Ace and the other trainees were gathered in the courtyard. It had taken over an hour for the last of the runners to cross the finish line. Many came bearing wounds that had obviously not come from simple falls. The fact that they even had lasting injuries in the first place was indicative of how vicious the fighting became.

Some people from the lead group were giving Ace vindictive stares. A few had even gathered the courage to approach him, asking whether or not he crossed the finish line in time. Fed up with their audacity, he lied, taking advantage of the fact that everyone in front had knocked each other out. Extra attention was something he would have liked to avoid.

After Instructor Gawain's revelation about the true purpose of the test, many of the trainees were put in a sour mood. Even though fights breaking out during the first test was the norm, the lack of a good performance still bit deep for many.

However, there wasn't much time for self-loathing because there was another test only thirty minutes later. Unlike the previous one, it was far less nuanced and was nothing more than a strength test.

They were tasked with picking up boulders of 10 different weights. They would then be asked to perform a series of combat oriented movements while holding the rocks. If they were successful, a supervisor would allow them to move up in weight.

Instructor Gawain made the purpose of the test known at the beginning this time.

"The maximum size of your boulder will determine what weapons you will be allowed to choose from after this. Do not use enhancement while picking these boulders up! The goal is to find the heaviest weapon you can comfortably use, not the one you can only swing once. Bear that in mind!"

***

Ace stood in front of a rock about the same size as his leg. It had a little groove carved into it for his hand. With a grunt, he picked up the rock and looked at the supervisor.

The unnamed man spoke succinctly.

"10 Overhead swings followed by 10 horizontal slashes."

Ace complied, grunting heavily as he struggled to rebalance the large rock on his shoulder in between each swing. With only one arm, the task proved to be quite trying, forcing him to use his core and hip flexors to compensate for the lack of control he had with one arm.

The supervisor looked at him with his disdain as he finished the 20 strikes.

"10 high thrust. 10 low thrusts."

Ace once again followed the man's directive. Only this time, when he finished, the rock clattered out of his hand.

"Level 4... below average..." The supervisor said with a sigh.

Quickly typing something into a holographic display, he tossed a red bracelet to Ace. "Wear it during weapon selection." he said.

Nodding his head, Ace walked past the line of trainees after him and into the central courtyard.

He heard people whispering about him as he passed by.

"Maybe he's just fast?"

"I guess having one arm helped shed some extra weight haha!"

"I mean what were you guys expecting? All that speed means nothing if he can't wield a weapon properly."

Ignoring the trivial comments, Ace took a seat in a corner of the courtyard. There were 10 supervisors, but even still, things were taking a while.

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Turning his attention to the mountain looming over the valley, his thoughts began to drift. Before long, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching behind him.

"How many times do I have to tell you guys. " Ace said, sighing heavily. "I didn't complete the course before time was... huh?"

Finally getting a good look at the person who approached him, Ace stopped cold. A boy who was ghastly pale and skinny like a skeleton stood in front of him. His dark hair fell over his eyes but revealed enough of them for Ace to see the abyss they seemed to hold.

Unlike with the city dwellers, the person in front of him hadn't led with accusations and demands. Instead they remained silent.

Taking initiative, Ace asked "You're from the slums aren't you?"

The boy nodded.

Ace followed up with another question, already suspecting the answer.

"You an orphan too?"

The boy nodded again. Ace found it strange how he wasn't talking.

"What's up? Why did you approach me? I'm not exactly here to make friends if I'm being honest..."

The boy pointed to his throat and then crossed his arms.

"Oh... you can't talk?"

The boy nodded his head vigorously before pointing to Ace's missing right arm.

"This? Yea... I was born without it..."

Ace clutched his right shoulder.

"I guess we're both cripples."

In response, the dark eyed boy stuck out a open hand. Ace stared at it with a complicated expression.

Before he could move to shake his hand. Instructor Gawain's loud voice pierced the air.

"Trainees! That concludes the strength test. We will proceed right into weapons selection! Follow the supervisor who's bracelet matches yours."

Rising to his feet, Ace looked at the lingering hand of the silent boy. He hadn't moved, making it apparent that he was waiting for a reply.

Memories of his family flashed in his mind. They were all he had known, and now they were... gone.

With a shaky voice he gave the dark-eyed boy his response.

"S-Sorry, I just..."

He didn't finish and instead ran off towards the instructor wearing a red bracelet.

Because Ace left first, he failed to see the mute boy shrug his shoulders and run off to the instructor wearing a black bracelet. He was the only one in his group.

***

Ace stood in the armory, a humble room deep within the trainee barracks. Him and a few dozen other trainees stared in amazement at the weapons hanging from the wall.

While they marveled at the armaments, the instructor spoke up.

"You have thirty minutes to make a decision. You all possess below-average strength so we have selected an assortment of lighter weapons for you to use. We recommend using a sword of some kind and learning a more complicated weapon later. However, the choice is ultimately yours."

Ace took the instructor's words to heart and looked at his options.

The most abundant weapon was of course the basic short-sword. Often paired with it was a small buckler. While he liked the feel of the weapon, he was unable to pair it with a shield as intended so he put it back on the wall.

With high hopes, he continued to peruse the selection.

Spears, rapiers, hammers, daggers, and axes. It didn't matter what weapon he picked, every time, he felt as if it was missing something. It wasn't just because of his one arm either. Plenty of weapons were suited to be wielded with one hand.

Strangely, he was missing his crowbar. While it may have been an improvised weapon meant more for utility than combat, it possessed something many other weapons did not. Versatility.

Still, he had to pick something from the room. It wouldn't do for someone dignified like a knight to fight with a crowbar.

Eventually, his eyes fell on the longsword. He had considered the dagger first, but quickly decided against it. If he was using a dagger then it meant he would have to get close. When that happened, he was guaranteed to be at a disadvantage. The quicker he could end his opponents, beast or human, the better.

In a sense, the longsword was a perfect blend of different weapons. It had long reach like a spear, a crushing edge like an axe, and a guard that would allow for close quarters combat in a pinch.

Picking up the weapon, Ace felt its weight. It certainly was heavy, but not unbearably so. Satisfied with his choice, he walked over to the supervisor to claim the weapon.

When he did, the supervisors eyes shifted between it and his missing arm. Briefly, the man raised an eyebrow and shook his head before making a mark on his tablet and sending Ace back up to the training pavilion.

As Ace walked up the stairs he heard a voice whisper.

"What's he gonna do with a big sword like that and one arm? Enhanced body or not, it makes no sense. Kids these days... ridiculous."

Shrugging off the supervisors lack of faith, Ace walked back to the pavilion through the forest.

He was the last person to pick a weapon in his group so he wasn't surprised to see most of the trainees had already gathered. Everyone was holding their weapons tightly as if they were afraid they would disappear into thin air.

He was no different. Losing a weapon made by House Steel was bound to have some consequences.

Before Ace could worry about it for much longer, Instructor Gawain's loud voice banished the silence, this time sounding more excited than ever.

"Alright everyone! It's time for my favorite part of the First Training Day! The Duels! Now gather around while I explain the rules!"