CHAPTER 1032: NEXT

Candidate Number Three stepped forward. He was lean. His thin build hinting more at wiry strength than raw power, but there was no mistaking the muscle beneath his skin.

His face was carved with determination even though his eyes showed the nervous current running beneath it.

Watching what had just happened with Candidate Two only made the weight of stepping into the circle heavier.

Erend’s gaze settled on him, steady and unreadable. "Your ability is speed, right?"

"Yes, sir," the young man answered quickly, his voice tense.

Erend tilted his head slightly. "And do you already know what you need to do with that ability?"

The man hesitated, frowning. "I... I’m not sure, sir."

"You could be a good assassin," Erend said without pause, his voice calm but sharp. "You could infiltrate enemy territory, strike quickly, and vanish before anyone knows you were there. Like a video game character you know. Remember that only you can know the full scope of your power. You should understand it better than anyone else."

Those words struck the chamber like a spark. The candidates exchanged quick glances, their expressions changing into thoughtfulness.

Until now, most of them had only thought of their Magic in one way which was as weapons to wield directly against the enemy based on the orders they would be given.

Erend’s words, however, opened new possibilities.

Their Magic didn’t have to be limited to straightforward combat. It could be shaped, specialized, and applied in ways they had never considered. Right now after they got this power there would be more options in warfare.

The lean man’s chest rose a little higher at that realization. He gave a firm nod. "Understood, sir."

"Good," Erend said, his tone final. "Then show me. The fight begins now."

The man braced himself and then moved.

His body blurred, vanishing from where he had been standing. He will not hold back his speed right now.

Gasps rippled among the candidates as they strained to follow him, their eyes darting wildly across the chamber.

One moment he was behind Erend, the next to his left, then on the other side, his motions so fast that they seemed to fracture into flickering afterimages.

He changed into Erend who was still standing still. His fists striking with bursts of speed at him.

Each punch carried killing intent and the confidence of someone who thought that sheer velocity could overwhelm any opponent.

But then Erend moved.

Not fast in a way that showed strain or determination but with ease of movement. His body shifted to match the man’s speed as though he had always been waiting for it.

Where the candidate blurred Erend blurred with him.

Their silhouettes became streaks of motion, clashing and recoiling in bursts and sounds so quick that to most of the room it looked like nothing more than shadows colliding.

The candidates’ eyes widened.

To them, the fight had vanished entirely and only the echo of impacts and the sudden gusts of displaced air marked where the two figures had been.

Adrien’s eyes tracked them calmly, his lips tightening into the faintest of smirks.

Beside him, Billy leaned forward, whistling under his breath. "Heh. This is pretty interesting, captain."

Thomas narrowed his gaze and followed the blurs effortlessly. His calm expression never faltered but his sharp eyes also showed that he caught every exchange.

To everyone else, Erend and Candidate Number Three had vanished into a storm of motion. But to those three men, the other truth was clear. The candidate was definitely faster than most of the candidates but Erend was still faster.

He wasn’t just keeping up but he was dictating the rhythm and pushing the man further with every exchange.

The duel of blurs raged on.

Suddenly, a body hurtled across the chamber and crashed into the far wall with a thunderous thud.

Dust shook loose from the stone ceiling as cracks spidered across the impact point.

Gasps filled the air.

The form crumpled to the floor before finally stopping in a heap.

It was Candidate Number Three.

His chest heaved as he tried to push himself up but the moment his arms trembled beneath him. His strength gave way and he dropped again, groaning as pain coursed through him.

His breaths came in sharp ragged gasps.

Erend walked toward him.

"You weren’t controlling your ability pretty well right now. You were just forcing your body past its limits. That’s why you’ve collapsed." His sharp eyes bore into the man but there was no malice in them, only blunt truth. "Your body isn’t yet conditioned for that speed. Until you learn to use it properly you’ll only be destroying yourself."

He raised a hand and called firmly, "Medical staff."

Two men in white uniforms hurried in, carrying a stretcher.

The candidate was carefully rolled onto it but the moment his weight settled he screamed in agony again. His body arching from the shock of the strain.

His voice echoed painfully across the chamber, making some of the other candidates wince and swallow hard.

Even as the stretcher bearers rushed him out his cries lingered in the air, searing into everyone’s nerves.

Erend turned back to the line of waiting candidates, his expression unmoved. "Candidate Number Four. Step forward."

A tall, broad-shouldered man walked into the circle.

His presence carried a heavier weight compared to those before him.

His build was powerful, his movement deliberate, his frame packed with raw muscle that looked sculpted for endurance and crushing force.

His dark hair was cropped close, and his jaw was set in a look of quiet resolve.

Erend nodded his head as if giving him signs to start.

The man raised a calloused hand and with a low hum of power, his skin rippled.

A metallic sheen spread across his arms and chest like liquid steel hardening into armor.

His flesh darkened into a glimmering silver hue, the light from the chamber lamps flashing faintly across it.

Unlike speed, which had obvious limits, this was sheer fortification. It was a power built for frontlines and breaking through enemy defenses.

Erend tilted his head slightly, his eyes studying the hardened man as if weighing the potential already.

"Alright. Begin," Erend said.

The man charged at him.

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