Free Web NovelChapter 48: Aldric’s Suspicion
Training Ground Number Three had fallen into a heavy silence.
This ground was one of the Academy’s largest testing fields. A place usually used for evaluating upper-year students or special missions.
First-year students were barely evaluated at all. They were placed into elite or normal classes based on their high school information, their awakening, and their class level.
But today, only one person stood in the center of the field. Naturally, that was Lian. In a normal situation, only his class level needed to be measured, and based on that, he would be sent to an elite or normal class.
But he had said he did not want to announce his class level, which is not illegal. It does happen that Awakened want to hide their class rank.
And on the other hand, the professor wanted to personally evaluate his abilities because he felt that Lian was hiding many things.
A gentle wind blew through the stone walls around the field, moving Lian’s hair.
On the other side of the field, Professor Aldric Voss stood with his hands locked behind his back.
Several other professors were also present on the upper platforms. Even a few curious students had gathered.
The news of the return of the only survivor of the tenth Ruined Realm had spread very quickly through the Academy.
Everyone wanted to see what abilities this first-year student, who had suddenly gone from a normal Analyzer to an Awakened, really had.
Among the crowd, two young boys were also present. Both were members of Roderick’s group. As someone with a four-star class, he was naturally considered somewhat of a leader among the first-years, with many subordinates.
When their gaze fell on Lian, they smirked.
"Isn’t that the same guy?" One of them said.
The other laughed.
"Yeah. The famous talentless one who used to be Lady Elena’s fiancé."
But their words did not reach Lian, and even if they did, he would not care.
After what he had seen in the ruined realm, these people were not even worth paying attention to.
Aldric stepped forward.
"First test." He raised his hand. A few moments later, a massive pillar rose from the ground. A black pillar, with thousands of magical patterns carved on its surface.
Several students held their breath when they saw it.
"That’s a professional-level power measurement pillar..."
"Why are they using that for a first-year?"
"Are you kidding? That device was made for real hunters."
"Gather all your power into one strike." Aldric said, ignoring the whispers.
"And don’t worry. There are no limits."
Lian looked at the pillar. He now understood why this man had not let them use the normal power meter for him. Considering his current physical strength could match a level 20, it would not be wrong to say that the normal device might not handle his power.
But how much power should he show here? All of it? Power equal to a level 20 Awakened? He shook his head and rejected that idea.
But he did not want to play the weak role either and hide his power completely.
Then he quietly clenched his fist. The muscles in his arm tightened. He took a deep breath.
And suddenly, he threw his fist forward.
BOOM!
The sound of an explosion echoed through the field. The air around trembled for a moment. The black pillar shook, and numbers lit up on its surface.
543
871 frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
1320
1894
2461
The number stopped.
Silence.
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
"Impossible..." One of the professors muttered.
The students stared at the pillar in disbelief. The average power of first-year students was usually less than a thousand.
But Lian... had recorded more than double that.
One of Roderick’s men frowned.
"It’s just raw power. Raw power isn’t always important."
His friend nodded.
"Exactly. Maybe his class gives him high raw power. That doesn’t mean anything." But even he did not sound very sure.
A fist power of 2000 was very high.
Aldric said nothing, as if he had at least expected this much. He just kept his gaze on Lian.
"Second test."
With a movement of his finger, dozens of metal orbs appeared in the air. Then their number increased.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Forty.
Fifty.
The orbs spread across the entire field.
"Destroy the targets. Time: thirty seconds."
At that moment, the countdown began.
Three.
Two.
One.
Start.
At the moment it started, Lian’s body vanished. The students only saw a gray shadow moving across the field.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
The orbs exploded one after another. There was no pause. No unnecessary movement. Everything was precise and deadly.
He did not even use any skills because there was no need.
Twenty seconds later...
The last orb exploded.
Aldric looked at the results. Forty-seven out of fifty targets.
A whisper spread through the crowd.
"Forty-seven?!"
"The first-year record was twenty-one!"
"This is insane!"
"The device must be broken." One of Roderick’s men said angrily.
But what could be wrong with this test? This was a test that measured speed, and Lian’s speed was higher than all first-years.
First raw power, and now speed! Both were at least double the records of first-years.
Silence.
Aldric slowly turned his head and his gaze fell on Roderick’s subordinate, as if the annoying sounds were bothering him.
That was it.
But the student’s face immediately lost its color. He felt as if a mountain had been placed on his shoulders.
A few seconds later, he lowered his head and said nothing more.
The third test began.
This time, the ground of the field shook. A metal creature rose from the earth.
A golem over three meters tall.
A body covered in black steel and red eyes.
Its power level was 12!
Several students unconsciously stepped back. This was a level 12 golem! For all of them, such a creature was beyond their reach and abilities.
Only second-years had the ability to defeat such a golem.
"Final test. Real combat." Aldric said.
The golem roared and charged at Lian. The ground under its feet cracked.
But Lian just looked at it. Honestly, he felt like laughing that he had to fight such a weak thing, especially after all those battles inside the ruined realm.
Hearing his laugh, Aldric frowned, and the other students looked at him as if they were looking at a madman.
"Did this guy go crazy from fear of the golem?" The students whispered.
At that moment, the golem brought down its fist. But Lian disappeared and appeared behind it.
[Glacial Reaper Claw] activated.
His right hand was covered in blue ice, and he struck.
CRACK!
Ice cracks covered the golem’s entire body.
A second later, the upper half of the golem exploded. Metal fragments scattered in the air.
The battle was over.
In less than ten seconds.
No one spoke. Everyone just stared at the field, at the remains of the golem, and at the eighteen-year-old boy standing calmly in the middle.
"Is this really a first-year?" One of Roderick’s men muttered. They did not even think their leader could defeat this golem that fast.
No first-year could! Even among second-years, only the best of the best had such ability.
His friend had no answer.
Aldric slowly walked toward Lian and studied him for a few moments.
"Now I understand why you came back alive." He then said.
Lian said nothing.
But Aldric continued.
"And that makes me even more suspicious of your story." His eyes narrowed.
"Such power does not match the story of a normal guardian. A normal monster should not have been able to inflict those injuries."
For a moment, silence fell. Lian preferred not to say anything, but he was sure that this man was not going to leave him alone anytime soon. He would probably cause trouble until he fully understood what had happened in that realm.
"There is something else." Aldric then said.
Everyone fell silent.
His tone had suddenly become more serious.
"At the same time as the tenth Ruined Realm appeared, one of the country’s border cities fell."
A murmur spread among the students. Several people lost color. This was not news that would be heard on the news, because the government controls the narratives to keep people from panicking.
Aldric continued.
"We moved a large part of the population to shelters. Parts of the city have also been secured again."
"But hundreds of monsters are still present in that area. Fortunately, most of them are of lower ranks."
Then his gaze fixed on Lian.
"I am forming an elite team of Academy students. Their mission will be to clear the remaining monsters and assist local forces."
Several students looked at each other with excitement. For many of them, this would be their first real mission.
But Aldric’s next sentence surprised everyone.
"And you will be on that team."
Many eyes turned toward Lian. Some were jealous, some were shocked, and some did not believe it.
Because to join such a team, students certainly had to have achieved many accomplishments to qualify.
And most likely, first-years would not even have the right to join.
But this boy had earned the right to join that mission so easily.
But Aldric was completely serious.
"We move in one week. Be ready by then."
Then without further explanation, he turned and started walking away. The wind blew across the field, and Lian silently watched the professor’s back.
His first official mission as an Awakened and a first-year at the National Academy of Awakened.
And this time... his enemies were not monsters inside the ruined realm, but monsters that had found their way into the real world.
Of course, there was no difference between them.
And somewhere deep in his mind... he felt that this mission would be much more complicated than it seemed.
