"I don't know?"
"Wait, wasn't he that student who struggled for over 45 minutes in his first class?"
Everyone's eyes drifted to Sam, and there was Sam himself, staring blankly at the old instructor.
'How is this possible? Didn't I fail that reshuffling test?'
Cough!
"I know everyone has doubts, but this decision was taken by the main teacher. If anybody has any problem, he can satisfy all of your curiosity."
Everyone shut their mouths, and Sam's eyes widened, since he was expecting them to revolt with loud voices, like clearly shown in movies or dramas where one of them takes the lead role.
'So reality is much harsher than the illusional world?'
He was expecting that kind of scene and wanted to see how everything would unfold and where that matter would lead before it ended.
'Maybe I was expecting too much!'
As his thoughts swirled in his mind, a voice reverberated in the hall.
"Now, you all are assigned to the first floor and are requested to go."
Facing reality, a grin adorned his face.
'Maybe God is rewarding me for all of my efforts.'
Encouraging himself, he gave a faint look over the wooden sword hanging on the sword table.
'We aren't destined.'
His footsteps rose in the air, and in the blink of an eye, he stood on the first floor, where real swords in sheaths were hanging on the wall by nails. Controlling his throbbing heart, he endured the excitement and stood in a row while the previous teacher—whose pressure he had once failed to handle—stood before him with a faint pressure seeping from his body.
'What would the rank be? C? B? Or A?'
Shaking his head, he threw out the thoughts from the back of his mind and focused on what lay ahead.
"I won't say much, but if you're expecting the same training here, then you should revoke your admission ticket. But if you've steeled your heart, then brace your mind for the upcoming training. And officially, I congratulate you for passing the trial."
'All of that was a trial. I'm in the right place.'
"You guys go and continue practicing your previous drill."
"Yes sir."
The previous batch strode toward the hanging swords in a confident gait and resumed their previous drill.
"Your first class is going to be about rune energy, and I expect that you use the refining technique for rune recovery as quickly as possible since training here mainly deals with rune energy."
Sam intently listened to the lecture, and the topics soon drifted into rune energy, with half an hour passing in the blink of an eye.
"That's enough for the introduction. Now divide yourselves into pairs."
Everyone stared at each other, and soon Sam found himself paired with a guy with a natural complexion and curly hair, who introduced himself as Praveen.
"The first test is that you both have to wrestle with everything you have, except external help. The upcoming winner will continue to pair with each other, so don't hold anything back."
Everyone's eyes sharpened and fighting intent overflowed in them.
"Start!"
Sam's eyes unconsciously went to Praveen's calf, and a cold sensation spread through his palms.
His left hand moved toward the head while his right hand moved toward Praveen's left calf.
Pat!
His left hand was deflected, and Praveen stepped back with his left leg.
Both of their eyes locked, and countless thoughts flashed through their minds.
This time, both of Sam's hands suddenly moved toward the leg, and as Praveen hunched down to secure his head, his hands also flared to deflect Sam's hands.
Chance!
Sam's eyes flickered, and he suddenly grabbed Praveen's arm and yanked with all his strength. In the next moment, his hand—leaving Praveen in a daze—moved toward the abdomen at swift speed. Praveen also recovered and instantly understood what was about to unfold, readying his hands to prevent Sam from entering his unguarded range. Sam left all calculations behind and simply followed his instinct. His eyes became crystal clear, noticing every action Praveen took.
His hands also flailed in the air to deflect Praveen's, while throwing himself forward, and just as Praveen's hands moved to stop him, Sam's hand met them.
In that moment, Praveen felt something very slippery and failed to grab Sam's hand. His grip caught nothing but air, while Sam had already tightened his clutch on his wrist. Exerting force through his feet into the floor, he threw Praveen to the ground while maintaining his grip.
Realizing that he had won this round, a faint smile bloomed on Sam's face as he stood up and extended a hand to support Praveen.
Grabbing Sam's hand, Praveen rose and whispered in a low voice,
"How did you do that?"
"I used rune energy to make my hand slippery."
"But... how is that possible?"
Sam shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know. I just imagined my hand being slippery and impossible to grab at that moment, since those thoughts were circulating in my mind."
Still unclear, Praveen smiled bitterly.
"That might be the reason you got selected."
Sam spread his hands.
"I don't know."
"Okay. I won't go easy this time."
"Me neither."
Sam smiled, and both of their eyes flashed, more focused than before. Their hands deflected each other's, not giving the other any opportunity to outsmart them.