BXBX NOVEL Chapter 215: Graduates?
The minimum requirement to pass the freshman year was to reach Tier 4, and in the sophomore year, it's Tier 6. Tier 8 for the Junior Year and 1st Change Planar Traveller is the minimum requirement to graduate from the Academy. This is what the girls told him before, and Cedric was inclined to believe that.
Of course, there are special cases to this. The academy's rules aren't that rigid. There are certain instances where they can be bent to acaccommodateeniuses with high potential, much like Cedric himself - who was allowed to enroll in the Sword Path Class despite being a freshman back then, that's just one example of that.
MVLeMpYr-chapter
Speaking of the Sword Path Class, Cedric was currently at the dojo. More specifically, he's challenging the Alumni Phantoms of the Sword Coliseum.
[Would like to challenge an Alumni Phantom? Y/N?]
Cedric pressed yes and he immediately felt the world changing around him. He arrived at a semi-virtual reality, more specifically, at a vast yet barren battlefield.
He took a breath and felt a presence appearing nearby. He turned around and saw a man standing there. He had short black hair, he was tall and quite ordinary-looking. He's wearing a plate of silver armor, and holding a longsword.
The man put his helmet on and went into a stance. He then released an aggressive pulse of Sword Energy which signaled the start of the fight. The enemy crossed the distance within a second. Fortunately, Cedric was ready for it.
Clang!
'Every single one of them is so eager...' Cedric groaned inwardly as he pushed the phantom back.
He didn't talk to the phantom since there's no use to it, these things are just memories of previous challengers, they're not conscious at all. All they could do was fight as soon as they appeared, that's why Cedric called them eager.
The unique thing about the Sword Coliseum is that anything unrelated to the sword was useless here. Cedric's Fire and Astral Laws? Can't be used in here. The Aspect of the Sun? Same thing? Inscriptions, runes, symbols?
All the same. Even Astral Energy disappears as soon as he arrives here.
This is a harsh restriction, but it will help the challengers hone their Sword Skills sharply.
Cedric's Sword Heart reached Lv.11 - which increased the likelihood of him understanding Sword Laws. As for the Sword Laws itself, he reached the Beginner Stage, giving him two traits; Controlled Sharpness, and Favored Enemy.
Controlled Sharpness was his first Sword Law Trait, it manifested from the purity of his Sword Intent. 'I shall only cut what I want to cut', that's the virtue of this trait.
As for the Favored Enemy Trait, it is also a manifestation of Cedric's will. It's born from his overwhelming desire to eradicate the Demon Race. This trait allows him to choose a 'Favored Enemy'; Demons in this case. Once he had chosen, he couldn't change it for the next 10 years. Upon taking effect, his Sword would be sharper and deadlier against his favored enemy.
Do note that this isn't the final form of these Traits. Cedric's comprehension and attainments in Laws might be deep and profound but in reality, he's only scratching the surface right now. Each day he meditated on his laws, he'd understood nuances that would drastically change how he understood the traits he received so far.
He's extremely far from mastering any of these traits, but he'll eventually get there.
Going back to the fight...
Clang!
Cedric's and the Phantom's swords met in between, causing sparks to fly due to their clash. To anybody who's spectating the fight, it would look like they're evenly matched, but in truth, Cedric was still not giving it his all.
He observed his opponents, not recognizing who this one was. That said, he could tell the attributes of his Sword Laws...
'Metal and Sharpness, huh? Practical, useful...I like it.'
He could tell that whoever this was, he was a pretty simple person. Yes, the nature of the Swordsman reflects on their heart and sword, so he's pretty sure he's right.
The metal attribute felt a little weird. Since it was included in the enemy's Sword Heart Traits, it bypassed the restriction of this place. Due to the inherent element, Cedric could feel the weight and sharpness of the steel each time he clashed with his opponent.
If it weren't for Solaris Edge being a Legendary Tier weapon, his enemy might've already disarmed him.
The enemy's sword technique was cool too. He was aggressive but there's rhythm behind it. It's an approaching storm that only gets progressively worse.
'Wait...is this Instructor Uruk?' Cedric inwardly guessed.
He tried taking a close look at his enemy but then he saw that this one had eyes. Cedric had no when Uruk became blind or if it was an innate thing, but he still decided to look for other signs.
'Hmm...I don't think so.' Cedric concluded after a brief inspection. 'Yeah, I don't think he is Instructor Uruk, a student of his from the past, maybe?'
Cedric was only mildly curious of course. Whether he's right or wrong doesn't matter here. At this very moment, this phantom was an enemy he needed to defeat.
They've clashed numerous times at this point and Cedric already discovered a way to defeat this one.
Using the aggression of his enemy, Cedric anticipated another attack, then the enemy swung his sword, Cedric met it in the middle before swerving the edge of his sword and bending his body to the side. He then spun with the sword and beheaded the enemy with a clean strike.
Blood spurted out of the stump and some drenched him completely, but Cedric wasn't impressed. He knew that this was fake. This was proven when a few seconds later, the environment around him changed and returned to its original appearance, even the blood stains disappeared.
Cedric adjusted his breath for a bit before starting another challenge.
As for those who were spectating his fights, their reactions were mixed. Most of them had been attending these classes for longer than Cedric had yet he already moved past them. His progress was truly fast and his potential was monstrous.
They were envious of it but also expectant of his future. Cedric was technically the youngest here in this class. They envied his incredible talent, especially because the academy bent its rules for him, which was only normal since he was just that good.
He grew exceedingly fast, they hardly obstacles on his path, and that left a bitter taste in their mouth. However, they were also impressed.
Some here practiced for years, enduring all manner of bitterness and challenges just to form a Sword Heart Seed, yet it didn't take Cedric that long. Mere months after he joined, he condensed a Sword Heart Seed and just turned even more monstrous since then.
That kind of talent is something they could only dream of. Eventually, feeling envious of him felt useless, and they started rooting for him.
See, Cedric was steadily climbing. Right now, he's in the middle of the overall rankings of the dojo. In due time, he will eventually reach the upper ranks. By then, he will face the real monsters of this dojo. He was a wildcard that would change the rankings, and they're looking forward to it.
Aware of their thoughts, Cedric remained steadfast and unmoved. Sadly, he just doesn't have the time to befriend people and socialize. He's on a bit of a time crunch because things have been getting hectic recently.
DONG!!
Cedric was expelled from the Sword Coliseum out of nowhere after a resounding gong echoed within the dojo. He unleashed his senses and saw that it was Thirdy who was making that sound.
A trace of recognition appeared on Cedric's face as he along with all other students went towards the plaza. Upon arriving there, he saw five people standing in front of the Instructor's Office.
These people were the current top 5 of the Sword Path Dojo: Aurora Swiftblade at the 5th place. 4th place; Roran Bloodsteel. Darius Flameheart, 3rd place. In 2nd place is Lyra Moonsteel. And finally, in the first place, we have Cassius Nightfall.
Cedric only had brief interactions with these people and it is very strange for all five of them to be here at the same time.
"Students!" Thirdy announced after he was done sounding the gong. "Raise your swords and give these people a round of applause for their hard work because today is the day all five of them graduate from his class!"
The students gasp in shock before raising their swords and applauding the Top 5, congratulating them for their successful graduation.
Amidst of this all, Cedric could be seen frowningly deeply as he thought:
'All five are graduating at the same time? How can that be? None of them have perfected their Sword Hearts yet! What's going on here?'