‘‘Did Tommy get all the humans?’ Michael wondered. ‘Surely, he can’t have it worse than this.’

[In another part of the academy]

Tommy was in hell. There was no other way to describe the sea of flames which surrounded his arena. The heat was excruciating and each step towards the edge drained him of his stamina.

To avoid exhaustion, he waited in the center for his next opponent. A pillar of flames erupted in front of him and out came a knight of unknown origin. He wore tight fitting leather armor padded with chainmail and a few plates of steel. His eyes were sharp and there were six rings on his fingers.

Since only one would transfer upon victory or defeat, their only purpose was to intimidate the opponent.

“Names,” the examiner sounded impatient. It was the mustached teacher from the entrance ceremony. Huge droplets of sweat rolled down his face, and he kept drinking water out of a cup which somehow refilled itself.

“Robert Chavez,” the opponent introduced himself, “brother of William Chavez and nephew to Siegfried Chavez, general of the southern front.”

It was a fancy introduction to a fancy opponent. Tommy had fought seven thus far. Although his knees ached from repeated battle and his left arm was cut almost to the bone, he stood up.

“Tommy Carlstone,” he presented himself, “Sworn knight of Annie Thompson, rival to Natalie Reed, brother to Andrew Finn and to Michael Patel.”

“Who’re those?” Robert raised an eyebrow.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

With the standardized sword he had received for the exam, Tommy charged at his opponent. Flesh was cut and the floor was dyed in red. Victory was hollow to the winner for there were more fights to come.

[In the city’s markets]

Despite working on an empty stomach, Andrew Finn ran around like a maniac. His hands were full of corn on sticks and he shouted to all that could hear and could buy them.

Annie was not with him for she was collateral. If Finn did not return or pay for the corn by sundown, Annie would be put for sale instead.

“Get your corn! Tasty corn! The absolute tastiest! Come and get it while it’s hot!”

He waved at the children of nobles to try one, and once they took a bite, there was no turning back. He sold the corn at almost twice the normal rate and then sprinted back to loan out some more.

“Can’t you buy it this time?” Annie pleaded. The old man who sold them corn was sending her suspect looks.

“Nope,” Finn revealed the small cart he dragged behind him. “Buy, sell, expand, repeat.” He patted the girl’s shoulder with a confident smile.

“What if he sells me to the mob?”

“...Punch him?” Finn shrugged.

“But, he might die!”

Finn laughed it off and gave her a hug.

“I trust you, partner.” He then loaded up the cart. “For the team.”

With a hearty thumbs up, he scrammed to who knows where. Left alone, Annie had no choice but to return to the merchant.

The old man patted the rock next to him while trying to make eye contact.

“It’s getting drafty out here; will you keep me warm?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

A chill ran down Annie’s spine. She was not the violent sort, so for now, she pretended not to hear anything. ‘Have patience girl... for the team.’

“Miss,” the pervert interrupted her thoughts. “Missy...”

[Back at the academy]

Inside a giant cave lighted by torches, there was a huge arena where two teens fought. One was a buff boy wielding the standard short sword like a machete. The other was a red haired girl who used hers like a rapier.

The boy swung wildly, and the girl dodged and parried. She waited until he leaned a bit too much into the blow and stabbed him straight through the heart.

Fortunately, this one was not wearing armor. If that were the case, Natalie would have gone for the neck.

“Winner: Natalie Reed!” The examiner was an old dwarf using a double axe as a cane. He used to have a chair to sit on, but since it was annoyingly tall, he destroyed it in one swing and decided to stand instead.

The opponent disappeared, and suddenly, two large slabs of rock rose from the arena. The slabs parted towards Natalie like a door, revealing the next enemy as if he had always been there.

“State your names!” The dwarf followed procedure.

This time around, it was a beastman: a six feet tall teenager with whiskers on his lips and cat-like ears on his head. A tail reminiscent of a fox popped out of his behind, and a single, small, rhinoceros horn grew from his forehead.

“You’re not cute at all,” Natalie frowned.

“What?” the boy's mouth went agape.

“Names!”

“I... I am Alexander Ward, first apprentice of Mathew of the flaming blade, the fifth apprentice of Griffin of the molten blade.”

“That’s a lot of apprentices,” Natalie giggled. “Also, did you just say Griffin?” she tilted her head.

Although the nickname was kept secret from most, she had followed the man religiously for nine years straight. She was the first to show up for training even during days off and was the only one of the children to have learned of his title.

“Names!” the examiner shouted once more.

“Natalie Reed. How much do you know about your master’s master?”

“Hmph,” the boy scoffed. “If you can land one hit on me, then we can talk.”

He lifted both palms showing off the nine rings on his fingers. “Just so you know, I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a girl.”

The boy grinned, but his opponent did not act as expected. Instead of looking shocked or at least impressed, she let out a sigh with a look of disappointment.

“I’m so tired of this crap.” She leaned on her sword. Despite last night’s rest, Natalie’s fatigue was substantial. “Are you a princess going to the ball? Do those rings match your frilly stockings or must your suitors kiss them when they take you to bed?”

As far as she was concerned, even one ring messed with her hand’s dexterity. Yet, instead of holding them in a pouch like a normal person, every single opponent so far had been putting them on display.

“You dare...” The beast man opened his mouth showing sharp canines similar to a lion’s.

“You should brush your teeth, princess.”

Alexander Ward pounced into combat. With inhuman movements reminiscent of a cat, he leaped from left to right leaving afterimages in his wake.

“Make sure you don’t trip on your skirt.” Natalie smirked while taking a stance.

The beast attacked from the right. His sword was but a distraction, since his real goal was to grab Natalie’s throat.

However, a moment before contact, the girl leaned back. Her right foot went forward, and with a movement reminiscent of a wave or a dance, she slipped by him while cutting his thigh.

Alexander’s face contorted as he rolled on the ground while holding his wound. Blood poured out of it at a frightening pace.

“Here, kitty kitty,” Natalie waved him over.

Enraged, the beast attacked once more, this time using his master’s style. He began with five consecutive thrusts followed by a sweep. When Natalie jumped to avoid the latter, he turned and delivered a roundhouse kick to her head.

However, instead of hitting the bones of her skull, his foot smashed straight into her sword. Blood poured like a fountain and Alexander rolled once more on the ground.

“The last guy was stronger,” Natalie mocked.

“Impossible!” Alexander skipped on one leg until he took some distance. “I’m a superior, pureblooded beastman who was taught by a master. How can you possibly match my speed?”

The boy started ripping his clothes to make improvised bandages for his wounds. Since the fight was as good as won, Natalie did not bother stopping him.

“How are you all so sure your master was a ‘master’?” She put a hand on her hip and looked genuinely puzzled. “Also, why would a beast man's body matter in a fight? No one would’ve ever slayed a dragon if big muscles were all they had to rely on.”

“Then, what makes a warrior?” asked the examiner from the side. The old dwarf seemed rather pleased by her comments.

“Technique, experience, and the will to improve no matter what.” Natalie got up and slowly approached her opponent. “You are slightly faster than me,” she admitted, “but to me, you’re also moving in slow motion.”

Alexander swung at her, but she easily blocked while at the same time sending one of his fingers flying. The beast man screamed like a banshee and retreated to the edge of the arena.

“Nine more to go.” While playing with her dark red hair, Natalie closed the distance. “What do you know about Mr. Griffin? If you talk now, it will hurt less.”

[Name: Natalie Reed.

Age: 15 years and three months old.

Race: Human.

Title: Sword Fanatic.

Abilities:

- Writing and reading {Advanced}

- Mathematics {Beginner}

- Geography {Intermediate}

- Theology {Beginner}

- History {Beginner+}

- Swordsmanship {Advanced}

Debuffs:

- Hormones.

Comments: None]