Heaven's Greatest Professor

"I hunted nine of them," Gene announced proudly.

"Of course, you did," Vess smiled at the boy. "What about the rest?"

Gene looked between Jez and Warden. "Most of them were taken care of by Warden. His sword is really magical; you know, he can make it as long as one of those giant stone golems at will," he said. Then he remembered he was forgetting something. "Um, Miss Jez'arim killed four or five of them."

"Four," Jez confirmed.

"But she played a vital role in keeping me safe," Gene added, surprising everyone. "Both of them did, but Miss Jez'arim stood like an impenetrable wall, which left me free to cast my spells."

"It's hard to calculate contribution in a group fight," Warden said. "If it isn't a problem, let's leave the numbers as our collective feats."

"Well, I see no problem if you three don't find any issue," Elder Vess responded, clicking her fingers and opening the portal for them to go back to the tamed part of the dungeon.

It didn't take long for all the other parties to arrive as well. It turns out the young Walt's impressive record of twenty-five beast cores was untouched. Most of the groups played it safe, staying in a group or in pairs. However, only one group among them managed to beat them. Of course, it was the group that the elderly woman went with, which included the haughty girl Aurel.

"For the next round, it is a competition between the candidates," the older man announced. "Stay in your group of four; each elder will decide who'll fight next." He turned to choose the four participants. "Kevin, you go first."

A tall man with a mace came forward in the middle. His mace still had some blood on it, making others believe he wasn't that good at cleaning his mess.

"Anyone of you want to fight?" Elder Jess asked.

Warden wasn't eager to fight, but someone in their group was.

"Elder, let me fight," the youth with the Walt surname called out.

"Okay," Elder Vess responded as laid back as she sounded. "What is your name again, Young Walt?"

"Karz," the youth said.

"Okay," Vess said. "Go on, Karz Walt. Have fun."

Karz Walt swaggered forward, unsheathing his blade as he stood before the warrior with the mace.

"Begin," the elder announced.

The warrior with the mace advanced, swinging his weapon, but Karz simply blocked it with his sword and sent him flying with a kick. The warrior was handed a defeat in one move but stood up to fight again.

"I won't withhold my blade in my next move," Karz said.

"He's the serious type," Elder Jess clicked her tongue.

While Kevin looked at the elders, their faces didn't give away anything, but the pressure was palpable on his shoulders. He disregarded the warning and rushed to fight again. This time, Karz drew his blade true and, before Kevin could even lift his mace, delivered a sharp vertical cut that sliced through Kevin's armour as if it were nothing, though the cut itself was shallow.

Karz had withheld the blow.

"I admit my defeat," Kevin said as one of the professors came to heal him. Karz stood there in silence, as if waiting for another fight.

"You still want to fight?" Elder Jess asked. Karz nodded.

"Well, does anyone want to challenge?" one of the other elders asked the entire group. It seemed they weren't simply judging their fighting capabilities, but also their temperament and courage.

"I will," Aurel said as she stepped forward with her blade.

"A contest between two swordsmen," Elder Jess commented. "This might be fun."

"I won't be as easy as your other opponent," Aurel warned as she drew her blade, taking her stance.

Karz nodded, meeting her gaze. He took his stance as well, and they remained in silence for a long while.

"What are they doing?" Young Gene asked, completely oblivious to why they were wasting their and everyone's time.

"Fighting," Warden explained.

Soon, their swords made flashes too fast for the eyes to follow. There was a sharp clang and a twist of spiritual energy in the air with each move. Aurel withdrew a step, a sharp cut appearing on her shoulder. They exchanged blows like that for some time, and Aurel managed to give Karz a run for his money, drawing his blood twice. But in the end, it was her defeat.

She exited the area with a sour look in her eyes, while Karz stood still, waiting for another fight.

He fought another couple of people and defeated them with relative ease before finally leaving the combat area.

"The guy really wants this job," Warden thought and decided he should show something as well. He asked for the elder's permission and went to the stage as well. He fought four opponents, just like the Walt kid did, with an equally stellar record of victories. Of course, he didn't use his void energy, as it was merely a showcase of skills.

Everyone fought once or twice, except for Gene, whom the elder seemed to completely forget about.

"Um, Elder," the youth asked. "Shouldn't I also fight in this?"

"Why, of course," Elder Vess said. "Let me choose your opponent for you. How about you fight Professor June?"

"But she's a professor, a silver ranker--"

"Of course, Professor June's control is top-notch," Elder Jess cut him short. "I don't believe anyone of the contestants can match you in magical power, Young Gene. That's why I decided to have Professor June as your opponent. Of course, for the third and final round of the combat test, all of you have to face a professor in direct combat."

Warden was ecstatic. Finally, he would get to experience silver-rank power. Although it would merely be another showcase, it would give him ideas to think more about his path.

"Go on, Young Gene," Elder Jess said. "Don't embarrass your mother."

"You know my mother?" Gene asked.

"She's quite famous, you know," Elder Jess said. "Now go on, or I'll disqualify you."

Although Gene had many questions, he went to the stage where the elf already waiting for a fight.

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