Baron's Amphitheater is an open circular space comprising several buildings, such as a slaughterhouse and a museum, which are guarded by the Boneguards. Their duties involve slaughtering and skinning animals, as well as cleaning their bones. The Beastguards, on the other hand, are responsible for managing the zoo and animal circus and training the animals to become their loyal pets. However, the main attraction of Baron's Amphitheater is the Battle Arena, located at the center of all its locations, where cadets are led by their seniors to participate in the first Instructor exams.
Surrounded by tiers of spectator seats, the arena is strewn with boulders, bones, and skulls of animals and humans, with blood from warriors or beasts flowing out of the arena through the gaps. The intention behind this design is to heighten the adrenaline and instincts of the cadets and accustom them to the dark atmosphere and fervor for bloodshed. Additionally, it is intentionally designed to intimidate candidates who might feel they have no chance of survival in the blood-soaked matches.
Behind the arena, dozens of ornate skeletons of giant monsters, such as dragons, wyverns, drakes, wyrms, tyrannosaurs, brachiosaurs, triceratops, pteranodons, and other dinosaurs can be seen. Although the place looks like a museum, the cadets are terrified at the thought of fighting such gigantic monsters. They wonder if Instructor Baron had hunted down all those A and S-tier legendary beasts, or maybe the skeletons were fabricated to frighten them. This is their first time coming to the arena, and they know that no matter how strong a cadet is, there must be a limit, and there is always someone, or many people, who fail in the end. Regardless of all that, they are used to the unfairness of the exams and hope to give the best results for themselves.
Several cadets, such as Zain, Karanzo, and Fenrius, couldn't wait to show their strength against even a tier S monster. For ten years, they had studied and fought to the point of boredom in the academy, and now was the time to prove the strength they had cultivated. After the male and female cadets had taken their seats, a large and burly person in a bearskin shroud walked into the center of the arena to greet them all.
Instructor Baron's stature was athletic, large, and muscular, with a body shape perfect for a fighter. He walked bravely and dignified like a lion, with a broad chest but a belly as small as a wolf's. He's one of the Signers, an Ancient Sign user from Shinra, and people call him Baron the Beast. His appearance was huge and powerful, just like his nickname. He used to be the most famous Hunter in Runeverse!
Baron began speaking at the top of everyone's voice that packed the arena. “Welcome everyone, to the Baron Amphitheater!!" he exclaimed, raising his right hand. “Did you see the bones and skulls that adorn this arena? It was your former friends who underestimated this test! If you don't want to be like them, then you have to be strong! Show the results of your basic training here; it's different from Mubarza or Holmgang or other dueling traditions!"
“One cadet kills one sand bear! You can use your weapons as much as you want! Use speed, strength, and intelligence. Remember, we are assassins, not hunters. If it's a hunter, they just paralyze, killing or not is the last thing, but if it's an assassin, then you have to kill your prey! Are there any questions? No! Then let's enjoy the show!”
The great cage that held the mutated sand bears opened, and dozens of Baron's subordinate assassins pulled on the chains attached to the bears' necks and legs, dragging them into the arena. The sand bears, mutated by multiple radiations in the Malazen desert, had taken on strange shapes. The chthon serum given to these bears by the instructor had caused them to evolve to another level. For males, they had bushy hair that pointed upwards, and for females, they had less hair, and most of them were used for expeditions. They were three to four times the size of wild bears in general. The bears were sandy brown in color with black curse stripes all over their bodies. They had teeth, sunken mouths, and black sclera eyes with yellow irises. Canines like swords bulged out of their mouths, their bloodshot eyes full of veins, and their mouths dripped with saliva, signifying hunger and thirst. Their appearance was impressive as if they had been given a legendary serum. The creatures revolted, and some of the senior assassins were overwhelmed.
“Hey, seriously...that big bear being our opponent?” muttered one cadet to his friend.
"But the rules are we can use any weapon, right? Then just attack with paralyzing poison or even explosives.
Baron reiterated in a voice that seemed to electrocute their souls, to keep them awake. “You see! We deliberately injected this sand bear with Chthon's blood! You guys have to stay hungry too! The strong live and the weak die, that is a law of nature. Will you be like the remnants of your brethren who have united with the land? Or did you manage to beat this bear and take the next test? Only you have the right to decide!”
Dozens of Baron's subordinates untied the chains that bound the bears and left the arena. This was the first life-or-death test that the cadets had to pass to become Dawnstrike Assassins. The five bears paced back and forth, their eyes fixed on the thousands of sheep that had been prepared for them in the stands.
"Now! Let's do it right away! One arena! Five sand bears and five cadets!” Baron looked at the list of cadets from the paper in his hand. “Starting from cadets one to five, advance you guys! Beno, Narman, Leif, Yowe, and Shami-il!”
The cadets stifled their laughter as the names of the five chosen ones were familiar to their ears. They were grateful to them because, during previous exams, they were always called first based on their absence sequences. Beno the Trailblazer stepped alone onto the field, smiling resignedly, revealing his golden teeth as he prepared to face the challenge ahead. He acted as a spearhead who was willing to be a precaution against bad things and set a good example for the cadets who followed him. If he failed, he would give them alternative options to succeed.
The other four cadets followed Beno onto the field, armed with swords, arrows, scythes, chains, and various other equipment to immobilize the massive bears. Despite their size, the creatures might be slow, which was the first thing on the minds of inexperienced cadets.
"Ready...! Start...!!!" bellowed Baron, and so, the first match began.
*
Inside the tallest tower of Dawnstrike Fortress, in Swordmaster Theodin's room, the Swordmaster walked over to examine his treasures one by one. Although Theodin did not exude an aura of authority, he was one of the strongest figures in the academy, as evidenced by the painting of himself with the previous head of the academy that hung in a corner of his room.
As footsteps drew closer to the room, a senior cadet entered and asked, "Swordmaster! The exams have already started, don't you want to see them in person? Who knows, there might be a talented young cadet like the one you've been searching for all this time."
In response, the Swordmaster replied, "A talented young cadet? Don't joke with me. I've given up on such thoughts. They may not even survive. The exams the instructors have given this time are worse than those of previous generations."
Theodin opened the glass case that held a legendary sword, the Mercurius, which had a fiery aura as if impatiently waiting for its prospective user. "I will give this legendary sword, the Mercurius, to the cadet with the highest rank," he declared.
The senior cadet exclaimed in shock, "What?! The Mercurius is a legendary sword given by Emperor Astoriamus! Are you sure, Swordmaster?"
"Yes, until this century no one has been able to use it. Perhaps this is the time. Pass my message to Baron of Shinra. The more victims, the stronger the survivors. That's all," Theodin replied.
The Swordmaster's subordinates saluted and left the room. Theodin continued to stare at the Legendary fire sword, the Mercurius, with his mind wandering. ("No previous users have been able to survive using this sword. The longer it is used, the more slowly it will burn the user to ashes. If I give this sword to someone, it will be the same as sentencing them to death. I wonder if anyone can bear this curse?")
The Swordmaster walked to the window and looked up at the sky, questioning the morality of his decision to give the cursed sword to one of his cadets.
***
The Baron Amphitheater arena was once again filled with screams as dozens of bloody corpses lay on the ground. The cadets shuddered as they watched the sand bears ruthlessly devouring their fallen comrades. Some of the cadets closed their eyes, not wanting to witness the torture scene before them. However, those who managed to keep their eyes open would learn a valuable lesson that would help them in their future endeavors as assassins. The early numbered cadets felt jealous because the last serial-numbered cadets would benefit the most from Baron's rule.
“Cadets 36 to 40, please come to the arena now!” Upon Baron's orders, five cadets jumped up from the bench and ran toward the arena. The center of attention was the cadet who had opposed a senior assassin this morning, Karanzo, a shinobi from the village of Shinra.
"That's him! That's the 37th cadet, Karanzo!" exclaimed one of the audience.
"He's the one who challenged a senior assassin this morning," added another.
"I heard he wants to be the number one greatest assassin in this academy, let's see if his words match his abilities," said a third.
Karanzo stepped forward, armed with chains and sickles. He said to himself, ("I will prove to you all that I will be the strongest assassin! I don't even need to use Karambit and Sign to subdue it.")
Baron raised his hand to signal the start of the test, and the five cadets lunged at the bears. The bears roared and attacked with their fangs and claws, but Karanzo and the other cadets managed to dodge their initial attacks.
"These bears move very slowly," boasted Karanzo.
He threw his chain, which entangled one of the bear's paws, causing the beast to fall to the ground. The audience was amazed by Karanzo's precision and timing.
"He's not just bragging after all," said one cadet.
"The way he moves is beyond human comprehension," added another.
Karanzo twirled his scythe in celebration, feeling confident that he had won. All the praise was thrown at him, but some of his fellow cadets were not happy with his showboating.
"Tch. Yer such a show-off," muttered Zain, clearly jealous.
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“Still not yet,” said the dwarf cadet with a Viking hat next to Zain, Skadj.
"What did ye say?" asked Zain.
"Take a good look at the bear," replied Skadj, while pointing at the bear.
The sand bear tried to escape from the chains. Of course, with human power, Karanzo had trouble holding it. Instead, he threw his scythe into the bear's body and pulled it back, producing scratches on its body. The beast roared in pain, raging and struggling to untie the chains on its legs.
Karanzo's attention was suddenly drawn to another cadet's screams as a sand bear bit the man's leg. The cadet pleaded for help, begging for the test to stop. Karanzo turned his attention back to his own bear, but it had broken free from the chains and was now charging at him. Karanzo was smashed by the bear and thrown to the end of the arena. He realized his mistake: he had been caught off guard when his chain was easily broken. As he heard another cadet's screams for help and saw the bear about to devour him, Karanzo simply ignored him.
The scene was chaotic, with cadets being attacked left and right. The test was a brutal and deadly one, designed to weed out the weak and test the mettle of the strong. Karanzo knew that he needed to stay focused and fight with all his might if he wanted to survive.
Struggling to stand up, Karanzo kept his balance as he staggered after a loud crash. (“This is bad… I'm losing consciousness…and I don't want to use Sign in this first test,”) he thought to himself.
The cadets began to curse and grow disillusioned with Karanzo, wondering if he was just bragging and how sad it would be for him to die here as a self-proclaimed number-one assassin. However, only Karanzo knew himself better than anyone else. His arrogance had driven him until now, but it had also been his downfall.
The bear let out a deafening roar and chased after Karanzo, whose head was still spinning. He was dizzy and holding his head as the hearts of the audience pounded. Zain exclaimed nervously, "Here he is! Deciding round!" hoping that Karanzo could still fight back.
Karanzo threw an explosive bomb from his pocket, and it exploded in the bear's face. As the saying goes, "After fall, struck down by a ladder too." The bear's vision was blurred, and the smoke covered the world. A shadow of a man shot through the smoke jumped and stabbed the bear in the head with his scythe. The beast jerked for a moment with blood pouring from its neck and then died instantly with its massive body falling to the ground. After the smoke subsided, the cadets and Baron were surprised to see Karanzo standing on top of the sand bear's body, successfully subduing the beast.
"So he still has his secret explosive weapon huh?" one of the cadets remarked.
"That was close," another cadet said.
Karanzo sighed as he looked around the arena. It seemed that the other cadets had also done their job well. In this match, two people died, and three people survived, including Karanzo. The cadet on his right managed to subdue the bear with a sharp spear, piercing it through the bear's body. However, the man's body was covered in blood, and his legs were limping. The cadet on his left managed to subdue the bear with hundreds of poisoned arrows that were stuck all over the bear's body. Although he appeared fatigued, he didn't appear to have any significant injuries. It seemed that he defeated the bear by using a chase strategy, using a combination of running and archery and letting the poison work slowly.
Baron the Beast entered the arena and congratulated them, "Congratulations! The three of you are entitled to take the next exam! Please leave this arena."
They left the arena, and Karanzo didn't know how to react to his success. He felt both happy and sad because he thought his performance was terrible. Usually, when he thinks he did poorly, it is tantamount to suicide because of shame. Now his mind was flooded with thoughts of "if." If he hadn't been distracted by the scream earlier, it might have been over in an instant. However, he decided to throw his memories far into the void about his fight just now and gave up everything, realizing that this wasn't his best day.
"Next! Cadets 41 to 45, come to the arena!" called the instructor as the exams continued from morning until evening, with the cadets showcasing their potential, from the helpless to the highly skilled.
“Next cadet! Numbers 86 to 90!”
[End of the fight] "Finally, I beat the sand bear," exclaimed Zain with a triumphant grin on his face. But none of the cadets cheered him on or even acknowledged his name. Zain felt empty and wanted to cry; his heart seemed pierced by an arrow like the heartache of being rejected by hundreds of beautiful angels. He knew he could have knocked down the bear with one hit to look cool, but he lacked the guts to do so. Instead, he imitated Karanzo's classic tactic of dodging, knocking the bear down once, then hitting hard. Although it was a smart way, it wasn't savage.
"Next! Cadets 226 to 230!”
[End of the fight] A long-haired Crusader knight in silver armor declared, "The bear is big, so it's an easy target." He defeated the bear in just five seconds, using a four-second charge followed by a one-second throw as the sand bear dashed toward him. The knight managed to throw only one lance into the bear's mouth as it roared, which was more impressive than what Zain had accomplished. Everyone stood up and applauded the knight's prowess, setting the fastest record ever. Fortunately, Zain had left the arena before the knight's feat, and if he had witnessed it, he might have been triggered again and hurt even more.
“Numbers 246 to 250! Enter the arena!”
[End of the fight] A masked girl dressed all in black defeated the bear with a swift throw of a deadly blade, rendering her face unrecognizable. Her throw took only a second, but the bear fell in two seconds, breaking the knight's record. Everyone was too dumbfounded to applaud, and her performance was the best throughout the game.
They started talking about the mysterious girl's ability to kill the bear instantly with her poisonous dagger. The instructor furrowed his brows, showing his interest in the girl's technique and alchemy fusion. She must have learned a lot from the techniques of the seniors.
Hearing people talking about her, the girl ignored the audience's gaze and walked straight out of the arena as if this test had failed her, especially the weapon she had painstakingly designed to end the fight just like that.
***
All of the cadets who had passed the exam seemed to be elated, except for Zain. They had proven themselves to be strong and capable of venturing beyond the continent. As time went by, the successful cadets left the arena, leaving fewer and fewer cadets waiting on the bench. By late afternoon, it was time for the final game.
Two senior assassins approached Baron the Beast and said, “Instructor, this is the last match, but we only have three bears left.”
Baron replied, “That doesn't matter. Actually, I don't care about this exam anymore. They have all acted and thought deftly based on what they have seen when the early cadets performed well.”
“And what is your current report, Lord Baron?”
“Hmm… Not only male cadets, but even female cadets are also capable of intelligent thinking, and learning from the mistakes of their comrades who have died. They have begun to use weapons or equipment that has proven to be effective, such as explosives and poisoned blades. Of course, this is advantageous for the cadets who have the final serial number.”
Three sand bears had already been brought out into the arena. "Let's finish this," said Baron, who then shouted loudly to the remaining four cadets, "This is the last match! Next! Cadets numbers 561 through 564, enter the arena!”
The called cadets jumped down from the stands, but to the surprise of both the cadets and Baron, only three people had arrived at the arena. "Cadet number 561-62-63... Cadet number 564!" snarled Baron.
There was no response from the cadets on the arena bench after Baron shouted for the cadet with the last serial number. “Where are you, Cadet 564? Show yourself!" scolded Baron, annoyed.
The two assassins behind the Baron glanced at each other, clueless about what had happened to the last numbered cadet. A senior cadet gasped when he heard the number five hundred and sixty-four. He had just realized it and ran to the end of the back seat.
"I already guessed! Here you are!" exclaimed the senior.
Instantly, Baron and his guards all turned their gazes to the noisy senior. "I found him! Cadet number five hundred and sixty-four, sleeping behind the bench!" he shrieked, startling everyone in the arena.
"Sleeping, you say?!" The instructor's anger peaked, scaring the other cadets. "Bring cadet number five hundred and sixty-four here, now!"
Baron's patience had run out, and his body slowly began to emit a tiger's eye aura as the ground began to crack. The loud booming voice startled the sleeping cadet, and he finally stood up on his own, walking toward the arena like a drunken man. The senior cadets were surprised as if they had recognized that face—the one who was rumored to have died of spontaneous boredom.
“Isn't he Fenrius?! That cadet who often dozes off?”
“This is so bad, something crazy is going to happen! Call a healer, but not for him!”
Baron remembered the words of the seniors in Swordmaster Theodin's room about a cadet named Fenrius. He was the first-ranked cadet of the academy, able to break all the examination records of the predecessor cadets. The crazy cadet whose rumors were being exaggerated turned out to be a quiet person, but he had no manners toward elders. At least an apology would lighten the sentence a little, but Baron couldn't believe a single word would come out of this bastard's mouth. Baron intended to teach him a valuable lesson; he wouldn't easily let this boy get away with it.
The seniors gulped at the thought of Fenrius challenging Baron the Beast, whose back had never touched the ground. No, surely Fenrius wasn't that stupid; if possible, then the cadet would prove to the instructor in front of his face the truth of the rumors.
When the cadet arrived at the arena along with the other three cadets, the instructor's chest was already burning with impatience, and he said angrily, “Cadets numbers 561, 562, 563, you have already passed. Get out of this arena now!”
The three lucky cadets were taken aback and looked at each other in surprise, then eagerly left the arena following Baron's orders. Once outside, they happily toasted with their friends who had also succeeded. Now, the only person left in the arena was cadet number five hundred and sixty-four, accompanied by three big, savage bears, ready to tear him apart.
The senior cadets and Baron's bodyguards shared the tension emanating from the empty arena benches. "Is he really going to fight those three bears at once? No kidding!" observed one of the senior cadets, who did not expect the situation to escalate to this extent.
"Has Baron lost his mind? Those bears are going to die for sure!"
"How unfortunate for those animals to be sacrificed due to Baron's temper tantrum!"
Baron who had sunk into anger, rebuked the cadet, "How dare you fall asleep during my exam! Do not think that just because you are a cadet with the last number, you can take advantage of the mistakes of your comrades who have perished in this sacred arena!"
The cadet bared his canines for a moment while glaring at Baron with an exasperated expression. His ears were ringing from the instructor's endless lectures. This only fueled Baron's anger, causing him to rant further. "Fenrius! If you think you can pass my test at any time, then you are sorely mistaken! Your end has come! The battle begins! Release the three sand bears...!"
The two assassins released one bear and prepared to release the other two. However, since it was late afternoon, the bear's desires were uncontrollable, and it started rampaging toward Fenrius, who was also running toward it. The two unstoppable forces collided, resulting in just one second of violence. The bear's charge was as unstoppable as a juggernaut, but Fenrius' veskar knee strike shattered its jaw, sending its soul into the shadow realm as its lifeless body flew toward the sky.
The second bear was released and ran toward the mad cadet with its saliva as if chasing bones. However, some bones make predators choke when eating them. Fenrius stared at the bear intently like a soul-slicing blade. Their mindset was almost the same; they were forced to attack to the point of not being afraid of any sharp object. One didn't want to starve to death, and the other didn't want to die of sudden boredom.
The cadet clenched his right glove fist tightly until smoke began to rise, and then he struck the bear's head with a powerful blow that sent it tumbling upside down. The impact was so great that space-time itself seemed to crack and halt, while the air shattered with the force of the blow, blasting the beast away and crushing its jaw with a deafening roar, akin to that of a bazooka. The bear's right eye flew out of its socket, its tongue protruded from its mouth, and it lost its balance before ultimately becoming paralyzed and perishing.
The third bear, which had been unchained, saw that horrible scene and suddenly ran out of the arena, headed back toward the sealing place, its body shivering, its hands protecting its own head while crouching and crying there.
None of the cadets of his generation witnessed this rapid occurrence other than the senior assassins and Baron the Beast. The final cadet, Fenrius, could kill two bears with just two strikes. It only took one second for the two energies to collide with each other. Even Baron had not had time to give the start signal; both of them had stepped on the gas first. Once again, this crazy cadet broke a new record.
Baron the Beast thought, ("Is that his normal punch? Sounds like Fire King Fist to me. So this is Fenrius whose rumors always took the bull by the horns, huh...") He finally acknowledged the prowess of cadet number five hundred and sixty-four.
Fenrius casually walked out of the arena as if telling Baron not to get in his way if he didn't want the Amphitheater to collapse and catch fire. The rumors turned out to be true; he could fight, and the ruins were his footprints in the red zone. Baron wished only goodwill to the instructors in the next exam!