A majority of the students had already finished their assessments in a little less than an hour.
Unfortunately, most of them were recommended to hunt Blader Bunnies and Slasher Squirrels if they didn't want to lose a life, as very few took their swordsmanship training seriously.
Most thought that an hour or two of training every other day was enough.
A considerable number played sword-intensive MMORPGs instead, believing it would prepare them for the trials better than traditional training.
This was mainly due to a lot of articles online claiming this might be the case, which clearly turned out to be a lie.
There were a handful of surprising exceptions of C- and D-rankers being allowed to hunt Level 2 Swordspawns due to their exemplary swordsmanship.
But aside from them, only False Witness and the two voluntary B-ranker lackeys, Silver Serpent and Lionbreaker, were allowed to hunt spawns up to two or three levels higher than their own, though the advice, should they decide to go for the latter, was utmost caution and retreat if necessary.
Every student had two options: use their Soulbound Sword's innate Sword Skill or wow the instructor with their swordsmanship.
The latter was the better option if they wanted to be allowed to hunt higher-ranked Swordspawns.
The students with lower-tiered swords, who immediately resorted to their Sword Skills, were automatically assigned to hunt only level ones, as Sword Skills could only be used once every few seconds, some only after a dozen.
Relying on them immediately was never the sign of a good Bladeborn.
If they didn't even have the guts to rely on their swordsmanship, then they should refine their technique in the level one spawns first.
Of course, what Talon said were merely recommendations.
Everyone can hunt higher-ranked creatures if they want to, but they would have no one to blame but themselves if they lost a life, as they were made to sign beside their names, indicating that they were given proper advice by their instructors and they acknowledged it.
The assessment inevitably proceeded. Soon, only two students remained.
"Sylphina," the instructor called.
It was now time for the class's queen to show everyone her prowess.
There have been proven connections between a high-tier sword and one's swordsmanship, which is why everyone immediately assumed that Daru was one of those legendary, filthy fraudsters.
Sylphina should be a pretty good swordswoman, given that she's the fairly renowned Asahina High's Sword Princess.
With an apathetic gaze, she stepped into a Blader Bunny's effective range, dodging the small Swordspawn's first strike by side-stepping.
She then turned and charged at the creature to give chase and close the gap, not giving her opponent another chance to use its lethal lunge strikes.
Her range and her mastery of the sword then shone through from there.
She easily overwhelmed the Blader Bunny with skillful blocks and counterattacks, stabbing it four times in the shoulder, arms, legs, and then finally, the head, ruthlessly kicking it away like a soccer ball before it turned into red cubic particles.
Sylphina deliberately avoided killing the bunny in one strike, showing everyone how superior she was compared to the Swordspawn first before showcasing her savageness in battle.
It was a display of utter dominance from the snobbish young woman.
A sharp few among the class also noticed this was the case.
Sylphina shot a disdainful glance at Daru before returning to her original position in front of her two lackeys, clearly enjoying the princess treatment despite her unfriendly exterior.
To everyone's surprise, they heard a sigh.
They instinctively turned, realizing it was from none other than the fallen sword prince of Ashton High, followed by a rather spicy remark barely audible to a small minority.
But this minority included Sylphina.
"Hmm...a bit sloppy and inefficient…she could've just killed that bunny by redirecting its sword with a parry and stabbing its throat as it continued its forward momentum…" Daru muttered, shaking his head. "Ahh, right… We've all been using wooden shortswords for training, so maybe her mastery with the rapier still isn't that high?"
There was no intent to insult in his tone, just slight disappointment and pure analysis of what could've been done better at that exchange.
This was the only time he failed to contain himself, as he thought that Sylphina had both the physical and technical prowess to end the battle in a single strike.
She did.
It was just that she wanted to show off a bit—an action Daru would never understand.
Both sides were of so differing personalities that they couldn't understand the other.
The fact that Sylphina somehow still disliked Daru's presence, even though his sword was now a confirmed failure and he shouldn't be a threat to her, only served to boost her anger.
The class queen naturally flared up.
However, before she could even say a single word in response, two young men had already arrived in front of Daru, grabbing him by the collar of his [Beginner's Tunic].
"What did you say, you bastard?!" said Silver Serpent and Lionbreaker in unison. "Do you want to die?!"
Daru frowned in displeasure, his gaze turning cold as he locked eyes with the lackeys.
"Huh? What? Do you want to challenge me, or something? He asked with narrowed eyes, easily removing their hands from his collar.
"I only said there's something that could've been done better. If you think what she did was perfect, then I can only say your swordsmanship isn't at a high-enough level yet."
"You delusional bozo… I challenge yo–" before Silver Serpent could finish his words, however, Talon cut him off.
"Enough. Dueling outside arenas is illegal, and unfortunately, there isn't one in Agaron."
The two underlings could only grit their teeth and clench their fists in frustration.
They were about to spout yet another set of empty threats when their queen, Sylphina, spoke for them this time:
"Hmph, get off your high horse, Daru Finnley. Your glory days are long over. With your F-Tier sword, you're not qualified to give swordsmanship advice."
"Fine, suit yourself," he replied in an uncaring manner, stepping forward to get into the range of a Blader Bunny, a rusty Iron Tachi in hand.
He then shifted to a two-handed combat stance the moment the bunny was alerted to his presence.
Talon hadn't called Daru's name yet, but the instructor wasn't one to sweat minor details.
He decided to remain silent and proceed to observe the swordsmanship of the renowned Daru Finnley.
Was he a fraud, or was he a special case worthy of humanity's lamentations?
Everyone was about to find out.
The Blader Bunny hissed and lunged at him, but before it could even attempt to wave its wakizashi, it was already slashed in half by Daru's rusty Tachi, and Talon clearly saw what happened.
The fallen sword prince utilized timing, precision, and the range of his sword, slightly dashing forward to throw off the Blader Bunny's timing—opposed to standing still—before slashing it vertically in half at maximum range.
The Blader Bunny's corpse couldn't even hit the ground before dissipating into red cubic particles.
Talon failed to suppress a gulp.
Even he wasn't sure if his swordsmanship was at such a high level, despite his age.
'W-Was that a fluke?' he wondered…
The instructor forcefully regathered his wits, praising generously: "Excellent work. I'm afraid I still have to test you further."
He then turned to the Sylphina whilst portraying a composed exterior.
It also couldn't be denied that he had the advantage of observing everyone first, which made it far easier for him to counter the level 1 spawn's opening attack.
"Sylphina, you're allowed to hunt four levels higher than yours. That's it from me for today. Class dismissed. You guys can proceed to level yourselves up or explore the city in the next four hours before you get kicked out of the realm for the day. Do whatever you want. Later, I shall meet you guys in the sixth Training Field.
Talon then shifted his attention back to Daru:
"Follow me."
Under dumbfounded and frustrated gazes, the two left, heading to another, deeper part of the [Novice Sword Plains].
The bitter low-rankers of Class 70, who also secretly harbored fantasies of capturing the class queen's heart, could only sneer to themselves, questioning:
'What's so special about him, anyway? Even I would be able to do what he did had I been given so many chances to see the attack!'