Chapter 1601: The Test of Skill "You are free to use any weapon that you wish!" the assessor shouted across the training ground. "But you have to remember what we will be looking out for." The assessor pointed to his assembled team. There were around five knights watching every movement. It was impractical for a single person to constantly take notes on what was taking place and how the contestants were faring. This time, with the nuance of skill being tested, the observation of the team was even more crucial. "When fighting against your opponent, I don’t want you to focus on your brute strength or win with your physical endurance," he instructed firmly. "We have already conducted tests to assess those aspects. Instead, I want you to be honest and show us your skill with a weapon. That is the entire aim of this assessment." In a way, Gary and the other two already knew this requirement was coming. Jored had mentioned that this type of skill assessment would be part of the selection process, which was why the trio had needed to do so well in the previous aspects. They were acutely aware that they were not the best when it came to formalized weapon usage. Even Kai, who had used weapons to some degree in the past, was nothing compared to those who had dedicated their whole lives to the practice. Still, Kai selected two swords, appearing ready for a dual-wielding style. Lupus chose a shield and a sword for a defensive approach. Gary, ever the brute, picked the massive war hammer. "Oh, it’s heavier than I thought," Gary muttered, hefting the hammer. This was ironic, as the unique properties of the war hammer Gary often wielded had a somewhat magical effect that made it feel much lighter than its actual mass. The sparring commenced. For once, the three leaders were not on the top of the performance table. They did exactly as instructed: they didn’t try to blatantly overpower their opponents. All three attempted to perfectly match the natural strength of who they were going against, and even adjusted their speed to match, ensuring that only pure skill and technique would be judged. It wasn’t just the trio that was fighting this way; all of the participants were doing the same, knowing precisely what the assessor wanted to see. Yet, most of the contestants they went up against they had performed horribly. They were getting hit left and right, clearly demonstrating that they didn’t know the optimal way to use their chosen weapons, or even something as basic as a shield. Lupus, for instance, would hold his shield high with one hand, exposing his legs, and then get immediately attacked below the waist. When he went to cover his legs, other vital openings would appear. If he tried to completely cover his whole body with the shield, then he had no way left to attack. They were all being thoroughly humbled by the intense experience. "Change!" the assessor shouted, signaling that they were to switch sparring partners. This was standard practice, done to ensure that a participant’s poor performance wasn’t simply due to a bad match-up. I can’t believe it, the head assessor commented inwardly, shaking his head slightly. They did so incredibly well in every single part of the assessment, dominating the endurance and strength tests. I was sure they would do well in this test as well. But it looks like all three of them have only just started to learn how to use weapons, maybe even how to properly hold them. Are they just individuals with gifted athleticism who never received formal training? In some ways, this lack of prior training wasn’t the worst thing in the world. It meant they were a blank canvas, a rare talent ready to be molded. But that was only the case because they had performed so overwhelmingly well on everything else. One of the few bright spots was Siz. The bitter experience he had faced, failing the assessment the last two times, had spurred him on to new heights. He had been very close to being accepted the first time. The second time, he had sustained an injury before taking part, which had severely affected his performance. But this time, he was in perfect physical shape, his dedication evident in his flawless technique. With a perfect parry, he cleanly knocked the sword out of Oppo’s hand and then stopped his own blade just shy of Oppo’s neck. "I did it!" Siz whispered to himself, a huge wave of relief washing over him. "Did what?" Oppo replied with a slight smirk, rubbing his sword arm. "If this were the real world, you would be dead. You hesitated." After changing partners a few more times, the assessment was finally done. All fifty participants were told to line up as the assessors gathered the final results and prepared for the announcement. The head assessor gave a formal speech about how this wasn’t the end, how they could try again, and offered vague remarks on how well they had done and what they should reflect on. Then, finally, he decided to call out the names of those who had passed. The first few names were called, accompanied by cheers. It came as no surprise when the names of Gary, Lupus, and Kai were called as well. "That’s good," Kai commented quietly to his friends. "I would have hated to have to stay here any longer than we had to." Right after the trio, the entirety of the Rock Guild was called out as well, and they broke out in large, relieved smiles. They had all made it. But lastly, there was one name that wasn’t called out, and that was Siz. Since the assessment began, the trio had gotten along well with Siz, and not only that, but all of them had kept a keen eye on his performance. Without a doubt, he was the strongest person present, apart from themselves. Logically, he should have passed with flying colors. When they looked over at him, they could see that he was shaking and beginning to break down, the weight of a third failure crushing him. "Haha, look at him," Oppo said to the others in a low, malicious voice, but Gary’s highly tuned werewolf ears instantly picked up the words. "That’s what he gets for trying to show off. That was well worth the money." "Hey!" Gary immediately shouted out loud, his attention snapping to Oppo. "What did you guys just say? Did you pay off the assessor so Siz wouldn’t pass?" Gary was never the type of person to do nothing about a blatant injustice, especially one he had overheard, and his anger was already rising. ***** For updates on MWS and future works, follow me on my social media below. Instagram: jksmanga P.a.t.r.e.o.n: jksmanga When news drops about My Vampire System, My Werewolf System, or any other series, you’ll hear it there first. Feel free to reach out, if I’m not too busy, I tend to reply.