Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  With the fifth and final challenge looming, Baiyi was without the expectation that any candidate would score all five points; after all, the candidates who scored four points were few. Soon, word arrived that not a single candidate had managed to pass the fourth challenges for Theurgy and Archery.

  If that was the case, it would be nigh impossible for them to pass the fifth challenge, as it was designed to be much harder than the fourth. Only the most gifted and skillful could pass it.

  After a spar with his candidates, which was unworthy of being called of ‘warmup’, the Hitman Walker beckoned to the candidates to gather close to him. Once they had done that, the Hitman Walker nodded at Mr. Sorry, signaling him to activate a magical prop they had set up earlier. A red aura shot out of the prop and encircled the candidates.

  “The last challenge is simple: if you can stay within this circle for three minutes, you will be awarded the last point,” the Hitman Walker calmly said. After he had said that, he drew his two-handed ax and his claymore, and an overwhelming gust of killing exploded out him.

  The killing intent was so terrifying, it seemed to congeal into a corporeal substance. The candidates went pale in terror, and their knees struggled to hold them up. They wished to flee right there and then. The weaker candidates could not hold out any longer, crashing down to the ground in fright.

  A similar thought cropped up in the minds of some candidates: ‘Just how many calamities have this instructor faced for him to give off such a horrifying killing intent? Before this instructor — who has spoken multiple times about being a ‘hitman’— died, had he become a monster borne from the bloodbath and carnage of multiple wars?’

  The candidates’ reactions did not surprise the Hitman Walker, and he said, “I encourage you all to retaliate as hard as you can, so do your best! I would be really glad if any of you surprise me. If you get hurt, you do not have to fear for your life, for the chaplains of Arfin City, led by Mr. Weslie, are on standby to provide medical aid should you need it.”

  A chaplain whose face resembled a weasel’s walked into the exam hall. He waved at the candidates and flashed them a reassuring smile.

  That was when the Hitman Walker moved.

  With a mighty explosion, candidates were sent careening through the air like they were paper bags. It was as though a bomb had gone off in the crowd of candidates. Body after body soared out of the circle, like leaves been subjected to the wrath of a typhoon. Despite the candidates’ numerical advantage and the short time limit of three minutes, thirty seconds was all it took for the Hitman Walker to clear the circle of candidates.

  As this was just an exam, the Hitman Walker was not allowed to inflict serious injury on any candidate. Hence, he had hit the candidates only with the blunt ends of his weapon. He had also made sure to hold back his strength a lot, inflicting only light bruises on the candidates. The bruises were not enough to warrant a look by the chaplains.

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  With that, the last challenge came to an end, in a matter of seconds.

  The Hitman Walker looked around the empty red circle and shrugged helplessly. “I only put in fifty percent effort, man. Are my expectations too high? I really hope Sir Hope won’t scold me. You know what…… Next time, if there is a next time, I’ll use thirty percent instead.”

  The candidates, on the other hand, felt much worse than he did. Most of them were regarded as geniuses back home, yet it had taken their examiner on thirty seconds to send them all flying out of the circle. Despite the strength they had in numbers, they were unable to challenge their examiner even a little.

  Had the examiner pulled his kid gloves off, none of them would still be alive……

  This was something they found hard to stomach; after all, they were used to the success and prestige that most geniuses enjoy. However, they had been defeated unceremoniously by this examiner. They had no idea that in order to gain admission into Da Xue, they would have to meet the standards of Voidwalkers, which was much higher than the standard of normal humans.

  However, a few candidates managed to overcome their dejection, leaving behind a thirst to learn and a drive to improve. The John Brothers, who had both passed the fourth challenge, were amongst these few.

  These twin brothers hailed from a high-class family loyal to the Southern Duke, who, in turn, passed the ownership of an ore-mining business over to the family. Due to their upbringing and training, the brothers possessed an exceptional grip on the basics of martial arts. They cooperated with each other so well that they seemed to communicate telepathically.

  The John brothers were the only candidates to pass the fourth challenge. They had coordinated their attacks so well that even the Hitman Walker had to acknowledge their potential.

  “I just can’t wait to be in Da Xue!” John Sr., who was down on one knee, exclaimed. There were no bruises on his body. The brothers had used their weapons to defend themselves against the Hitman Walker’s attack, but they were still sent flying; however, they were able to right their posture in midair and land in a dignified manner, unlike the other candidates.

  “Agreed! Learning under instructors as good as this examiner is a dream too good to be true. Thanks to Lord Duke’s recommendation, we were able to see a renowned martial artist in action,” John Jr. replied. He helped John Sr. up, and they both gazed at their examiner with determination burning in their hearts.

  ‘Who is this Soul Armature? Was he a ‘Hitman’ when he was alive? We have read so many history books listing many heroes of old, but we have never come across the bibliography of an unmatched expert who insists on calling himself a ‘Hitman’.……’ This was the thought that crossed the brother’s minds.

  Unfortunately, this was not a question that they could ask him, so it would continue to remain a mystery to them. In truth, their instructor really was a hitman. However, he was so bad at his job that his best skills were no fit for it.

  “These boys have potential,” Baiyi said in the Void. “Their performance is the best amongst the candidates. Unfortunately, like the others, they had greatly underestimated the Hitman Walker’s powers. This prevented them from passing this challenge.”

  “Did you not think that the Hitman Walker was a bit too serious with them?” The Archmage, who had opted to remain with Baiyi in the Void, asked.

  “Well, to be fair, he probably expected these candidates to find a unique way out of the situation. Unfortunately, his hint seemed too subtle for them,” Baiyi ruefully remarked.

  The ‘unique way’ he mentioned was enlisting the help of another examiner; after all, Mr. Sorry was the only person who remained within the red circle after three minutes had passed. The candidates had been so focused on the Hitman Walker that they had forgotten all about Mr. Sorry. If a candidate had hidden behind Mr. Sorry — or even persuaded him to help — they would surely have survived the onslaught for longer.

  Although that may seem like cheating, it was still a solution. The Hitman Walker would have approved of it, too, because the ability to take everything into consideration, in a bid to achieve one’s goal, is an unmatched talent.

  Unfortunately, the candidates’ thought process was still limited, and they were yet to realize the feats that could be attained when one thought outside the box.

  212 candidates had participated in the Martial Arts enrollment exam; 38 candidates managed to score three points, and only 2 candidates managed to score four points. No one got a perfect score of five points. The passing rate was only one-fifth of the total.

  One had to take into account the fact that candidates had been screened before the enrollment exam to make sure that they possessed basic knowledge of the course they wished to enroll in. The exam was so advanced, those who passed were considered extremely qualified and deserving of their spots.

  In the exam hall for Magic, no candidate managed to score all five points. 44 candidates had scored three points, and only 3 candidates had scored four points. This result was far better than the Martial Arts exam, but this could be because the Scholar Walker’s challenges were cliche — standard challenges that could be found in other academies. Her challenges were no different from situations mages faced daily, except they were slightly more difficult. This being the case, Baiyi believed that further observation of their performances in the future would be needed.

  One by one, the exams came to an end. In the Alchemy exam, 30 candidates had scored three points, but no candidate scored higher than that. ‘Could it be that the Alchemist Walker’s standards were quite different from his counterparts?’

  However, there were other courses that had it worse: Archery and Theurgy. The total number of candidates to score three points in both classes was just 39. They had the worst pass rate of the entire exam.

  It was obvious why Theurgy had it rough, but for little Nydore, she had not gone out of her way to be unnecessarily strident. The archery skill she possessed suited her physique, making it suitable only for fairies, so humans would find it very hard to meet her standards.

  Baiyi did not consider Archery a problem, though. He could just enroll some of the fairies from Eom Village into the class; this way, they could take the class alongside the humans who had scored three points.

  The exams for non-major courses, like Literature Studies and Business, which Baiyi frankly did not give much of a damn about, had also completed their exams. As these courses had nothing whatsoever to do with battle, they did not receive much attention; only a small number of candidates sat for the exams. In these two courses, 56 students combined had scored three points and above.

  Although Baiyi did not care much for these courses, the students that enrolled in it were still important. Not only would they serve to increase Da Xue’s income, but Baiyi would also need them to help him spread his message as far as possible. Hence, he had to ensure that even his non-battle orientated students were treated just as good as the rest.

  Altogether, 500 students had made the cut for Da Xue’s first academy session. This number included the students that Baiyi had before — like Mia and the others — some Eom Village fairies, and the unicorn foals. Compared to universities back on Earth, the number of students in Da Xue was embarrassingly low. However, this was just fine because Da Xue’s standards were much higher.

  After the disqualified candidates left, the street quieted down. As the new students focused on their registrations, Baiyi left his pocket dimension. He arrived in the company of another Soul Armature. Its armor was a royal gold color, making the Soul Armature look lofty but noble. This was the Archmage, and he was inhabiting a brilliant armor that had been specially prepared for him.

  The Master and his protege stood in front of the academy’s special entrance, admiring the huge slab which had ‘Da Xue’ carved on it.

  “Now, our preparations are complete. Our next goal is to make our voices heard — starting from here,” Baiyi said softly.