Chapter 29: How Efficient Are You
Out of the five hundred participants, only a handful of kids were standing in the leftmost line. Barely thirty.
In contrast, the rightmost line, the line for the kids who were mages, stretched far into the distance. It was at least ten times longer, with well over three hundred kids. Clearly, the overwhelming majority of the remaining participants were mages.
Once everyone had taken their positions in their respective lines, the booming voice from earlier once again echoed across the arena, stirring up different emotions.... nervousness in some, excitement in others.
"Everyone, you can see the boulders in front of you. These are Internal Energy Meters.
For cultivators, you must strike the leftmost boulder standing before you with your fist, channeling your internal energy.
Aurans, you can use your weapons and strike the middle one, infusing it with your aura.
And Mages, cast your most destructive spell at the largest boulder in front of you.
You will be judged based on the damage you cause.
To pass and proceed to the next level, you must score at least five out of ten. And how will you score? It will be based on the damage your attack causes. Let me clarify it a bit more.
For the leftmost boulder, if it’s shattered into pieces, you get ten.
For the middle one, if your weapon is a sword and you can slice it in half, or for one with a bow and arrows, if your arrow can penetrate it and come out from the opposite side, or if you are one with a hammer and you can shatter the whole boulder with one hit with your hammer, you will get full ten.
Lastly, the mages. With your spell, if you can destroy the whole boulder in front of you, you will get a full ten.
That’s all. Now the second phase will begin soon."
The moment the instructions were announced, a wave of murmurs spread through the crowd like wildfire. Excitement, confusion, and tension filled the air.
Because this phase wasn’t just about how much internal energy or aura one possessed.
It was about how efficiently they could use it.
Within minutes, every preparation was made.
Derek meanwhile stood silently, observing everything with a calm expression.
’So I just have to shatter that boulder, right?’ he thought to himself.
Afterwards, with the sound of a whistle from the announcer, a boy in noble robes who was standing at the front of the line of mages stepped forward from the others.
The instant he crossed the boundary line separating him from the boulder, a panel shimmered into existence in midair above the boulder.
Everyone seated in the gallery could see it clearly.
[0/10]
The boy raised the scepter he had been holding in his right hand. As he whispered an incantation under his breath, the head of the scepter began to glow faintly, its surface rippling with power. In the next moment, a swirling orb of air formed before him. It looked as if razor-sharp wind blades were dancing wildly inside.
He then pushed the scepter forward, sending the swirling sphere of destruction hurtling toward the boulder.
Boom!
The impact echoed through the arena as the orb struck. A huge portion of the boulder caved inward, leaving a deep dent, almost like a crater, and spiderweb-like cracks raced across its surface.
[6.5/10]
The panel flickered as the digits showing the score changed.
"Pass." The voice of the announcer echoed again. The boy smiled with satisfaction as he turned right and moved away.
Cheers erupted from the gallery.
And just like that, the phase started.
One after another, everyone stepped forward when their turn came.
In the line of Aurans, a girl with a high ponytail stepped forward when her turn came.
She unsheathed the sword she carried at her side, gripping it tightly. As she steadied herself, the blade began to glow, shimmering with aura that curled into the air like thick smoke.
Raising her sword high, she brought it down with all the strength packed into her small frame.
Clank!
The blade struck the surface of the boulder and didn’t stop. Instead, it cut deep, slicing through the solid rock as if it were nothing more than tofu.
By the time her attack ended, two-thirds of the boulder had been cleaved through.
Ding!
A chime echoed as the panel above the middle boulder shimmered:
[7.2 / 10]
"Pass." The announcer’s voice rang out across the arena.
A proud smile spread across her face as she stepped aside, moving to join the group of participants who had already passed and were now waiting at the side.
"Amazing, Synthy!" a woman in her thirties shouted excitedly from the gallery above.
The girl who had just passed glanced up, spotted her, and let out a soft giggle. She raised her hand with a cheerful wave in acknowledgment.
’She was good.’ Derek thought. As he was a swordsman himself, he could tell how other’s skill was even with a glance.
After each counter, the boulders were slowly restoring themselves, returning to their original shape as if they had never been struck at all.
Right after the girl named Synthy, another participant stepped forward... another boy in noble robes, carrying a bow with a quiver of arrows slung across his back.
Once he crossed the boundary line, he smoothly brought his bow forward, drew an arrow, and nocked it. As he pulled back the string, the arrowhead began to glow, aura flaring.
And then....
Whoosh!
He released. The arrow whistled through the air and struck the boulder dead-on. It pierced the surface. But unfortunately.....
The penetration wasn’t deep enough.
[4.5 / 10]
"Fail." The announcer shouted.
The boy’s face twisted in disbelief.
"Impossible! There has to be some mistake! How can I fail? I developed my dantian a year ago!" he shouted, clearly furious.
But the announcer, who was a stern man and looked to be in his fifties, simply waved his hand. Two guards dressed in combat gear approached swiftly, grabbed the boy by his arms, and began to drag him out, ignoring his protests and angry shouts.
And so, the phase continued... one after another, some passed, others failed.
In the lines of Aurans and Mages, the number of failures was surprisingly low.
But among the Cultivators, things were different.
So far, not a single one had passed. Seven had already failed.
Derek stood in silence, waiting as the line ahead of him grew shorter.
Now... only three remained before it was his turn.
Martha and Daisy watched anxiously from the gallery.
And the longer time passed, the darker their faces became.