Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Intermediate Warrior Examination

Delline was known as the most commercially active city in Elphrel.

In the land of warriors, there was perhaps no word more ill-suited than commercial.

Nevertheless, Delline thrived in trade because it was the only city in Elphrel where non-combat professions — craftsmen, architects, merchants — were given preferential treatment.

And as I arrived in Delline, I thought while gazing upon the lively city.

‘This place is far more developed than the region I lived in.’

The streets, just as splendid as those of the Empire’s capital, were lined with ornate fountains and statues.

Even in my past life in the Martial Realm, I had never seen such a magnificent city.

I couldn’t take my eyes off its beauty for a while.

Before long, I regained my focus and rented a room at a nearby inn. It had taken me a full month to reach Delline.

To take the Intermediate Examination in perfect condition, I needed rest.

Though it was still broad daylight, I lay down on the bed and tried to sleep.

My weary body, finally in a comfortable place, relaxed at once.

And soon, I drifted into a deep sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already the next morning.

After confirming that all fatigue had left my body, I washed my face lightly with water from the well.

I ate the meal provided by the inn and then headed to the examination grounds.

Unlike the Novice Warrior Examination, the Intermediate Warrior Examination was extremely dangerous.

If the Novice test was to prove one’s potential, then the Intermediate test was to prove one’s qualification to become a warrior.

The test was simple — defeat an Intermediate Warrior in battle.

Elphrel assigned certain special Intermediate Warriors as examination supervisors.

Most of these examiners were retired due to injuries, and to earn the title of Intermediate Warrior, one had to defeat them.

Sometimes, examinees even died during the test.

Both sides fought with all they had, and inevitably, one would collapse.

Though such incidents were rare, there were precedents.

For that reason, warriors always made thorough preparations to pass safely.

Before long, I arrived at the Intermediate Examination Grounds.

I approached a warrior standing nearby and said,

“I came to take the Intermediate Examination.”

“Hmm! What’s your name?”

The warrior wrote my name on a piece of paper, then pointed in one direction.

“Go straight ahead — you’ll find someone named Hain. He’ll be your examiner. Take the test safely.”

“Thank you.” ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novelꞁire.net

I bowed and walked in the direction the man indicated.

As I walked, a thought crossed my mind.

‘Can I really defeat this Hain person?’

According to Adam, I should be capable of becoming an Intermediate Warrior.

After all, Adam had already recognized me when I was just ten years old.

And now, I was at least twice as strong as I had been back then.

In theory, becoming an Intermediate Warrior was already a sure thing.

Yet, a strange unease lingered in my heart.

I had always had a keen sense of intuition.

Rather than dismissing the feeling as baseless worry, I thought about it carefully.

The metallic crash of weapons clashing echoed from afar.

The shockwave of the impact rippled all the way to where I stood.

Startled, I looked ahead.

Pushing aside my thoughts, I walked toward the source of the noise, beyond a patch of thick bushes.

After a short walk, I saw two figures who had been hidden behind the foliage.

One was an elderly warrior with white hair, clearly long retired.

It was Teran, my childhood friend from the village.

For some reason, she was on her knees, gasping for breath.

The halberd in her trembling hands slipped loose, clattering to the ground.

“Another examinee, are you?”

The old warrior turned toward me and spoke.

“Come quickly and take the test.”

He wore an eyepatch over his right eye.

From the reddish burn scars around it, it was clear he had been injured in battle.

I approached him cautiously and asked,

“Are you the examiner?”

“Yes. The name’s Hain. And yours?”

“Leon. I was told to receive the test from you.”

“I see. Then, Teran, warrior, you may go now.”

Hain spoke to the exhausted Teran, but she shook her head vehemently.

“I can still fight. I haven’t lost yet.”

“Yes, you haven’t been defeated. Rather, you’ve won. You pass, Teran. From today, you’ll act as an Intermediate Warrior.”

Teran’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Hain.

I wore the same expression.

To become an Intermediate Warrior, one had to defeat the examiner. But Teran clearly appeared to have lost.

Yet he said she passed?

“What kind of outdated rule have you heard of? For a long time now, the Intermediate Examinations have been overseen by Advanced Warriors. Too many accidents happened before, so it was changed. So, you’ve passed.”

Teran’s mouth fell open in shock. I understood her reaction completely.

Advanced Warriors — even within Elphrel, only a handful ever reached that level.

For someone of such power to serve as an examiner for the Intermediate test—

It would be stranger not to be astonished.

“Now then, Leon. It’s your turn. Your weapon… is a sword, I see.”

“Tell me when you’re ready. We’ll begin immediately.”

I nodded, trying to calm my pounding heart.

The man before me wasn’t just anyone — he was an Advanced Warrior. How could I gain recognition from someone like that?

Defeating him was unthinkable.

Unlike Intermediate Warriors, Advanced Warriors were the elite of elites.

There was no way a mere fifteen-year-old like me could win.

Still, I resolved to show him everything. The effort I had put in over the past ten years. The strength I had forged through it.

Hain would recognize it.

There was no point in overthinking further.

I focused solely on drawing my sword — on the opponent standing before me.

I forgot the surroundings, forgot even Teran’s gaze.

The only thing that remained was—

Seeing Leon’s stance, Hain’s eyes widened.

What terrifying focus. He could tell just by looking. At the same time, a faint smile spread across Hain’s face.

How long had it been since he’d seen someone ?

Hain slowly raised the spear in his hand and murmured,

“Young warrior, unleash everything you have.”

Leon kicked off the ground.

But Hain’s spear strike reached him faster.

Even though Leon hadn’t blinked, the spearhead was already right before his eyes.

He quickly threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the flash-fast thrust.

A tremendous crash thundered behind him — the sound of the spear piercing straight through a tree.

‘That thrust… it’s terrifyingly fast.’

Just hearing the sound of it made his knees tremble. No doubt it was that strike that had forced Teran to her knees earlier.

Leon brushed his cheek with his hand — a faint smear of blood. A shallow cut where the spear’s edge had grazed him.

‘Amazing. He slowed down before fully striking me.’

Ordinarily, attacks that powerful were uncontrollable even for the user.

But Hain was different. He freely controlled the force of his strike, adjusting it to stop just short of killing his opponent.

If he hadn’t lessened the speed midway, Leon would already be a corpse.

‘So this is what they call an Advanced Warrior… The power, the control, and the precision—he’s a monster.’

A strange heat spread through Leon’s body. Facing such a powerful opponent for the first time filled him with exhilaration.

He slowly rose to his feet, never taking his eyes off the tip of Hain’s spear.

His body trembled—not from fear, but from the surge of excitement building within.

Hain, too, felt his blood stir as he looked at Leon.

‘He’s promising. Most novices would have run away in terror from that last strike. Teran did well too, but these examinees… there are many talented ones this year.’

Grinning with delight, Hain tightened his grip on the spear shaft.

At that instant, Leon kicked off the ground again, charging straight toward him.

But Hain was not one to simply watch.

He lowered his stance and thrust his spear once more.

In truth, Hain had already acknowledged Leon in his heart and deemed him qualified as an Intermediate Warrior long ago.

Even so, he thrust again purely out of curiosity.

How far could this boy endure? How brightly would his talent shine?

Driven by that anticipation, Hain struck—

—and Leon met his expectations.

The spear shot forth like a beam of light, but this time Leon successfully deflected it.

It was a shocking feat. To merely dodge or block an Advanced Warrior’s strike was already incredible—

Even Hain was taken aback, his mouth falling open.

Leon seized the moment, closing the distance and slipping right into Hain’s guard.

Hain’s expression twisted in surprise.

It was as if he couldn’t believe he had allowed Leon to get that close.

Leon saw that expression and couldn’t help but smile.

How many novice warriors in the world could startle a man of Hain’s caliber?

Pleased with the fruit of his years of effort, Leon swung his sword.

A chill, razor-like aura gathered along the blade. Even the faintest touch felt as though it would freeze flesh solid—Hain’s face hardened.

An extraordinary sword technique.

Impossible to believe it was self-taught.

Hain’s astonishment was natural.

The technique Leon unleashed was the sword art of the Martial God, the one that had once subdued countless masters.

It was the Second Form of the Three Talents Sword Technique—Shattering Crescent.

Leon’s sword curved and twisted like a flowing arc of light, grazing past Hain’s abdomen.

Of course, Hain was unharmed.

Years of tempering as an Advanced Warrior could not be undone by a single swing from a young boy.

Even so, his face carried an expression of genuine shock.

To Hain, novice warriors were little more than insects—unable to move, let alone attack him.

And that was exactly why he was so astonished.

Since becoming an Intermediate Examiner, Hain had never once allowed an opponent’s attack to land.

His spear technique, honed to perfection, completely denied any approach.

Yet there was one exception—Leon.

Not only had Leon deflected his strike, but he had even launched a counterattack.

An attack sharp enough to wound even a seasoned Intermediate Warrior.

Faced with such a remarkable junior, Hain could only laugh and declare,

After hearing Hain’s declaration,

Leon and Teran returned together to the examination grounds.

On the way back, they talked — the kind of small talk between old friends meeting again after a long time.

It had indeed been a while since they’d seen each other.

Since taking the Novice Examination, Leon hadn’t once gone down the mountain.

He had done nothing but train and sleep in repetition. Meeting her again was almost a surprise.

Perhaps because of that, their conversation was light and pleasant.

Teran had changed quite a bit since she was ten.

She was still taller than Leon, but the log-like sturdiness she once had had softened into a womanly shape.

Outwardly, she looked almost delicate.

But knowing the immense strength contained within that frame, Leon couldn’t help but look at her in quiet amazement.

When they arrived back at the examination center, the warrior who had spoken to Leon earlier came up to them.

“Leon and Teran, I see. Congratulations on becoming proper warriors.”

Both bowed their heads, and the warrior smiled with satisfaction before turning to Leon.

“And Leon, I hear from Hain that you possess remarkable talent. Go upstairs and receive your weapon.”

“Occasionally, the examiners gift a specially forged weapon of pure steel to those they deem to have great potential. Congratulations.”

Leon nodded, replying politely. He hadn’t expected Hain to recognize him so highly.

A pleasant warmth filled him, and a smile tugged at his lips.

Teran muttered softly with a look of regret.