He smiled.
A cold silence gripped the room. Everyone present was a little shaken. The students gathered here had come with grand aspirations to join humanity's great war against the demons. To make a name for themselves. It wasn't wrong to assume that everyone was talented in their own way.
Yet what Aluis had said here had slapped them back to reality.
I immediately guessed his intentions.
'He wants to paint us as frogs in the well', I chuckled.
He wasn't wrong. Compared to a real awakened, all of us might as well be as inconsequential as an ant. I was sure that the other candidates didn't think too differently. Yet feeling the difference and seeing it in action was something worlds apart.
Kai tightened his grip on the sword. "Ok."
Aluis didn't move.
"Begin when ready," Aluis said simply.
The crowd leaned forward as one, eyes peeled.
I could feel it. The hunger in the silence. Everyone here wanted to see how the examiner moved, what he allowed, what he punished. They wanted to steal a pattern. A trick. Anything they could carry into their own spar.
For a moment, Aluis and Kai just stared at each other.
Then Kai started to circle along the edge of the platform, sword lowered, steps careful. His eyes never left Aluis's centreline.
'He's measuring him'
But Aluis seemed far too experienced. He neither gave any tells nor shifted his position.
So Kai lunged.
'Fast.' I flinched in surprise.
Kai stabbed straight, a thrust aimed for the chest.
Aluis deftly slid a half-step to the side.
Kai's sword snapped into a slash on instinct, the edge cutting toward Aluis's ribs.
Aluis dipped under it with ease.
The crowd exhaled in a single, stunned breath.
Kai didn't stop.
He surged again, this time with unnerving speed. Another thrust. Another slash. A feint into a sudden reverse cut.
But Aluis bobbed and weaved through all of it. He moved as if he'd already seen the attacks before they were thrown. But with his eyes covered by a mask, how exactly had he dodged the attacks?
'Some sort of sensing skill?' I muttered, trying my best to recall such a skill.
Kai accelerated again.
The spar turned into a blur of footwork and steel. Kai was fast, freakishly fast. His feet skated across the stone, his shoulders rolled, his sword snapped out again and again in a frenzy.
But the more he pushed, the more it showed.
His techniques were messy.
Not weak. Not slow. Just… wrong. The angles were off. The transitions were crude, like he was trying to force the sword to keep up with his body instead of letting the blade lead.
Despite the crazed frenzy of attacks, Aluis didn't panic.
He dodged every swing with that same calm precision, hands still clasped behind his back, chin level, mask unreadable. The scarier past was that he hadn't retreated either. Instead, he'd just been a half step ahead of every move.
My mouth went dry.
Kai was moving at a speed I could barely track. And Aluis was still ahead.
A thought echoed in my head, 'If this is without mana. Is he using raw skill and instinct to come up on top?'
Before I could come to a conclusion, I heard the platform echo with the sharp hiss of steel cutting air. Kai's breath turned ragged. Sweat started to shine on his forehead. His grip tightened, knuckles whitening.
Kai's shoulders began to hitch. His footwork grew heavier. The rapid bursts turned into longer, strained lunges. His blade wavered by a fraction each time he recovered.
I could already see it. And I was sure Aluis could tell too.
His stamina was running out.
Kai went for one last rush, teeth clenched, pushing for a finish that didn't exist. A thrust, a slash, then a desperate overhead cut.
With a swift flicker, Aluis stepped inwards at the most dangerous movement.
Kai's sword passed inches away from Aluis's shoulder, missing by nothing but timing.
Aluis didn't strike him. He didn't need to.
"Stop," Aluis said.
Kai froze mid-breath, chest heaving. He swallowed, then lowered the sword with shaking arms.
The platform was silent except for his breathing.
Aluis regarded him for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"You pass," he said.
Kai's head snapped up, disbelief and relief mixing on his face.
Aluis continued, voice still even. "Your speed and agility are exceptional. But your style is unbalanced. Your weapon does not match your control. I'd recommend training it further."
Kai's grip loosened slightly, "Yes." All he could muster was a single word in response.
Aluis stomped again.
A chair formed on the edge of the platform, earth rising into a clean seat.
"Sit," Aluis said.
Kai obeyed, still breathing hard.
I could feel the crowd's sentiment shift. Excitement rippled through the candidates now, bright and dangerous. If Kai could pass, they told themselves, so could they.
I didn't feel excited. Rather, I was unsure of what I'd just watched.
'What kind of fifteen-year-old moves like that?' I cursed. The fact that Aluis had specifically quoted his agility as a reason for passing felt appropriate, as Kai had not managed to land a single blow for the entire duration of the spar.
'The spar's not really about winning, but just about impressing the examiner.' I nodded to myself.
Aluis lifted the list again.
He looked down.
Then he spoke the next name.
"Noah Reed."
For a second, I thought I'd misheard. My heart skipped a beat.
Aluis cleared his throat again and repeated. "Noah Reed."
I stood up slowly, spear in hand, my fingers tightening around the haft until the wood creaked. The exhaustion from the run and the written exam was still in my muscles, but it was distant now, pushed aside by adrenaline and something sharper.
I stepped through the crowd and slowly felt all eyes turn towards me.
Aluis waited at the centre, hands behind his back.
I climbed onto the ring and rolled my shoulders once, spear angled down at my side.
My heart hammered. My breath fogged in front of my face.
"Do you wish to proceed with the third phase?" He asked
I stared at Aluis and forced my grip to settle. "Yes."
"I see you've brought a weapon, but if you wish, I could offer you one of mine." Aluis offered and gestured with an open hand.
I raised the spear into a ready stance and stepped forward. "I'd rather use my own. I'm a bit used to its grip."
"Noted." Aluis flicked a wrist, and the nominal damage on the platform was repaired in an instant. Then he gestured me to one side, " The conditions don't change. No use of mana, and I will not be using my hands. Is that clear?"
"Yes."
"Begin when you're ready." Aluis nodded.