Chapter 44
—
The shocking declaration stirred the students into murmurs.
“What? We don’t even need to take the class?”
“Is that supposed to be good or bad?”
“Good, of course! We can skip an entire lecture… and still get an A+!”
“But… it’s the very first lecture. Can it really start off like this?”
Watching the growing commotion, Professor Norse Heizen kept his mouth shut.
At that moment, an immense surge of mana began to billow from his chest.
Arthur, who had been watching, swiftly covered his ears—just as a lion’s roar exploded outward.
“Silence!”
“…!”
“Who said you could chatter at will?”
The students’ mouths snapped shut.
His voice, imbued with mana, had become a command that seized control of the classroom.
Satisfied with the silence, Professor Norse nodded and pulled something out.
It was a black, gleaming rectangular ore.
“Does anyone know what this is?”
“……”
“No one?”
The students exchanged glances.
Arthur was no different—what Norse had taken out was an ore unlike any he had seen.
‘It’s not silver, not iron… then what is it?’
Before curiosity could deepen, Professor Norse began his explanation.
“This ore is a handcrafted creation of the professors in the Tower of Science. Its hardness surpasses most common metals, and unless it’s infused with mana, breaking it is nearly impossible.”
“……”
“From this moment on, your task is to cut this ore. This is the test you’ll take today, and it will serve as your evaluation for the entire semester. Any questions?”
The students’ eyes widened.
A test that was simply about cutting through a lump of ore? They could hardly believe it.
Then, one cautious student raised his hand.
“If we cut through that ore… does that mean we automatically get an A+?”
“That’s right. An A+.”
Their eyes lit up at the declaration.
‘So if we cut it, we can skip the class entirely?’
‘Isn’t that way too easy? Everyone here could pass, no?’
‘There’s gotta be a catch… but even so, it seems doable. All we have to do is cut through that chunk of metal?’
These weren’t ordinary students.
Even at varying levels, everyone here was considered a prodigy—handpicked scions of noble families, ranging from 1st Circle talents to even some at the 3rd Circle.
For such students, slicing through a lump of ore didn’t seem daunting in the least.
The low buzz of uncertainty in the room was quickly giving way to mounting excitement.
Professor Norse smiled faintly and asked,
“Who wants to volunteer first?”
“……”
“To step forward first, even in unwanted tasks—that too is a virtue of those who carry the sword. I’ll ask again. Who will volunteer?”
A few students hesitantly raised their hands.
Norse pointed to the first among them.
“Step forward, Lylin.”
“Yes, Professor!”
A boy with a gentle look on his face strode out with confidence.
Arthur clicked his tongue in frustration at missing the chance.
‘Tch, not me… What if that guy actually manages to cut it? Won’t that change everything?’
That was how radical Norse’s declaration had been.
Lylin stepped forward, drew his sword from his waist, and set it humming.
Bwooom—!
Two rings of resonance spread outward.
Students gasped with envy.
A dual resonance—well above the average. With that kind of skill, how could he possibly fail to cut an ore?
Just then, Professor Norse furrowed his brow.
“Lylin, what exactly do you think you’re doing?”
“…Professor?”
“Who told you to use mana? And why have you drawn your sword?”
Lylin blinked.
“Huh? Then…?”
“No mana. And instead of your sword, you’ll be using this wooden blade.”
“…!”
“If you coat a fine weapon with mana, of course anyone could cut the ore. Did you truly think I’d set such a trivial test?”
Lylin’s jaw dropped.
The other students looked just as dumbfounded.
No mana, and with nothing but a wooden sword… they were to cut that ore?
It was impossible.
But Norse’s next words made it clear that impossibility was the very point.
“Then let us begin. One more thing—any student who fails to cut this ore by the end of the semester will receive a failing grade.”
&
Ting!
“Next, Frillan.”
Tang!
“Next, Yunion.”
Ting! Ting! Ting!
“Next, Jasmin.”
Jamin bit his lip and stepped down in defeat.
Norse’s eyes gleamed.
‘Good grit. Plenty of skill, too. While most gave up after breaking just three wooden swords, he kept going until his fourth shattered.’
But he did not praise him.
There was no need to plant arrogance in a young mind.
‘On average… they break about three before giving up.’
Norse folded his arms in thought.
This wasn’t a test meant to be cleared.
It was a trial—a way to measure their current abilities and limits.
‘When there’s a clear goal and failure feels inevitable, that’s when true, hidden ability surfaces. Can they still swing without wavering? How strong is their body? Where are their limits? That’s what this test reveals.’
So far, the results were exactly what he’d expected.
‘But not one of them has surpassed those expectations… yet.’
At that moment, murmurs rippled through the room.
Different from before—curiosity, even awe.
“It’s her…”
“The Empire’s most renowned Swordmaster’s granddaughter… Holan Leverkusen’s heir!”
“They say she’s already at the 3rd Circle?”
“Word is, even youth prodigies from famous sword families can’t match her.”
Norse’s lips curved into a smile.
‘At last… among the chosen gems, the one diamond that truly shines.’
Elin Leverkusen.
Among the new entrants, she was widely considered one of the top three prodigies in pure swordsmanship.
Norse handed her the wooden sword with quiet anticipation.
“No need for explanations, right, Elin?”
“Yes, Professor.”
“Good. Begin.”
Elin turned toward the ore.
“….”
She bit her lip lightly, then swung with all her strength.
Kaaang—!
The ore quivered once, and her wooden sword snapped instantly.
Gasps erupted.
“No way…”
“The ore… it shook, right?”
“How’s that even possible?”
“Forget that—did you see her stance? She’s only seventeen? That’s a knight’s form already!”
Elin seized a new wooden sword and struck again.
Kang—!
The second one shattered just like the first.
She repeated the attempt, again and again.
Only after breaking ten did the streak end.
But no one looked at her with disappointment.
The average was three.
Elin Leverkusen had more than tripled that.
‘Insane…’
‘They called her a monster, but she’s worse than I imagined.’
‘To break ten wooden swords with raw strength alone… in single blows?’
The class could only gape.
Even Professor Norse swallowed dryly.
‘Astounding… She’s only seventeen, yet her body is already that complete?’
Though at the 6th Circle himself, Norse was famous as a master instructor who had trained countless disciples—including one who rose to Swordmaster.
So for him, this was the highest praise he could give.
“…Well done, Elin.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
She bowed and stepped down.
She was the first student to ever receive words of praise from Professor Norse, and yet her expression was strangely unsatisfied.
The others assumed it was because she had failed to cut the ore.
Just then, Arthur rose from his seat.
“Well done, Elin. Guess it’s my turn now.”
“…Mm. Arthur.”
Elin hesitated, then spoke softly.
“Hey… um…”
“Yes?”
“…No, never mind. Do your best. I’ll be cheering for you.”
Arthur grinned.
“Thanks. Hm… but I don’t know if I can cut it. That thing wasn’t made to be cut.”
With that thought, he strode to the platform.
Professor Norse’s eyes narrowed.
‘Arthur Bayern…’
Unlike Elin, he was a student worth watching for entirely different reasons.
He was the one who had managed to fail the easy personality test—the first ever. The one who’d caused the Arcane faculty to convene a special meeting.
Naturally, Norse did not look on him favorably.
But sword wielders are judged by their blades alone.
If Arthur Bayern performed well here, perhaps some of that stain could be erased.
That was Norse’s conclusion as he watched Arthur step forward.
But instead of striking, Arthur began spinning the wooden sword like a top.
“…?”
Everyone blinked in confusion.
Norse snapped back to his senses first.
“…Arthur Bayern, what are you doing?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you not striking down? Why are you… stabbing it?”
Arthur raised the wooden sword he’d been driving against the ore and replied,
“Well… no matter how I think about it, I don’t think it’s possible to slice through this ore. So instead of cutting, I figured I’d split it apart by stabbing.”
Norse’s eyes widened.
The students looked equally stunned.
“…He spun the wooden sword to split the ore apart?”
“Yes. I thought—even if it takes longer, this might be more realistic. Is that… not allowed, Professor Norse?”
For a moment, Norse was speechless.
Even he, the one who designed the test, had never considered such a shift in perspective.
But he quickly regained composure.
“…Unique, but it doesn’t align with the test’s purpose. Arthur Bayern, strike down.”
Arthur smacked his lips in disappointment, then gripped the sword properly.
He studied the ore once more, sinking into thought.
‘Even for me… cutting through this under such conditions won’t be easy.’
If the test had been to crush the ore, he could’ve unleashed the bloodline of Tacen and shattered it.
But with a wooden sword? Impossible.
A mere stick of wood could never withstand such power.
‘But still… I *want* to make the impossible possible. Because if I do, I’ll never have to sit through another swordsmanship class again.’
He no longer needed sword lessons from anyone—not even from Norse of Arcane.
Arthur scratched his chin in thought.
That was when he noticed it—a tiny crack in the ore.
“Hm?”
Maybe from all the previous attempts, or perhaps from his earlier spinning stab—but there it was, a small crevice.
Arthur’s eyes lit up.
‘This… might actually work.’
He raised the wooden sword.
And focused every nerve, every muscle into his arm and grip, pushing his senses to the absolute extreme.
“……”
All sounds faded.
The world changed.
Now, there was nothing but him and the stone.
The stone, and him.
In that trance-like state, Arthur swung down lightly.
In that moment—
Tiiing—!
A pure, clear resonance spread throughout the classroom.
Professor Norse, unable to contain himself, let out an exclamation.
“…What?”
—
