Pained moans. Broken bones. Uneasy silence. Steady gasps. Shocked expressions… such were the things that pervaded the hall.

The Martial Arts contestants had all gotten their bones broken, causing fractures on numerous parts which resulted in the disfiguring of their bodies.

That alone would have caused them immense agony. After all, the pain of one’s bones breaking was one of the worst sensations a person could get.

At the center of the writhing students was the winner of that round, Edward. His blade had been dug deep into the stage, causing cracks to appear all around it, as though it shattered from the inside out.

This was the most surprising feat, considering no one had done anything like that so far.

Even Anabelle’s wind-induced explosion only left charred marks on the ground—which disappeared shortly after we left the stage.

‘The arena has enhancement placed on it that makes it sturdy—resistant to damage…’ I reasoned, narrowing my vision on the cracks that were already closing.

There also seemed to be recovery Magic placed on it, allowing the arena floor to repair itself. As expected of Ainzlark Academy’s facilities, it was impressive!

“H-how did Edward do that?”

“Was he always this strong?”

“He just one-shotted all of them and even damaged the stage!”

“D-does that mean all of ‘them’ are monsters?!”

I heard people murmur and converse among themselves in hushed voices. Their tone contained so much anxiety that it almost made me break out a smile.

“Hehe, looks like Ed won, after all!” Anabelle grinned excitedly as she watched her best friend leave the stage.‘Of course, was there ever a doubt?’

I personally instructed Edward in the art of ‘The 9 Fundamental Precepts’. While he hadn’t learned it to the point of mastery, his control over the first five was praiseworthy.

The Fifth Form: Break which he used back then was an art meant to deal blunt damage to the opponent, rather than sharply cut through them.

‘By using the pressure of the wind made by striking down one’s edge to a flat surface and the reverb created from vibrations coursing from the blade, an overpowering pressure is generated that deals a blunt force to the enemy even without the blade touching them directly’.

The effects could also be amplified by the expert use of Mana, thereby increasing the effects drastically.

Edward was able to use his blade to take down five students when he hadn’t even achieved mastery and his use and quantity of mana were limited. It made me wonder what would happen if he achieved even greater heights.

‘As sharp as an edge and as blunt as a boulder, the Martial Blade God School is focused on equilibrium in every way…’ I reasoned with a smile.

That differentiated it from other Martial techniques that either focused on speed—like the ‘Illusory Dance’ or strength like the ‘Heaven Defying Fist Art’. In the end, they all focused on one essential aspect of power, and to be well-balanced, one had to possess the knowledge and skills of several Schools.

But, the Martial Technique in Edward’s possession was complete! After skimming through them, I found myself unable to fully decipher the complete contents locked within the scrolls. One thing was certain, though…

One could become invincible in combat by just mastering the Martial Blade God School’s techniques!

Edward approached our seats quickly, drawing the attention of many to him. He ignored them, though, and placed all his focus on us.

It didn’t take very long for him to return, giving both Anabelle and me fist bumps and high-fives.

“Well done.” I calmly remarked.

“Yeah. You literally blew them all away!” Ana excitedly spoke, nearly screaming.

“It’s all thanks to you two. Haa, I feel much better now.” Edward smiled, taking his seat.

He was pretty nervous before climbing the stage, wondering how it would turn out. But, as soon as he gripped his blade, all the unease vanished and he became a new man.

It was quite the sight to see, the way he used a single technique to decimate his foes.

“Well, I suppose it’s time for our Scholars to begin their round,” I said, having no enthusiasm whatsoever.I calculated, based on what was displayed by the challenge of our seniors, what the Lower Class Scholars of our year would experience. It was sure to be nothing short of boring.

With that in mind, my eyes unconsciously trailed to my side where I once again looked in the direction of Stefan, no, the stranger.

Stefan was looking in my direction, or rather, at Edward. He, as well as others, must have been severely flabbergasted by his excessive display.

‘He’ was an exception, though. The boy that sat on the seats after Stefan and Maria, having closer proximity with our seniors in the third year.

With one of his eyes covered, I could only really see the other. They displayed a hint of amusement, but not enough to warrant interest. It was certain that something else was on the boy’s mind—I just couldn’t figure it out.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted our Scholars descending to the stage, ready to compete against one another. Klaus was also prepared for supervising the match, and once everything was set… it started.

“Begin!”

**********************

‘How boring…’ Kuzon thought to himself.

That was the name of the golden-haired boy who sat among those revered to be the cream of the crop for the First Years.

So far, he had been observing the competition, match after match, and he barely saw anything worthy of note.

The Third Years were nothing short of disappointing, as he was hoping for a better show. Granted, they were in the Lower Class, but it appeared even his minimum expectation was told high for them to fulfill.

‘Oh well…’ He dismissed flippantly.

If he was to choose, though, the last two matches, that took place before the Scholar round going on at the moment, were the best.

He had initially refused to have any expectation for them since they were merely Lower Class dregs, but after watching Anabelle’s expert use of Mana, and the confident smile her partner—Jared—gave, he was convinced that they weren’t bad.

Then there was Edward, the Martial Artist. He really surprised him. Judging from his movements and the ease of performance used to execute the technique, Kuzon guessed that it had to be a Basic-level Art.

‘Yet it has been refined to such a level… not bad…’

Kuzon’s slight smile broadened a bit more in anticipation.

His turn would soon arrive, and once it did, he was going to have quite a bit of fun himself. Once he qualified, he was bound to face at least one of the Lower Class students in a round.

Perhaps they would be able to provide some sort of stimulation for him, compared to the others he had encountered.

“That could be quite satisfying…” The young boy softly whispered.