“A special rule?”
“There’s something else......?”
The trainees voiced their confusion. However, they did not appear particularly concerned.
They waited for Ragon to speak, acting as though one additional rule would make little difference.
‘What is he planning this time......?’
Once again, Ivan alone stared at Ragon with eyes full of suspicion.
Was he planning to release wild beasts? Whatever it was, Ivan doubted it would be anything less severe than that.
“The additional rule is also very simple! It is a game of tag!”
In a booming voice, Ragon announced something no one had expected.
“Twenty-four hours after the test begins, chasers will be deployed! Each trainee will receive a tag. If a chaser takes your tag, you will be eliminated on the spot!”
Of course.
Ivan showed no surprise, as though he had expected this all along.
From the moment Ragon mentioned adding a rule, Ivan had known the man had no intention of letting the trainees pass peacefully.
There was an enormous difference between running merely to complete the course and running while chasers pursued them.
‘The pressure alone is completely different when you’re being chased.’
And that was not all.
The trainees who fell behind would naturally be the first caught by the chasers, so they would compete to advance ahead of one another.
They would also have to minimize the traces they left behind and avoid following obvious routes.
Because they would need to remain alert in every direction all day, their mental strength would be rapidly depleted as well.
“Chasers......”
“We’re eliminated immediately if they take our tags? What kind of ridiculous rule is that......?”
Anxiety bloomed once more on the faces of the trainees who had felt relieved moments before.
“It seems they had no intention of simply letting us pass after all.”
Julian muttered as he quickly studied the route on the map.
“I-I might fail this time......”
True to her nature, Meirin had already begun to grow pessimistic.
“You’re still doing this? Your stamina has improved tremendously, so as long as you don’t make a mistake, you’ll pass easily. Have some confidence.”
Having no other choice, Ivan encouraged Meirin as always, patting her shoulder.
His words were not empty consolation.
Meirin had gone to the fitness room with Ivan every single day for nearly two months.
As a result, she had consistently placed in the upper-middle ranks during recent training. If she calmly managed her stamina, she should pass with ease.
“Have confidence, as Ivan said. Is there not also a saying that anything is possible if you set your mind to it?”
Kamel also offered encouragement to the anxious Meirin.
There was no sign of tension in him at all.
“You look pretty relaxed. I guess you’re confident?”
Julian exclaimed in admiration.
“...No. I am extremely nervous as well.”
Kamel replied without the slightest change in expression.
“......”
He looked ready to kill someone, and that was his nervous face?
Julian was momentarily lost for words.
“Then, before we begin the test, I will introduce the helpers serving as chasers!”
Ragon gathered the unsettled trainees’ attention in one place again.
His shout, full of commanding presence, drew every trainee’s attention. Soon, four men and women leaped onto the platform, their splendid uniforms fluttering.
“These are top-class special investigators invited from Luverth headquarters specifically for this test!”
Special Grade. It was only two characters, but the weight of that title was anything but light.
It was the highest rank a Luverth special investigator could attain, a title reserved for the most experienced veterans who directly confronted the Five Evils.
“Gasp! S-special investigators......?!”
“That emblem on their chests... There’s no mistake. It’s Luverth’s emblem!”
“Wow... I’ve never seen a special investigator in person.”
“And they’re top-class special investigators... Aren’t we all going to fail?”
“Special Grade investigators fight the Five Evils. How are we supposed to escape from people like that......?”
The trainees stirred, voicing both admiration and horror.
“Special investigators, please give a brief introduction!”
Amid the commotion, Ragon gestured to the special investigators and stepped back.
“Ahem.”
One of the investigators cleared his throat and stepped forward at Ragon’s request.
‘That bastard......’
It was the red-haired man smiling with the most innocent face in the world.
Ivan knew that face well.
“Hello, kids? My name is Kainik. I work as a top-class special investigator at Luverth headquarters. You’ve all heard my name at least once, haven’t you?”
Kainik puffed out his chest as though showing off to the trainees.
“Kainik? Where have I heard that name?”
“What? You don’t mean Kainik, the Red Dragon Sword?!”
“The only red-haired top-class special investigator is the Red Dragon Sword!”
“Holy shit!”
Whispers swelled among the trainees at the name Kainik.
“...To think he was a special investigator rather than an instructor. The whole world has gone insane.”
Ivan muttered in disbelief.
Was it really acceptable for a special investigator, who was supposed to serve as a model citizen, to torment trainees?
And he appeared to be a remarkably high-ranking investigator at that.
Ivan was deeply concerned that every Luverth investigator might be like him.
“I see... He did seem suspicious when he said he had met Father. But I never imagined he was the Red Dragon Sword.”
Kamel finally accepted Kainik’s identity, saying it all made sense now.
“I-is he really that amazing......?”
Meirin asked cautiously at Kamel’s reaction and those around her.
Having lived far from the imperial capital where Luverth headquarters was located, she had never heard the name.
“He is the youngest person ever named among the Continental Fifteen Swords, and a man considered a future member of the Five Emperors.”
“The Five Emperors?! H-he really is incredible......”
Meirin swallowed her astonishment.
What were the Five Emperors? It was the title given to the continent’s five strongest martial artists, the counterparts of the Five Evils, the continent’s great villains.
Even Meirin knew the fame of the Five Emperors well.
“So that man is the famous Red Dragon Sword. If he catches us, we’re guaranteed to fail.”
Julian’s expression stiffened slightly at the unexpected variable. If the Red Dragon Sword truly put his mind to it, not a single trainee would pass the test.
Ivan simply stared blankly at Kainik.
From the moment Kainik seized his hand the night before, Ivan had sensed he was extraordinary. He had never imagined the man was this remarkable.
That only made Kainik’s bizarre behavior yesterday even harder to understand.
At that moment, Ivan’s and Kainik’s gazes met.
“Haha.”
Kainik gave an embarrassed laugh and waved at Ivan.
“Huh? Ivan, it looks like he’s waving at you. Don’t tell me you know him?”
“Of course not. I don’t know anyone like that. I don’t want to, either.”
Ivan cut Julian’s question off like a blade and turned his head.
He would pretend not to know the man. He could not afford to become any more entangled with him.
“I am Eric Harbert, a special investigator from Luverth headquarters. I will show no mercy, but I hope you all achieve good results.”
Eric stepped forward next and introduced himself in a rather cold tone.
He had trained at the same camp as Kainik and was an elite investigator who had punished countless evildoers.
The trainees continued to exclaim at another renowned name.
Next, Lumia, who had been touching up her makeup in a mirror until the moment before stepping onto the platform, walked forward.
“Hello, kids? It’s me. You all know who I am without an introduction, don’t you?”
Lumia swept a seductive gaze over the trainees. Her proud tone overflowed with self-love.
But contrary to her expectations, silence settled over the central training ground.
What was wrong with these brats?
Flustered inwardly, Lumia continued as though nothing had happened.
“...Still, some children might not know my face, so I’ll introduce myself properly. I’m Lumia, a special investigator from Luverth headquarters. I’ll be gentle with you, so don’t worry too much.”
After finishing, Lumia turned elegantly and returned to her place.
She had privately expected enthusiastic applause, but all she received was silence once again.
Without hesitation, Lumia erased her promise to be gentle from her mind.
“Ugh... Do I really have to do this too......?”
Finally, Ivy’s turn arrived.
When she faced the gazes of hundreds of trainees, Ivy’s stomach suddenly cramped. She looked pleadingly at Ragon.
“Of course!”
Ragon pushed her forward without the slightest mercy.
With no other choice, she stood before the trainees and opened her mouth, her face pale.
“H-hellosh! Ugh......”
Ivy bit her tongue on the very first word and bowed her bright red face.
Ivan, Julian, and Kamel naturally turned to look at Meirin.
“W-why is everyone looking at me......?”
“Meirin, do you happen to have a twin sister?”
“Huh? I don’t. Why?”
“It’s nothing. I was just suddenly curious.”
All three had felt a familiar sense of déjà vu from Ivy. They saw no need to say whom she reminded them of.
“H-hello... My name is Ivy. Um... I don’t know whether I’ll be much help, but... I-I look forward to working with you.”
After struggling through her introduction, Ivy hurried off the platform.
Was Ivy not the special investigator known by the epithet Light Sword?
The trainees merely blinked at Ivy, who did not suit her terrifying epithet in the slightest.
Anyone watching might have mistaken her for one of the trainees taking the test.
“Now that the introductions are over, we will begin the physical fitness test in earnest! Trainees, follow your instructors and enter the warp gates in order!”
With the special investigators’ brief introductions complete, the decisive moment had finally arrived.
The trainees followed their class instructors toward the buildings housing their assigned warp gates.
An enormous warp gate reminiscent of the gates of hell greeted them.
“Your destination will be random, and you may begin moving the moment the starting signal sounds. However, departing before the signal will be considered cheating and result in disqualification, so be careful.”
“Understood!”
“Then enter in order.”
Following the instructor’s directions, the trainees at the front began entering the warp gate one by one.
“I wish all of you luck.”
Before leaving, Kamel looked at the other three. Although they had known one another for only a short time, this was the first time he had met friends who suited him so well.
He sincerely hoped none of them would fail.
“I didn’t expect to grow this attached to all of you. I’d be a little—no, very disappointed if any of you failed. So make sure you all pass.”
Julian also felt considerable regret in this moment, which might be their last together.
Meirin’s eyes even welled with tears, as though they were parting forever.
“Ugh, I’ve got goosebumps. What is this atmosphere? Anyone watching would think we were marching off to war.”
Ivan spoke indifferently as he rubbed his goosebump-covered arms.
“Enough. I’ll see you after the test.”
After speaking, Ivan carefully controlled his expression while exclaiming inwardly.
‘Even I have to admit that was really cool.’
Was he, as a man, not simply too cool and aloof? With that thought, Ivan waited for the other three’s reactions.
There was no way they would remain unmoved.
“Ivan......”
Julian called Ivan’s name with wide eyes.
“Isn’t it a little strange for you to say that when you still haven’t awakened your aura?”
“You son of a bitch.”
Ivan nearly punched Julian on the spot. Kamel quietly turned his head and pretended not to hear.
“Ivan! I think it’s cool!”
Only Meirin appeared moved by Ivan’s words.
Somehow, that made him feel even more miserable.
***
Kamel, Julian, and Meirin entered the warp gate in turn.
Before long, Ivan’s turn arrived. Prior to stepping inside, he glanced briefly toward the line behind him.
Miliana looked rather haggard, as though she had not fully recovered from the previous day’s exhaustion.
‘For some reason, I’m worried about her.’
They were not close, but she had helped him several times, so he could not help looking her way.
‘She can take care of herself.’
Ivan soon turned his attention away from her. For now, he had to focus entirely on the test.
‘I can never let my guard down.’
They said even monkeys fell from trees. No matter how well Ivan had performed in training, there was no guarantee he would pass the test.
After drawing a breath, Ivan stepped into the warp gate.
Hummm.
His senses warped along with the dimensional vortex.