CHAPTER 180: EVALUATION TEST [6]

The girl near the benches leaned toward the stocky boy beside her.

"Did you see that? He didn’t even break a sweat."

"Four and a half minutes," the boy muttered back. "Faelar’s no joke with wind magic, but Luke just... shut him down."

"That Titan’s Stride though." Another student, thin, nervous-looking, adjusted his glasses. "The distance he covered was insane. Is that a high-tier Body Path skill?"

"Has to be. Iron Talon House doesn’t mess around with training."

The girl bit her lip. "Great. So we’re all gonna get destroyed."

"Speak for yourself," the stocky boy said, but his voice lacked conviction.

Alaric watched from his corner. Silent. His eyes tracked Luke’s movements even now, the way he held his katana, the efficiency of his stance. No wasted energy. Every motion purposeful.

Top ten for a reason.

Luke’s gaze swept over them. "Next."

The stocky boy stood. Rolled his shoulders. "Guess I’m up."

He walked to the center, pulling a short sword from his hip. Earth Path user, judging by the brown essence flickering around his boots.

"Name?"

"Gareth. Gareth Stone."

"Alright, Gareth." Luke shifted his stance. "Show me."

And...

Four minutes eighteen seconds.

Gareth lasted slightly less than Faelar. His earth barriers were solid—literally—but Luke’s strikes found the weak points every time. Precision over power.

"Good defense," Luke commented as Gareth limped back. "But you’re too stationary. Anchor yourself like that and you’re a target."

Gareth nodded, breathing hard.

The girl went next.

...

...

Three minutes forty-five seconds.

She was faster than Gareth. More fluid. But inexperienced. Luke read her attacks before she even cast them.

"You’ve got potential," he told her afterward. "Work on feints. Don’t commit to every strike."

She nodded, face flushed from exertion.

The nervous boy with glasses lasted five minutes twelve seconds.

He actually lasted the longest so far. His attacks forced Luke to stay mobile, and he had decent tactical thinking—keeping distance, varying his attack patterns.

But Luke still won. Got inside his range and ended it with the flat of his blade against Marcus’s ribs.

"Not bad," Luke said, and this time there was genuine approval in his tone. "You think before you act. That’ll take you far."

The boy grinned despite his loss. Pushed his glasses up. "Thanks."

Four down.

Luke turned toward Alaric’s corner. His katana still held ready, not a scratch on it.

"Last one."

The other students’ eyes followed Luke’s gaze. All of them looking at Alaric now.

The silver-blonde elf—Faelar—smirked from where he sat. "Oh, this should be good. Let’s see the bastard get humbled."

Alaric just pushed off the wall and started walking toward the center.

His expression hadn’t changed once during any of the matches. Hadn’t shown interest or any shown concern.

Just... watched.

Luke’s eyes narrowed slightly as Alaric approached. Something shifted in his stance. More alert now.

"Name?"

Alaric stopped a few paces away. Met Luke’s gaze directly.

"Alaric. Alaric Glimor."

"Glimor?" Luke blinked. Then nodded, a small smile forming.

He settled into his stance, katana held at the ready. "Let’s see what you’ve got then."

The thin boy pushed his glasses up. "I’ve heard about him. Supposedly he’s—"

He and others began murmuring, just like they have been doing since the start of this test.

"Trash," Faelar cut in, grinning tooth to tooth. His pale green eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Crush this bastard. Show him where he belongs. The elf leaned forward, practically vibrating with vindictive glee.

Alaric stood motionless in the center.

System, scan him.

He waited for the familiar interface to appear.

But—

[Error. System isn’t stabilized properly. Some functions are temporarily unavailable.]

"Tch."

Alaric clicked his tongue. His hand moved toward the weapon rack along the wall. Grabbed a training sword, weighted for practice. Brought it back and held it loosely.

Luke’s head tilted slightly. "You sure you wanna use that?"

His tone wasn’t mocking. Genuinely asking.

Alaric’s grip adjusted on the wooden hilt. "Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing."

Luke studied him for another moment. Then nodded.

"Alright."

He raised his katana. The metal gleamed even in the dim light.

Silence settled over the room. The sphere artifacts in the corners pulsed faintly, recording everything.

"Begin."

Luke moved first.

Not rushing. Testing. His katana swept in a measured arc toward Alaric’s left side, fast but controlled.

Alaric’s wooden blade came up. Met steel.

CRACK!

The impact echoed. Alaric’s feet slid back an inch from the force.

Luke’s eyes widened slightly. He pressed forward again.

Striked once, another strike. Then another. Each one faster than the last.

Clack-clack-clack

Alaric deflected. Barely. His wooden blade moving to intercept each strike just in time.

"Not bad," Luke said between strikes. "But defense won’t—"

Alaric’s free hand snapped up.

[Flame Arrow!]

Fire erupted. Three bolts of compressed flame shot toward Luke’s torso.

Luke’s body flashed metallic. "Iron Body!"

The arrows hit. Dispersed against his enhanced skin with bursts of heat and light.

But Alaric was already moving.

"Burst Step."

Flames ignited beneath his boots. Propelled him forward in a blur of motion, closing the distance Luke had maintained.

The wooden sword came down.

Luke’s katana rose to block.

Then Alaric’s blade ignited.

"First Form..."

Fire wreathed the training sword.

"Flame Blade."

And transformed it from wood into a weapon of pure heat.

CLANG!

Steel met fire.

The force drove Luke back two steps. His boots scraped against stone.

Luke’s stance shifted. His katana blurred.

"Titan’s Stride."

He closed the gap instantly. His blade came down in a powerful overhead strike.

Alaric twisted. His flaming sword swept upward to intercept.

CLANG!

The impact sent sparks flying. Heat and steel colliding with brutal force.

But Luke didn’t stop. He pressed harder, using his Body Path enhancement. Raw strength amplified through technique.

Alaric’s arms trembled.

[Flame Slash!]

Alaric pivoted, redirecting the force. His blade swept horizontally, trailing fire in a wide arc.

Luke ducked under it. Then surged upward, katana driving toward Alaric’s guard.

CRACK!

The wooden training sword splintered. The flame coating it flickered out as the blade broke in half—upper section spinning away through the air.

Alaric’s eyes widened. His grip tightened on the remaining hilt, but it was useless now.

Luke didn’t hesitate.

His foot came up and.

WHAM!

Kicked Alaric square in the chest.

Air exploded from his lungs. His body lifted off the ground, flying backward.

CRASH!

He slammed into one of the stone pillars. His back hit hard, head snapping forward from the impact. The pillar cracked slightly where he collided.