Gasps of shock echoed through the hall.
The entire examination hall fell into complete silence.
Not only were the watching guards stunned, but even Hal, Milton, and the others found it hard to believe.
Quentin stared at Raymond, his eyes full of disbelief.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Then, a thin line of blood appeared on his neck. Blood gushed out.
With a thud, Quentin’s head hit the ground.
Only then did everyone realize-a newly promoted junior guard had just cut down a captain with one swing of his sword.
Marcus watched Raymond’s movements, his pupils shrinking.
He now fully believed what Raymond had said earlier. The examiners, the death row prisoners, and the half-beast agents disguised as junior guards inside the magic barrier-Raymond really had killed them all!
Raymond definitely had the strength to do it.
"Hahaha! Good job, kid! Didn’t you tell me last time you were only Level 15?" Grayson laughed heartily, excited like a child.
Hal, Milton, and the other captains also snapped out of their shock.
They rushed over to Raymond and ruffled his hair like crazy.
Ralph and Bobby stared at Raymond, their eyes full of admiration.
"From now on, Raymond is my boss! I’ll follow him for life!" Ralph clenched his fists, his face full of determination.
"Then you’d better be smarter. I’m picky!" Bobby glanced at Ralph, her eyes full of disdain.
"What does that have to do with me following Raymond?" Ralph glared at Bobby, confused.
"Of course it does! Because I’m going to marry him!" Bobby’s expression was even more determined than Ralph’s, almost fanatical.
Just as everyone was celebrating with Raymond, a group of guards walked into the examination hall.
They approached Veronia and quietly reported something to her.
Veronia gave Raymond a meaningful look and announced loudly, "The death row prisoner just confessed. Barron and several other examiners gave him lock-picking tools in advance..."
Hearing this, the guards in the hall were all shocked.
No one expected that such a simple junior guard exam would involve so many spies.
In the end, Barron and the other examiners were labeled as traitors, and no one publicly questioned how they died anymore.
As for the beastmen disguised as junior guards, they were declared Quentin’s accomplices and branded as spies.
Finally, since no bodies were found, the missing death row prisoners were put on a wanted list.
Veronia quickly passed judgment on the crimes of the dead, then walked straight up to Raymond.
She took out a crystal ball and held it out to him. "Place your hand on it. I want to know your true strength."
Raymond nodded and willingly reached out his right hand.
The crystal ball lit up quickly, and a mass of black mist appeared in the center.
"Black Iron Stage Level 20?" Veronia stared at the crystal ball, looking surprised.
She looked up and studied Raymond from head to toe, her voice no longer calm. "Level 20, and with one sword strike, you killed a Level 30 human swordsman head-on. Even a giant couldn’t do that. You’re a monster."
After saying that, Veronia took out three junior guard badges and placed them in Raymond’s hands. "Congratulations, Raymond. You and your companions have passed the exam. I now officially appoint you as junior guards."
As she spoke, Veronia’s eyes lit up as she stared at Raymond.
Raymond felt a sudden dizziness, and then Veronia’s voice echoed in his mind.
"The death row prisoners inside the magic barrier were all killed by you, weren’t they?"
"Don’t be nervous. I’m not going to hold you responsible. On the contrary, I’ll give you some unexpected benefits."
"When you’re ready to take the Black Iron Stage trial, come find me in the core area on the first underground floor."
Raymond blinked, then nodded at Veronia.
Judging by how Grayson and Marcus treated Veronia, she held a high position and was very powerful.
That was good news for Raymond, since he had completely burned bridges with Marcus.
Marcus would seize any chance to kill Raymond.
Now that he had Veronia as his backing, Raymond no longer had to worry about Marcus retaliating.
Hah! Marcus, just you wait!
I killed Quentin at the Black Iron Stage. When I reach the Bronze Stage, I might just be able to kill an officer like you!
Next, Veronia started talking with Ralph and Bobby.
She had already noticed that they were magic users, so she was very friendly.
But when Veronia learned that Ralph and Bobby were students at the Imperial Magic Academy, she couldn’t stay calm.
As a magic user herself, Veronia knew exactly how valuable a young magic apprentice was.
In the Holy Sword Empire, you couldn’t find even one person with magic talent in ten thousand.
Damn it, Quentin. If those two kids had died during the exam, the Abyss Prison and the Imperial Magic Academy would probably have gone to war.
Thinking about that, Veronia became even more warm toward them.
When she learned that Ralph and Bobby became guards just to get free lessons from magic user prisoners, she immediately decided to teach them magic knowledge herself.
"From now on, you can come to me for one class every week, free of charge."
Yeah!
Ralph and Bobby jumped up with excitement.
They had just seen Veronia’s magic with their own eyes.
Someone who could hold up such a huge magic barrier on her own was definitely stronger than their teachers at the academy.
Seeing how happy they were, Raymond finally felt the weight lift off his chest.
What happened inside the magic barrier was their secret, something only the three of them shared.
Because of that, Raymond had grown close to both of them.
He figured he should find a chance to go to Karmagor and rescue that girl from the Hunter.
While Raymond was thinking, Grayson walked over with Hal and the others.
"You didn’t let me down, young master Raymond!" Grayson said, his face full of pride, still wearing an excited smile.
"Executive Officer, I..." Raymond started to explain, but Grayson raised his hand to stop him.
"Your strength is your secret. You don’t have to explain it to me here," Grayson said, glancing around before lowering his voice. "I can tell you’ve taken the Holy Hall Body-Tempering Technique to a terrifying level. Most of the power in that sword strike came from your monster-like physique. That’s enough for me to know."
With that, Grayson patted Raymond on the shoulder. "I’m giving you the day off. Go celebrate and rest. Once you officially enter the core area on the first underground floor, come find me directly. I’ll assign you your work and tasks myself."
Raymond nodded firmly. He knew he had earned the recognition of Grayson, his father’s old comrade and an officer.
...
Inside a private room at the Floating Tavern.
"Cheers!"
Five glasses clinked together, white foam sloshing around, releasing the smell of malt and alcohol.
Milton wrapped his arm around Raymond’s neck and laughed out loud. "You’re a damn beast! You should have seen Marcus’s face today-completely twisted with anger!"
Hal shoved Milton away with a punch and patted Raymond on the shoulder. "So, you’re heading to the core area next. Got any plans?"
Raymond thought for a moment, then asked about the Black Iron Stage trial.
Hal and the others couldn’t believe Raymond was already talking about the trial right after finishing the exam. They all rolled their eyes.
Now they were convinced that Raymond was a true genius-and a hardworking one at that.
The newspapers said Raymond was lazy and unmotivated, that he hadn’t even learned Basic Swordplay by sixteen... What a load of crap!
"Actually, the trial is a kind of ritual," Hal said, finishing his beer and starting to explain.
It turns out there are three types of supernatural power systems in this world.
The first is magic.
The second is battle aura
The third is physical strength.
When any living being reaches Black Iron Stage Level 20, they have to choose one of these three power systems to start their path to becoming stronger.
For example, dragons often choose to strengthen their bodies or practice magic.
As for humans, because they are naturally weak, they usually pick either battle aura or magic to level up.
"So the Black Iron Stage trial is basically about choosing between magic, battle aura, and physical strength?" Raymond said, suddenly understanding.
Hal nodded with a smile. "You can ask Lord Grayson for more details. Of course, if you have questions about magic, you should ask Lady Veronia."
"And what about questions about physical strength?" Raymond blinked.
"Very few humans choose the path of strengthening the body. If you’re curious, you might want to ask Lady Albedo. The Holy Hall probably has some records on that," Carlton explained.
Raymond nodded, already forming a plan in his mind.
Other people could only pick one, because time was limited.
But Raymond had experience cards. Why would he only pick one?
He was going to choose all three paths at once!