There was only one criterion that separated monsters from beasts. It was whether they could utilize mana or not. Those beasts and animals that could not handle the overflowing mana in their bodies underwent mutations and became mutant animals and mutant beasts. On the other hand, those that were able to instinctively use and build up their mana while utilizing it somehow became monsters.

The monsters’ bodies had also started to evolve and suit the flow of mana thanks to their instinctive build up. And because of that, they developed a unique characteristic: blue blood. The blood of the mutant beasts were still red but the monsters’ blood was blue. And it was not just some completely useless nonsense.

Even though the gnolls were weak compared to other monsters, they still had blue blood. Having blue blood meant that there was a mana build up in their bodies. As a result, their movements far exceeded the normal range of movements for normal beasts and animals. 

“Keoheok!” 

“F… Fall back!” 

A few people failed to respond properly. They began to fall back after failing to hit the monsters properly. Jaiden couldn’t help but click his tongue when he saw this scene. He shook his head as he stabbed a gnoll straight in the neck. The gnoll was distracted by the screams of the frightened children so it died easily under Jaiden’s attack.

“Don’t fall back! If you back down then they’ll see you as pushovers and attack more!” 

When Jaiden shouted at them, the frightened children all followed him forward. It seemed like they were moving along in response to his remarks.

When they fought against the mutant animals, there were some children that quickly pulled themselves from the quagmire of fear that encroached upon them at the thought of a real life battle. These children also quickly pulled themselves together as they pulled their swords out once again.

But there were also children who couldn’t adapt to the presence of the monsters. In the end, these children failed to pull themselves up and were engulfed in fear. They couldn’t move from their spots at all.

―Kkaekaeng!

―Kkiing~ Kking!

Most of them advanced to try and beat the child at the forefront while some of them avoided Jaiden to target the other children. Just like experienced dog-like monsters, they had been trying to avoid him and the 13-year-old children. It seemed like they could instinctively tell that they were the strong ones. They easily targeted the weak-looking children.

Finally noticing that they were being targeted by the monsters, the frightened children also started to pull out their steel swords to fight back. 

Even though these monsters were considered to be weak, injuries as well as bleeding began to bloom in the children’s bodies. But perhaps it was because of the adrenaline that was pumping in their bodies, the children did not stop fighting until all of their opponents had died.

“Heok… heok…” 

“Those who can’t go on anymore, wait here. The people who will escort the wounded will arrive here soon.” 

Sky Renz only appeared after all of the fighting had ended. All he did was leave those words before turning around and walking once again. Jaiden and the other kids followed him slowly with stiff expressions on their faces. But this time, the number of children that were following Sky Renz had decreased by a lot. Jaiden estimated that more than half of them had given up during their fight with the gnolls. 

Although there weren’t any other mutant beasts and monsters that appeared after their fight with the gnolls, the children still looked like they were going to die. They still had to climb a steep mountain after all of their stamina and mana had been used up. In addition, they were filled with nervousness and anxiety fearing that there would be another surprise attack. 

Exhausted stamina and near exhausted mental strength. It seemed like they were testing for their mental prowess and endurance on this mountainous trek towards the Academy.

Based on the Northeast’s perspective, the students who could not stand and endure this much would eventually be left behind even if they passed and entered the Academy. It seemed like the purpose of making the test as strict and strenuous as this was to discourage those who had half-hearted and clumsy thoughts in taking the test for their academy.

They were an academy that stayed rooted in the Northeast, one of the most dangerous places in the continent, so all those who wanted to enter their doors had to be as strong as a weapon of war. They needed to have both the physical strength and the mental strength to endure and survive in this harsh environment. And because of that, those who were weak-willed would be reluctant to endure in this place. They expected that they would skip this place from the very beginning if they found out how difficult it was just to enter.

“Heok… heok…”

Jaiden continued to follow behind Sky Renz even though his breathing had started to become labored and heavy. His legs were already shaking and his breath had started to run out but he persevered and followed Sky Renz. 

Aside from Jaiden, there were still other people that followed behind Sky Renz. However, their numbers had already dwindled to less than ten. Their eyes were already shaking but they still gritted their teeth as they followed Sky Renz. 

But regardless of their will, there was still a limit to a child’s physical and mental strength. They started to stumble and fall one by one. Even Jaiden stumbled too.

Finally, Sky Renz’s footsteps stopped.

“Good work, everyone.”

Sky Renz smiled broadly at Jaiden and the other kids. 

“You have passed your first test magnificently.”

Both Jaiden and the other exhausted kids looked at Sky Renz incomprehensibly. They couldn’t understand his words. They still haven’t arrived at the military academy yet but he was telling them that they had passed the test.

“In the first place, this was a test to test your will. In other words, this was not a test that needed you to really arrive at the military academy.”

“Ah…”

Jaiden stared blankly at Sky Renz. 

“I’ve seen enough to determine your will. Perhaps you can expect a good score from me.”

“Then… does that mean that those who had given up earlier also passed?”

“Most of the time, yes? But those who got scared and gave up earlier will probably have a hard time getting accepted.”

After saying that, Renz pointed his finger up in the sky. There, they could see a bird clasping an activated crystal ball tightly with its claws as it watched them.

 “Maybe we’ll use that for our judgements. But one thing is for sure, you guys are on top.”

“Were there other people who took the test besides us?”

“Of course. You guys are the last batch.”

Jaiden nodded at Renz’s words. 

“If you stay here, then you can look forward to an early graduation. So work hard. It would also be good if you volunteer as a knight.”

Jaiden and the other kids collapsed after hearing Sky Renz’s laid back and carefree words. It was as if the tight string of tension in their bodies had snapped. Renz looked at the children with a smile on his face.

He let them take a short break before continuing their journey. This time, they had started the climb to the mountain with the people that were coming from behind. Unlike earlier where they were climbing recklessly, they were now climbing the steep mountain with a good pace and making sure to take proper rests in between.

After walking for quite a long time, they had finally arrived at the Northeast Military Academy.

Located deep in the mountains, the academy was not a sight to behold. Not only were their facilities old, their buildings were also covered in vines and moss.

“The buildings might look old but the interior will be much more comfortable and usable than what you think.”

Listening to Renz’s words, the children entered the building where they would be trained with wonder and curiosity. When they entered inside, they could see that the interior was completely different from the outside. The interior was neat and tidy with all sorts of tools and weapons lined up on each side. Even the walls were made of marble that gave off an antique and vintage feel.

“Surprised? To be honest, those who have only seen the Northeast Academy from the outside think that we’re beggars but that’s not the case at all. They left it like that on purpose. It’s like a tradition, you know?”

“Ah…”

It seemed like they had created this landscape so they could not forget the past while they tried to capture new innovations inside the building. 

The other children looked at the interior blankly as they admired the scene in front of them. After they passed through the building neatly, they finally arrived at their destination, the auditorium. There, they found children that were dressed similarly to them. They all went and sat on their respective seats.

Once seated, an old man stood on the podium and looked at the more than 300 children, including Jaiden, sitting inside the auditorium. 

“Nice to meet you, everyone. I’m Crimson Halo, the man in charge of the Northeast.”

Some of the children couldn’t help but exclaim when they heard the name Crimson Halo. After all, Crimson Halo was known as the man who once served as the North’s Commander. Although he had handed over his position to Jayden Wicks, the current Northern Commander and a master level being, he was still one of the 13 masters in the Empire. He had served the North for a long time and was considered to be one of its skillful veterans. 

“You all look tired after coming all the way here so I’ll make things short.”

Crimson Halo turned to look around the audience. 

“This place is a place that is far more dangerous than any other areas in the Empire. So don’t let your guard down for even a second. Carelessness will take your lives sooner or later. Do you understand?”

“Yes!”

As if in reflex, the children all cried loudly when they heard Crimson Halo’s words. Looking at the children in satisfaction, Crimson Halo turned to look at the side as he nodded to indicate the end of his words.

“Everyone, a round of applause for the Northeast’s Commander!”

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

All of them clapped their hands as curiosity flashed on the children’s faces. They were wondering why the man called Crimson Halo as the Northeast’s Commander even though there were only five commanders in the Empire. Although it was true that Crimson was once the North’s Commander, he had long been retired now. 

Jaiden thought that it was just a slip of the tongue but from the looks of it, Halo and the rest of the people did not think that it was a slip of the tongue. 

‘Unofficial commander.’

He had heard of it in his previous life. Special areas like the Northeast had unofficial positions including the commander’s position. The Empire had deep forests and jungles in the Northeast and the South so it was hard to maintain it without anyone commanding their soldiers. Hence, a need for an unofficial commander. Similar systems could also be found in the Southern and Eastern kingdoms. All of these countries had an unofficial commander as well as a special force to deal with the three most dangerous places in their territories. 

With curiosity gleaming on the children’s faces, the dean of the Academy finally stood on the podium.

“I’m Dean Randon. Let’s keep things short since everyone is tired.”

The dean paused as he looked at the students in front of him. Even though they looked like they were all wretched and poor beggars, he could feel that their spirits were burning brightly. The dean nodded his head after seeing them before continuing his speech.

“This place is different from the other academies. You will never be able to endure it here if you’re weak-willed and half-hearted. This Academy will turn all of you into weapons of war. During the process, you need to endure countless pains and grievances. And even if you succeeded in enduring those, there will still be a greater hell waiting for you. So make sure to pull yourselves together.”

Dean Randon went down after giving them this warning. Then, the children were all guided to their accommodations one by one. There were also girls in the military academy so their lodgings were divided into the girls dormitory and the boys dormitory. But it was not only divided like that. Based on the reports written about them, their dormitories were temporarily assigned based on their characteristics. At the same time, they were assigned new numbers based on the number listed on the beddings in their dormitory room. 

Jaiden’s new number was 13.

‘Does this mean I’m 13th?’ 

It seemed like there were 12 more people in front of him but he felt that this was more than enough. With the thought of graduating early, Jaiden finally took a refreshing shower before falling asleep on his assigned bed.

But the very next morning, he finally realized why this place was known to be crazily difficult.

“Wake up! All students should fully arm yourselves. I’ll say it again. All students should fully arm yourselves.” 

A siren rang loudly after the wake up call was broadcasted with the magic speaker. 

“Our current situation is an actual battle. Make sure to arm yourselves to your teeth.”

The early morning wake up call had called for them to gather while being fully armed. Everyone couldn’t help but look on in a daze as they prepared themselves. On the other hand, Jaiden had prepared himself as quickly as possible before heading straight towards the training area. 

In fact, while he was getting ready, Jaiden thought that they were just trying to scare the kids. But all of the academy professors were running out with weapons. Even the soldiers that guarded the Academy were already fighting. 

‘Crazy shit. An actual battle on the very first day?’

The children were literally on the verge of a mental breakdown. They couldn’t help but think that facing an actual battle on their first day in the academy was something ridiculous. Although they all rushed forward, they remained clueless about what they would do during the actual battle. 

Meanwhile, Jaiden was looking calmly at the situation around him. 

“Since the freshmen still have yet to undergo training, all of you will have to wait here.”

From the words of the professor, this situation was something unexpected. So the professor only left these words before quickly disappearing from their sights. In that sense, both the children and the academy were flustered  by this sudden and unexpected situation. 

And this unexpected situation was enough to turn someone into a hero. In the heart of this chaotic situation was Jaiden. Jaiden who was armed with years of experience and knowledge.

***

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