Millennium Witch-Book 3: Chapter 212: Master
The Battle Arts College assessment had two parts.
The first was a bout against an alchemical automaton manufactured by the Alchemy College to produce a baseline ranking.
The second allowed students within twenty places of each other to issue free challenges. If a challenger lost, they automatically forfeited all subsequent challenge rights—this phase was meant to correct the rankings, give those near the cutoff a chance to make the list, and give students dissatisfied with their rank some room to adjust it.
When sunlight finally speared the pale gray clouds and fell to earth in shafts, after more than an hour of waiting, the first part of the exam began at last.
Upon entering the testing area, Lucia was quickly assigned to a room. Defensive arrays were carved all over the four walls, and a proctor was already waiting there.
“I’m Conrad Dean. Hello, Miss Sterling.” Conrad gave Lucia a smile.
As Chair of the Magic Swordsmen, he held high status in the Battle Arts College. For him to lower himself to proctor freshmen had only one reason: he was deeply curious about the prodigy Lucia. Before the second phase of ranking challenges, he intended to observe first and see whether she was qualified to become the personal disciple of the dean, Ignatius “the Flame Demon’s Hand” Zackley.
Lucia offered a polite greeting and picked up the practice room’s standard-issue iron sword.
On the other side of the room stood an alchemical automaton shaped like a doll, as tall as a person. Its face was plain, only shallow features sketched in, a little creepy to look at. It held the same standard longsword and stood motionless.
Clearly, that was the opponent. After confirming with Conrad that she was ready, Lucia gripped her sword and walked forward at a measured pace, searing red light rising from her body.
Conrad watched quietly from the side. He didn’t recognize the combat art Lucia was using, but he didn’t dwell on it.
From what he knew, this prodigy came from a small country called the Kisul Kingdom. Its strongest court mage was merely a High Mage—at the Academy of Truth, that would be the level of an ordinary lecturer. In a small place like that, there shouldn’t be any impressive combat-art lineages.
Precisely because of this, he wasn’t optimistic about Lucia’s performance in the later ranking challenges. He figured that although the girl possessed a superlative talent breaking the Human limit, her background was ordinary. In the end, disadvantages in combat experience, swordsmanship, or combat arts would make her fare poorly against challenges from others and earn her a shockingly bad ranking.
That wouldn’t matter for others, but Lucia was the prodigy on everyone’s lips these past two days, hyped to the skies by busybodies. Under such a title, anything short of first place invites criticism; rank a bit lower and being mocked as “not living up to the name” would be almost inevitable.
Still, growth always comes with pressure and setbacks—and the dean certainly wouldn’t care about such things. The potential of talent lies in the future, not the present. Conrad sighed to himself, then heard Lucia say, “I’m ready, Professor Dean. Let’s begin.”
He nodded at once and activated the alchemical automaton, focusing intently on the match. This automaton was a magical puppet developed by the Alchemy College, expert in swordplay, roughly equal in strength to a beginner-level Magic Swordsman. Considering Lucia was also beginner-level, what followed ought to be a fierce, even fight.
As the one in the arena, Lucia actually thought the same. She tightened her grip, and the moment the automaton closed in she went all out without hesitation—not only the improved 《Red Lotus (combat art)》, but also her most powerful sword move—“Hellfire Red Lotus Slash.”
In an instant, a crimson sword-arc split the air like lightning and struck the automaton, bursting its mana barrier into a spray of starlight!
Conrad, a short distance away, didn’t even see what had happened before he saw the automaton already sundered into two amid the billowing flames. The cut was char-black; as the wreckage fell, it even kept trying to parry on inertia, as if it hadn’t realized what had happened.
Both Conrad and Lucia were stunned. In the quiet practice room under the cool glow of magic lamps, only a faint scorched smell spread outward—proof that the absurdly fast battle hadn’t been an illusion.
After who knew how long, Lucia was the first to recover. She lowered her head to look at her sword, bewildered.
It was her first time using the improved 《Red Lotus (combat art)》 in actual combat. Under heavy pressure to score a good rank, she’d gone full force from the start—only to one-shot the test target!
The blindsiding outcome left her utterly at sea. She couldn’t tell if the academy’s automaton was too weak or the upgraded combat art was too strong. She even worried she’d broken academy property and might be charged for damages.
Conrad, for his part, needed quite a while to climb out of his shock. It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen what happened; he had seen it—he just didn’t understand it.
What combat art was that?
With power like that, was it some top-tier ultimate?
But why couldn’t he place its origin at all?
He rifled through his memory of the continent’s famed combat-art lineages, yet couldn’t think of a single one resembling that strike.
After a long silence, curiosity finally got the better of him. While recording the score, he asked, “…Miss Sterling, what combat art did you use just now?”
For a highly respected chair at the Battle Arts College to ask so candidly was already a considerable mark of respect.
“It’s called—《Red Lotus (combat art)》.” Lucia didn’t know why the proctor suddenly asked, but answered honestly.
Conrad’s brows lifted slightly. He really had never heard the name. He pressed on, “Where did you learn it?”
He paused, seeing Lucia a bit dazed, and added, “Of course, you don’t have to tell me. I’m just curious, nothing more.”
Really? Lucia had doubts, but since her scoring was in his hands, she hedged with a half-truth: “…It, um, was—my Master—who taught me. She… won’t let me reveal her identity.”
The original art had been her dad’s creation, but the current version differed so much it was basically only similar in outline. Saying it was his would be too much—and might cause him trouble. And while she hadn’t formally taken a master, Yvette had taught her swordsmanship and given her the combat art; she truly had the substance of a teacher. It wasn’t a lie.
“All right, I understand.” Noting the feminine pronoun in Lucia’s phrasing, Conrad didn’t press further. He offered congratulations and let Lucia go.
When the room was empty, he walked over to the broken automaton’s remains and examined them closely. The doubt on his face only deepened.
He found that the unknown combat art Lucia used was far stronger than he’d imagined. The fire element it employed was extremely pure—far beyond a beginner Magic Swordsman’s level—and even compared to the highest-tier fire combat arts or spells he knew, its amplification was terrifyingly greater.
It was unbelievable. Could it be not merely a Greatsword Master–level art, but something higher—the Saint Realm?!
His thoughts surged. The identity of that woman who had taken Lucia as a disciple so early felt ever more mysterious.
Fortunately, the dean would be coming to watch the latter half’s ranking challenges. The questions he’d encountered here should all find answers once the well-traveled dean arrived.
Book 3: Chapter 212: Master
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