The exam proceeded, and one after another, the candidates were called in. One of them was Marion, who hadnât spoken to him at all since the incident with Hideo and Jean-Pierre. Hideo didnât seem to be very good at body arts, saying, âBody arts are meaningless to my abilities!â And he barked exactly like a champion.\n
ăTo his surprise, Marion was much stronger than her appearance would suggest. She was slick on the offensive and stubborn on the defensive. It was enough to make that Sword Saint groan. Seeing this, Hiroto was also amazed at Marionâs amazing defense.\n
(That Marion-sanâs defense is amazing. That defense probably feels like itâs a tight fit with the personâs feelings. The strength of her mind and body are in sync with each other, Iâm sure).\n
ăFinally, it was Hirotoâs turn and he said, âWell thenâŚâŚ..youâre the last one to take the test. Go up to the martial arts field,â urged Sword Saint. Even though he was competing with so many people for a short period of time each, he wasnât disrupting his breath or breaking a sweat at all.\n
ăAs expected of a combat-type SS rank, which is currently said to be only five people. In other words, it is not an exaggeration to say that he is one of the strongest people in the whole group of people with abilities, the Sword Saint. As soon as Hiroto walked up to the martial arts hall and stood in front of the Sword Saint, he immediately understood what it meant that the Sword Saint was said to be one of the strongest people with abilities.\n
( Of course heâs strongâŚâŚ.)\n
ăThen Sword Saint smiled in front of Hiroto and made a smiling face that the other candidates did not see.\n
âHey, Hiroto-kun. Looks like you did a good job again yesterday.â\n
âEh?ăUmm⌠what are you talking about?â\n
Hiroto was puzzled. The candidates around him were talking of what as well?ăHe asked quizzically. Hiroto had an idea of what Sword Saint was referring to, but Hisae had told him not to tell anyone that he had found an inhuman corpse in the hotel grounds the day before. I couldnât tell her.\n
ăIn fact, Hisaeâs expression was hard. Perhaps noticing this, Sword Saint also nodded widely.\n
âNo ⌠itâs nothing. Actually, Hiroto-kun, Iâm just curious about you. Iâm impressed by the fact that you are a well-built young man for someone of recent times.â\n
ăSword Saint walks up to Hiroto with a smile on his face and puts his hands on both of Hirotoâs shoulders and lightly taps one of his shoulders in a friendly manner. The examiners around them are surprised at this kind of behavior of the Sword Saint.\n
ăItâs as if heâs declaring that heâs my favorite.\n
ăThe newcomers look on enviously and questioningly. Hideo and the others looked at the situation hatefully and formed a hard fist, âWhy the hell did it have to be that guyâŚâŚ.â\n
ăWith a smiling expression on his face, Sword Saint spoke out in a voice that only Hiroto could hear.\n
âHiroto-kun. Iâm saying this because I think you have a right to be heard. They were the ones from yesterday, but we still donât know who they are. After all, theyâve lost everything but their clothes. All we have is the remnants of their powerful magic and the identification in their wallets.â\n
ăHiroto stared at Sword Saint in surprise.\n
âAccording to that ⌠theyâre just ordinary citizens. A Russian and a Belgian.â\n
â Citizens?ăHow is that aâŚ?â\n
âNo, I donât know yet. The agency is looking into it now. Itâs not many, but there are some people outside of those people. But then, you know, that kind of narrows it down for me. What kind of people they are.â\n
ââŚWhat kind of people are they?â\n
âThey are magic-centric, and they blend in with human society. And yet they are so inhuman that they have skills that even the examiners and I canât detect, they are hidden from view. A race that has existed for a long time and has been feared by us humans.â\n
âAn ancient race?ăIs that ⌠reported to the ⌠agency?â\n
âNo way. Thatâs just speculation, my own. Thatâs not what Iâm telling you, though. Iâm surprised. You can sense them. No one, including me, Hisae, a rank S⌠and the other examiners, even noticed.â\n
ăHiroto looks at Sword Saint, who was smiling at him. He doesnât know what heâs trying to say. And why would he say that to himâŚâŚ.. At this time, Hiroto felt the creepiness from Sword Saint for the first time.\n
ăSword Saint moved away from Hiroto with his expression intact and confronted Hiroto once again.\n
âCome on, Hiroto-kun!ăLetâs get the exam started.  Hmmm, well, âŚ..yeah Iâ ve been invited to be a guest on this rookie test. To say this is the end of it would be a bit of a trick. â                                                                                                                                          \n
ăSword Saint looks up after a thoughtful attitude.\n
âAlright!ăIâm going to try to make a special end of it and get serious, too⌠I guess?â\n
ăThat statement by the Sword Saint sent a shock through the hall. The candidates also looked at each other and Mizuho couldnât help but stand up. The organizer, Hisae, also unclasped her arms and looked stunned.\n
ăEveryoneâs reaction was uniform. That means that that swordsman is serious about doing it, even if itâs only a physical technique. Then, ⌠it would be no test at all.\n
âHey, Al!ăWhat are you talking aboutâŚâ\n
âItâ s all right. Itâs only for three minutes. Hiroto, if you can hold out for three minutes, I will consider your body technique test assessment, okay?ăYou also mentioned that your strongest ability was body arts⌠not bad, right?â\n
ăFeeling left out despite being a party to the matter, Hiroto was about to say something but said, âWell then, letâs get started!ăâHiroto-kun,â said Sword Saint, without saying a word, as the exam began.\n
ăHiroto was puzzled. And now, he could feel an overwhelming fighting spirit from the Sword Saint in front of him.\n
ăHiroto could see that the hall was being swallowed up by the extraordinary fighting spirit of the Sword Saint.\n
ăThat fighting spirit emanating from the Swordsman would be enough to make most people lose their will to fight.\n
ăHowever, in a sense, the current victim, Hiroto, was caught up in a single word in his mind.\n
ăThat wasâŚâŚâŚthe word âassessment considerationâ by the Sword Saint.\n
(Assessment considerationâŚâŚ..assessment consideration!ăMy high school life!ăMy home restoration!)\n
ăThe examiners and the candidates forget to breathe and watch them. Some of them even began to feel sympathy for Hiroto. ButâŚâŚâŚin an instant, that atmosphere disappeared.\n
ăThat isâŚâŚâŚan oppressive feeling coming from Hiroto. The atmosphere that Hiroto wears suddenly transforms.\n
ăIt is different from the Sword Saints, a power that they have never felt before.\n
ââŚ.What?ăThat guyâŚ..â\n
ăMizuho muttered to herself. Even Marion, Hideo, the other candidates, and the examiners who had come to watch, could see the astonished look on their faces. Hiroto doesnât seem to be frightened at all in front of the Sword Saint.\n
ăHowever, this is different from the bluntness of a young man who overestimated his own strength. Thatâs not the face everyone thinks of as being that of Hiroto Domori. The face of Hiroto is that of a warrior who has run through many battles that the newcomers have never seen before. Looking at the Hiroto, the swordsmen loosen their cheeks slightly and both take a stance.\n
ăHisae gasped and looked at him as he was drawn in, and then huffed.\n
ăâWe have to stop this ridiculous test.â\n
â Hey, you twoâŚ!â\n
ăBut ironically, that served as a signal to start the test.\n
ăSword Saint moved. Or rather, he seems to have moved, thatâs all one can say. Despite the fact that they were watching him up close, everyone lost sight of the figure of the Sword Saint for a moment. But that doesnât mean that he was moving too fast.\n
ăThere was no initial movement, and it was natural. Therefore, it was simply impossible for anyone to predict his or her next move.\n
ăIn contrast, Hiroto could accurately see the Sword Saintâs right elbow going from below him to his vest.\n
( Suddenly to the vital point!?ăItâs a trap to get behind me if I can avoid it!)\n
ăAt the moment of the collision, Hiroto stepped forward. To be precise, he slightly shifted the central axis of his body and used his left hand to pacify Sword Saintâs elbow, and then slammed his sword with his right hand directly into Sword Saintâs lower part of his arm. The shockwave created by the collision between the two men caused everyone to narrow their eyes, and now that they have collided, the surroundings can see them.\n
âOffense and defense coincidedâŚâŚ..â\n
ăSword Saint smiled wryly with his sharp eyes. Hirotoâs sword to Sword Saint was caught by his left elbow.\n
ăTheir eyes meet at close range.\n
âYouâre good at it, Hiroto-kun. Iâm a swordsman by nature, but Iâm confident in my physical skills as well. Well, if I hold a sword, itâs a foul. It canât be helped that itâs like this.â\n
âMmm!ăâŚâŚ..Odd. Iâm not essentially a physical arts specialist either.â\n
âHoho ⌠you say. I just donât like to be overconfident.â\n
ăTheir eyes glow bewitchingly, and they give a rootless smile.\n
ââFufufuâŚâŚ..ââ\n
ăThe candidates, who had lost their voices due to the movement of the twoâs first attack, overheard their conversation with their eyes open wide and said, âSurprisingly, isnât the SwordsmanâŚâŚ. very popular?â \n
âHuh. That part of you hasnât changedâŚâŚ.Al. Totally, menâŚâŚâŚâ\n
ăHisae pressed her forehead with her right hand as a headache came over her.\n
                                                                                                                                                    âHiroto-kunâŚâŚâŚit wasnât a good idea to lie after all. You promised to do it for real, right?â\n
âNo, sir. The promise was to take the test assessment into account!â\n
ăWhat followed, starting with this conversation, was unimaginable to the participants.\n
ăEveryone there couldnât take their eyes off of them for a moment. And most importantly, everyone was even confused in their perception of Hiroto. A boy who is only a rookie is competing with that Sword Saint, even if it is limited to physical techniques.\n
ăăHirotoâs movements toward the rigid but totally seamless Sword Saint are like a dance.\n
ăThe examiners were especially speechless. The examiners couldnât believe what they were seeing.\n
ăIt wasnât that they had ever seen the battle of the Swordsman. The only one they had would be Hisae.\n
ăBut they know, with their experience, what it meansâŚâŚ..SS rankâŚâŚ.meaning.\n
ăThat isâŚâŚ..a crown that refers to those who are allowed to hold up the strongest.\n
âThatâs DomoriâŚâŚ..Hiroto?â\n
ăMizuho couldnât sit down and lined up next to Marion, who was standing on a stick at the front.\n
âGah, that guy, heâs an inferior ability person who canât even use his spiritual powerâŚâŚ.â\n
ăHideo grunted hatefully with an expression of having seen something unbelievable.\n
ăIn the midst of all this, the heart of the party, the Sword Saint, was dancing abnormally.\n
(Kuh, how difficult to fight!ăYou are more than I imagined. I am seriously starting to want you!)\n
<figure class="wp-block-image"></figure>\năThe examiners and the candidates have become mere spectators. However, even the inspectors are unaware of the fact that a higher level of offensive and defensive attacks are being carried out between the parties involved.\n
ăThe weight of each offensive attack was greater from Sword Saintâs, but Hirotoâs attacks were more anomalous than the outside world may have seen. He intentionally showed attacks that had preliminary movements and launched a series of attacks that did not have the initial intent of the attack. However, the opposite was also true.\n
ăJust like that, Hirotoâs attacks are transformative.\n
ăHiroto avoided the Sword Saintâs right fist on the outside while keeping his own back close to the Sword Saintâs body. The Sword Saintâs eyes widened at this bold move. Hiroto spun himself around with his body close to the Sword Saint and placed the palm of his hand on the Sword Saintâs rearâ.\n
ââŚâŚâŚâ\n
ăIt was just his palm against itâŚâŚâŚ However, the Sword Saint felt a cool, cold sensation on his back. At that moment, a tremendous shock ran through the Sword Saintâs back.\n
ăButâŚâŚâŚit was rather Hiroto who had a surprised expression.\n
(Huh?ăWill it blow up?ăOh, my God!ăMy close contact has been broken by the palm strike!\n
ăEven though the shock echoed through the five body parts of the body, Sword Saint stayed on his feet and swung his heel heel up against the chest of Hiroto while facing backwards. Hiroto was forced to hear a dull buzzing sound echoing from his right chest.\n
âGuh!â\n
Hiroto was blown backwardsâŚâŚ.but he regained his position in the air and landed without difficulty. \n
Then, his gaze crosses with Sword Saint who turned around.\n
(Hiroto-kun also wears a protective shell and protective membraneâŚâŚ.. The quality seems to be different from mine, butâŚâŚ.\n
( I feel my kinetic energy dissipated!)\n
ăSword Saint and Hiroto glare at each other. The hall was silent.\n
ăSword Saint huffed and released his stance andâŚâŚ.grinned.\n
âItâs a little past three minutes, isnât it? Well, Hiroto-kun. I had a lot of fun. I almost forgot it was an exam. Well then, letâs finish the examâŚâŚ..shall we?â\n
âYes ⌠oh, hey!ăMore importantly, promise!ăAssessment consideration for the promised test!â\n
âHaha. Thatâs right. Iâll take that into consideration.â\n
(And ⌠now isnât that going to be taken into account for other tests?ăI mean that in a good way, of course.)\n
ăSword Saint looked at the examiners. The examiners looked at each other and were discussing something. The reason is that there were many controversies among the examiners regarding Hiroto.\n
ăAlthough the written test is the lowest score for an examinee in terms of results, the answers to the questions were surprisingly written with the correct answers. Of course, some questions were not understood at all. However, the percentage of correct answers increased when it came to advanced demons, creatures, and other non-human questions of the Demon God class.\n
ăAnd the controversial thing was that although the correct answer was given, there were many unnecessary answers. For example, âWhat is the special characteristic of a certain magical beast with a certain magical attribute?â However, this answer has more characteristics and weaknesses than the model answer.\n
ăThe examiners were all made up of face-men with combat experience of A rank or higher. The examiners included many things that would make them hugely impressed by Hirotoâs answers. The examiners had noticed and wondered about some of the things that had happened during actual combat.\n
ăBecause of this, the examiners had gone so far as to examine Hirotoâs answers with each other. However, as a result, the examiners had to deduct points because the answers were not model answers.\n
ăAlso, the examiner, Ela, said, âI canât measure his spiritual power,â she said.\n
âItâs not like heâs controlling it to produce spiritual power. I donât know if Iâve ever seen anything like that before, but it just felt like something that couldnât be used in combat. And that guy took his body out of the mark without a cue, and that feeling was something Iâd never felt before. I donât think that was spiritual power.â\n
ăAnd he explained it in a way that was incoherent for everyone.\n
ăAnd the result wasâŚ..\n
ăâ- âŚwas unmeasurable.\n
âYes!ăThen the body technique examination is over. Techniques and abilities will be reviewed in the evening. Itâs the toughest test youâll ever take, so be sure to rest and relax and donât neglect your preparations.â\n
ăThe buzzing hall was settled by Hisaeâs deep, clear voice. Both the examiners and the candidates left the hall to have their own lunch. Hisae casually followed beside Sword Saint and left the hall together.\n
âAl. You seem to be so obsessed with that boy, who is he?ăA newcomer who can go at it so much with you in the physical arts. Domori I have never heard of such a house and Iâve never met anyone like that.â\n
âHaha, maybe Iâm too old for that?ăNo, donât stare at me so much. I donât know, really. Heâ s just a kid Iâm curious about. That boyâŚ..â\n
ăHisae looked at the profile of Sword Saint, but she sighed and looked forward.\n
ăAfter the morningâs physical examinations, all the candidates were in their usual lunch hall.\n
ăIn contrast to the bustling surroundings, Hiroto was still eating lunch alone. In fact, thereâs a part of me that wants to talk with him, but it canât be helped since no one will take me up on it.\n
âHuh~. I donât feel like I have any place to be. I canât wait for it to be over and I want to go home. Besides, that guyâŚâŚâŚheâs really going to take the assessment into account, right?â\n
ăThereâs a little time before the next exam. Hiroto stood up to go get some air outside.\n
ăMizuho, Marion and the other examiners were casually watching him.\n
ăIn fact, everyone seems to be secretly interested in Hiroto, but they are not comfortable talking to him.\n
ăThat was especially true for Mizuho and Marion, for whom heroism was a significant factor, nonetheless.\n
On this day, the exam for the afternoon session would be âPerfection of Law Techniques and Abilitiesâ. It is also the test that the candidates put the most effort into, as it is the highest allotment of the exam.\n
ăThe perfection of law and ability is a measure of the accuracy of each personâs unique ability.\n
ăNo matter how much power you have, you canât use a car with poor operability, and the same can be said for your abilities.\n
ăOn the other hand, even if the car has no power, it is a good car if its operability, duration and durability are high.\n
ăThis is the test that measures such things, and since this test cannot be measured by a single examiner, almost all examiners participate. In addition, since the abilities of the examinees are diverse and cannot be dealt with by a standardized test method, an easy to measure situation and environment is prepared, and in many cases, a simulated battle is also held.\n
ăHiroto checked â Anywhere possibleâ on the form given to him during lunch to write down his preferred test venue, and checked âMock battleâ in the measurement method section.\n
(Well, in my case, it is basically all close combat.)\n
ăWhen Hiroto arrived at the same vast hall as the body art exam ten minutes before the start of the exam, he was taken aback by the outfits of the other candidates. Everyone in this exam is dressed in formal attire according to their own style. It was a bit of an ethnic expo, as there were newcomers from various families from all over the world.\n
ăSome people have legal tools, magic tools, and weapons of some sort, which apparently turn out to be necessary for exercising their abilities. All items necessary for the expression of abilities and the maximum use of those abilities, and all items brought in by contracted outsiders have been allowed for this test.\n
ăItems increase abilities, and these items are also included in the ability test.\n
ăFor example, even though the sword saint himself is a person with non-standard abilities, holding the Love Sword Excalibur will increase his fighting power several times over. Thatâs what is included in the measurement.\n
âItâs the last one, huh? Isnât this on purpose?ăMaybe in order of grade?â\n
ăHiroto looked at the order of his exam and grumbled to himself. There were some who went to an outside venue, but most of the examiners, including Hiroto, had to take the test in the main hall of the hotel.\n
â Even so, I didnât know it was okay to use weapons and even items.â\n
ăFor a moment, Hiroto stared at his hands. The hands covered by the thick skin are too rugged for a boyâs, and they clearly belong to someone who handles a sword.\n
âNo, letâs not. Itâs only obvious if I expose myself too muchâŚâ\n
ăAnd now, the fourth test, âPerfection of Law and Ability,â which is the crucial part of the exam, has begun.\n
ăThe environment was prepared according to the questionnaires that the candidates had submitted beforehand, and they would reveal their abilities one by one. Hiroto observed the abilities of the candidates with his own eyes. Some of them have an extremely rare inherited ability, which surprised Hiroto.\n
ăThere are many people who go into a trance and handle the bow of a demon, someone who uses colors to manipulate emotions, and someone who forms a contract with an outsider.\n
ăAnd when the test came to the end, the examiners were extremely excited.\n
â This yearâ s newcomers are amazing. If this continues, this will be the first time in the history of rookie exams. I knew about Mizuho-chan, but Huang Hideo, Marion Mia ShurianâŚâŚ.. At that age, this abilityâŚâŚ..itâs truly terrifying.â\n
ăEven Hisae, who was herself a rank S outstanding ability and an executive of the institution, couldnât hide her surprise and admiration.Thatâs how outstanding these three were among this yearâs outstanding recruits.\n
ăHideo manipulated the Huang Familyâs inherent ability of lore ăPossessed Oneă, and when he summoned a high-level divine spirit ăKu Folină, which was unthinkable for someone of his age, he had it possessed, perfectly synchronized with him, and wielded its power. Wearing the Rafaelâs Vestments of the OrlĂŠans, Marion has defeated nine low grade evil demons summoned for testing purposes in just five minutes, unharmed.\n
ăBoth of their abilities were as accurate as those of a seasoned expert.\n
ăA special mention must be made of Mizuho.\n
ăShe is from a prestigious spirit user family, and she was able to control two of the four spirit systems of earth, water, fire and wind at the same time, and in a real battle.\n
It is common knowledge that even high-level spirit users would only exercise one lineage at a time. There are only a handful of spirit users whoâŚ.. have acknowledged the simultaneous use of multiple types, and this is certainly true. Moreover, they are all at the head of various spirit user families throughout the world. And this girl, who is only a rookie, is able to use them.\n
ăThis was the Shitenji familyâs treasure, the next generation spirit wielder Shitenji Mizuho, whose abilities were attracting the attention of the world.\n
âThen, this is the next and last one. Uh, Domori Hiroto-kun, come forward. Domori, you wish to have a mock battle. Iâll summon a mock opponent for the mock battle, please be ready.â\n
âOh, yes. I understand.â\n
ăDora, Elaâs twin sister, who was an examiner for the spirit test, starts to summon up. It may be natural, since they are twins, but the difference between Dora and Elaâs appearance is hard to discern except for the fact that they are both dressed and their hair is black and white. Itâs a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what youâre looking for.\n
ăDuring this time, Hiroto began to raise his senki in preparation for battle.\n
(One more step ⌠higher and higher, and higher and higherâŚ)\n
ăThe other candidates note the manifestation of Hirotoâs abilities, which they have never seen before.\n
ăHirotoâs ki was sublimated and increased to possess a spiritual power. That power seemed to be different from the one in the body art exam. From the outside, Hiroto looked exactly the same as the ordinary person. However, everyone could sense a strong, powerful presence from the normally unreliable-looking young man.\n
ăCandidates who have not yet cooled down from the surprise of the Physical Arts test are attracted to Hirotoâs appearance.\n
ăIt was the same for the examiners.\n
ăThe head and organizer of the Japan Branch, Omine Hisae, also begins to take an interest in the boy.\n
âThatâsâŚâŚ..what the hell. I saw that he was listed as a natural gifted person. Could he be one of the mutated ones as well?â\n
ăDora, the examiner who was prepared to summon, looked at Hirotoâs figure in front of her with mixed feelings. Then, she recalled the conversation she had with Sword Saint just before this exam.\n
âEhh!ăThat boy Domoriâs mock fight and heâs going to summon a rank B class demonic beast?ăHey, Sword Saint!â\n
âYeah, do me a favor. About five of them?ăIs that okay?â\n
âFive!ăYouâre killing the new guy!ăWhat do you think youâre doing!ăItâs true that Iâm surprised at your bodily skill abilities, but this is more like a real battle, even if itâs a simulated battle!â\n
â Itâ s okay. Worst case scenario, you can return them, and if you donât make it in time, Iâll intervene. You, our most famous summoner, could easily handle five of them, couldnât you?ăItâ s all right!ăIâll take the blame if anything happens.â\n
ăDora glanced at the Sword Saint with a sidelong glance. Noticing her gaze, the Sword Saint nodded with a smile on his face.\n
( For goodness sake!ăI donât care what happens!)\n
(Sigh!ăOver the dark places!ăThou shalt be the one to shoot the wretched eye of the wicked one!ăSummon!ăManticore!)\n
ăMizuho and Marion turned their eyes away at the name of the demonic beast that Dora had said to summon.\n
ââŚâŚ..Eh?â\n
ăThe other candidates and examiners rolled their eyes as well, wondering if they hadnât misheard⌠but they had to see that reality in front of them.\n
âMantiâŚ?ăA Manticore?ăManticore!ăWhy the hell did you call a high level demon!?ăEhâŚâŚ2, 3âŚ..5 of them!?â\n
âDora! Are you mad!â\n
ăHisae screamed.The one that appears is a lioness-like figure, with a face halfway between a man and an ape monkey, nearly a hundred fangs and a giant scorpion tail. The five manticores crawled into the hall and then stared at Hiroto from the air.\n
ăA scream went up from the waiting room where the students in the hall were sitting for their examinations due to the misfortune of the demonic beasts.\n
Scream came from the waiting seat where the examinees in the hall were sitting at the horror of the demon beast.\n
âWhat? What? Is it so dangerous?â\n
ăHiroto circulated his ki circle all around, wondering how much he was dealing with based on everyoneâs reactions.\n
ăThose manticores touched that sennki circling around Hiroto, which was spreading out around him.\n
(I see. ButâŚâŚ I can do it!)\n
ăThe surroundings begin to be more confused than the calm candidate himself. The organizer, Hi Sae, stepped forward as soon as possible.\n
âDomori-kun!ăDonât look them in the eye!ăRun!ăAha!\n
ăJust as Hisae stepped forward, her arms were suddenly grabbed from behind and she lost her stance.\n
âEH!?ăAl, what are you doing!ăHey, if we donât do something like this, not just him, but all the newcomers!â\n
âJust wait and watch.â\n
ăThe Sword Saint looks forward.\n
âUh⌠um!ăItâs okay to start the exam!ăLetâs get started!â\n
ăHiroto gallantly jumped into the middle of the five Manticores, as if he would have confirmed it out loud.\n
ăMizuho and Marion quickly stepped forward to protect the other candidates and prepared for the contingency, but they couldnât help but scream at this seemingly outrageous action by Hiroto.\n
âIdiot!ăYou have to circle around from the outside and deal with each of them individually!â\n
âHiroto-san!ăNo!â\n
ăThe five demonic beasts all barked in unison as they fiercely attacked the well-dressed prey that jumped in.\n
ăIn the blink of an eye, the five Manticoresâ huge bodies rubbed out Hirotoâs figure like a feeding ground for the ravenous beasts. Everyone witnessed the situation, which could be considered a tragedy.\n
ăThe smoke with the stench from the Manticoresâ mouths was scattered around them, making their vision difficult to see, and the foul smell and the devastation of the examinee, Hiroto, made some of them nauseated.\n
âItâs not my fault!ăItâs not my fault!ăItâs not my fault!â\n
ăDora herself, who had summoned them, crouched down with tears in her eyes and her head in her hands.\n
âGh, my God. Al, why did you stop me!ăDora!ăRelease the summons now. And call the medics!â\n
Doraâs shoulders twitched as she held her head in her hands as a signal for the pale Nisasaeâs instructions.\n
âHurry up, Dora!ăAre you listening to me?â\n
ăAs Sword Saintâs mouth quietly loosened, the smoke around him gradually disappeared and his vision opened up.\n
ăThen there wasâŚâŚ..the figure of Hiroto, standing in the center of the five dying Manticores.\n
ăIt was completely different from the picture she had expected, and Hiroto removed the palm strike he had given to the forehead of one manticola. The five Manticores were each convulsing and breathless.\n
ăAll of them gasped, wondering if this boy had defeated all the demonic beasts at that moment.\n
ăHowever, when they looked closelyâŚâŚ..\n
ăOther than the four Manticores that Hiroto seemed to have defeated, their huge bodies were so intricately intertwined that the demonic beasts seemed to have attacked each other. One had stabbed the other one in the chest with its venomous scorpion tail, while one had bitten deep into the carotid artery area of the other one.\n
ăThey seemed to have tried to attack Hiroto, and in the melee that ensued, they seemed to have lost their momentum and ended up fighting each other.\n
ăIn addition, the manticola that Hiroto seemed to have defeated was also seen with a heavy wound on its side that was probably not from Hirotoâs attack.  One hero who was happy to see this tragedy crunches his mouth and spills out, âWhat a luckyâŚâŚ. good guyâ Everyone really thought so too.\n
ăRegardless of the outcome, Hisae was heartily relieved to see that Hiroto was safe, and Marion and others fell to their knees on the floor when they saw that Hiroto was safe.\n
ăMizuho, who was beside her, was relieved and at the same time made a wannabe fist with a blue streak on her forehead.\n
ăHiroto noticed the atmosphere around him and appealed to everyone a little disheartened.\n
âUm, I took one of them downâŚâŚ.with my handsâŚâŚ..â\n
ăImmediately after that line from Hiroto, Marion popped right in from the immediate vicinity!ăHearing the sound â Huh?â He turned around in the direction of that sound.\n
ăThereâŚâŚâŚthe figure of Mizuho, who reminded me of Durga, the goddess of rageâŚ..\n
âHi-ro-to-Do-mo-ri Oi!ăYou bastard!ăAre you trying to die?ăDiving into the middle of the enemy!ăHow many lives would you need to live if youâre fighting a battle like that without any real power!ăRealize that this time you were miraculously lucky!â\n
ăRunning up to Hiroto and grabbing his chest, Mizuho screamed with her face red as she raised it to the heavens.\n
âEh?ăHuh?ăWhy are you angry?ăI mean, you know, I took them all down, right?â\n
ăHearing Hirotoâs tense linesâŚâŚ.Mizuhoâs anger completely crosses the threshold.\n
ăMizuho used her spirit-enhanced arm strength to throw Hiroto away in the manner of a back throw. \n
ăIn the midst of all this, Sword Saint checked the dying demonic beasts as if he were inspecting them with a serious face.\n
(Such a point ⌠you jumped into.. How could you act after instantly seeing through the low intelligence of the other partyâŚâŚ.)\n
ăA heavy hand landed on the shoulders of the supremely serious-looking Sword Saint from behind. âHmm?â And the Sword Saint is surprised.\n
And then ⌠a voice that seems to crawl out of the abyss came into his ears.\n
â I heard itâŚâŚ..Al. It looks like this is your doingâŚâŚ..â\n
ăSword Saint turned around in a hurry. There he sees the head of the branch, a strong figure in the Japanese branchâŚ. He could see Dora standing behind Hisae, shedding a lot of tears and holding a large bump on her head.\n
âAh!ăNo, Hisae!ăOf course, if it comes down to it, Iâll be the one to leaveâŚâ\n
âAl?ăYou know what my position is in this rookie test, right? I have a duty to ensure the safety of these precious newcomersâŚâŚ..?â\n
ăâYour smile is cute, but very scary⌠gevevev!â\n
ăA fist goes into his stomach.\n
âUggh. Hi, hisae heyâŚâŚ..eh?ăWait!â\n
ăContinuing on, the chest and arms were grabbed and Sword Saint was lightly thrown off his tall body against the same wall that Hiroto had been slammed against. The sound of a violent collision with the wallâŚâŚ.. And then Sword Saint slips down beside Hiroto upside down.\n
ăHe saw a shameful face and a pathetic looking Hiroto lying on the ground in his vision.\n
ăSword Saint ran out of power when he said, âBoyâŚâŚ.we are similarâŚâŚmaybe.â\n
ăA beautiful woman, lined up with Shitenji, a beautiful girl, who was zealously breathing in front of the fainting Hiroto and Sword Saint.\n
ăAt the sightâŚâŚ..needless to say, a potential fear was planted in the hearts of everyone there.\n
The third day of the exam. The place was a conference room in a hotel. Right now, the examiners for the rookie exams were sitting around the table, all sighing in distress as they looked at the materials and screen.\n
âItâs still this boy thatâs the problemâŚâŚ.â\n
ăIt was now the afternoon of the last day, and the examiners were all together.\n
ăThe rookie exams had already completed the entire process and were being finalized for rank certification.\n
ăIn truth, it wasnât that difficult a task. The grading itself is done for each subject, so for ninety percent of the candidates, their certification ranks have already been determined.\n
ăAdjustment is to find out which rank the examinee in between the ranks should be settled to.\n
ăHowever, that was also finished, leaving one personâŚâŚ..\n
âDomori Hiroto. Looking at todayâs morningâs âJudgment and Intuitionâ testâŚâŚ. the ability to adapt and judge to environmental changes due to Elaâs illusions was astonishing. But intuition, which relies on spiritual and magical power, is completely useless. Iâve never seen such an examinee⌠no, a person with abilities before.â\n
âThereâs no doubt that the results of this rookie exam are a historic year, though.â\n
ăIt is said that people with abilities have a keener sense of intuition than ordinary people. The reason for this is because they have a wider perception of the world than ordinary people due to their spiritual and magical powers. This is also known as the so-called sixth sense.\n
ăOrdinary people are said to have used the five senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch since ancient times, in other words, to judge the situation. Nowadays, academics say that people have more than five senses, but institutions apply the ancient ones.\n
ăSince people with abilities have a strong sixth sense, one of the purposes of this test is to measure this sixth sense. For example, if you prepare two boxes for an able-bodied person, which one has the ball in it?ăA simple experiment such as âWhat is the meaning of the word?â gives more than 90% correct answers.\n
ăThis sixth sense is very useful for people with abilities to deal with oddly shaped extrapersonal or supernatural phenomena. This is because all the jobs that people with abilities receive are unforeseen circumstances from the point of view of ordinary people. It is often difficult to judge by what you can see.\n
ăHowever, the grading method for this âJudgment and intuitionâ test is to see if you make the best decision in the end, so even if your intuition is bad, if your judgment is good, you will get a high score as a score.\n
ăIn Hirotoâs case, measuring this sixth sense would result in him scoring well below the average of people with abilities and no different from the average person. However, when he actually measured his judgment on the test, he showed an astounding percentage of correct answers. Therefore, could it be a coincidence?ăAnd the test was redone, which was unusual only for Hiroto.\n
âWhy is it just me?ăItâs not fair!ăWhatâs the score on that one?ăIt would have worked!â\n
ăHiroto hesitated, and the examiner thought inwardly that he was right, but ordered the test to be redone.\n
ăOnce again, Ela activates Illusion and creates a labyrinth in which many traps are placed.\n
ăThe test was to escape from it as quickly as possible, but even in that redone test, Hiroto got the best results. He could easily see through the traps and find an escape route without being caught by the decoys.\n
ăHis clearing time was also far faster than the other candidates.\n
ăThere was a moment of silence for the examiners.\n
âAh, just to confirmâŚâŚâŚ The result of Domori Hirotoâs exam, the written test was a 32-point failing grade, but the content needs to be examined. His physical skills were ranked A without question, and there is a possibility of higher than that. Basic Spiritual Power is an A if judged as it is, but itâs out of the scope of measurement since thereâs a chance he canât use it. The perfection of his abilities is ranked A based on the results of the mock battle, but Iâm not sure if this is due to his ability or not. Judgement and intuition are A-ranked based on the results.â\n
âHowever, even though he had good luck in the mock battle, he still defeated a single B-class demonic beast by himself. Considering that his physical techniques with the Sword Saint were evenly matched, itâs possible that itâs not just luckâŚâ\n
ăThey all look down and up, as if they have a headache. The examiners who are here today are very busy. Most of them will not participate in the get-together party after this conference and will return to their home countries, and many of them have forced their schedules to accommodate this rookie exam.\n
ăTherefore, they did not expect to take so much time in the final stage, and everyone is getting a little frustrated because they have another job to do. Then Dora and Ela, who have the same face except for the fact that their hair is white and black, speak out at the same time.\n
âAh!ăI donât know whatâs going on here!ăIâve never heard of this guy!â\n
âIsnât that enough?ăUnranked. Letâs just settle for the place where he was just a body art idiot!â\n
ăAll the examiners looked at the organizer.\n
ăHisae has been quietly watching the debate until now, but she decides sheâs run out of opinions and opens her mouth.\n
âEla and Dora, it canât be that way, can it? Itâs true that based on the test results, itâs hard to say that this boyâs rank recognition will be easyâŚ. For whatever reason, he has the ability to deal with a B-class demonic beast. If that he was moved as an ability outside of the agencyâs certificationâŚâŚ.â\n
âHeâs still young and has plenty of room for growth in the future. If thatâs the case, itâs better to have some control from the agency. BesidesâŚâŚâŚâ\n
âBesides?â\n
âThis isâŚâŚâŚin my opinion. Itâs possible that the content of this test did not measure himâŚâŚ.. Well, thereâs nothing wrong with his human nature, and Iâll use my organizing authority to draw a conclusion here. Is that alright?â\n
ăThey all nodded. They all didnât have a solid answer to begin with. Besides, there was certainly a feeling of regret to leave that boy out of the ranks.\n
ăSword Saint, who had been silent the whole time, gave a small smile as he looked at Hisae.\n
âNatural abilityâŚâŚ..?â\n
ăOnce the meeting was over and the newcomerâs exam, which was now only a rank announcement, Hisae felt a bit relieved, she headed to her room at the hotel. Beside her, the Swordsman Alfred Arkwright was also there.\n
âHisae. Then Iâll leave you here. Thank you for having me here, I enjoyed it very much.â\n
âHow dare you. You didnât like it at first. And if you didnât do your job properly, the agency was going to give up on you for good.ăYou were even said to be missing.â\n
ăSword Saint smiles bitterly. In response, Hisae looks at Sword Saint with a serious face.\n
âAl do you know anything about that boy?ăYour obsession with that child from the beginning was not normal.â\n
ăSword Saint silently stared at his former lover without changing his expression, and Hisae stared back into his eyes as well.\n
âSendoâŚâ\n
ââŚWhat?â\n
The boy could be a wielder of the Sendo.\n
âNo way!â\n
âNo, I donât know. There are many things that are unnatural for a Daoist. In fact, he also has spiritual powers. Iâve never heard of such a Daoist, and thereâs a good chance Iâm wrong. To begin with, those of the Immortal Daoists are not at all involved or interested in the institution.â\n
âOh no but then, no wonder you canât measure it on a test like this.â\n
âHisae. I want you to keep a close eye on him. Thereâs a good chance Iâm wrong. Heâs too different from what Iâve heard. Itâs no wonder that heâs a natural gifted person in that sense. But if heâs a Daoist heâs a valuable sample. Heâs very important for us to know about the mysterious Daoist, even if heâ s the same ability.â\n
âAll right, fine. But that doesnât make the boy any less special. Itâs still uncertain, and most importantly he was faithful to his rookie test. You canât treat a kid like that as a sample.â\n
âYes. So be it.â\n
ăWith a smile, Sword Saint nodded heavily, and a staff member of the ability agency came from behind the two of them at a small run to report to him.\n
âSword Saint. Your car is ready to take you to the airport.â\n
âOkay Iâll be right there. Then Hisae Iâll see you later.â\n
ăSword Saint followed the staff without saying anything more.\n
ăAt this time, Hisae tried to raise her voice to Sword Saint.\n
ăBut she couldnât call out to himâŚâŚ..\n
ăThen, Hisae rubbed her own abdomen with her hand as if it was important while looking at the back of Sword Saint.\n
ăWhen Sword Saint was out of sight, Hisae lowered her eyes, turned on her heel and headed to her room when she received a call on her cell phone. The caller was her secretary, Kakitate Shima. She had attended a meeting on behalf of Hisae at the London Branch just before this examination about the murder of Sister Sophia Sutherland. The contents of the meeting were reported to her from time to time, but even after the meeting was over, Hisae had let her continue the investigation at her discretion.\n
â Omine-sama. Something important has come to light about the culprit. It seems that the recent disappearance of the ability users is still related to the vampire who is the culprit.â\n
âWhat?ăSo it was still that guyâs doing. But why are all the ability usersâŚâ\n
âApparently, it has something to do with the killerâs abilities. With a high probability, the killer vampire seems to suck out the abilities of those with blood-sucking abilities as well. I wonder if thatâs the reason he targeted those abilitiesâŚâŚ.â\n
ââNo way!ăIâve heard that each vampire has its own individual abilities and weaknesses, but Iâve never heard of such a thingâŚâ\n
ăVampires are known to be a highly individualistic species. Their general susceptibility to sunshine, crosses, garlic, pure water, etc., is only the information of one individual who threatened human society long ago. Also, they donât need to suck blood to survive.\n
ăThey are a race with a wide variety of personalities, weaknesses, and abilities, and one piece of information may not be able to be said for all vampires.\n
ăBut there is only one thing ⌠one thing that can be said for all individuals.\n
ăItâs just that they are called immortals; they are powerful extrahumans who are beyond human understanding.\n
âYes. Itâs true that vampires have been confirmed in records from hundreds of years ago that vampires can suck out memories, knowledge and appearance along with blood, but this kind of ability seems to be rare.â\n
âWhat about from the vampire community?ăAnything to report?â\n
âNo, maâam. But the community seems to feel responsible, too, and theyâve sent out a search team, and if they find out anything, theyâll report it to the agency as soon as they can. To date, there have been five victims, since four of them are ability users who belong to the agency.â\n
âHmm, so whatâs this Nosferak guyâs rating?â\n
âThe community says the name is Gaston, and the existence is in the thousand and five hundred year class.â\n
âA thousand and five hundred years class!ăNot a quasi-Demon God class. Moreover, if heâs sucking out the abilities of an ability holder, heâs effectively considered a Demon God classâŚâŚ.. What are the abilities sucked using blood sucking ability?â\n
âYes, the ones that have been confirmed are few of the actual combat-type ones, with Sister Sophiaâs satori ability being the first to be confirmed. Famous victims include John Larkins, a member of the London Branch, who stops thinking for the purpose of confusing his opponents [pending], but the only thing thatâs troubling is the [positioning] in it.â\n
âItâs Edmund Stanâs!ăThat nasty little bastard got him?â\n
âYes. This is the ability of Edmund Stan, an unaffiliated ability user whose main purpose was to infiltrate and obtain information. He was attacked in a hotel in Dusseldorf a week ago. This ability feels like itâs natural to be there no matter where you are, so no matter what organization you infiltrate, you wonât be suspected. Because of this ability, the vampires seem to have a lot of trouble searching for it. Originally, vampires should be able to recognize each other when they get close to each other, but because of this abilityâŚâŚ.â\n
âA positioning ability on top of his mind reading abilities? Thatâs troublesomeâŚ.â\n
âYes,â\n
âIâm sorry, Shima-chan. Can you continue to investigate?ăIâll just have to finish the rest of the certification process and get-together party here too. Iâd like to give one of the flowers to Sister Sophiaâs grave, and Iâm even tempted to put my hand directly on the culpritâŚâ\n
ââŚâŚâŚI understand. Actually, I have an idea, and Iâm going to meet with someone. I canât say who it is, but if I talk to that person, I might be able to get some information from him.â\n
âAll right. Iâll have my phone on me at all times. Please contact me.â\n
ăHisae hung up the phone and walked out to instruct the staff to prepare for the get-together party.\n
ăAt the same timeâŚâŚ.in the conference room of the rookie examination office, the test result files of the rookies saved on the agencyâs laptop were being opened.\n
âKukku, even the characteristics, usefulness and risks of the abilities are carefully described? As I thought, the analysis of abilities is better understood by those with abilitiesâŚâŚ.â\n
â-Endââ\n
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check https://www.mtlreader.com/novels/26 for Web Novel version in MTL(itâs readable so you should check it out)\n