Chapter 13
The moment the candidate activated magic.
The Mage Job Instructor opened his mouth wide in disbelief.
“Whoaa…! I knew the mana affinity was high, but for a candidate who hasn’t even formed a single circle to cast a 3rd Circle Spell…!”
“Old man, isn’t that because of the ring? That ring looks incredible.”
“It is a powerful ring, but no matter what aid it gives, manifesting magic by controlling mana is entirely dependent on the user’s ability! That ring merely supplements mana and mental strength. The spell manifestation is entirely the candidate’s doing!”
“Alright, calm down, old man.”
“How can I be calm! That candidate just created such a massive and perfect Fire Lance!”
The candidate had already successfully manifested the Fire Lance.
But he wasn’t satisfied with that—he was making it even bigger.
As the ferocious, blazing Fire Lance looked around like it was hunting prey, the Mage Job Instructor urgently shouted:
“There! That target over there! Try hitting that! It’s only natural you’d want to test such a spell!”
Nodding at the shout, the candidate hurled the completed Fire Lance just as the glow of the ring faded.
In that moment—
BOOOOOM—!!
The room filled with scorching heat.
A massive explosion of flames erupted, completely obliterating the “target” to the point its original shape was unrecognizable.
“Aha! You’re meant to walk the path of the Sage! Magic is the pinnacle of modern mysticism! Let’s join hands and go beyond dragons with…”
“Hey, old man! Enough already! It’s my turn now.”
Brushing aside the rambling Mage Instructor, the Assassin Job Instructor stepped forward, smiling menacingly.
“My test is nothing like theirs. It’s not going to be easy.”
One hour later…
“You’re the Dark King! You must become the Dark King! With that talent, not becoming the King of Shadows is a crime! A crime!”
“Nonsense! He must walk the path of the Sage! No questions asked!”
“Archer. No doubt about it.”
The Assassin Job Instructor clung to the candidate between the Mage and Archer Instructors.
And no wonder—I had just passed the so-called “impossible difficulty” test given by the Dark King.
It was a test evaluating speed, stealth, and judgment in various ways.
The highest-level test she could offer.
So, of course, they were reacting this way.
But it wasn’t that amazing, really.
Speed? Wear good shoes.
Stealth? Wear a good cloak.
Of course, the Assassin Instructor still praised my exceptional control over speed and stealth, and especially my innate judgment skills—which she claimed no item could replicate.
“Now, it’s time for the final test, right?”
Ignoring the commotion, I moved on to the last test.
We arrived at the third floor of the tower.
The place where candidates for warrior and other melee combat jobs took their tests.
“Finally, my turn!”
The final test area looked quite rough compared to the others.
The floor was packed with dirt and sand, and crude wooden dummies shaped like crosses were scattered about.
Various wooden training weapons lined the walls.
That was it.
Compared to the archer’s room with its opening walls, the high mana density mage room, and the complex assassin’s room—it was incredibly simple.
Still, there were many different kinds of tests here.
I remembered things like striking a wooden sword 1,000 times, chopping down a tree with a wooden axe, stabbing an X-mark on a wall 1,000 times with a spear.
The test varied by weapon.
This was the place where I had taken the most tests while aiming to become a Weapon Master.
Now, as part of the All-Master Promotion, what kind of test awaited me?
“Your test is…!”
Thud.
The Warrior Instructor tossed a sack in my direction.
I opened it and saw it was filled with various practice weapons.
Wooden swords, spears, sticks, clubs—you name it.
Then he shouted:
“A duel. With me!”
A duel with the Job Instructor?
I didn’t know how strong he was, but he couldn’t be average.
He likely surpassed the beginner town level—and might even be over level 100.
“Do I have to win?”
“It’d be great if you did! But nah. Just land a valid hit!”
A valid hit—a vague condition.
Some might count any hit as valid, while others would only count lethal hits like the neck or heart.
Before I could ask further, the instructor clarified:
“There’s one condition!”
“What is it?”
“You can’t use any of your own items. Only the training weapons here!”
That was a serious handicap.
The only reason I’d cleared the previous ridiculous tests was because I could use the items I collected in First.
But now, I had to land a clean hit without any of those.
A tough condition—especially when I didn’t even know how strong this instructor was.
But—
I’m not one to give up.
As always, I had no intention of quitting.
Besides, even if I couldn’t use items—I had my trump card.
“Now that’s what I like to see! Facing the world bare-handed, that’s the kind of fire you need!”
The instructor picked up a wooden sword with smooth precision—clearly very experienced.
Given he supervised most melee job tests, he probably knew how to handle almost every weapon.
Seeing that—
Thud.
I kicked up a wooden spear and grabbed it.
Even without spear-related skills, my body remembered the stances I used in First.
“Oof…”
“We were rough before, but asking him to beat the Instructor? That’s cruel!”
“Totally unfair.”
“Well, if he passes this, shouldn’t we seriously let him become an All-Master?”
“Oh… true.”
“……”
“Go, muscle guy!”
No one signaled.
Neither the instructor nor I said a word.
But as if prearranged—
Hyahh!
We moved at the same time.
“Hahahaha!”
The instructor charged at me, and I stepped back, thrusting the spear.
Spears rely on superior range to prevent enemies from closing in.
Once they get too close, spear techniques lose their power.
Sure, I knew how to handle that, but I wasn’t confident it’d work against this opponent.
Instead of clinging to one weapon and thinking up contingency plans, the better strategy was to fully exploit the strengths of multiple weapons.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In an instant, we exchanged three blows.
The instructor deflected my spear swings easily with his wooden sword and closed in.
I threw the spear in his path to block him and quickly grabbed another weapon.
“To be so good at archery, magic, stealth, and now weaponry too! Impressive!”
I looked up and saw the instructor right in front of me.
He slashed diagonally—I tried to deflect and counterattack—
Clack!
But he blocked my counter with the pommel and smoothly followed with another attack.
If I hadn’t ducked, I would’ve been hit.
It’s not just technique—his physical ability is overwhelming.
I wasn’t weak.
Even at level 10, my stats were close to a level 40 character.
Still, I couldn’t keep up with him.
My arms tingled with each parried blow, and my body kept getting pushed back.
One step back, and he’d already be on top of me again.
He didn’t seem to tire at all.
At this rate, I’d lose just due to sheer physical disparity.
Which is why—
I decided to use my trump card.
“Luke.”
– Yes, Master.
“Lend me some strength.”
– I’ve been waiting.
Black flames erupted from my body.
But this wasn’t him equipping me with gear.
The dark fire stayed, enhancing my body.
A system message appeared:
[ Activating Black Flame Form. ]
[ Borrowing the power of “Black Flame Dragon, Luknir Desperate Ignoktern.” ]
Yes.
This was Luke’s second ability.
He lends me the stats he accumulated from devouring monster corpses.
The duration is short, but during it, all my stats dramatically increase.
And the more Luke consumes, the stronger this ability becomes.
Even in First, where I bonded with Luke late, this skill was super useful.
Hyah!
With Black Flame Form active, I charged the instructor.
I didn’t have much time. I needed to finish it before the buff ran out.
“You had another hidden card? Amazing!”
Though they told me not to use items, luckily they didn’t seem to count this.
Which made sense—it wasn’t really an item.
As I ran, I gave Luke an order.
He didn’t have combat capabilities, but he still retained his original function.
“Luke, gather all the weapons around us.”
– Understood, Master.
The scattered practice weapons were absorbed by Luke.
Since there were no restrictions on training weapons, I didn’t have to pick them up myself.
“The strongest one.”
– Preparing a greatsword.
From the black flame in my hand, a wooden greatsword emerged.
Now the real fight began.
Using Luke’s ability, I activated Switching—my own unique battle style that let me dominate First.
With a mighty swing of the greatsword, I clashed with the instructor.
“Show me even more of your strength, Candidate!”
BOOOM—!!
The instructor grinned wildly, more like a berserker than a warrior.
