Chapter 14 : Hard work

As Days went by it had already been six months since Kaizen had joined the Knights Training, he has had grown a lot in this time both physically and Mentally, he also had made some bonds with other trainee knights , Including Kaizen, Ark and Vina.

Kaizen had been training late in Training Hall which had allowed him to see Ark and Vina a lot, Kaizen had been receiving guidance from them occasionally through lectures or spars . Although he had not learnt any Advance Aura techniques he Had mastered the basic Aura cycling technique and how he had enough Aura to cast it upon his sword and cover part of his body in Aura guard .

A few more days Passed by and the Instructors announced the promotional Exam, a activity which gave trainees a chance to complete some tasks to secure promotion to next year. Although Kaizen hasn't been the in 3rd year for a long time he still wanted to test himself and Move to 4th year , So he went ahead and registered himself. Kavin who was usually Lazy in such occasions had to follow Kaizen and Apply for promotion too .

Days Passed by and the tasks to be completed for promotion were announced . Kavin and Kaizen went to check on the Tasks required for 4th year promotion . The task were divided into different conditions and only completing all of them could one become eligible for Promotion .

The Day for the Promotion exam finally Arrived, the Stages were set and excitement was surrounding the whole Academy, Soon the Challengers started to appear and received their token numbers. Kaizen and Kavin had arrived earlier then the crowd which helped them get a early number . The trainee Trial for 3rd year to promote to 4th year were divided into three Different Challenges .

The First Challenge was to maintain the Aura on any weapon for continuous Three Minutes, It was a breezy for Kaizen and Kavin as a result for their previous training . The Second Test was to Hunt a B-rank Monster Blood Wolf Alone , The Instructors had already captured and prepared the monsters. The Monsters used for the test were kept hungry for last two days which resulted in the monsters becoming more aggressive and fierce, excluding a menacing aura ready to shred opponent to pieces. Luckily for Kaizen and Kavin the blood wolf was a monster they had faced before and were familiar with its Battle Style. Although it took them sometime to beat it but they did managed to kill the monster.

Moving to the Third Test Which was to stay Conscious under the pressure of a Captured A-Rank Monster " Blood Moon Wolf King " That the Count himself had Captured . Although the Wolf King was a Beast in Chains, It was still a " A Ranked " Beast .

The test was to stand a circle drawn around 2 meter away from the Giant Wolf . Although the 2 meter distance seemed a lot it was still just a claw away from the Wolf King . Being an Intelligent Creature the Wolf King was already aware of Instructors Intentions . The Wolf King would sit peacefully in a corner waiting for a challenger to enter the Circle.

As soon as someone had entered the circle this Giant Wolf would jump up to toward the circle, growling at the trainee while trying to break his chains , unleashing his Bloodlust to scare the trainees to retreat from the circle . Many had left the circle , occasionally some were brought out unconscious and some would walk out in an awkward manner Covering their crotch.

It was finally Kaizen's turn, he Entered the Room , the sight of the Beast Surprised him, Although the Monster was Large and Scary there was nothing ugly about it unlike the Ogre . Being the keen observer and sharp minded Kaizen was he had Already seen the chains around the Wolf tying it down, the Material of the Chains seemed to be special and strong enough to keep it confined , Kaizen had Already estimated the length of the chains , so he fearlessly entered the Marked area .

The Wolf as usually took a sudden leap towards Kaizen expecting Kaizen to tip backward over his head or at least scream in dread, but Kaizen Stayed still even his breath was stable. The Wolf released his Bloodlust and shook his chains fiercely to scare Kaizen but kaizen stood still, while avoiding any eye contact with Wolf King. Kaizen knew that staring at the monster straight into eyes would only Provoke it and make in more angry .

Although only a few seconds had passed but to kaizen it felt like centuries, Even if Kaizen didn't show it he was still scared of the Wolf King Growling at him at a distance of few steps. As Kaizen was about to reach his mental limits under such pressure, the Instructor gave him a pass signaling him to leave the room .

As Kaizen was leaving he met Kavin at the entry and said to Kavin " Don't be scared and don't look into its eyes".

Kavin gave a confident nod and entered the room . After a minute Kavin returned from the room with a long and Sad Face . Kaizen reached to him and asked " what happened " .

Kavin with a sad face said " I…I…I PASSED , we are going to be 4th Year trainees " .