“The first part of the exam will now begin,” the examiner announced.
“Those who pass will receive a basic F-grade badge.”
All participants entered the sealed examination chamber.
“Try your best to kill as many monsters as possible.
Points will be calculated based on your performance.
You need a minimum of 30 points to qualify for the next round and earn the F-rank badge,” the examiner explained.
He nodded to the woman beside him, who stepped forward with a gleeful smile.
“Hihihi.
This is the best part,” she muttered, releasing her aura.
Inside the sealed space, numerous F+ rank beasts materialized — winged bats, goblins, arachnids, and more.
The test hall was enormous, easily large enough to accommodate five hundred people with room to spare, allowing the monsters to roam freely without forcing participants to compete for kills.
Michael gripped his B-rank sword.
The moment he did, his entire demeanor shifted.
He no longer looked like an ordinary young man.
He moved swiftly, closing in on the nearest goblin and severing its head in one clean stroke.
Using a nearby arachnid as a springboard, he launched himself into the air, twisted mid-flight, and sliced a winged bat in two.
Landing gracefully, he stabbed the arachnid’s thorax, ending its life.
Michael fought like a refined swordsman — every movement elegant, precise, and efficient.
Not a single motion was wasted.
Cecil was equally impressive.
She rose into the air, radiating C-rank power.
“Solar Ray!” she called out.
Tiny rays of concentrated solar energy formed around her.
With precise control, she fired them at the surrounding monsters.
Each ray pierced a forehead with lethal accuracy — one shot, one kill.
She glanced toward Michael and smiled.
From the shadows, Geldon whispered to her, “I can’t sense any aura from him.
“Hmm,” Cecil nodded.
“But the way he fights… it’s like a seasoned sword master.
And that B-rank blade… He’s no ordinary young man.
He might be a hidden prince, just like you,” Geldon speculated.
“I’ll keep an eye on him.
He could be here for the same reason,” Cecil muttered.
Michael, oblivious to their conversation, continued slaughtering F-rank monsters.
As he moved to kill another goblin, his senses tingled — Void Slayer sent him a sharp warning.
His battle pet burst out of his Inventory.
Snow, one of the Twin-Headed Wolf’s heads, unleashed a blast of freezing energy that stopped a poison dart mid-air.
The dart lost momentum and clattered harmlessly to the ground.
The entire examination came to a sudden halt as everyone turned toward the disturbance.
“Me again?” Michael thought with a groan.
“I’m sorry.
I miscalculated and accidentally fired my dart toward you,” a young man said arrogantly, offering the most half-hearted apology possible.
“You knew exactly what you were doing,” Michael replied coldly.
“My beast sensed bloodlust and killing intent directed at me.”
“I didn’t.
It was simply a mistake.
Believe whatever you want,” the man replied with a smirk.
“What’s going on here?” Jermaine entered the chamber, his gaze locking onto Michael.
“A setup, huh?” Michael realized instantly.
“Nothing serious.
He simply made a mistake,” Michael said, brushing it off.
“In that case, we’ll end this round early and move to the next,” Jermaine announced.
“We’ll evaluate your performance from the footage and decide who passes.”
Jermaine’s plan was obvious: either Michael died during the test, or he survived but would be denied the badge.
“He really is working for Daniel,” Michael thought.
This kind of underhanded cruelty was exactly his brother’s style.
Michael slowly sheathed his sword, recalled his Twin-Headed Wolf, and turned to leave.
“Where are you going?
The exam isn’t over,” Jermaine called out.
“It’s fine.
I know I won’t pass anyway.
The guild is just one path for me, not the only one,” Michael replied calmly, walking out of the hall without looking back.
Jermaine stared after him in shock.
The fact that Michael had seen through the ploy and left voluntarily was a heavy blow to his pride.
Clutching his fist tightly, he swore to put Michael in his place.
Michael left the guild hall and headed straight for the City Lord’s manor.
His original plan to stay low-key and grow quietly had gone out the window.
From now on, he would use every ability at his disposal to crush anything in his path.
As he approached the manor, the guards immediately blocked his way.
“This is a restricted area.
Only those with appointments are allowed,” one knight said firmly.
“The City Lord will want to see me — that is, if he wishes to thwart his enemy’s plans and remain lord of Iron City,” Michael replied confidently, radiating the unmistakable aura of royalty.
The knights hesitated.
“What do you mean?” one of them asked.
“Just relay the message.
If I’m wasting his time, my head can go on a spike.
Even I know that.
Do you really think I’d risk my life for a petty game?” Michael said calmly.
Half-convinced, the knights decided to inform the City Lord.
Michael waited outside, still thinking about Jermaine and the arrogant attacker.